Power restored to most of Lanai ADVERTISING Power restored to most of Lanai HONOLULU (AP) — Crews restored power to most of the residents of Lanai early Tuesday, but people living in one small town remained without electricity, according to
Power restored to most of Lanai
HONOLULU (AP) — Crews restored power to most of the residents of Lanai early Tuesday, but people living in one small town remained without electricity, according to Maui Electric Co.
The entire island lost electrical service after strong winds snapped or damaged utility poles during the weekend.
The utility said crews reconnected 1,575 Lanai City customers to electricity just before 1 a.m. Tuesday.
But 125 customers in the Manele area remained without power. Crews continued repairs Tuesday.
Maui Electric said crews worked to repair 19 utility poles on the 141-square-mile island where about 3,000 people live. Billionaire Larry Ellison purchased 98 percent of Lanai in 2012.
The repairs involved replacing all of the damaged 45- to 50-foot tall poles, resetting new ones and then restringing about a mile of lines along Kaumalapau Highway to Miki Basin and cross-country to Manele Bay, the company said.
Windstorm damage throughout the state was the most extensive in years, knocking out power to thousands of people, said Hawaiian Electric.
Bill seeks more transparency from tourism agency
HONOLULU (AP) — State lawmakers are considering legislation aimed at making the Hawaii Tourism Authority more transparent following concerns about how the agency spends tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to market the islands.
Democratic Sen. Glenn Wakai is working on a bill that would end a 2010 law allowing the tourism agency to discuss “competitively sensitive” information behind closed doors.
Under the proposed legislation, the agency would be required to provide unredacted budgets to legislators.
The bill comes weeks after the agency was criticized by the Senate Ways and Means Committee for a lack of transparency as well as unsustainable spending and debt management.
HTA gets $82 million in transient accommodation taxes for marketing and operations and $26.5 million in transient accommodation taxes for the Hawaii Convention Center.
HTA President and CEO George Szigeti and board Chairman Rick Fried previously said their decisions meet exemptions in state public records laws.
Military wants lawsuit dismissed
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — The U.S. military wants a federal lawsuit challenging its plans to expand operations on the Mariana Islands dismissed.
The Department of Defense claims the court does not have the authority to question the $8 billion international agreement that will move as many as 5,000 U.S. Marines from Japan to the Marianas in Dededo, Guam. The military also plans to use some islands in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for training.
Earthjustice filed its lawsuit in July 2016 on behalf of several groups opposed to the military training.
The lawsuit says the U.S. Navy failed to evaluate the environmental impacts of training on Tinian and Pagan islands and did not consider alternate locations outside the Mariana Islands.
Earthjustice claims communities on Tinian would be subjected to high-decibel noise and have restricted access to fishing grounds, cultural sites and recreational beaches as a result of the military training. Pagan would be the target of ship-to-shore naval bombardment, which would destroy native forests and coral reefs, according to the lawsuit.
The other groups involved in the lawsuit include the Tinian Women’s Association, PaganWatch, the Center for Biological Diversity and Guardians of Gani.
The military issued a response to the complaint Friday, saying the court should dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction.
The military added that it is premature to challenge the proposed training activity in the Northern Mariana Islands because related environmental impact studies are ongoing and the training “may never be approved at all.”
Strong quake strikes Solomons
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A magnitude-7.9 earthquake struck Sunday deep under Papua New Guinea, causing some damage and blackouts.
The midafternoon quake struck at a depth of 103 miles beneath the eastern province of Bougainville, where Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands meet in a continuous South Pacific archipelago, said Chris McKee, assistant director of Papua New Guinea Geophysical Observatory in Port Moresby.
No casualties were reported. But there was reported damage in parts of central Bougainville and the major town of Arawa. The provincial capital of Buka was blacked out and residents of the southern town of Buin were moved to higher ground as a precaution against a potential tsunami.
