Historic Fort Shafter building restored

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed a $7 million, two-year-long restoration of a termite-eaten historic Fort Shafter building.

Thousands of soldiers, civilians and families newly arriving to Hawaii were introduced to Army life in the islands at the building known as the "Aloha Center."

More recently, personnel picked up travel tickets, base vehicle passes and identification cards there.

Termites ate most of the building’s internal structure.

But the Army was not allowed to demolish the building because of historic-preservation requirements.

A contractor carefully removed almost 65 percent of the original structure, restored the exterior to its original 1940s appearance and brought the building up to current building codes.

Midway cleanup is for the birds

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to spend $1.4 million cleaning up lead paint on former Midway Atoll military buildings that has been poisoning Laysan albatross birds there.

The American Bird Conservancy, citing letters from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the agency plans to carry out the cleanup by July.

Albatross chicks are becoming poisoned when they eat paint peeling from the aging buildings.

The chicks develop a condition called droop wing which prevents them from being able to lift their developing wings off the ground. Many die of starvation and dehydration.

The former military base at Midway is now a National Wildlife Refuge and part of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.