HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The PUC has given its blessing to Hawaiian Electric purchasing power from a wind farm on the upper Windward side of Oahu. Twelve new turbines can produce the juice from seven thousand homes. First Wind is the company building them, the same company that put turbines above Maalaea. They now generate almost a tenth of the electricity on Maui.
Hawaii weekly jobless claims have fallen almost to 18,000. Last year, most weeks, they were pushing 22,000. The long-term trend is now affecting all islands, though Lihue and Hilo saw no decline last week.
The situation is dire in American Samoa. Starkist, which as recently as 2008 employed 3,000 people, is cutting hundreds more jobs. Starkist has the last tuna cannery in American Samoa. Another one closed altogether.
The Department of Homeland Security is sending Hawaii more than five million dollars in new grants, for better driver's licenses, better port security, better disaster communications by first-responders and other projects.
Copyright 2010 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
