Waterfront Partners sued Hawaii Superferry in Circuit Court yesterday, alleging that Superferry has failed to pay $51,310 in rent on its leased headquarters at One Waterfront Plaza.

The landlord alleges Superferry stopped making lease payments on March 20, the day after Superferry ceased operations in Hawai'i because of a state Supreme Court ruling. Superferry officials are looking for lease options for the Alakai and a second catamaran but have not ruled out returning to the Islands.

The Supreme Court ruled that a law allowing Superferry to operate while the state prepares an environmental impact statement was unconstitutional.

In the complaint filed with the court yesterday, the landlord accuses Superferry of breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The suit alleges Superferry leased the office space through July 2013.

Superferry officials could not be reached for comment.

MUDSLIDE SHUTS HANA HIGHWAY

Hana Highway was closed for about 10 hours yesterday after a large mudslide blocked a portion of the highway, Maui County officials said.

The slide occurred about 10:30 p.m. Thursday night at mile marker 21, about two miles on the Ke'anae side of the Pua'a Ka'a State Wayside Park.

No injuries were reported.

Crews could not begin work Thursday night because conditions were deemed unsafe. Work began at daylight yesterday and the road was cleared about 8:30 a.m., the county said.

A similar mudslide on March 21 in the same area resulted in a road closure of about five hours.

PATH CLINIC GETS $35,000 GRANT

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Hawaii March of Dimes have given a grant of $35,000 to the Perinatal Addiction Services of Hawaii clinic.

The PATH clinic, which this month marks its second anniversary, offers obstetric and gynecological care for women struggling with addiction.

OHA's grant of $25,000 will allow the clinic to create a Native Hawaiian healing garden for the pregnant women and their children. The project is envisioned as an outdoor meeting area for up to 10 women, a playground, and a large healing garden.

The March of Dimes grant of $10,000 is one of the ways the organization helps fulfill its mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

The PATH clinic is led by John A. Burns School of Medicine Assistant Professor Tricia Wright, who specializes in care of women with substance abuse.

PAIR OF BINTLETS DIE FROM NATURAL CAUSES

Two infant binturong out of a litter of three at the Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo near Hilo have died of natural causes, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported. A third, which was rejected by the mother, is thriving as zoo staff hand-raise the young bearcat.

The first bearcats born in captivity in Hawai'i since the 1980s, the trio was discovered by zoo staff on Feb. 10. The animals are native to Southeast Asia and are endangered in portions of their range.

Veterinarians believe one of the bintlets died from falling as the mother led it climbing inside the cage. The second appears to have succumbed to salmonella.

Keoki, the surviving male, lives in a metal cage in the zoo office. He weighs more than four pounds and recently had his first vaccination.

KALIHI FIRE CAUSES $2,000 IN DAMAGE

A fire on a lanai caused an estimated $2,000 in damage at a Kalihi apartment building last night.

Firefighters responded to the 7:43 p.m. alarm of a blaze at a five-story apartment building at 1250 Richard Lane and had the fire out in 15 minutes, fire department spokesman Capt. Terry Seelig said.

None of the apartment unit's residents were home at the time.

A woman was taken to a hospital in stable condition with anxiety-like symptoms, an official said.