Hula Planet:What To Do In Hawaii

All eyes on APEC, federal agent charged in Waikiki murder, Hawaiians take over Iolani Palace, Maui seeks booze ban at parks, Hawaii hunters want more…

Hawaii seen from International Space Station NASA courtesy photo The International Space Station will sail over Honolulu just after sunset Monday. Star-Advertiser. When dignitaries presented Gov. John Burns in 1970 with their report on what Hawaii might look like in the future, the concept of the islands as the "Geneva of the Pacific" was already cliché, "a theme that appears again and again in the rhetoric of modern Hawaii." Star-Advertiser. The roughly 20,000 people visiting Hawaii for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum this week bring with them some pain, in the form of restricted access to roads, parks, beaches, the ocean and airspace. But the event also will be a source of financial gain for many local residents and businesses. Star-Advertiser. As “APEC Week” opens today in Honolulu, here are several perspectives on what you might look for as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation convention unfolds. Civil Beat. Hawaii taxpayers foot the bill: Is APEC business our business? Hawaii Independent. The leaders of the 21 APEC economies will gather in Honolulu. Hawaii Public Radio. Honolulu beat other cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco to host the APEC leaders meeting. Hawaii News Now. People claiming to be fighting for the sovereignty of Hawaii locked themselves inside the Iolani Palace grounds on Sunday. Hawaii News Now. Former U.S. Rep. Ed Case played up his role as an outsider and said he wants to be "the candidate for change" in what's shaping up to be a competitive race to fill outgoing Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka's seat in Washington. Maui News. University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization: Hawaii's Economy in Pause Mode. Hawaii Reporter. Some 4,000 elevators in Hawaii are overdue for safety inspections and to clear the backlog, the state must double the number of inspectors now on staff, lawmakers heard last week. Hawaii Reporter. Oahu Before he was killed, Kollin K. Elderts was at a nightclub where he got into an altercation with the federal agent who later followed Elderts to a Waikiki McDonald's and allegedly shot him, the attorney for the victim's family said Sunday. Star-Advertiser. The family of a man shot to death in a Waikiki McDonald's early Saturday morning has hired an attorney. Civil Beat. A federal special agent was charged Sunday night with second degree murder for Saturday's deadly shooting in at McDonald's. KHON2. Eight Occupy Honolulu protesters were released from police custody Sunday after being arrested Saturday night while trying to establish an encampment at Thomas Square. Star-Advertiser. A steady stream of vehicles filed out of Ala Moana Beach Park Sunday evening. KITV4. After years of hosting landfills and power plants and not receiving a fair share of infrastructure expenditures, it's time for a drastic step in Leeward Oahu. Civil Beat. It looks like Waikiki’s International Market Place will be going upscale with a three-level open air retail center. Pacific Business News. The Nimitz Highway beautification project is complete and the busy corridor is ready for thousands of APEC visitors who are scheduled to arrive this week. KITV4. Waikiki tourists unaware of Hawaii hosting APEC this week. KHON2. Hawaii Regardless of voters' preference, the County Council's makeup will change when a new term starts next December. Tribune-Herald. As Oahu prepares to host a meeting of business and government leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region, Hawaii Island hopes to snag some of the world spotlight for itself. Tribune-Herald. Designed to protect against flooding that has been threatening the Big Island, Hawaii County's dry wells and drainage culverts haven't been cleaned since June. Tribune-Herald. At the picturesque Ueshima Coffee Co. estate in Holualoa, numerous coffee trees had delicate ripening cherries, perfect for the annual UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Picking Contest Sunday morning. West Hawaii Today. North Hawaii's hunters had a message for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Saturday: Open up more land for hunting and stop fencing off areas for feral animal eradication. West Hawaii Today. West Hawaii residents on Saturday turned out in full force to let the state Department of Land and Natural Resources know where it has faltered over the years and how it can improve. West Hawaii Today. Maui Maui County Council Member Don Couch is proposing legislation that would ban drinking in several popular South Maui parks. Maui News. The county could save more than half a million dollars a year if it eliminated, combined or refocused some of its 37 boards and commissions, according to the Cost of Government Commission. Maui News. By spring, Fido and Spot will have a county park of their own to romp in, a long-desired goal of Fido's and Spot's owners. Maui News. Kauai Members of the Reinstated Hawaiian Government re-elected Henry Noa to another term as prime minister Saturday. Garden Island. The county Department of Water initiated repairs on a water tank serving Wainiha and Ha‘ena Sunday, but officials said the pump is still not working at full capacity. Garden Island . Free medical care is coming to Kaua‘i from late February through early March, said Col. Jerry Arends, director of the Innovative Readiness Training Medical Deployments. Garden Island.

Continue reading...

Honolulu B&Bs under fire, Hawaii Island to get monk seal rehab center, Army sends helicopters to Colorado, teacher hearing today, public employees…

Mauna Kea flyer (c) 2011 All Hawaii News The Army, which is completing a third environmental review for high-altitude helicopter training on Hawaii island, said it will have to spend $8 million to conduct most of the training in Colorado because it is running out of time to practice in Hawaii before a January deployment to Afghanistan. Star-Advertiser. The Hawaii Labor Relations Board holds a hearing today, to consider the State Teachers Associations' challenge to the contract imposed by Governor Neil Abercrombie last month. KITV4. Hawaii's math standards for fourth- and eighth-graders are higher than most other states, but reading standards are far less rigorous, a new state-by-state comparison of student learning benchmarks shows. Star-Advertiser . Hawaii government workers still feeling the sting of increased health insurance premiums should see some relief from prescription drug costs early next year. KHON2. Hundreds of illegal bed and breakfasts on Oahu could be shut down under a new proposal. KHON2. The Sausalito, Calif.-based Marine Mammal Center is planning to build a $3 million rehabilitation center to treat the endangered seals at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority. West Hawaii Today. The first regularly scheduled direct flight from China arrived in Honolulu this morning. Hawaii Public Radio. Major private landowners along Honolulu's proposed rail line donated more than $75,000 to pro-rail campaigns in the last two elections, a Civil Beat analysis found. Civil Beat. The good news for drivers is that higher rates for vehicle weight taxes and vehicle registration fees that were expected to kick in July 1 across the islands won't be implemented until next week, giving drivers a one-time, six-week reprieve. Star-Advertiser. Personal income in Honolulu rose 2.4 percent last year after a stagnant 2009, according to statistics from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. Pacific Business News. Use of Roundup spray in Kapiolani Park causes concern. Civil Beat. Since May, Hawaii’s 90-day first phase of a plan to end homelessness has been in effect and Marc Alexander, the Governor’s Coordinator on Homelessness, says it continues to be successful. Hawaii Independent. Suspensions of two to 10 days were ordered for three Maui Police Department officers in internal investigations that concluded in June, police reported. Maui News. The University of Hawaii's 2.2-meter telescope is working again atop Mauna Kea, said its director. Tribune-Herald. Another two dozen rescue tubes will soon be installed along several unguarded North Shore beaches, but water-safety advocates say that’s not the half of it. Garden Island. Federal wildlife officials are seeking public input regarding a proposed expansion of the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. Tribune-Herald . Pier 1 Imports will soon call Kailua-Kona home. West Hawaii Today. A disabled veteran who wants to create an agricultural and alternative energy park on county land in Hamakua says political bickering is hampering his efforts to get his proposal considered. West Hawaii Today. Honolulu is changing the way it manages dozens of city vehicles to become more efficient and cost-effective. Associated Press. The people who run Honolulu's Handi-Van service said customer service complaints have roughly doubled in the past month, after nearly one quarter of its fleet was taken out of service for an electrical problem. KITV4 . The government has ordered a Hawaii fumigation company to pay a $17,000 fine for safety violations. Hawaii News Now.

Continue reading...

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 [...]

Continue reading...

Farewell to furloughs, globe-trotting governor, no one wants to be No. 2, more Hawaii news

&h=75&w=75&zc=1&q=90" alt="Farewell to furloughs, globe-trotting governor, no one wants to be No. 2, more Hawaii news" class="post-thumbnail" height="75" width="75" />

Gov. Linda Lingle, in a significant concession, said yesterday that the state should tap its "rainy day" fund and teachers should agree to give up planning and collaboration days to end teacher furloughs. Gov. Linda Lingle plans to eliminate 27 Furlough Fridays at Hawaii's public schools by tapping the so-called rainy day fund and switching teacher training days to class time Gov. Linda Lingle on Sunday announced a plan to restore 27 school furlough days over the next year and a half. Three legislative committees will jointly examine budget cuts to the state's Healthy Start program on Monday. Only one Republican is running for lieutenant governor in Hawaii next year while a handful of Democrats are actively campaigning for their party's nomination. Gov. Linda Lingle leaves Monday for three-day conference of the Republican Governors Association in Austin, Texas. The Governor is taking personal time and no state funds are being used for the trip Having retrieved 22 iwi po'o, or Hawaiian skulls, from Stockholm's antiquities museum over the weekend, a Native Hawaiian delegation arrived in Boston yesterday to take possession of eight more from Harvard University's anatomical collection, William Aila, the group's spokesman said last night. Despite the down economy, the North Kona Coast's luxurious Hualalai Resort sold a record $43.5 million in real estate in August and is on track to close $130 million in transactions by year's end. Heavy rains brought serious property damage to Oahu this weekend. Heavy rains and flooding over the past few days has caused water service interruptions for county Department of Water customers in Hanalei town and parts of Wailua Houselots. Hawai'i and China may reach agreement by the end of the year to feature Island products at a showroom in Shanghai, Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday, which could help small and medium-sized businesses gain a foothold in the world's largest market. Kona Coffee & Tea Co., owned by the Bolton family, became the winner of the 2009 Gevalia Crown Competition at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, Beach access, limited facilities and harassment of visitors were among the many concerns Big Islanders feel the state needs to address in its new master plan for the Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park Ordinarily, once a developer gets a special management area permit, the rest of the path to construction is routine. But SVO Pacific Inc., the developer of the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort and Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort North at North Beach, has had its SMA permit since March 2008 for a nearly identical third resort next to the other two, but it has not been able to get building permits.

Continue reading...