By David Corrigan and Stephanie Salazar

KAWAIHAE, Hawaii: In today’s Kohala report… There is one more area of concern on the Big Island listed in the Draft statewide pedestrain plan, and its located on the Akoni Pule Highway, at the Kawaihae Road Intersection.

Now, Big Island Video News usually reports matters that occur in the area of Kawaihae in our North Kohala news section, but for the purposes of continuity in our pedestrian plan examination, we will file this report here.

The state plan providesm this image, showing how the sight distance for drivers to see pedestrians is limited due to diagonally parked cars at the shoulder and overgrown vegetation.

The state plan is proposing to investigate the feasibility of installing a marked crosswalk, pedestrian signage, and highway lighting at the intersection.

Voice of Stephanie Salazar

The Big Island Carbon project could begin turning macadamia nut shells into premium grade, granular activate carbon as early as next week.

That what chief executive officer Rick Vidgen told the Kawaihae Local Resource Council last Sunday.

The $40 million facility leases Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in the Kaie Hana Industrial Park in Kawaihae. It will employ 25 to 30 people once fully operational.

Vidgen says granular activated carbon is a highly valued product, mostly for its filtration capabilities.

November 9, 2010 – KAWAIHAE, Hawaii

Video by David Corrigan | Voice of Stephanie Salazar

On Monday, Governor Linda Lingle stopped by an innovative West Hawaii factory that turns mac nut shells into activated carbon.

Big Island Carbon is located on four acres of Hawaiian Home Lands–leased property in the Kaie Hana Industrial Park at Kawaihae. Three years ago the Governor was there for the ground breaking for a $20 million plant that will create high-quality activated carbon that can be used in the pharmaceutical, environmental, and other industries as well as to produce biofuel.

Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) product is used in hybrid car power units and is also widely sold in the chemical and pharmaceutical market. More than 20,000 tons of macadamia nut shells are produced on the Big Island every year and the company expects to buy about 10,000 tons which it can convert into 1,000 tons of GAC.

November 4, 2010 – KAWAIHAE, Hawaii

By Stephanie Salazar

All that smoke along Kawaiahe road Wednesday was due to a brush fire, forcing police to limit traffic to only one lane for a while.

The brush fire was in the area of the 64 mile marker chicken farm. The blaze created lots of smoke that was crossing the roadway.

By 4:50pm, the fire was out and both lanes were re-opened.

November 4, 2010 – KAWAIHAE, Hawaii

Voice of Stephanie Salazar

PRESS RELEASE, Hawaii County Police Department -

Big Island police have arrested and charged a 49-year-old Kawaihae man with assault in connection with a stabbing Monday (November 1) in Kawaihae.

South Kohala patrol officers responded to a 1:22 p.m. report of a stabbing on Kawaihae Road near Spencer Park. A 38-year-old Kawaihae woman reported that she got into a verbal dispute with an acquaintance and the acquaintance became physical and cut her arms with a knife.

Fire Department personnel took the victim to North Kohala Community Hospital, where she was treated for her injuries and released.

A short time later, police located the suspect, Irvin Lopes, near the old lighthouse off Akoni Pule Highway. He was arrested at 2:10 p.m. and taken to the Kona Police cellblock while detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Section continued the investigation.

At 2:30 p.m. Tuesday (November 2), detectives charged Lopes with second-degree assault and for violating a court order in an unrelated case. He was being held in lieu of $12,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.

Mobile version of video

August 3, 2010 – Hilo, Hawaii

Video by David Corrigan

Although Aunty Emily will have to wait to amend the CDP, she can get started on her plan to transfer 24 housing units located in Kawaihae to Pahoa for use as transitional housing.

Catholic Charities Hawaii, which manages the Kawaihae housing, plans to close the facility next year. The homes will have to be dismantled and transported to Puna for renovation.

Councilmembers warned it would be a challenge, but voted to approve the resolution unanimously.

Reports say no injuries or threatened structures at this time

May 22, 2010 – Kawaihae, Hawaii

UPDATE - (10:00 pm) Hawaii Police say the Akoni Pule Highway is now open, but advise travellers to use caution because there are still fire trucks in the area.

 Big Island emergency officials are battling a brush fire that has burned about 300 acres near Kawaihae.

A county message that was received shortly after 11 am said the fire had forced the closure of the Akoni Pule Highway. Reports say the fire jumped the road near the 12 mile marker, which places it about a mile south of Lapakahi State Historical Park.

News reports say the fire started around 10:23 a.m., and that the cause of the blaze is presently unknown.

News reports say five Hawaii County Fire Department companies and two volunteer companies are fighting the fire. Reports say two helicopters are assisting with water drops.

The National Weather Service has placed the area – along with leeward areas of all Hawaii islands – under a red flag warning, meaning that the dry conditions mixed with strong and gusty tradewinds create critical potential for such wildfires.

The picture seen here was taken by the Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, and presented online through their twitter page (twitter.com/PuukoholaNP). It looks north from the heiau site, towards Kawaihae. The fire can be seen in the distance behind the harbor.

Kawaihae, Hawaii - A 600 acre brushfire in the area of Kawaihae Road temporarily closed major highways and forced the evacuation of some residents on Friday afternoon.

It was almost 1 p.m. when the Hawaii County Fire Department first responded to reports of a fire on the 65 Mile Marker of Kawaihae Road. Crews arrived on the scene to find a 50 acre brush fire, blowing North East at 5 to 10 mph.

Soon, 15 units were on the scene working to contain the brush fire, which had grown to engulf over 600 acres, aided by stronger winds and dry leeward conditions.

Initially, one lane of Kawaihae Road was closed, but before too long, the road was closed in both directions from Waiaka Road to Queen Kaahumanu Highway. However, as the fire spread, more road closures were reported by the Hawaii County Civil Defense. Akoni Pule Highway was closed from Queen Kaahumanu Junction to Kohala Ranch Road, and Queen Kaahumanu Road was closed from Hapuna Beach Road to the Kawaihae Road Junction.

Officials evacuated Kawaihae Village, Hapuna Prince, and Transitional Housing. Officials said that the evacuations were for precautionary reasons, and added that no homes have been damaged or lost to fire. Evacuees were provided a refuge at the Waikoloa Elementary School.

In time, Akoni Pule Highway and Queen Kaahumanu Highway were been re-opened. Kawaihae Road was still closed from Waiaka Road to Queen Kaahumanu Highway at the time this story was published.

Fire officials believe the fire may have been caused by a possible spark from a lawnmower.

Kawaihae, Hawaii – Video by David Corrigan

It felt like a family reunion between distant relatives on Ohai’ula, also known as Spencer Beach, as Hawaii Island welcomed dignitaries from Tahiti and a new submarine cable linking the two countries on Monday.

The 3,107 miles of undersea fiber optic cable, the first of its kind to connect the United states and French Polynesia, will allow Tahiti to access high speed internet. Officials hope it will dramatically improve communication services throughout all the islands of French Polynesia, (Bora Bora, Raiatea, Huahine, Moorea and Tahiti) allowing more affordable international broadband internet connectivity.

The cable has been named Honotua. “Hono translates to ‘link’ and Tua translates to ‘backbone, horizon at sea,’” says Francois Voirin, Chairman of the Board of Office des postes et telecommunications, in a media release. “Hawaiians and Tahitians have established links through voyaging canoes long before European explorers. Today, Honotua reestablishes this connection positioning both countries for improved communication technology entirely relevant for the information age.”

Tahiti and Hawaii share a legendary common ancestry. Although the celebration’s welcoming ceremony had an international feel, there was an underlying sense that long lost families were reconnecting; a connection that is deeper than the 19,500 feet deep Honotua cable.

Edouard Fritch, vice president of the government of French Polynesia, Maui’s State Senator Kalani English, and Mayor Billy Kenoi were among the dignataries in attendance. Kenoi was presented a buoy, named Kealakahiki (Hawaiian for “the way to Tahiti”) that symbolized the end of the cable project.

The Honotua project began 5 years ago. Cable laying started November 24, 2009 on the island of Bora Bora for the domestic link. The international link started on December 19, 2009. Over $108 million has been invested in the project.

October 1, 2008 – Kohala, Hawaii

A preview of the Oceansphere technology planned for use by Hawaii Oceanic Technology, Inc. in the Pacific Ocean a few miles north of Kawaihae Harbor.

These self sustaining orbs, untethered to the ocean floor, will produce large harvests of ahi tuna. The technology will use an exclusive patent pending hybrid ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) power plant to generate the electricity needed to position the large spheres geostatically.

In this interview, Paul Troy explains some of the goals of the aquaculture project. The animation has been provided by Hawaii Oceanic Technology, Inc. and was created by the wizards of Screaming Wink Productions, LLC.

The first couple of Oceanspheres may be deployed by late 2009.