Does HELCO have a magic shield?

The hottest thing in Puna these days may not be the lava that is continuing its march toward Pahoa. It’s the fact that Hawaii Electric Light Co. may have found some whizbang way to beat Madame Pele at her own game.

The utility plans to run new poles along an emergency road if Highway 130 gets overrun, as well as closer to Pahoa, spaced out so the poles could avoid the advancing volcanic front. But there’s also some new technology that can protect existing poles, said utility spokeswoman Rhea Lee, though she wouldn’t say what it is. We’re not sure why HELCO is being coy about this, given that Puna has had plenty of drama and suspense lately.

Navigators seen as pretty cool

Naming any new infant is a monumental decision, and the same must be true for a bouncing baby school.

Principal Laureen Dunn told the state Board of Education that Hookele Elementary School was so named because the word means "navigator." While not located especially near the water — it’s under construction across from Kapolei High School — the school can inspire its students to more successfully learn to "navigate in an ever-changing world," Dunn said.

That makes sense to us. But one has to wonder whether the decision was influenced at all by the renown of the current Hokule‘a voyage through the Pacific. Navigators seem especially cool these days.