First hurricane forms in Pacific

The first hurricane of the season in the Pacific Ocean, Celia, reached maximum sustained winds of 105 mph last night, according to the National Weather Service.

It was reported about 3,400 miles east-southeast of the Big Island.

UH-Hilo will hold robot competition

HILO » The University of Hawaii at Hilo is hosting an underwater robot competition for about 60 middle, high school and college students this week.

The students will have to direct their robots to deploy instruments, to take sensor readings and to collect samples from a simulated underwater volcano at the campus’ Olympic-sized pool.

All of the tasks present the same types of challenges that scientists and engineers face when working underwater.

Team practices are due to begin Thursday. The competitive events are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

The contest is sponsored by the Marine Advanced Technology Education.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Trash pickup shifts in July

Kauai County officials are reminding residents in Lihue, Puhi and sections of Hanamaulu that the new automated refuse collection is scheduled to begin July 1.

Although the new refuse carts are being distributed, they should not be used until July 1 because the trucks required to service the carts will not be in operation until then.

Residents should continue to use their regular garbage containers until July 1.

Last weekend, about 1,500 carts were set out at residents’ curbsides by the county’s Solid Waste staff, and this weekend an additional 1,500 carts will be distributed.

The new carts are designed to work with a specialized side-loader refuse truck with a mechanical arm. The cart has a 96-gallon capacity, which is three times more than the current limit in the manual collection program.

Along with the start of the automated refuse collection service, the schedule for rubbish pickup will change on July 1 for most residences on Kauai — even for those that are not yet converting to the automated program.

For information, visit the county website at www.kauai.gov/refusecollection, stop by any neighborhood center or public library, or call 241-4839.

Cause of Maui fire unknown

Maui County fire officials said the investigation into the cause of the Maalaea fire that burned an estimated 6,200 acres has been completed.

The department has listed the cause of the fire as undetermined.

The brush fire was first reported about 10 p.m. June 7 and was extinguished June 14.