Monday, November 9, 2015

USS Arizona Memorial closed for repairs, doctors' records kept secret, dengue informational meetings set on Big Island, longtime legislator Takamine dies, Hanalei Stream restored, county settles 2008 honeymoon drowning lawsuit, housing costs and homelessness rise, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

courtesy photo National Parks Service
USS Arizona Memorial, courtesy national Park Service
The National Park Service is indefinitely suspending visits to the USS Arizona Memorial while engineers study a potential safety issue with its dock. The park service said Thursday officials noticed bolts connecting the dock to the memorial were stressed. Associated Press.

Policies block out full picture. Consumers can’t easily find potentially troubling information on doctors because state law and practices limit what’s public. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii’s housing shortage now has a number — nearly 66,000 housing units are needed over the next ten years. What happens next? Hawaii Public Radio.

Homelessness in Hawaii has grown in recent years, leaving the state with 487 homeless per 100,000 people, the nation's highest rate per capita, above New York and Nevada, according to federal statistics. Associated Press.


Homelessness in Hawaii grows, defying image of paradise. Associated Press.

Raising marine animals for sale was a record- breaking business in Hawaii last year, according to a new federal report, though the major driver of the growth in local aquaculture farming is murky. Star-Advertiser.

The Trans Pacific Partnership and its corresponding and supporting military "pivot" have been impacting the lives of Pacific peoples for years through military-industrial buildups, the removal of indigenous self-determination, environmental degradation and wealth extraction. Hawaii Independent.

Oahu

A Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board member serves as a director at the law firm that will be paid to defend the city in a challenge to the validity of key votes on the rail project. Star-Advertiser.

The median price of a single-family home on Oahu rose 4.3 percent in October to $720,000 as sales jumped by 5 percent, while the median price of a condominium increased by 5 percent to $370,000 on a smaller bump in sales, the Honolulu Board of Realtors reported Saturday. Pacific Business News.

Honolulu doesn’t just coincidentally have some of the highest-priced median homes, condos and rents in the country. A panoply of intertwined public policies, rules and regulations have helped to drive prices up and, recent data suggests, they continue to do so. Civil Beat.

The Institute for Human Services had one year to test the Housing First concept and find 115 permanent homes for clients — helping to alleviate Oahu’s homeless crisis. Star-Advertiser.

The number of sexual assault reports on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus remained unchanged in 2014 compared to the previous year. Hawaii News Now.

State officials say they hope the Aiea Public Library’s photovoltaic solar panels will be activated early next year, nearly a year and a half after the facility opened at the former Aiea Sugar Mill site. Star-Advertiser.

Weeks of wet weather may have left Oahu a greener place, but it’s causing headaches for city crews trying to keep up with the out-of-control growth. But now the city thinks it may have a solution, but some in the public are not too happy about it. KHON2.

Tammy Mencel has been named publisher and market president of Pacific Business News, effective immediately, Whitney Shaw, president and CEO of American City Business Journals, PBN's parent company, announced Thursday. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii

Department of Health: Late information hampered fight against dengue. West Hawaii Today.

Public informational meetings have been scheduled throughout the island to update residents on the recent dengue fever outbreak. Big Island Now.

Hawaii County has closed the book on a negligence lawsuit stemming from a 2008 honeymoon tragedy at Punaluu Black Sand Beach. West Hawaii Today.

The results of Bleachapalooza, the recent statewide attempt to survey coral bleaching, shows that it’s been more severe on West Hawaii compared to the east side of the state — with some species showing nearly 100 percent bleaching, one of the organizers reported. West Hawaii Today.

Yoshito Takamine, a longtime advocate for Hawaii labor laws and one of the architects of the groundbreaking Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act, died Tuesday, October 27, at his home in Honokaa surrounded by family. He was 89 years old. Hawaii News Now.

Maui

Maui state Rep. Angus McKelvey pleaded no contest Friday in Honolulu District Court for failing to file a complete and accurate candidate spending report with the state Campaign Spending Commission and for allowing an unauthorized person to receive and disperse campaign funds, according to an announcement from the state Department of the Attorney General. Maui News.

Heavy rainfall this summer caused Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. to sustain significant losses in the third quarter, furthering a trend that could spur drastic changes for Hawaii's last sugar plantation. Maui News.

Kauai

On Kauai, 480 homeless people received services last fiscal year from the state homeless outreach program the Care-A-Van, a mobile outreach program operated by Kauai Economic Opportunity, Inc. That number, according to KEO, is the best and most up-to-date estimate of the total number of homeless people on the island. Garden Island.

State officials joined local taro farmers on Friday to commemorate the completion of an extensive, $2.1 million restoration of Hanalei Stream on Kauai. Star-Advertiser.

A multi-million dollar stream restoration project of Hanalei Stream is finished, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Garden Island.

Anahola is now home of the largest solar array in the state. And the solar panels contributing to that designation — all 59,000 of them — were celebrated Saturday at a dedication ceremony attended by about 60 people. Garden Island.

Lanai

Maui County Council members adopted a resolution Friday to extend by approximately three months the amount of time they have to finish the Lanai Community Plan update. Maui News.

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