Coast Guard rescues 7 aboard a fishing vessel in Hawaii
HONOLULU — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued seven people aboard a fishing vessel that caught fire off Oahu’s southern coast.
No one was injured in Tuesday’s blaze. All were transported to Honolulu Harbor.
The Coast Guard responded to the burning vessel with a C-130 airplane, a helicopter and a boat.
Thick, black smoke could still be seen pouring from the 46-foot-long boat an hour after the initial call for help came in at about 4:30 p.m.
Power restored after brief outage in Honolulu airport terminal
HONOLULU — A brief power outage disrupted operations Wednesday morning in Terminal 1 at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, said state transportation officials.
Department of Transportation officials tweeted at about 8:50 a.m. that “power is restored at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport after a brief outage this morning. Airport operations are normal.”
A DOT spokesman said the outage lasted about seven minutes.
At about 8:40 a.m., DOT tweeted a temporary power outage was affecting the terminal.
“Passengers are advised to check flight status with their airline prior to heading to the airport,” the tweet said.
Man allegedly fires shots at friend
HONOLULU — Honolulu police arrested a 40-year-old man after he allegedly fired shots at his friend in Pupukea, Oahu.
The man and his friend were arguing at about 7 a.m. Tuesday. The suspect allegedly accused the man of attempting to steal something from him, according to police.
Police said the alleged perpetrator pointed a handgun at the victim and fired two rounds. No injuries were reported.
Officers found the suspect in Waialua, Oahu, shortly before 1:50 p.m. Tuesday and arrested him on suspicion of second-degree attempted murder.
Collective solar power project approved
HONOLULU — The state’s first collective solar energy project designed for local utility customers who can’t install photovoltaic panels on their property is expected to start producing power early next year.
Hawaiian Electric Co. announced Monday that it approved its first community-based renewable energy project, also referred to as “solar without a roof.”
The 270-kilowatt photovoltaic system is to be developed by Tritium3 Renewable Ventures, which attracted close to a dozen primarily nonprofit organizations and small businesses to invest in the facility that is designed with 864 solar panels slated for rooftop space at Mililani Tech Park on Oahu.
Under the program, HECO ratepayers who don’t have their own photovoltaic systems can invest in a community-based solar project and receive a credit on their electricity bill in return.
Though the main investors in the Tritium3 project are commercial customers, HECO structured its program to also appeal to consumers who can’t install solar panels on their homes because they live in a high-rise or they rent.
Peter Rosegg, a HECO spokesman, said the credit is designed to be in line with what homeowners can receive for their own photovoltaic systems under existing HECO rooftop solar programs.
The project is among an early batch of seven community-based solar projects submitted to HECO, which wants to generate eight megawatts of electricity on Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawaii Island under an initial phase of the program.
HECO said the other six project proposals are being reviewed and more approvals are expected next year.