Crews restore power to Kauai customers

Kauai Island Utility Cooperative crews repaired a faulty transformer Thursday that caused an islandwide outage a day earlier.

Spokeswoman Shelley Paik said an insulation break at the Port Allen Generating Station is the probable cause of the power failure that affected 25,000 utility customers. Paik said work might be completed today.

The outage occurred at 5:15 p.m, leaving people in the dark at dinnertime. Power was restored to nearly all customers by about 10:30 p.m. The Kapaia Power Station, KIUC’s largest generator, was brought back online at 1:14 a.m. Thursday.

Cause of Ewa fire yet to be determined

Fire investigators have not been able to pinpoint the cause of a fire at an Ewa townhouse Sunday.

Investigators could not trace the source of the 12:14 a.m. fire that caused about $300,000 in damage to the two-story Makalea Loop dwelling, its contents and three cars.

A photovoltaic system and an electric car charger were dismissed as sources, a spokesman said.

The fire began in an enclosed garage and spread to two bedrooms above the garage, the spokesman said.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Senior program granted $100K

The Island Innovation Fund recently gave $100,000 to Giving Back of Paia, Maui, for its senior citizen wellness program, Move With Balance.

Giving Back is a nonprofit agency that creates opportunities for active elder volunteers to provide service to neighborhoods and communities.

Move With Balance is a program that uses movement to help prevent falls and enhance cognitive function in older adults, the agency’s website says.

The money will help the agency pay for distributing instructional DVDs and educational materials to individuals, caregivers and senior centers, as well as an interactive website.

The Island Innovation Fund was started in 2010 with $3 million from the Omidyar Ohana Fund, and is managed by the Hawaii Community Foundation.