HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Tesoro draining burned asphalt
Advertiser Staff
Tesoro Hawaii yesterday continued to empty the liquid asphalt tank that was damaged by fire Tuesday at Campbell Industrial Park, officials said.
An investigation into the cause of the smoldering fire will have to wait until the tank is empty, said Nathan Hokama, Tesoro Hawaii spokesman. The tank had 18,000 barrels of liquid asphalt left inside, Hokama said.
No one was injured in the fire, but workers were evacuated.
The company had planned to expand its storage capacity from 25,000 barrels to 100,000 barrels by the end of July to meet the demand for liquid asphalt that, when mixed with aggregate, or small rocks, is used to build roads, fill potholes and pave parking lots. It was not immediately known how the fire may affect the company's $1 million storage capacity expansion plans.
WAIKIKI
POWER FAILS FOR HALF AN HOUR
A power outage last night left 820 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers in Waikiki without power for about 30 minutes.
HECO spokesman Jose Dizon said the outage at 9:20 p.m. affected customers along sections of Ala Wai Boulevard, Kuhio and Lili'uokalani avenues, and Cleghorn, Nahua, Tusitala and Kapili streets. The problem involved one of two distribution lines feeding the area, Dizon said.
"One resident might not have power but his neighbor across the street did," Dizon said.
Power was restored at 9:50 p.m.
KAILUA
ENCHANTED LAKE POST OFFICE OPENS
The U.S. Postal Service will reopen a contract post office in Enchanted Lake under new management at 10 a.m. today. The facility is in Keolu Center, at 1090 Keolu Drive, and will be open six days a week.
Hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
The Postal Service had terminated the operating contract under the previous management several months ago and hired a new operator, said USPS spokesman Duke Gonzales.
"We made a business decision that would provide better results for our customers as well as for the Postal Service," Gonzales said. "The new operator will provide the same range of services in the same location."
Operations of the Enchanted Lake Contract Postal Unit are overseen by the Kailua post office.
MAUI
BASEBALL FIELD TO HONOR LATE COACH
A ceremony will be held Sunday in Makawao to dedicate a baseball field at the Mayor Eddie Tam Memorial Center in honor of the late Justin Costa Sr.
The 9 a.m. event was scheduled before Costa died June 9 at age 88. Costa was one of 20 children born to John and Helen DaCosta of Makawao. He was a longtime ranch hand for Harold and Oskie Rice.
He was active in Maui's sports community for decades, organizing, coaching and officiating Upcountry youth basketball games. Costa also coached and played baseball, and umpired Little League, Pony League and high school games. In the 1980s, he played for the Maui Raiders and Maui Monarchs Makule League teams, and continued to coach and play softball until 1995.
The dedication ceremony is open to the public, with senior softball to follow.
BIG ISLAND
PEDESTRIAN DIES FROM CAR INJURIES
A homeless man who was struck by a car as he was walking across a street in downtown Hilo on April 1 died Monday from injuries he suffered in the collision, Big Island police said.
George K. Iopa, 57, was walking east across Kino'ole Street at 1:18 a.m. when a southbound car hit him near Mamo Street. Police said Iopa was not in a crosswalk.
Iopa was taken to Hilo Medical Center and later transferred to The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, where he died at 5:45 a.m. Monday.
An autopsy on Tuesday confirmed that the crash injuries caused Iopa's death. Police said Iopa was drunk at the time of the accident.
Police said the driver, a 59-year-old Volcano man, tested positive for methamphetamine but has not been arrested in connection with the case.
CHINATOWN
DEADLINE NEAR FOR MAYOR'S SUMMIT
Saturday is the deadline to register for the Mayor's Chinatown Summit.
The summit will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 22 at the Hawai'i Theatre. The event is sponsored by the city Office of Economic Development and Enterprise Honolulu. Admission is free, but registration is required. Call the Hawai'i Theatre box office at 528-0506, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Saturday.
Mayor Mufi Hannemann will lead a lineup of guest speakers with his presentation of the "State of Chinatown."
Participants will learn how to apply for mini-awards of up to $4,000 each, funded in part by the Ford Foundation, for outstanding ideas to address such areas as affordable housing, youth issues, cultural tourism, recreation and transportation.
HONOLULU
MCKINLEY CLASS FOR SONGWRITERS
An advanced songwriting class is being offered at the McKinley School for Adults from June 20 to July 6. Songwriting 2 will be taught by musician and composer Stan Rubens. Students will work on completing a song, from inception of the lyrics to completion of the melody.
Included will be a series of shortcuts on how to play chords on an electronic keyboard without jeopardizing chord integrity. A number of keyboards are available in the classroom.
The class is limited to 10 students and lasts a total of 10 hours. To sign up, call 594-0540. The school is at 634 Pensacola St., Room 216.
