Summit eruption passes record

HILO » Kilauea Volcano has passed a milestone as being amid the longest summit eruption since 1924 — technically speaking.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory announced that on Nov. 25 the current eruption reached the 251-day record set in 1924.

But the casual observer would hardly have noticed.

Since March, when this eruption started inside Halemaumau Crater, part of the larger Kilauea caldera, there have been no lava fountains or any outflow of lava on the ground, the sights a layman considers an eruption.

Since 1924 there have been 18 eruptions, and they all added lava to the floor of Halemaumau, except for the current one, the observatory said.

Current events started on March 12 with the opening of a new gas vent. On March 19 at 2:58 a.m., a powerful explosion occurred, caused by gases building up underground.

The blast sent rocks as big as a cubic yard in volume over a 75-acre area.

The observatory called that an “;explosive eruption.”;

About 12 miles to the east, Kilauea continues to produce a rift eruption as it has with greater or lesser vigor since 1983. Jan. 3 will be the 26th anniversary of the ongoing East Rift eruptions.

Pacific war memorial established

A World War II monument for those who fought in the Pacific was established today by President Bush.

The World War II Valor in Pacific National Monument will encompass nine sites: five in Hawaii, three in Alaska and one in California at the Tule Lake Segregation Center, where thousands of Japanese-Americans were detained after the Pearl Harbor attack.

The Oahu sites are the USS Arizona Memorial and Visitor Center, the USS Utah Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, six Chief Petty Officer Bungalows on Ford Island and three mooring platforms along Battleship Row.

Bush also signed a proclamation honoring National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. The 67th anniversary of the attacks is on Sunday.

In a joint statement, Hawaii U.S. Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka lauded Bush's decision to tie the Pacific conflict into a “;cohesive story.”;

“;The president's declaration introduces a new way of thinking about national monuments as noncontiguous pieces of a larger narrative and we look forward to working with the Department of Interior on its implementation,”; the senators said.

Public Works gets new leader

HILO » Warren Lee, the recently retired former president of the Hawaii Electric Light Co., has been named head of the Hawaii County Department of Public Works by incoming Mayor Billy Kenoi.

Lee, 61, spent the past 36 years with HELCO before retiring earlier this year. He previously served as an engineer for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and is also a retired Army Reserve lieutenant colonel.

As chief engineer for the county, his duties will be overseeing public and private building construction; maintenance of county streets, bridges and drainage facilities; operation of traffic signals; and supervision of other public works projects.

Navy basing USS Hawaii in isles

The Navy has officially announced it will base the submarine USS Hawaii at Pearl Harbor this summer.

Gov. Linda Lingle and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye have long said the submarine would be based in the islands, but the Navy did not make a formal announcement until yesterday. The Hawaii is only the third Virginia-class submarine, the Navy's most advanced underwater attack boat. The 377-foot ship has a crew of more than 130 sailors and officers.

The Hawaii is the first submarine to be named after the state.

Aloha United Way sale scheduled

The island's biggest garage sale will be held tomorrow to benefit Aloha United Way.

The sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at McKinley High School cafeteria is a joint effort of the community campaign and the State Federation of Labor.

New toys, clothing and small appliances are among the sale items, along with used furniture, household goods, clothing, jewelry and other items. Goods donated by members of 13 labor unions filled about 30 cubic feet of storage space provided by Store Quest, said Lynn Ching, Aloha United Way vice president.

“;With the economy so bad, people aren't able to contribute as much, and the AUW will have a hard time to meet its goal,”; Ching said. “;We decided to ask people to clean up their house and recycle merchandise they didn't need or want.”;

Service will honor Jewish victims of terrorism

A Honolulu Jewish organization will hold a memorial service Sunday for six people who were killed last Friday in a terrorist attack at a Jewish center in Mumbai, India.

Chabad of Hawaii will sponsor the 11 a.m. service at the Ala Moana Hotel, 410 Atkinson Drive, in a second-floor meeting room. It is open to the public.

Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivky, were killed at the Chabad Lubavitch center, which they had operated since 2003. Other victims were Rabbis Bentzion Chroman and Leibish Teitelbaum, Norma Schwartzblatt-Rabinowitz and Yocheved Orpaz. Their bodies were flown to Israel and buried there.

Chabad of Hawaii is a branch of the orthodox Jewish Chabad Lubavitch movement, headquartered in Brooklyn, N.Y.