Friday, August 10, 2018
False alert plays key role in race
Hanabusa criticizes governor for gaffe;
Ige claims she caters to special interests
By CALEB JONES
Associated Press
HONOLULU — Hawaii
Gov. David Ige wants voters
to look at his four years of
accomplishments, including
his handling of Big Island’s
erupting volcano, as reasons
to give him a second term.
But U.S. Rep. Colleen
Hanabusa, his main opponent
in Saturday’s Democratic primary
in the heavily blue state,
wants voters to look at 38
minutes in January as reason
enough to send Ige packing.
That’s how long panicking
Hawaii residents waited to
learn that a warning about an
incoming ballistic missile was
not real. Officials mistakenly
sent a statewide alert to cellphones,
televisions and radios
warning of an imminent attack
Democrat for State Senate Dist. 4
Equal Opportunity for All
High Quality Education
Environmental Resilience
VoteForKimball.com
Paid for by FRIENDS OF HEATHER KIMBALL
PO Box 7, Papaikou HI 96781
on Jan. 13. “THIS IS NOT A
DRILL,” the message read.
It was a drill — one never
intended to be seen by the
public — and the hysteria it
caused sparked a firestorm
of criticism against Ige.
“When you hear the stories
about what people did
in 38 minutes, it gives you
a clear sense that it truly
affected so many people,”
said Hanabusa, who is giving
up her seat in Congress
to challenge the governor.
Ige has his own criticisms,
saying she caters to special
interests and has a questionable
history with ethics.
Robin Berenstain, 68, a
clinical social worker at a military
base on Oahu, remembers
believing the missile alert that
screeched on her phone. She
said she called her family to
tell them she loved them.
KILAUEA ERUPTION
Index
Big Isle history B5
Classified B6
Comics A11
Commentary A8
By TOM CALLIS
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Issue No. 222
24 Pages in
2 Sections
Today’s
weather
Page A12
Community A10
Crossword B5
Cryptoquote B5
Dear Abby B5
Horoscope B5
Letters A8
Nation A4
News in brief A2
Religion A9
Sports B1
Stocks A12
World A12
Internet
Visit us on the Web at:
www.hawaiitribune-herald.com
IGE HANABUSA
HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald file
Lava flanks Puna Geothermal Venture on June 3 in lower Puna.
PGV to remain offline
for at least 18 months
Ormat Technologies, owners
of Puna Geothermal Venture,
revealed in a Wednesday
earnings call that reopening
the power plant would
take at least 18 months.
Isaac Angel, CEO of Ormat,
said in the company’s second
quarter earnings call on
Wednesday that reopening PGV
as soon as possible is a priority,
but even when conditions at
the facility are safe enough to
resume operations, the reactivation
process will take time.
“Unfortunately, as we all
know, it’s very, very difficult to
estimate how long the Puna flow
will continue, even though there
is (a) decrease (in activity),”
Angel said. “In any case, if the
flow will … stop completely, or
even it could be very slow, we
will be able to look into bringing
the power plant back. It will take
us at least 18 months to do so.”
The plant was shut down
early May after the lower Puna
eruption of Kilauea. Geothermal
‘It’s truly
wait and
watch’
Fissures remain quiet; creation
of Highway 11 bypass on hold
Hawaii County officials are putting construction
of an alternate route for Highway
11 on hold for the time being as the lull in
the Kilauea eruption continues.
But planning and right-of-way
acquisition is continuing in case
the bypass near Volcano Village is
needed, according to Barett Otani,
county Public Works spokesman.
The project is anticipated to cost
$500,000, he said in an email.
The alternate route from
BABB
Piimauna Drive to Volcano Road was discussed
a week ago after the highway sustained damage
from numerous earthquakes caused by the
collapse events in the nearby Kilauea caldera.
Those have since stopped along with
any sign of subsidence within the caldera.
The last collapse event was Aug. 2.
As of Thursday, Kilauea remained quiet at
both the summit and lower East Rift Zone.
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory spokeswoman
Janet Babb said there was no lava
leaving fissure 8, where a lava pond has
dropped and begun to crust over. Meanwhile,
geologists are scouring the volcano for
clues as to whether this is a brief pause
or a sign of a more long-term change.
“We’re watching it closely for
any indication that might change, no
matter how subtle,” she said.
See WATCH Page A6
DPS to probe own mistaken release of suspect
KEALAKEKUA — A
new restriction is in place
for Hawaii Community
Correctional
Center inmate
releases as
Public Safety
officials probe
a July blunder
that resulted in
an accused murderer
being erroneously
released into the community.
Since Brian Lee Smith
was mistakenly freed on July
24, the state Department
of Public Safety has delegated
the responsibility of
releasing inmates from the
Hilo jail to just two people
— the warden and the
chief of security, Deputy
Attorney General Laura
Maeshiro, representing the
department, told 3rd Circuit
Court Judge Melvin Fujino
during a hearing in which the
jail’s warden, Peter Cabreros,
was to explain the mishap.
Cabreros, however, did
not address the court and
few details were divulged
Thursday after Fujino
said that he would forego
action on the matter pending
the outcome of a DPS
investigation into the incident.
Smith remained free for
two days before calling to
turn himself into police
around 11 p.m. July 26.
“The court is cognizant
that the Department of Public
Safety is conducting its own
internal investigation in to this
Mental health
exam ordered for
Brian Lee Smith
By CHELSEA JENSEN
West Hawaii Today SMITH
See RELEASE Page A6
By MICHAEL BRESTOVANSKY
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
See PGV Page A6
Shutdown has
cost Ormat around
$7M in earnings
See RACE Page A6
Warriors ready
for rough
road in D-I
SPORTS, B1
/www.hawaiitribune-herald.com