Obama stops at Hickam base to refuel
President Barack Obama made a brief stop at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam base Sunday morning after the G20 Summit in Australia.
Air Force One landed at Hickam at 6:03 a.m. to refuel and departed at 6:25 a.m. for Washington, D.C.
There were no scheduled events outside the base.
Hawaii honored as digital learning leader
The Hawaii state Department of Education says it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a national leader in digital learning.
Hawaii Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi will be attending the first-ever National Connected Superintendents Summit on Wednesday at the White House.
The department says Matayoshi will be among the school chiefs recognized for helping districts transition to digital learning.
The 2013 state Legislature appropriated $8 million for a pilot program in eight schools to equip every student and teacher with a digital tablet and laptop.
Staffing shortages cancel prison visits
The state Department of Public Safety canceled regularly scheduled visitation to the Oahu Community Correctional Center on Sunday due to ongoing staffing shortages.
Such cancellations have become an almost weekly occurrence this year as the department grapples with chronic absenteeism among guards.
On Saturday, DPS canceled visitation to the Hawaii Community Correctional Center units Punahele, Komohana and Waianuenue, as well as the Waiawa Correctional Facility.
Airport to close runways for upgrades
Honolulu International Airport will be closing some runways to make improvements next week.
Transportation officials are warning Ewa residents there could be an increase in nighttime air traffic and more noise throughout the area.
The runway closures will redirect flights to the Reef Runway, which takes a flight path over Ewa communities.
The construction timeline depends on the weather, but officials were expecting to begin work Sunday night and continue through Saturday. The work will be done from 4:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. every night.
Weather service issues high-surf advisory
The National Weather Service has issued a high-surf advisory for the north shores of Oahu, Niihau, Kauai, Maui, Molokai and the Big Island effective from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday.
A north-northwest swell entering Hawaii waters late Sunday evening is expected to produce surf of 14 to 18 feet Monday.
The weather service warns oceangoers to be aware of strong-breaking waves, shore break and strong currents that can make swimming dangerous.
Pair of earthquakes hit Pacific region
A pair of earthquakes off New Zealand and Papua New Guinea on Sunday were the latest in a series of powerful seismic events in the Pacific region this month.
A magnitude-6.7 earthquake occurred at 11:33 a.m. Hawaii time about 110 miles east of Gisborne. A 6.1 quake hit the D’Entrecasteaux Islands region of Papua New Guinea at 2:06 p.m.
Neither quake posed a tsunami threat for Hawaii.
On Saturday a magnitude-7.3 earthquake rocked Halmahera, Indonesia.
A day before that, a 7.1 quake occurred about 97 miles northwest of Kota Ternate, Indonesia.
None of the quakes resulted in tsunami activity for Hawaii.
School band gets prepared for Rose Parade
WAILUKU, Maui » The director of the Maui High School band says there is some pressure as the band and color guard prepare to perform in the Rose Parade.
Kerry Wasano says the students are working hard, practicing about 12 hours a week.
The band and color guard will travel to California after Christmas for three performances, including the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day.
Students learned of their selection in October 2013. Wasano tells the Maui News this is the first time a Maui high school band will perform in the parade.
The band has raised about $350,000 to help offset the trip’s cost.
About 60 parents, staff and supporters will join the 140 students on the trip.
Kauai students build kiosks for isle swamp
LIHUE » The restored Mana Swamp has new informational kiosks thanks to area high-school students.
The students, through a Hawaii Tourism Authority grant, created three kiosks: one outlining the restoration project, one depicting the bird life in the wetlands and a third explaining the plants in the area.
Glenn Taba, an instructor with the Kauai Community College carpentry program, said the project was a coordinated effort among students at Kapaa and Waimea high schools.
"Basically, Kapaa students built the kiosks at school while Waimea students came out to do the concrete work," Taba told the Garden Island.
The state Division of Forestry and Wildlife restored native wetlands and associated uplands on 105 acres of the Mana Plains Forest Reserve, home to four endangered, endemic birds.
