Hawai'i briefs
Advertiser Staff and News Services
O'AHU'S NORTH SHORE
Utility pole falls across highway
Heavy rains may have caused a utility pole to collapse across Kamehameha Highway near Shark's Cove last night.
Police said the pole broke at about 8:50 p.m. and power lines fell across both lanes. Motorists were turned away at both ends of Shark's Cove. One lane of the highway reopened at 1:30 a.m. Police urged motorists today to seek alternative routes due to the traffic contraflow and backup.
The cause was under investigation, police said.
There were no reports of injuries or power failures due to this episode, but the weather caused small scattered outages and one large one affecting 1,500 homes in the Kaimuki-Kapahulu area this morning, said Fred Kobashikawa, Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesman. That outage occurred between 7:13 and 7:28 a.m., he said.
Yesterday's heavy rain also was blamed for several vehicle accidents. The most serious was at about 3:35 p.m. on the H-2 Freeway northbound.
Police said a man and his 5-year-old son were thrown from a pickup truck when the vehicle hit an embankment. They were taken to the The Queen's Medical Center, where they were in serious condition last night.
WINDWARD O'AHU
Candidates speak this week
The KEY Project will host two candidate forums this week.
Board of Education and state Legislature candidates will meet 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at 47-200 Waihe'e Road.
Board candidates Laura H. Thielen and Terrance Tom for the Windward District will answer questions.
Also attending will be Republican Lacene Terri and Democrat Melodie Aduja, candidates for Senate District 23 (Kane'ohe, Kahuku), and Republican Colleen Meyer and Democrat George Okuda, candidates for House District 47 (Ha'iku, Kahalu'u, La'ie).
On Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m., City Council candidates for District 2 (Wahiawa, North Shore, 'Ahuimanu) Gerry Hagino and Donovan Dela Cruz will speak at KEY Project.
EAST HONOLULU
Parenting skills class offered
Parents of troubled teens can learn skills from the Parent Project fall session, 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, tomorrow through Dec. 18 at Kaiser High School.
The $22 fee covers the cost of workbooks for parents. To register, call 394-1253.
BIG ISLAND
Hilo, Kona hit by power failure
HILO, Hawai'i — A power failure Sunday night left much of downtown Hilo dark for about a half-hour.
Some 3,700 customers in Hilo and South Kona were without power from 6:20 p.m., said HECO spokesman Jay Ignacio.
Mechanical problems at two power generators caused electrical demand to exceed supply, he said.
Earlier in the day, about 1,500 customers in Kaumana lost power for nearly two hours because of a switching problem at a substation.
Spearfishing topic of talk
KEALAKEKUA, Hawai'i — The impact of spearfishing on Big Island reefs will be discussed at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Konawaena Elementary School cafeteria.
Speaking at the free event are Alan Friedlander of the Oceanic Institute and Charles Birkeland of the University of Hawai'i Cooperative Research Unit of the Sea Grant Service.
For more information, call the UH Sea Grant office in Kona at (808) 329-2861.
ELECTION 2002
Amendment to be debated
A live TV debate tonight will focus on a constitutional amendment that would allow state and county prosecutors to send a felony case to trial by filing a written charge with supporting affidavits.
Currently, a felony case can be sent to trial only through a grand jury indictment or a preliminary hearing.
City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle and state Rep. Ed Case, former Democratic gubernatorial candidate, will speak in favor of the proposal; criminal defense lawyer Brook Hart and state deputy public defender Susan Arnett will argue against it.
The program in the "Vote! 2002: Candidates Debate" series by Olelo Community Television will air 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Oceanic Channel 54 and Oceanic Digital Control.
