Gov. Neil Abercrombie security (c) 2011 All Hawaii News Hawaii taxpayers paid at least $1.2 million for security personnel for the governor last year, Civil Beat has found. Civil Beat . Five years after a workplace smoking ban took effect in Hawaii, the next battleground in smoking regulation is being fought in the boardrooms of condominiums and apartments, a debate over whether to ban smoking inside apartment units. KITV4. The number of people who used homeless shelters or were helped by outreach services leveled off and may have even dropped slightly last year, after five years of increases, according to a report released Tuesday that looks at homeless services in Hawaii. Star-Advertiser. The number of homeless people in Hawaii receiving shelter and help from outreach programs declined by 3 percent — or 453 people — from fiscal year 2010 to FY 2011. Civil Beat. A proposed bill would allow the city to confiscate all personal belongings left or kept on public property for more than 24 hours. Civil Beat. A new Marine Corps study says airfield use at Kaneohe Bay is expected to increase 49 percent by 2018 compared with a 2009 “base-line” level of activity, as the Corps and Navy update aging aircraft and add new capability in a reflection of Hawaii’s growing importance in the Pacific. Star-Advertiser. A Water Resource Sustainability Conference is being hosted by the University of Hawai’i at Manoa this week. Hawaii Public Radio. Hawaii Medical Service Association, poised to raise rates again at the start of the year, posted earnings of $12.9 million in the third quarter, which continued its return to profitability but raised some eyebrows over the magnitude of its financial turnaround. Star-Advertiser. Two Hawaii resorts have made it on to the five-star list in the new issue of the Forbes Travel Guide, while six other hotels made the guide’s listing of four-star establishments. Pacific Business News. Hawaiian Airlines passengers will soon be able to travel from Honolulu to the Big Apple in one flight. Hawaii News Now. Torch bearer does his job, distracts Clinton, ends up in viral video. Hawaii News Now. Oahu Honolulu is the third most expensive college town in America when it comes to real estate. KHON2. City officials say they are pleased with the curbside recycling program that began in 2007 and went islandwide in May 2010, but are working to get more Oahu residents to put newspaper, bottles and other “mixed recyclables” into their blue bins. Star-Advertiser. The president of the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union has abruptly resigned, the latest sign that the governance of the state’s second-largest credit union continues to be beset by controversy and turmoil. Star-Advertiser. Honolulu Police Department Major Carlton Nishimura, already under indictment on federal extortion charges, now faces drug distribution charges following an FBI raid of his Waianae home last night. Hawaii Reporter. Richard Heinberg presented ideas at the Moana Nui summit based on more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Hawaii Independent. Hawaii The Indian government is contributing around $158 million in high-tech components for the Thirty Meter Telescope. Tribune-Herald. A charter amendment to devote 0.25 percent of property taxes to maintain the land the county is purchasing with open space funds got a tentative nod Tuesday from a County Council committee. West Hawaii Today. Plans to transform North Kohala’s rural Akoni Pule Highway into a National Scenic Byway have been halted following an outpouring of community opposition to the designation. West Hawaii Today. Hilo Municipal Golf Course is a pretty good deal, with or without a proposed increase to its greens fees, said golfers there on Tuesday morning. Tribune-Herald. Maui Fresh out of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference on Oahu, Taiwan government officials spent Monday on Maui to honor Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a Chinese revolutionary leader who lived in Kula more than 100 years ago. Maui News. Members of the Maui County Charter Commission on Monday looked at some possible alternatives to the current system of County Council districts, but postponed a decision on the issue. Maui News. Kauai With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the Kaua‘i Community Alliance will host the Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week this week. Garden Island. The Department of Land and Natural Resources announced Tuesday that the Kaua‘i District Office of the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation has completed its relocation to Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor. Garden Island. Lanai More than 25 years ago, billionaire real estate tycoon David Murdock bought this bucolic Hawaiian island and promised to keep it as unchanged as a few high-end resorts and golf courses might allow. Civil Beat.
Continue reading...26. October 2011
Convict tang congregate on Hawaii coral reef (c) 2011 All Hawaii News Up to 20 million tons of tsunami debris floating from Japan could arrive on Hawaii’s shores by early 2013, before reaching the West Coast, according to estimates by University of Hawaii scientists. Associated Press. Total visitor spending rose almost 20 percent to top $1 billion in September, as visitors from the West Coast, Japan and Canada increased their average daily spending, the Hawaii Tourism Authority said Tuesday. Pacific Business News The University of Hawaii Board of Regents is scheduled to approve a proposal that would increase tuition on all campuses over the next five years. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii’s Future Leaders: Where Are They? Civil Beat. A disabled woman at a Honolulu public housing complex wants the state to ban smoking at all 6,000 of its housing units across the state, and she’s considering legal action to make that happen. KITV4. The Civil Beat Poll: Hawaii Supports APEC. Civil Beat. Oahu Governor Neil Abercrombie tomorrow will unveil a new plan to create jobs and build new housing in the Kakaakao area of Honolulu. Hawaii Reporter. State prisoners and Department of Transportation landscaping crews are busy clearing homeless people and their belongings from 17 different areas along Nimitz Highway and the H-1 Freeway that will be seen by delegations attending next month’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Star-Advertiser. Mayor Peter Carlisle and City officials today dedicated the Middle Street Intermodal Center, located at the intersection of Middle Street and Kamehameha Highway and adjacent to the existing Kalihi-Palama Transit Facility. Hawaii Independent. Waikiki merchants are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first wave of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC meeting attendees in less than two weeks. Hawaii Public Radio. A group that saves prostitutes from sex trafficking fears women working the street could double during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. It said evidence is already out there. Hawaii News Now . A recent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Ko Olina developer Jeff Stone includes a description of the resort as ‘providing casino facilities.’ KHON2. Hawaii Multimillion-dollar state construction projects expected to generate Big Island jobs actually have triggered layoffs. Tribune-Herald Five years after the Kiholo Bay earthquakes, the Department of Water Supply is down to one final repair project. West Hawaii Today. A group claiming Native Hawaiian rights to property Hawaii County is trying to buy on Kawa Bay had its case sent back to state court Tuesday, when a federal judge decided he had no jurisdiction over the issue. West Hawaii Today. Maui The state will pay considerably more for property management services at a troubled Maui affordable housing project under a six-month non-bid contract that took effect last week, according to procurement records. Hawaii Reporter. Charter Commission members on Monday killed a proposal that would give the mayor powers to hire and fire the fire chief, but they supported a plan to move county ocean safety officers under the authority of the Maui fire department. Maui News. Kauai State workers, environmental groups and students joined forces Tuesday morning at Lydgate Park to release several endangered seabirds back into the wild. Garden Island. Molokai A blessing was held on Molokai on Tuesday for an interisland mega-yacht that will start making regularly scheduled cruise voyages this week. KHON2. Members of the Hawaii Legislature and guests will be visiting Molokai on Wednesday, Nov. 2 to hear from island residents about a wind farm proposed for Molokai. Molokai Dispatch.
Continue reading...5. October 2011
Mauna Kea telescopes courtesy photo This is the first time that a Nobel Prize has been awarded for astronomy on Mauna Kea. Associated Press. Sen. Daniel Inouye confirmed to Civil Beat Tuesday that he hopes that Rep. Mazie Hirono will defeat former Congressman Ed Case in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate next year. Civil Beat. Ed Teixeira, who served as state Civil Defense Division vice director for 12 years through seven federally declared major disasters and under three governors, said a proposed organizational change and complaints about his management style are the basis for his sudden resignation Tuesday. Star-Advertiser. The Vice Director of Hawaii State Civil Defense abruptly resigned Tuesday morning. KITV4. The state will put on hold a statewide review of schools for possible consolidation while the Board of Education studies the best way to determine whether a campus should be considered for closure. Star-Advertiser. What was supposed to be a routine revote on Hawaii’s graduation policy Tuesday turned into a showdown between school board members and the Department of Education. Civil Beat. As part of the latest efforts to fight bullying, a series of student-produced public service announcements promoting safe schools will be hitting the airwaves. Hawaii Independent. Hawaii prisoners are growing 25 percent of the produce consumed at the state’s seven prisons. Civil Beat. State Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz isn’t surprised that the state of Hawaii does not have an accurate inventory of lands in the public trust. Tribune-Herald. A new $6 million round of venture capital funding will provide a major push in the campaign to develop commercial applications for research being done at the University of Hawaii. Star-Advertiser. Oahu The Honolulu City Council is set to decide on whether to install surveillance cameras across Oahu for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Associated Press. State officials spent $180,000 in manpower and an additional $20,000 in disposal fees to clear 90 homeless people and more than 60 truckloads of their belongings from the H-1 freeway viaduct in August through September. Star-Advertiser. The city cleared out a homeless camp in Haleiwa on Monday, a move they say will only force them to another area where they’ll likely be more visible. KHON2. If Honolulu City councilmembers approve turning over the city traffic cameras to Police to help with APEC security, city officials are planning to use other tools to get information out about traffic tie-ups. KITV4. Boaters at the Ala Wai harbor have some big decisions to make in the next few weeks. Hawaii News Now. The dismissal of criminal charges against topless protestors Jamie and Tess Meier shows the need for improved police training in advance of expected protests at the APEC conference next month, the ACLU said today. Hawaii Reporter. Professional Training Hawaii LLC was issued a notice of violation and order from the state Department of Health for multiple violations of Hawaii’s asbestos training and certification regulations. Pacific Business News. The Army’s study of live-fire training effects on marine life harvested for food near Makua Valley “was a meaningful evaluation” except for two ways, a federal judge in Honolulu ruled. Associated Press. The non-profit Kanu-Hawaii conducted its Eat Local Challenge last month. Nearly 600 people signed up to choose island grown over imported food …even if it costs more. Hawaii Public Radio. Hawaii A resolution seeking a pilot vote-by-mail program for Hawaii County advanced in a County Council committee Tuesday over the objections of a minority worried it would limit voter choices. West Hawaii Today. Having already banned transgenic taro, smoking in parks and texting while driving, the County Council now has deer in its headlights. Tribune-Herald. Drought conditions in most of West Hawaii are likely to continue, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service said. West Hawaii Today. Maui With the nisei veterans of World War II slowly passing into history, those who care about them have focused their efforts on honoring their legacy and chronicling their fight for their country and Japanese-Americans everywhere so that future generations will remember their “go for broke” heroism and their impact on the nation and the world. Maui News. Kauai Last year former Kaua‘i County Council Chair Kaipo Asing, finishing his last term as a council member after 28 years of public service, noted that some real estate developers are clever in the ways they find loopholes in laws. Garden Island. Tuesday was a time of thanks and aloha at the site of the former Kekaha Sugar Mill. Garden Island.
Continue reading...11. June 2010
President Obama signs King Kamehameha Day proclamation This year marks the 200th anniversary of King Kamehameha’s unification of the Hawaiian Islands, and Honolulu festivities that kick off today to celebrate the monarch will be accordingly bigger, breathing new life into gatherings that have in recent years struggled to secure funding and volunteers. With the theme “E Ho‘okahi Ka Mana‘o, Ho‘okahi Pu‘uwai, Ho‘okahi Ke Aloha” (Be of one mind, one heart, one love), Lahaina’s Na Kamehameha Commemorative Pa‘u Parade and Ho‘olaule‘a will be held Saturday, June 12. The public owns lands formed along the Hawaii’s shoreline decades ago that are now above the beaches, according to a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling this week that left intact a lower court’s decision. Most sectors of Hawaii’s economy are starting to grow again but it will take years to recover the tens of thousands of jobs that were wiped out during the recession. Six more Hawaii state parks will soon begin charging parking or entry fees to visitors and tour companies Hawaii is planning to lay power cables along the ocean floor to connect yet-to-be-built wind farms on the gusty and rural islands of Molokai and Lanai to power-hungry Oahu. The state administration is moving ahead with its long term plans to use less imported oil to meet Oahu’s power needs. The state Com- mission on Water Resource Man- agement has ordered 12.5 million gallons of water per day be restored to the Na Wai Eha streams, about one-third of the water that was being considered for restoration a year ago. Honolulu City Council members said a proposed ban on smoking at Oahu bus stops will address a loophole in city law. Plumes of smoke began billowing into the air in the subdivision of Ocean View late Thursday afternoon. Maui firefighters appeared to have gained the upper hand Wednesday in battling a wild-land blaze that had consumed an estimated 5,800 acres of brush in the West Maui Mountains above Maalaea. The state’s leading business organization is urging Gov. Linda Lingle to veto House Bill 444, the civil unions measure. Hawaii County’s first Furlough Friday is just three weeks away, and department heads are attempting to minimize the effect on the public. Big Island taxpayers spent $470,000 extinguishing three fires in South Kona earlier this year, Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira said Wednesday. Nearly four years after earthquakes damaged West Hawaii reservoirs, the completion date for one of the most severely damaged locations has been pushed back — again. In October, Hawaiian Airlines will begin a twice-weekly, nonstop service between Kahului and Las Vegas The farm-worker-housing bill seemed to have reached the end of its rope Wednesday.
Continue reading...18. May 2010
Gov. Linda Lingle has rebuked claims made by Hawaii’s three former governors, who said Sunday electing republican Charles Djou to Congress would not bode well for the state’s congressional delegation. Smiling candidate? Check. Photos with keiki? Yep. Red, white and blue background? Uh-huh. Prominently placed “Contribute” button. Duh. Hawaii elections officials are reporting that almost 41 percent of the ballots mailed to registered voters in the contest for Hawaii’s vacant congressional seat have been returned. The delay of state refund checks has been lifted, somewhat. Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday that she would release most tax refunds sooner than expected because revenue collections have improved as the state’s economy improves. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Neil Abercrombie opened his West Hawaii campaign headquarters Sunday evening in Kailua-Kona, where he encouraged people to “break away from the false comfort of the status quo” and help change the current political climate. Even though it has not been announced by CBS, a revamped version of “Hawaii Five-0″ will finally see the light of day as part of the network’s upcoming fall season lineup ‘Hawaii Five-O’, take two! In showbiz slang, the Five-O pilot has been picked up. When the owners of KGMB9, KHNL and K5 television stations launched Hawaii News Now in October, they characterized the deal as a newsroom merger and not as an ownership change. A bill signed into law yesterday expands the list of felony charges that prosecutors can levy against a suspect without going through the grand jury process. Local anti-smoking advocates are applauding a new Big Island law that prohibits smoking in a vehicle when a minor is present. The former general manager of a city parking concessionaire told KITV4 two city officials and co-workers helped a former city parking lot manager steal $250,000 from two city parking lots. At the Big Island Regional Underwater Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV) Tournament, held Saturday at the University of Hawaii at Hilo Student Life Center Pool, Hilo High student Quintin Watanabe prepares to launch his team’s underwater robot. A new Kihei high school, a second Wailuku elementary school, a replacement cafeteria at Paia Elementary and a bigger one at Lahainaluna High School are the Maui District’s big-ticket items moving forward soon, a top state Department of Education official said recently. What can you do with $287? That is the fine for having an illegal tint on an automobile as stated in the citation book used by Kaua‘i Police Department officers.
Continue reading...28. April 2010
State lawmakers on Tuesday passed a $10.2 billion budget that included many fee and tax hikes, but avoided an increase in the general excise tax. The Hawaii legislature passed a flurry of bills Tuesday, covering everything from fireworks to requests for President Obama’s birth certificate to shark fin soup. More than 60 other bills also passed the final House and Senate votes Tuesday. With Furlough Fridays on their minds, lawmakers took steps to ensure a minimum number of instructional days for public school students while leaving it up to voters to decide on a measure aimed at increasing accountability in the system. A conflicted state Senate, under threat of potential lawsuits, voted yesterday to end a high-technology tax credit program early and temporarily suspend investors’ ability to claim the credits to help with the state’s budget deficit. Gov. Linda Lingle is saying no to oil barrel tax increases, plus jumps in traffic abstract fees and estate taxes. As expected, Gov. Linda Lingle on Tuesday vetoed the state Legislature’s attempt to block her from reorganizing the state Department of Human Services. State lawmakers on Tuesday passed legislation that would shield from public view thousands of complaints about real estate agents, contractors, doctors, barbers and other licensed professionals. Hawaii lawmakers have passed a constitutional amendment proposal that would mandate an appointed Hawaii State Board of Education. A rebound in Hawai’i’s visitor arrivals and spending gathered momentum in March, boosting sales at many businesses. Hawaii’s two largest newspapers, the Honolulu Advertiser and the Star Bulletin will be merging. What many have feared is about to happen, Honolulu will become a one paper city. Hundreds of employees will be laid off and the Advertiser staff is expected to take the biggest hit. Black Press, the Canadian-based parent of the 128-year-old Honolulu Star-Bulletin, received approval yesterday from the U.S. Justice Department to conclude its purchase of its longtime rival, The Honolulu Advertiser. Property tax increases would be blunted, and transportation programs and social service grants would get a boost, under a budget proposed Monday by Maui County Council Budget and Finance Committee Chairman Joe Pontanilla. The University of Hawaii at Hilo has announced five finalists for the university’s top job. Residents have until Friday to turn in their obsolete televisions, computers and other electronic waste without charge to the drop sites in Hilo and in Kona. The Hawaii visitor industry has rolled out a package of incentives it hopes will persuade Japan Airlines officials not to cancel a daily flight between Narita International Airport and Kona International Airport. In-car smoking ban raises legal questions The Hawaii County Department of Water Supply manager said he’ll welcome an investigation into the contract process for an Ocean View well project. A federal jury Monday found Kevyn Paik, 47, and James Alan Duarte, 48, both of Kaua‘i, guilty of multiple wire-fraud and mail-fraud offenses involving the award and performance of contracts for work at the Hanalei Wildlife Refuge, a federal press release states.
Continue reading...22. April 2010
A 3-cent increase in the tax on gasoline and a 30-cent hike in the real property tax rate for non-occupant homeowners advanced yesterday as Honolulu City Council members crafted their budget with a wary eye on lawmakers in the state Legislature. After 8 hours of testimony, Honolulu City Council members are still in disagreement over the city budget. At a time when Hawai’i families are weathering pay cuts and job losses, here’s more gloomy news: The income needed to afford a modest two-bedroom rental in the Islands rose by nearly $3,000 this year to $64,396 annually — $26,000 more than the national average, a report on housing affordability shows. State House and Senate leaders will likely turn to the state’s Hurricane Relief Fund to eliminate teacher furloughs after budget negotiators agreed last night to remove furlough money from the state budget draft. Hours after a breakthrough agreement yesterday to give counties the option to ban fireworks, lawmakers learned that the deal could fall through because of an obscure rule governing the negotiations. State lawmakers on Wednesday agreed on a bill that is poised for final approval to allow the counties to come up with their own fireworks prohibitions stricter than the state’s. The Honolulu City Council has endorsed a proposal to support federal recognition for Hawaiians. Pakalolo was the hot-button topic Tuesday when Police Chief Harry Kubojiri and other top cops met with the public in Volcano Village. Police will have greater access to downtown Kailua-Kona next month when officers begin patrolling the Alii Drive area on mountain bikes. It probably won’t be enforced, proponents conceded, but a ban on smoking in cars when kids are present will be the law following a Hawaii County Council vote Tuesday afternoon. An outbreak of H1N1 in two classrooms at a Maui elementary school has prompted state health officials to remind residents of the continued need to be vaccinated against the virus.
Continue reading...25. March 2010
Gov. Linda Lingle has sent a letter to all 100 U.S. senators, reaffirming her opposition to the latest version of a bill that would allow native Hawaiians to create a sovereign government, but Hawaii’s two senators predict the bill will pass without her support. The Native Hawaiian community and the military have often been at odds over the use of land across the islands.
Continue reading...18. March 2010
Birthers beware: Hawaii may start ignoring your repeated requests for proof that President Barack Obama was born here. The Hawaii Tourism Authority projects 200,000 more visitors this year, and has not wasted any time making sure it happens. If you’ve ever had a hankering to wheel one of those big yellow pine trucks down the highway, Tuesday is your chance. Maui Pineapple Co. is auctioning off about 16 of the behemoths, along with a practically unused, state-of-the-art cannery and lots of other stuff that was left over when Maui’s last pineapple plantation closed at the end of 2009. The head of the state Department of Human Services yesterday said the proposed budget for her agency would result in cuts that are “draconian” and would cause “significant harm” to the people who need services the most. People attending Hawai’i’s biggest new-car show will be greeted by a Hawaiian Electric Co. display in what may mark the dawn of the era of the electric car John Johnson was playing cards at a picnic table in Kapiolani Park when he learned that the Honolulu City Council had passed a ban on tents in parks unless the user has a permit. You may have seen it, a black flag with the silhouette of a soldier. It’s called the “prisoner of war, missing in action” flag. And if a bill clears the Legislature, that flag will fly at the State Capitol, six days a year. A University of Hawaii student could face disciplinary action for taking nude and semi-nude photos and videos of himself in U.H. Manoa classrooms and posting them on the Internet. A bill that would outlaw smoking in any motorized vehicle occupied by a child or young adult was advanced Tuesday by a 6-3 vote of a County Council committee. Outgoing Environmental Management Director Lono Tyson contradicted two of his employees Tuesday, claiming that the department had no intention to close the Kealakehe green waste site and move green waste collections to Puuanahulu. A 2nd Circuit Court judge has dismissed all remaining claims in a lawsuit filed against the county by three county employees. Manu Kai, the primary support contractor for the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility, will be notifying 14 full-time employees this week of impending lay-offs, the company’s program manager said Wednesday.
Continue reading...1. March 2010
Scientists acknowledged they overstated the threat but defended their actions, saying they took the proper steps and learned the lessons of the 2004 Indonesian tsunami that killed thousands of people who didn’t get enough warning. Businesses lost thousands of dollars when the tsunami warning forced them to shut down Saturday. This was not a drill. As a very real tsunami threat loomed off the coast, Hawaii County Civil Defense proved its ability to smoothly evacuate sleepy residents early Saturday morning. The county’s Emergency Operations Center resembled a well-oiled war room Saturday. County officials responded to some reports of overflowing sewers, but no other damage was reported following the small tsunami that struck Maui and the rest of the state Saturday. No money would be allocated for smoking prevention activities from the Hawaii tobacco settlement special fund under a bill moving in the state House to deal with the state budget crisis. Kauai County officials announced that the Anti-Drug Office was awarded a $1.2 million grant for underage drinking prevention programs. Most of Hawai’i’s more than $1 billion in federal stimulus money is going toward projects that many would agree help the economy, or to people who have recently lost their jobs. Lawmakers are considering a measure that would eliminate junior kindergarten in Hawai’i public schools and move up the date children are eligible to enter kindergarten, changes that would require thousands of late-born 5-year-olds to wait an additional year before they can start school. The first public school built like a shopping mall is taking shape on the Leeward Coast and is slated for a grand opening in January.
Continue reading...
16. November 2011
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