Tuesday, December 13, 2011

U.S. Supreme Court studying Hawaiian preference lawsuit, WWII vets irked by Hawaii Five-0 crew at Punchbowl, Hawaii County commission to mull gerrymandering allegations, Hawaiian Home Lands to trim waiting list, Honolulu rail transit case remains open, Maui looks at charter, Kauai considers tax breaks, more Hawaii news

Hawaiian fisherman (c) 2011 All Hawaii News
The U.S. Supreme Court has left the door open to hear arguments in a case with potentially broad implications for government benefits awarded exclusively to Native Hawaiians. Star-Advertiser.

Only about half a dozen people showed up at Wahiawa Recreational Center Monday night to hear the Office of Hawaiian Affairs explain the proposed Kakaako land deal to settle ceded-land payments with the state. Civil Beat.

Hawaii's 2011 legislative session was packed with debate over hot educational issues. And the new session, which begins January 18, promises to pick up where the drama left off. Civil Beat.

An aide for Gov. Neil Abercrombie pleaded no contest Monday to a charge that he refused to leave a Waikiki bar in September. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii-based leaders of the 25th Infantry Division are scheduled to return from Iraq this weekend after a year-long deployment. Star-Advertiser.

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan 9 months ago produced up to 25-million tons of debris. As HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports … scientists don’t know how much of that trash was swept into the Pacific Ocean … but they are now predicting it will begin landing on Hawai’i’s shores. Hawaii Public Radio.

Many of Hawaii's best known universities and high schools are vulnerable to having their names fall into the hands of the online pornography industry. KITV4.

State roundup for Dec. 13. Associated Press.

Oahu

A group of World War II veterans say they were taken aback by how a production crew with the hit TV show Hawaii Five-0 treated them during a visit to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific last Friday. KHON2.

It was the "ultimate disrespect" that left their "blood boiling." That is how organizers of a ceremony for World War II veterans at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl describe the conduct of a production crew from the hit television series Hawaii Five-O. Hawaii News Now.

Former Gov. Ben Cayetano and others who have joined in a lawsuit against the city's rail transit project will be allowed to continue their court challenge, a federal judge ruled Monday. Star-Advertiser.

Seven plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against the City & County of Honolulu and the Federal Transit Administration over the city's planned $5.3 billion rail project, received some good news today. Hawaii Reporter.

Comment: What will rail and HOT lanes do for Honolulu? Hawaii Independent.

A Hawaii couple on Monday received the first all-electric car delivered by Mitsubishi Motors to a retail customer in the Uniterd States. Associated Press.

The company that operated Hawaii's largest puppy mill pleaded no contest Monday to 153 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty in Kaneohe District Court and faces sentencing in February.Star-Advertiser.

Occupancy in Waikiki hotels in October helped Oahu set a revenue record, according to data released Monday by a tourism industry consultant company. Associated Press.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources announced the opening of the Waikiki-Diamond Head Shoreline Fisheries Management Area O‘ahu to fishing for one year beginning January 1. KHON2.

Hawaii

Native Hawaiian beneficiaries who have lost hope of attaining homestead land after decades of waiting might soon get a chance through a new project. Star-Advertiser.

The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands wants to award leases to beneficiaries who have been on the waiting list the longest. Tribune-Herald.

The county Redistricting Commission has scheduled a special meeting Friday to review its County Council map after a West Hawaii Today article revealed that a last-minute change to the map benefited two County Council members by moving them into different districts. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii County's Redistricting Commission will hold a special meeting Friday in Hilo to address alleged gerrymandering, its chairwoman said Monday. Tribune-Herald.

A 30-year veteran of the Hawaii Police Department this week will be taking over the helm of Kona patrol operations. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

The Maui County Charter Commission will gather public comments on 21 proposed charter amendments at a series of meetings starting this week. Maui News.

Maui led the state with the highest average daily hotel room rate in October, nearly $210, an 8.1 percent jump over the same month last year, according to the monthly report from Hospitality Advisors Inc. Maui News.

An agreement reached Thursday between Hale Makua Health Services and United Public Workers-represented employees will help the agency keep its Wailuku facility open - at least for now. Maui News.

Kauai

A real-life variation of The Descendants movie is being staged in state Probate Court, where heirs to the Damon Estate, one of Hawaii’s wealthiest family trusts, continue to squabble over nearly $1 billion in land and other assets. Hawaii Reporter.

County officials recently announced changes in two of the county’s real property tax relief programs — the circuit breaker and home exemption programs — are now in effect. Garden Island.

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