Two workers were injured yesterday morning in an electricity accident at a Hawaiian Electric Co. substation on Kawaihae Street in Hawai'i Kai.

One man, in his mid-30s, and another, in his early 40s, were transported to Straub Hospital and Clinic in critical and stable condition, respectively, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city emergency services department.

The accident was reported shortly after 10 a.m., officials said.

OIL LEAK AT MAUI HARBOR CONTAINED

An estimated 100 to 300 gallons of oil leaked from an abandoned Maui Electric Co. oil pipeline below Kahului Harbor, the company said.

The leak of heavy industrial No. 6 fuel oil was released into the area around Pier 1 Tuesday night and was contained at 2 a.m. yesterday, company spokeswoman Kau'i Awai-Dickson said in a statement.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the oil seeped from a "pinhole" leak.

"The pipeline was abandoned in 1985 and had deteriorated," Petty Officer Angela Henderson said. "There was a pinhole leak that was very small."

Cleanup crews deployed about 1,000 feet of boom around Pier 1 to contain the leak, Awai-Dickson said.

The spill was reported at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday by harbor security, Henderson said.

WATER'S BACK ON AT KALIHI SCHOOL

Fern Elementary School in Kalihi will be back in session today, after it was closed yesterday because of a broken water main.

The school did not have water while Board of Water Supply crews yesterday repaired a 12-inch main break at 1121 Middle St., fronting the school. One lane of traffic in each direction of Middle Street was closed.

The break was reported about 1 a.m. Water service was restored at 10:30 a.m. and road repairs were completed by about 3 p.m.

VEHICLE HITS MAN IN WHEELCHAIR

An elderly man in a wheelchair was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition yesterday afternoon after being struck by a vehicle in the Kalihi area, said Byran Cheplic, spokesman for the city emergency services department.

The accident happened about 12:45 p.m. at 1637 Republican St., near Kalihi Street.

WWII MEMOIR OUT NEXT MONTH

A first-person account of the Japanese internment experience in Hawai'i during World War II, first published in Japanese in 1948, will be released next month in an English-language edition.

Yasutaro Soga's "Life Behind Barbed Wire: The World War II Memoirs of a Hawaii Issei," will be published by University of Hawai'i Press.

The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i in Mo'ili'ili will hold a release party from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 1 to mark the occasion. The book was translated by Kihei Hirai, a center volunteer.

Soga was publisher of the Nippu Jiji newspaper, one of the most widely read Japanese language newspapers in Hawai'i prior to World War II.

Soga, who was 68 years old when he was arrested and interned in Hawai'i, kept a meticulous journal of his wartime experiences.

FORUM EXAMINES HEALTHCARE ISSUES

The Hawaii Medical Association will hold a free forum next week to discuss Hawai'i's shortage of physicians and patients' access to healthcare.

Panelists include local healthcare leaders and government officials. Among the panelists are Dr. Cynthia Jean Goto, president of the Hawaii Medical Association; J.P. Schmidt, state insurance commissioner; and Dr. David Teuscher of the Texas Medical Association.

The forum is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Mabel Smyth Auditorium at The Queen's Conference Center. For more details, call 536-7702, toll-free at 888-536-2792, or go to www.hmaonline.net.

VETERANS DAY PARADE SATURDAY

KAPA'A, Kaua'i — The annual Kaua'i Veterans Day parade is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday. The parade will proceed along Kuhio Highway in Kapa'a, starting at Leonard's Chevron at the Panihi Road junction and ending at Kapa'a Beach Park.

Police will close off all streets along the parade route from 9:15 a.m. to about noon.

Motorists heading north will be able to go as far as Leonard's Chevron or take the Kapa'a bypass road to Olohena Road, then to Lehua Road. Southbound motorists will also be able to use the bypass road.