Judge postpones Helco ruling
KEALAKEHE, Hawaii -- Kona Judge Ronald Ibarra says Hawaii County must review the procedures it used when it allowed Hawaii Electric Light Co. to do preliminary construction for a new Kona power plant.Ibarra yesterday postponed until Sept. 11 a ruling on an injunction to stop the work.
Yesterday's action depended on a single word in a brief notation on the county's review of the power plant written by a person in the state Department of Health.
A clean air permit must be in place "before operation (of the power plant)," the notation said.
The county chief engineer therefore approved construction, but the notation was legally incorrect, said Michael Matsukawa, attorney for the Keahole Defense Coalition and other organizations. They say the building of a new 56-megawatt plant alongside an existing smaller one will degrade air quality in the area.
Since the clean air permit issued by the state is on appeal before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the permit is not final and no construction can take place, Matsukawa argued.
Spokesmen for the county and Helco could not be reached for comment.
Faulty Kailua sewer line likely caused sinkhole
The middle of the intersection dropped out at Hamakua Drive and Hahani Street in Kailua about 3 p.m. yesterday, but no one was injured.A sinkhole that may have involved a damaged sewer line was helped along by the shallow water table and unstable soil conditions, city officials said.
There was no sewage spill, officials said.
The sinkhole gradually grew until it was 12 or more feet deep and more than 10 feet wide, witnesses said.
Police coned off the deep circular depression in the roadway and traffic moved around.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Search] [Info] section for subscription information.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffSuspect in bank robbery arrested in Nanakuli
A 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday on a federal warrant charging him with the July 27 robbery of American Savings Bank in Waipahu.Walter Westbrook Jr. was arrested by FBI agents at a Nanakuli residence.
According to a federal criminal complaint filed in court Aug. 17 by special agent James Tamura-Wageman of the FBI's violent crime squad, Westbrook allegedly robbed American Savings Bank at 94-060 Farrington Hwy. of $614 and fled in a stolen black Mazda that was recovered July 28.
Westbrook entered the bank at about 4:45 p.m. and presented a demand note written on the back of an envelope to a teller.
Westbrook fled in the stolen car, which was driven by an accomplice, but investigators were provided with the vehicle's license number.
Police responded to a auto-theft complaint on July 27 and the complainant identified Westbrook as the person who had taken the vehicle, the affidavit says.
Westbrook has also been identified in a photo lineup by the bank employee, according to the complaint.
If convicted for bank robbery, Westbrook faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Getaway driver suspect picked up in Waialua
Police today arrested a man suspected of driving the getaway car in last night's armed robbery of H Market at 43 S. Kamehameha Highway in Wahiawa.The man, 26, who has no permanent local address, was arrested at the Waialua residence of his former girlfriend on Kahaone Loop at 3:50 a.m., nearly six hours after the robbery.
Witnesses provided Wahiawa police with the license number of the two-door Toyota sedan used as the getaway car and officers were waiting for the man when he returned with the car he had borrowed from his ex-girlfriend.
Police are looking for a second man suspected of robbing H Market after showing a cashier the butt of a handgun. The gunman demanded money but fled with two bags of beef jerky when the cashier told him police were on their way.
The two men fit the description of suspects who robbed California Grocery Liquor Store in Wahiawa and Island Mini Mart in Mililani Thursday, police said.
Hauula stabbing suspect surrenders to police
A 39-year-old man who allegedly stabbed another man Sunday in Hauula surrendered yesterday at 11:30 a.m. to police in Kahuku.Charges of second-degree attempted murder, unlawful entry into a motor vehicle and violation of a temporary restraining order are pending.
The man is currently being held on a contempt warrant.
The victim, 40, was treated at Queen's Hospital for stab wounds to the left thigh and chest and later released.
Kalanianaole Highway closed for hours by fire
An early morning brush fire in near the Hawaii Kai Golf Course forced the closure of Kalanianaole Highway to traffic for several hours.Three fire companies responded to the 1:53 a.m. alarm and had the blaze extinguished by 4:20 a.m.
Officers seize 2,252 marijuana plants in Puna
HILO -- Big Island police, joined by officers from other counties and state and federal agents, seized 2,252 marijuana plants in the Puna District yesterday, they said.They also arrested a 48-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman in Paradise Park subdivision for drug and firearms offenses, but released them pending investigation.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Search] [Info] section for subscription information.
