HILO — A 28-year-old North Kohala man was killed early yesterday after his car struck a bridge railing near Waikoloa Village, police said.

Eddie Boy Durante of Kapa'au was driving a 2003 Toyota four-door sedan west on Waikoloa Road shortly before 2:16 a.m. when his car veered off the right side of the road, striking the railing, police said.

Durante was thrown from the vehicle, which fire officials said fell 20 feet into the 'Auwaiakeakua Gulch. Durante was pronounced dead at Kona Community Hospital at 5:30 a.m.

Police said speed and alcohol are believed to be factors. Durante was not wearing a seat belt, they said.

Durante's death is the 12th on Big Island roads so far this year, compared with 11 deaths at this time last year.

MAUI PLANNING GROUP GETS GRANT

KAHULUI — Maui Electric Co. awarded a $10,000 grant to Focus Maui Nui, an effort to articulate the vision, values, and priorities of the community to lay the foundation for long-term planning and decision-making about the future of Maui County.

The grant was made possible by the Hawaiian Electric Industries Charitable Foundation.

Focus Maui Nui, launched in 2003, is spearheaded by the Maui Economic Development Board. For more information, visit www.focusmauinui.com.

BLOOD DRIVE ON TAP FOR NEXT WEEK

LIHU'E — The Blood Bank of Hawai'i will hold a blood drive on Kaua'i April 5 through 7.

Teams will be at Kaua'i High School's library from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 5, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 6 and 7 at Wilcox Memorial Hospital conference rooms.

For information, call (800) 372-9966 or visit www.bbh.org.

YOUTH CHESS MATCHES APRIL 8

LIHU'E — The Kaua'i Interscholastic Chess Championship, for children from elementary school age through high school, is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. April 8 at the Princeville Hotel's Queen Emma Room.

Grand prize winners in each of three age divisions will receive two nights at the Princeville Hotel.

For more information, to assist or to contribute prizes, call tournament director Terry Moeller at 635-0848 or e-mail kauaiterry@yahoo.com. Moeller is chess instructor at Hanalei Elementary School and a candidate master in correspondence chess.

12,000 LOSE POWER FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS

Trouble with a failed connector on a 46-kilovolt transmission line caused a power failure Monday night that affected 12,000 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers in Mililani, Mililani Mauka and Kunia, a HECO spokesman said.

The power loss occurred about 9:18 p.m. and was restored by 11:10, the company said.

MEETING ON TRAFFIC TOMORROW

Elected officials from 'Aiea and Pearl City will be at a community meeting on traffic and transportation tomorrow from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Waimalu Elementary School cafeteria.

The focus will be the Kamehameha Highway improvement project from Center Drive to Waihona Street and the H-1 Freeway widening project.

For more information, call 586-8455.

STREAM, MARSH CLEANUP SATURDAY

Several hundred volunteers will be doing a major cleanup of Kapakahi Stream and Pouhala Marsh along Waipahu Depot Road Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. The city's environmental services personnel are coordinating the cleanup.

MAN FACES GUN, DRUG CHARGES

A Honolulu man has been charged with drug and firearm counts after federal authorities reported finding about a pound of methamphetamine, 6 1/2 pounds of cocaine, a loaded semi-automatic pistol and $132,502 in cash at his apartment on March 15.

Robert George Cuskaden was charged yesterday with possessing the drugs, and with possessing the gun to further drug trafficking.

Cuskaden has a 1994 state court conviction for possessing cocaine and drug paraphernalia, according to an affidavit by a federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent in support of the federal charges.

Cuskaden indicated he was going to sell the meth to his customers, the affidavit said.

He also indicated only 10 ounces of the cocaine belonged to him and he was holding the rest for another person, the document said.

Cuskaden said he had the gun because a friend was recently robbed of drugs and money, the affidavit said.