Kaʻū News Briefs April 14, 2024

Journey to the Summit begins this Saturday at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Photo by Janice Wei

NATIONAL PARK WEEK BEGINS THIS SATURDAY, April 20 and runs through April 29. It begins with a fee-free day and an event called Journey to the Summit. Families can go to Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai to pick up an adventure pack and directions to activity stations located within a half-mile of the visitor center. Each station features a challenge and a dice roll to guide the quest. Complete the required tasks and return to the welcome tent to claim a prize. For other NP Week and April events, visit the park calendar: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/calendar.htm.

The anti-chicken fighting bill failed in the 2024 Hawai'i Legislature. Photo from Animal Wellness Association

STATE LAWS TO FUTHER CRIMINALIZE CHICKEN FIGHTING with stiff fines and arrests in Hawai'i died in the state Senate and is unlikely to be revived this year, according to state Sen. Tim Richards. He said that the bill became caught up in concerns that people selling and buying chicks, feed, vitamins and other products used to raise legal meat chickens and egglayers could be caught up in prosecutions involving the feeding of illegal game chickens used for fighting and gambling.
    The bill would have made it a felony to take a child to a cock fight, to buy and sell fighting chickens and it would be a crime to possess chicken fighting paraphernalia.

    The state Public Defender testified against the bill, pointing to the long history of chicken fighting in Hawai'i, and called it part of the culture. Those testifying against it called in animal cruelty and pointed to the illegal gambling associated with chicken fighting.

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BRIEF ROLLING OUTAGES BY HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC occurred Sunday night on Hawai'i Island, when 21,557 customers around the island experienced a 30-minute outage starting at 8:54 p.m. and ending at 9:59 p.m. "due to a generator shortfall."
    Hawaiian Electric announced ahead of the outages that the emergency outages are to impact various areas around the island. Timing is to depend on customer usage and available generation. Customers are asked to conserve electricity. The utility is asking residential and business customers on Hawai'i Island to

reduce their electricity use also on Monday o prevent the need for additional rolling outages.
Hawaiian Electric stated that "Conservation helps ensure that enough power is available for all customers. Suggestions include turning off air conditioners and unneeded lighting, shutting off water heaters and pumps, and delaying activities like cooking, showering, laundry, and dishwashing until late in the evening.
    "The request for conservation is prompted by the unavailability of several large generators. Hawaiian Electric's Hill 5 steam unit tripped offline Saturday. Its Puna steam unit and CT-1 combustion turbine unit also are under repair. Its Keahole CT-5 unit is expected to return from annual overhaul by the end of April. These units generate about 62 megawatts combined. In addition, independent power producer Hamakua Energy is offline. The island's largest generator provides up to 60 megawatts to the grid. In addition, wind and solar resources are forecast to be lower than normal.
    Last month, Hawaiian Electric urged residential and business customers to conserve energy through the end of April due to the unavailability of several large generators. "Conservation helps ensure that enough power is available for all customers, especially between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. when electricity use is highest." Tips and resources are available on the company's website hawaiianelectric.com/hawaiiislandupdate.
    Conservation and rolling outage alerts and updates are posted on the company's Facebook (HawaiianElectric) and X (@HIElectricLight accounts. Hawai'i County Civil Defense also sends emergency alerts through local radio and its Everbridge emergency notification system.

    For more information, visit hawaiianelectric.com or follow Hawaiian Electric's X account @HIElectricLight. 

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