Wednesday, October 5, 2016

State seeks tamper-proof elections, students gain slightly on standardized tests, flood damage could close Iao Valley state park for six months, beef production down, fortunes grow for Omidyar, Ellison, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

copyright 2016 All Hawaii News all rights reserved
Diebold technician tests ballot-counting equipment before 2016 primary election © 2016 All Hawaii News
With elections systems in more than 20 states now reported to have come under attack from hackers, Hawaii officials are working with federal authorities to make sure it doesn’t happen here. Civil Beat.

Hawaii public school students made slight gains over last year in English language arts and math on the Smarter Balanced Assessment, according to test results released tonight by the state Department of Education. Star-Advertiser.

The state is sponsoring a two-day Aerospace Summit at the Capitol this week.   As HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports, the more than120 participants are trying to map Hawai’i’s future in a growing economic sector. Hawaii Public Radio.

High-tech entrepreneur Henk Rogers is proposing that a lunar base be built, tested and eventually developed on the moon from Hawaii, an extremely ambitious goal that Rogers said can be used to fuel development of a local aerospace industry. Star-Advertiser.

EBay founder Pierre Omidyar, Hawaii’s only full-time billionaire, saw his wealth grow over the past year, moving him up three notches on Forbes magazine’s annual list of the 400 richest Americans, while Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle Corp. and the owner of the island of Lanai, dropped two places in the ranking even as his fortune grew.Pacific Business News

Hawaii resident Luka Mossman is among 12 individuals nationwide that President Obama’s administration plans to honor Friday as “White House Champions of Change for Sustainable Seafood.” Civil Beat.

Coral reefs in Hawaii’s oceanic twilight zone, where light still penetrates and photosynthesis occurs, are abundant and host a wide variety of life, a new study shows. Associated Press.

Oahu

The Hawaii Fire Fighters Association endorsed Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s re-election bid Tuesday despite acknowledged disagreements with the incumbent. Star-Advertiser.

The over-budget Honolulu rail project has submitted an interim plan to the federal government for how it wants to cover a $1.8 billion shortfall or reduce the project’s scope to stay within the current budget. Civil Beat.

Four years after the debacle of the failed, University of Hawaii-sponsored Stevie Wonder concert, the man who said he could deliver the artist for the performance admitted he lied. Star-Advertiser.

A North Carolina concert promoter is pleading guilty to defrauding the University of Hawaii out of $200,000 for a Stevie Wonder fundraiser concert that never happened. KITV4.

The number of registered motor vehicles on Oahu last year dropped to its lowest level since 2011, figures reported to the state show. Hawaii News Now.

Nothing on Gov. David Ige’s wish list for the 2016 legislative session was more costly than House Bill 2388: nearly $500 million to relocate the crumbling Oahu Community Correctional Center. Civil Beat.

A blessing and groundbreaking ceremony for the tower, Ke Kilohana, a Kakaako condominium tower developed under a state affordable-housing program, was held Tuesday by project developer Howard Hughes Corp. Star-Advertiser.

A Texas contractor has paid dozens of workers more than $370,000 in back wages and damages after failing to pay them for overtime performed during the renovation of a Hawaii hotel. Associated Press.

2nd elementary school worker in less than a month accused of sexually assaulting minor. KHON2.

Hawaii

If Gov. David Ige wants the Office of Mauna Kea Management to give up more than 10,000 acres, he’s going to have to talk to the agency first. That was the sentiment of the office’s board of directors during its meeting Tuesday in Hilo, which showed no interest in advancing the issue without hearing from Ige or one of his representatives. Tribune-Herald.

Customers calling the county’s emergency water line Sunday after a water main break caused an interruption in service to much of upper Hilo were met with another surprise — call center operators in South Carolina who, to some, might as well have been speaking another language. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii County Mayor-elect Harry Kim addressed the Hawaii County Council Committee on Public Safety and Mass Transit on Tuesday, asking them to review concerns from the Puna community regarding the government response to Hurricane / Tropical Storm Iselle and the June 27 lava flow. Big Island Video News.

After more than a year of development, the upper Puna connectivity plan was presented to the Hawaii County Council’s Committee on Public Works and Parks and Recreation during its Tuesday meeting. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Flood-ravaged Iao Valley is slowly recovering three weeks after a raging storm caused the Wailuku River to jump its banks, but the narrow canyon and its residents remain vulnerable as hundreds of tons of debris remain strewn across a newly carved and unpredictable riverbed. Star-Advertiser.

Iao Valley state park is expected to remain closed for four to six months, while Kepaniwai Park down the road is not scheduled to reopen for another six to eight months, due to damage from the raging Wailuku River on Sept. 13, state and county officials said Tuesday. Maui News.

When a slow moving thunderstorm dropped an enormous amount of rain on Maui Sept. 13-14, the Wailuku River and several of its tributaries escaped their banks and not only significantly widened the river bed, but caused hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage in ʻĪao Valley State Monument. The popular and iconic Monument, part of the DLNR Division of State Parks system, has been closed since what is considered a 100-year flood event. Maui Now.

The blades, hub and nacelle of one of eight Auwahi Wind turbines in the Kanaio area separated from the tower and fell to the ground Sunday, an official with the wind-power generation company said Monday. Maui News.

Kauai

Different interpretations on the rules dictating conduct during Kauai County Council meetings has led to Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura silently standing in protest. Garden Island.

Where’s the beef — from? USDA reports Hawaii’s red meat production down slightly from last year. Garden Island.

No comments:

Post a Comment