Hawaii homeless up 11%, Honolulu City Council to mull beach smoking ban, same-sex marriage foes unseat 16-year lawmaker, tech CEO dies, aquarium fish-taking rules considered, Oprah Winfrey plans Maui organic farm, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Honolulu homeless (c) 2012 All Hawaii News

Some 8,500 people statewide stayed in homeless shelters in the 2011-12 fiscal year, up 11 percent from 2009-10, and their ranks included more of the very young, more senior citizens and more people with at least some college experience, according to a statewide report on homelessness to be released today. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association is mobilizing its 13,000 members this week to publicly pressure the state to resolve the protracted dispute over their next two-year contract. Civil Beat.

Japan's economy is heading for recession and Hawaii's visitor industry are bracing for the fallout. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii tourism industry promoters are visiting California this week to draw more business and convention travelers to the islands.Associated Press.

The Public Land Development Corporation, formed to spur use of the state’s lands, and in the process create revenue for the state, has seemed to generate nothing but controversy since its mission and broad exemptions from county-level regulations began to be digested last summer. Tribune-Herald.

Veterans charged with non-violent crimes stemming from substance abuse or certain mental conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, will soon be a offered the option of completing a new Veterans Treatment Court, in lieu of sentencing. Civil Beat.

Senator Daniel Akaka has attended every Veteran’s Day ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific since he was first elected to Congress in 1976. Hawaii Public Radio.

Scientists track spike in Pacific quakes. Hawaii News Now.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an expanse of large and small plastic, that's now a constantly floating, ever growing ecosystem created by us. KITV4.

State roundup for November 12. Associated Press.

Oahu

Smoking would be banned at five public beach parks under a bill Honolulu City Council member Stanley Chang will introduced to the Council on Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii is kicking off an $11 million project to modernize a public housing complex in Palolo neighborhood of Honolulu. Associated Press.

Election Day was terrible for Republicans from Niihau to New England, but in Central Oahu at least, two GOP candidates defeated Democrats to win new seats in the Hawaii House of Representatives. Civil Beat.

A proposed hotel and vacation rental project on Kauai's North Shore would ruin iconic views from Hana­lei Bay, a group of opponents argues. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

A Kona attorney who transitioned from county legislative staff to the personal representation of County Council Chairman Dominic Yagong and County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi in a politically charged lawsuit says it’s not a conflict of interest for him to do so. West Hawaii Today.

A program to test space vehicles on Hawaii Island to prepare them for missions to Mars or the moon is coming of age with a new state investment of $2.34 million to develop and expand the project. Star-Advertiser.

Establishing a long-talked-about “white list,” creating a Kaohe Bay fish replenishment area and outlawing scuba spearfishing are just a few of the proposals West Hawaii residents can provide testimony on Dec. 5 in Kona. West Hawaii Today.

Guy Toyama, president and CEO of H2 Technologies Inc. and executive director of Friends of NELHA, the Natural Energy Laboratory Authority of Hawaii, has died. Pacific Business News.

West Hawaii businessman and sustainability and renewable energy advocate Guy Toyama died early Sunday morning at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. He was 42. West Hawaii Today.

Friends and colleagues of entrepreneur Guy Toyama remembered him as a passionate advocate for Hawaii’s technology community with a knack for bringing people together. Star-Advertiser.


Maui

Oprah Winfrey is apparently getting into the organic food business, according to reports by the New York Post stemming from new online filings at the US Patent and Trademark Organization. Maui Now.

Landscape architect and planner Chris Hart, who made an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2010 and formerly headed two Maui County departments, died early Monday. He was 71. Maui News.

A California-based investment firm is the new owner of a 4-year-old Maui shopping center lost by its developer to foreclosure last year. Star-Advertiser.

A Final Environmental Impact Statement has been filed for the Villages of Leiali’i Affordable Housing development in West Maui. Maui Now.

Maui County is on the cusp of modernizing windward Haleakala's mile-long, 1930s-era, sievelike Waikamoi flume. Maui News.

Kauai

Kaua‘i residents will be faced with two meetings today regarding two developments that may significantly alter the island’s natural beauty, while bringing many jobs to the community. One meeting concerns a proposed development on Hanalei Bay and Hanalei River ridge, and the other concerns a large subdivision across Kealia Beach, on the north end of Kapa‘a. Garden Island.

A brush fire in Hanapepe that forced firefighters to close a portion of Kaumuali‘i Highway burned 30 acres Monday evening before being contained. Garden Island.

Molokai

New Address System Helps Emergency Response. Molokai Dispatch.