Oceanic Time Warner experienced a statewide outage of its digital phone and Roadrunner high-speed Internet service last night from 9:35 to 10:30 p.m.

Maintenance work on the Time Warner system conducted in Orange County, Calif., somehow affected Oceanic, said Norman Santos, Oceanic vice president for operations.

"It was not supposed to affect us, but it did," Santos said.

Service was fully restored by 10:30 p.m., he said. But individual customers may have to "reboot" their systems to get a connection, Santos said. To do so, unplug the power source from the modem, wait 10 seconds and plug it back in.

NOT-GUILTY PLEA TO RE-FILED CHARGES

A Wai'anae man accused in the vicious beating of a husband and wife at a shopping center pleaded not guilty for a second time yesterday to two counts of second-degree felony assault.

The charges against Gerald D. Paakaula, 44, were re-filed by prosecutors to include the word "recklessly," which officials said establishes his state of mind.

Andrew and Dawn Dussell were beaten Feb. 19 following a minor traffic accident at Waikele Center.

Paakaula punched Dawn Dussell in the face and slammed her to the ground, causing her to lose consciousness, prosecutors have said. Paakaula also punched Andrew Dussell in the head and face and kicked him while he was on the ground, they said.

Paakaula is free on $50,000 bail while awaiting trial, which is scheduled for Sept. 17.

His 16-year-old son has already been sentenced to a year in a youth facility for his role in the attack.

FLAMES ENGULF LAWA'I DUPLEX

A home in Lawa'i, Kaua'i, was engulfed by flames early yesterday morning. Fire officials estimated damage to the home and its contents at $200,000.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Firefighters said the blaze started in a bedroom on the upper level of the duplex about 5 a.m. and was under control at 5:30 a.m.

Two people were in the two-bedroom wooden home and escaped unharmed. No one was in a studio apartment on the bottom level of the duplex.

QUAKE-RECOVERY MEASURE SIGNED

Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday signed into law a bill that appropriates $24.9 million for disaster recovery efforts on the Big Island associated with the Oct. 15, 2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake.

House Bill 1345, signed as Act 78, appropriates $900,000 in general funds to help cover Department of Defense operational expenses for support they have provided in assisting the victims of the earthquake.

The remaining $24 million is the state share required to obtain federal emergency funds for structural and non-structural earthquake mitigation projects, and for repairing irrigation water systems, school facilities, hospitals and healthcare facilities.

SUNSET IN KALIHI TODAY, TOMORROW

Sunset in Kalihi is set for today and tomorrow at Kalakaua District Park.

The event features entertainment, a feature film, food and rides. It runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. both days.

Today, attendees can watch "Over the Hedge" on a giant screen starting at 7:30 p.m.

Tomorrow, "The Guardian" will start at 7:30 p.m.

Entertainment includes the Royal Hawaiian Band, the Pu'uhale School choir and contemporary performers.

For more information, go to www.sunsetinkalihi.com.

MAN CRITICAL FROM KALAELOA ACCIDENT

A 35-year-old man was taken to Hawai'i Medical Center West in critical condition after a vehicle he was in flipped over and crashed on Kalaeloa Boulevard yesterday morning.

The accident occurred about 10:20 a.m.

The injured man was pinned in the vehicle, police said.

He was a passenger in the vehicle and was not wearing a seat belt, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the Honolulu Emergency Services Department.

The driver was not injured, Cheplic said.

After the collision, police contra-flowed traffic on Kalaeloa Boulevard near Campbell Industrial Park.

The man was later transferred to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition, Cheplic said.

TREE GIVEAWAY AT CAPITOL THURSDAY

A Big Island man will hold a tree giveaway event next week at the state Capitol.

Mark Hanson, president of the nonprofit Hawaiian Reforestation Program in Pahoa, plans to give away at least 500 seedlings at the event set for Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Among other varieties, offerings will include kukui, kamani and milo trees.

"In pursuit of my own happiness, I am hosting ... tree giveaways in every state to show everyone that planting trees with children is a fun way to stop global warming," said Hanson, noting that he kicked off the effort last month by giving away 5,000 oak trees and 110 cherry trees during Earth week on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Hanson is a graduate of the University of Hawai'i-Hilo's forestry program.

MARINE BASE NOISE LIKELY UP TODAY

Flight training set to begin today may increase noise at the Marine Corps Base Hawai'i at Kane'ohe Bay and surrounding areas.

Eight F/A-18 Hornets and one C-130 Hercules from Marine Fighter/Attack Squadron 134, a reserve F/A-18 Hornet squadron from Miramar, Calif., will conduct annual training. The training is expected to be completed by June 4.

MAN, 27, ARRESTED IN CAR VANDALISM

A 27-year-old man was arrested Thursday after he allegedly vandalized six cars in a parking lot in Kalihi.

At 2:33 p.m. yesterday Kalihi patrol officers responded to a call of a man who was walking through a parking lot and scratching cars with a pocket knife.

The man also reportedly shattered a car window while a man sat inside the vehicle.

Police found a man matching the description relayed by witnesses to police dispatchers, police said.

Witnesses pointed the man out to police, and officers arrested the 27-year-old on suspicion of first-degree criminal property damage, second-degree criminal property damage and four counts of fourth-degree criminal property damage.