Hula Planet:What To Do In Hawaii

Feds announce human trafficking sweep, gas hits record high, bedbugs invade Waikiki restaurant, Maui nurses protest pay, Sanjay Gupta bringing Fit…

Honolulu Hale (c) 2011 All Hawaii News Deep funding cuts proposed for the city Office of Economic Development and the Mayor's Office on Culture and the Arts could be scaled back, a key lawmaker says, depending on the support each agency receives when the City Council meets today to weigh budget plans. Star-Advertiser. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will announce the filing of a major human trafficking lawsuit today, involving hundreds of Thai workers throughout California, Washington and Hawai‘i. Garden Island. Members of the House Finance and Senate Ways and Means committees kicked off a conference committee Tuesday night to start negotiating a final budget draft for the coming two fiscal years. Civil Beat. Hawaii Republicans are holding a "Balanced Budget Summit" intended to show the public that tax increases aren't needed to address the state's shortfall. Associated Press. Gas prices hit a new record high in Hawaii today and oil industry analysts say prices are likely to continue rising. Star-Advertiser. As rising gasoline prices drive up the cost of transportation in Hawaii, the Hawaii State Legislature is poised to pass laws that sharply increase the cost of owning a car or truck. Hawaii Reporter. A company that builds electric vehicle charging stations announced Tuesday the first steps toward building a network of chargers across Hawaii. KITV4. O’ahu students rallied at the Capitol to show their support of Clean Energy legislation. Hawaii Public Radio. A Waikiki restaurant is currently receiving treatment for bed bugs. KHON2. A 1,200-acre lowland forest preserve in Ka'u is blossoming with native species once thought to have vanished. West Hawaii Today. An effort by Kohala Councilman Pete Hoffmann to increase the list of eligible public land purchase properties faltered in the council's Finance Committee Tuesday. West Hawaii Today. Work continues at the 1,739-acre Kapulena Agricultural Park in Hamakua, as inmates build fences for initial use as pasture land. Tribune-Herald. Debris swept into the sea after the Great East Japan Earthquake likely will reach the shores of the Hawaiian Islands in about a year and the West Coast of North America in 2014, according to a Japan-U.S. joint research organization. Hawaii Independent. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta bringing Fit Nation to Big Island of Hawaii. Big Island Video News. The federal government is awarding researchers $25 million to study how to prevent obesity among native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Associated Press. A newly released study by the State Land and Natural Resources Department and the University of Hawaii’s Sea Grant program is proposing ways to protect Kailua Beach from erosion, and the expected rise in the ocean levels. KITV4. The state and coastal geologists have prepared a plan to protect sand dunes on Oahu's Kailua Beach from erosion that scientists predict will occur as global warming causes sea levels to rise. Associated Press. It's been named one of the prettiest beaches in the world but some say the parking at Lanikai Beach in Kailua is getting downright ugly. KHON2. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2011 Hawaii Host Committee Tuesday issued a request for proposals for a company to sell Hawaii tours and activities to APEC attendees in November. Pacific Business News Federal authorities investigating a deadly fireworks explosion on Oahu have started to slowly remove explosives that remain in the underground bunker where five workers were killed. Associated Press. More than 100 nurses from Maui Memorial Medical Center rallied Monday and plan to gather again Thursday to protest terms of a new contract with the state. Maui News. University of Hawaii at Hilo administrators anticipate canceling a number of classes next academic year in an effort to cut expenses. Tribune-Herald. Federal trial for marijuana minister Roger Christie and 13 others has been delayed again. Tribune-Herald.

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Hawaii skittish about census, swine flu shot, not so much, Legislature, Lingle grapple with budgets, no interest in Hamakua land sales, more top…

Hawaii's participation in the 2010 Census, so far among the worst in the nation, is raising concerns about whether the state will again lose out on millions of dollars in federal funding. Hawai'i is among the nation's leaders in swine flu vaccinations and health officials here credit an aggressive educational program for much of the success. The leaders of the state Legislature's two money committees continue to criticize Gov. Linda Lingle's handling of the state budget shortfall. Hawaii hotels have performed better in the economic slump than key rival destinations, despite cutting room rates less. Maui coral reef lovers came looking for answers Tuesday night from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources about an accident in which state officials and private contractors dropped 125 concrete slabs onto the Keawakapu artificial reef. A day after votes by Hawai'i lawmakers and the teachers union renewed pressure for resolution of the state's teacher furlough mess, Gov. Linda Lingle's office released new details about the "nonessential" personnel that have become a $30 million sticking point in the controversy. One Big Island lawmaker wants police and fire personnel to forgo pay raises for a year to share in the sacrifices most other government workers are making. The popular Peppa's Korean BBQ on South King Street was shut down yesterday by the state Department of Health after seven people were diagnosed with E. coli poisoning last month, four of them requiring hospitalization. An April Fool's Day joke on KUMU-FM that the upcoming Merrie Monarch Festival was canceled because of the recent deaths of three hula legends, left many in Hawaii dismayed Thursday morning. Award-winning songwriter Roslyn Catracchia says her prayers have been answered. Honolulu police recovered her stolen computers Thursday and they still contained her prized compositions. When it comes to selling its Paauilo lands, Hawaii County is batting .000. Rows of tables, stacks of documents, piles of pens. The Hawaii County Finance Department was ready. In fact, only one thing was missing from the much heralded bid opening for the first Hamakua land sale -- bidders. As the Kaua‘i section administrator in the state Department of Human Services Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division, on Monday she had the unenviable task of hand-delivering letters of layoff to 22 of her co-workers. The county's long-term solid waste management plan is up for review Tuesday by a Hawaii County Council committee. In 2008, James Koshiba helped launch Kanu Hawaii, a nonprofit that promotes and supports Island-style sustainability.

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HAWAII EMPLOYMENT LAW BASICS: PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION LAW UNDER FEDERAL AND HAWAII LAW

HAWAII EMPLOYMENT LAW BASICS: PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION LAW UNDER FEDERAL AND HAWAII LAW  INTRODUCTION: Along with other types of claims, there has been a significant increase in pregnancy discrimination complaints nationwide.  The increase in the number of complaints has outpaced the increase in percentage of women in the workforce during the same period.   Accordingly, it is clear that [...]

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EMPLOYMENT LAW BASICS FOR HAWAII EMPLOYERS: ILLINOIS RULING HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF POLICIES AND TRAINING TO HAWAII EMPLOYERS

EMPLOYMENT LAW BASICS FOR HAWAII EMPLOYERS:  ILLINOIS RULING HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF POLICIES AND TRAINING TO HAWAII EMPLOYERS   It is well established now under federal Title VII law that an employer is liable for actionable sexual harassment caused by a supervisor with “immediate (or successively higher) authority over the employee.”  However, in cases where the employee [...]

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HAWAII EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE: HAWAII EMPLOYERS WISE TO USE CAUTION WHEN INCORPORATING NEW FMLA RULES INTO LEAVE POLICIES

HAWAII EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE:  HAWAII EMPLOYERS WISE TO USE CAUTION WHEN INCORPORATING NEW FMLA RULES INTO LEAVE POLICIES I.BACKGROUND The federal Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) applies to all private employers who have 50 or more employees for each working day of 20 or more (not necessarily consecutive) calendar workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year.  [...]

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