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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, December 10, 2009

BUSINESS BRIEFS
Kaheawa Wind plans second Maui farm

Advertiser Staff and News Services

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kaheawa Wind Power II plans to develop a second wind farm with 14 turbines on 143 acres above Mä'alaea.

Hawaiian Electric photo

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A Maui wind-power developer has revised its environmental impact statement for a new renewable energy facility on the island.

In it, Kaheawa Wind Power II detailed plans to develop a 21-megawatt wind farm next to an existing 30-megawatt wind farm above Mä'alaea. Electricity from the plant would feed into Maui Electric Co.'s grid.

The plans call for development of a wind farm with 14 wind turbines on 143 acres.

Kaheawa Wind Power includes First Wind Holdings LLC of Boston and Makani Nui Associates LLC of Maui.

FEWER REDUCED-PRICE HOMES FOR SALE

The number of homes for sale that have had to cut their prices while on the market is declining in Honolulu, according to a report by Trulia Inc., a real estate Web site.

The firm reported price reductions are becoming less commonplace across the country, with Honolulu being among the leaders in fewer price cuts. It said between June and December the number of listings having recorded at least one price cut fell by 23 percent.

It reported that about one quarter of Honolulu's listings (24 percent) had a price reduction as of Dec. 1.

Trulia said the average reduction was 10 percent among those listings that have dropped their asking price.

ISLES NO. 1 IN SPENDING ON PUBLIC HEALTH

Hawai'i led the nation in spending on public health and hospitals as a percentage of total expenditures last year, according to a new report on state government finances by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The report said Hawai'i spends 11.5 percent of government budget on public health and hospitals. That was ahead of Alabama (10.1 percent) and South Carolina (9.9 percent)

HAWAII NEWS NOW EXPANDING MORNING NEWS SHOW TO 9 A.M.

Hawaii News Now will expand its morning news show with an extra hour on K5 television station beginning at 8 a.m.

Hawaii News Now Sunrise at 8 will debut on K5 on Jan. 11, featuring news, weather and traffic coverage.

The news program said it's looking at developing a new cooking segment featuring local chef Sam Choy.

Hawaii News Now was launched in October as a result of the newsroom merger of KHNL, KGMB9 and K5. Currently, the Sunrise edition runs between 4:30 and 7 a.m. on KHNL and between 4:30 and 8 a.m. on KGMB.

PHISHING SCAM AIMS AT CREDIT UNIONS

A phishing scam that targets credit union members is being circulated to some people in Hawai'i via e-mail.

The fake message purports to be from the Credit Union National Association and says people need to fill out an online form because of unusually heavy account activity.

But the real credit union association is warning people about the phony messages and has posted a notice on its Web site saying it is aware of e-mails, phone calls and text messages trying to get people to reveal account information.

"All these messages are fraudulent," CUNA said. "Please do not respond to these messages."

RESTORE VENTURE OPENS ON SATURDAY

The Habitat for Humanity Leeward Oahu will have a grand opening for its 4,000 square foot ReStore retail venture Saturday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The store at Campbell Industrial Park sells new and recycled building materials and home improvement items, with proceeds going to its efforts to build homes for families in need.

The store has a goal of diverting 100 tons of usable materials from landfills during its first year of operation.