Posted on: Friday, May 16, 2003

Hawai'i briefs

Man pulled from ocean dies

KAPOHO, Hawai'i — A 63-year-old Big Island man died Wednesday after being pulled unconscious from the ocean off Kapoho in Puna. Police identified the man as Steven Dragon of Kapoho. It happened around 2:40 p.m., when Dragon was found face-down in the water and brought to shore by other swimmers. He was pronounced dead at Hilo Medical Center at 4:30 p.m.

Astronaut to speak today

WAIMEA, Hawai'i — Space shuttle mission specialist Rick Linnehan will discuss his spacewalk last year to install a replacement camera on the Hubble Space Telescope during a free lecture at 7 p.m. today at the W.M. Keck Observatory. The new camera gave the telescope a new degree of clarity. Linnehan will speak in the Hualalai Lecture Theater at the observatory at 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, across from North Hawai'i Hospital.

Kaka'ako area loses power

Electricity was knocked out to more than 1,000 customers, including The Honolulu Advertiser, for about an hour last night.

The power failure began at about 7:45 p.m. and affected businesses and residents in Kaka'ako, said Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesman Fred Kobashikawa. Power was restored at 8:47 p.m., he said.

The problem was traced to an underground cable in Kak'ako and a transformer at HECO's Kaka'ako substation. Kobashikawa said that combination made it difficult for HECO crews to switch power to alternate circuits.

Traffic signals and street lights also were darkened, forcing police to direct traffic at busy intersections.

Wal-Mart gets building permit

Wal-Mart was issued a city building permit Wednesday and can continue building its 317,000-square-foot store on Ke'eaumoku Street. The store is expected to open late next spring or early summer pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by Citizens Against Reckless Development, a group opposed to the facility. The lawsuit says city zoning laws are being violated by the development, and a Sept. 5 trial date has been set. Grading and foundation work on the site are nearly complete, Wal-Mart spokeswoman Cynthia Lin said.

Liquor board member named

Danny Kim has been appointed to the five-member Honolulu Liquor Commission by Mayor Jeremy Harris.

Kim, 27, was named to the panel May 9, and his term will expire Dec. 31, 2007. He replaces Orlando Soriano, who resigned in October, two months before his term expired. Kim is regional manager for Marine Product Tech (Seoul), where he researches and markets marine products in the United States. Commission Chairman John Spierling said Kim is fluent in Korean, which should benefit the commission because of the large number of license holders who speak that language.