City considers ban on polystyrene containers
WAILUKU, Maui (AP) — Officials in Wailuku are considering banning polystyrene containers used by restaurants for takeout food with stiff fines for businesses that don’t comply.
The containers would be prohibited if the Wailuku City Council approves the ban.
Supporters who attended a council meeting about the proposed ban said it is a positive step toward protecting the environment. Others said alternatives to the containers are costly.
If the ban is approved, violators could be fined as much as $1,000 per day.
Additions to
Ko Olina Resort draw in tourists
HONOLULU (AP) — Additions to the Ko Olina Resort in West Oahu have been drawing more tourists to the location.
President of Land and Sea Adventures David M. Gelezinsky even called Ko Olina the new Palm Beach, Fla.
The additions include Disney’s Aulani Resort built in 2011; Four Seasons Resort, which celebrates its anniversary May 27; and a $2 billion megaresort planned by Atlantis that will add another 800 hotel rooms and 524 residences to the 1,992 already in Ko Olina.
Ko Olina was originally envisioned to have at least 4,000 hotel rooms and 5,000 resort and residential condominiums. But in November, Ko Olina’s master developer revealed a $5 billion plan to nearly double the resort.
The expansion would connect Ko Olina’s main Aliinui Drive with the adjacent Kapolei West site and go through to Kapolei Commons to make a resort rivaling Waikiki’s land mass.
Trial begins for company accused in fireworks case
HONOLULU (AP) — The criminal trial against a company accused of mishandling fireworks involved in a deadly 2011 Hawaii explosion that resulted in the deaths of five people is about reckless disregard for the law and safety, a federal prosecutor told jurors Tuesday.
Donaldson Enterprises and its chief, Charles Donaldson, are charged with conspiracy, storing and treating hazardous wastes without a permit and making a false statement.
The company had a contract to dispose of fireworks seized by the federal government. In order to finish the job faster and get paid faster, Donaldson directed employees to break apart the fireworks, remove the powder inside and store the powder in cardboard boxes, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Wallenstein.
Black powder and flash powder gain strength when accumulated in large quantities, the prosecutor said.
Donaldson continued directing employees to store and treat the fireworks in a Waikele bunker in suburban Honolulu even after a temporary permit expired, Wallenstein said. Donaldson then lied about disposing all of the fireworks in one seizure, when six 35-gallon bins remained.
Donaldson wasn’t trying to skirt permitting and various agencies knew what the company was doing, said defense attorney Thomas Otake.
But after the explosion, “some time goes by, fingers get pointed, lawsuits get filed,” Otake said. “Then out of all of that … this indictment is brought.”
The explosion was ruled accidental.
