Thursday, June 15, 2017

DLNR app enlists citizen enforcement, schools superintendent gets big contract, Kawauchi loses license to practice law, Maui pCard audit finds waste and abuse, Thirty Meter Telescope back before Hawaii Supreme Court, Oahu condo owners face new property tax law, Caldwell sells bank shares, Kauai lawsuit names Syngenta, DLNR, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

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Citizens armed with smart phones are being enlisted to help State Conservation Officers enforce rules on all islands. Hawaii Public Radio.

The state land board unveiled a new smartphone app Wednesday for members of the community to submit anonymous tips to report wildlife and natural resource violations to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Hawaii News Now.

Hiking in Hawaii: Managed vs. Unmanaged Access. Supplying enough recreation for its residents and the revolving door of tourists is an official task of the state Nā Ala Hele program. The trail and access program manages the state's hiking inventory and maintains all state-sanctioned trails across the island chain. Hawaii Public Radio.

Incoming Hawaii public schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto will be eligible for incentive bonuses on top of her annual $240,000 base salary, according to her employment contract with the state. Star-Advertiser.

Christina Kishimoto, chosen to lead Hawaii's Public Schools,  is at the center of a nearly $1 million controversy with her current district, located just outside of Phoenix, Ariz. Hawaii News Now.

More students in Hawaii took advantage of free summer meals last year, according to a national report released this week. Tribune-Herald.

United Airlines said Wednesday its plan to add flights to Hawaii will result in more than 400,000 additional seats coming to the islands next year. The extra seats could boost state tourism by about 5 percent in 2018. Star-Advertiser.

More than 6,000 sailors with the USS Carl Vinson strike group are in town with the carrier and escort ships pulling into Pearl Harbor following a five-month deployment. Star-Advertiser.

As the USS Carl Vinson pulled into Pearl Harbor, it was a long anticipated homecoming for some of the sailors on board. KITV.

Hawaii’s longline fishermen will hit their annual 3,138-ton limit for bigeye tuna in the western and central Pacific by early September, according to a forecast Wednesday by federal fishery biologist Christofer Boggs. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Owners of about 8,000 condominiums on Oahu face a Sept. 1 deadline to tell the city whether their property should be taxed at a residential rate or much higher commercial rate as part of a property tax reform initiative. Star-Advertiser.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell sold 2,250 of his shares in Territorial Bancorp Inc. for about $72,000 last week, according to a filing with the Securities Exchange Commission. Star-Advertiser.

The city expects to begin work next spring on a two-year, $80 million project to install a major new sewer line that will run the length of one of the busiest thoroughfares in the Kalihi business district. Star-Advertiser.

Police and prosecutors are taking on far more domestic violence cases, yet still can’t seem to secure more successful convictions due to various inefficiencies in their departments and the courts in general, according to a report released Wednesday by the Honolulu Office of the City Auditor. Civil Beat.

Audit claims new law fails to reduce domestic violence while increasing police workload. KHON2.

The Blood Bank of Hawaii is encouraging the public to give blood after losing 30 percent of its Dillingham Boulevard location’s donors following that collection site’s closure last year. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii-based Toell USA Corp., a bottled water company, is opening a new manufacturing plant on Nimitz Highway in Honolulu. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Island

Former County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi has been suspended from practicing law for misusing client funds. West Hawaii Today.

A former Hawaii County clerk who came under fire for her handling of the 2012 primary election was suspended from the practice of law for 150 days by the Hawaii Supreme Court. Tribune-Herald.

The Thirty Meter Telescope project is headed back to the state Supreme Court. The high court on June 5 accepted an appeal of a lower court ruling that vacated TMT International Observatory’s sublease for 6 acres on Mauna Kea. Tribune-Herald.

Kailua Bay will remain closed to water activities for the rest of the week, although a spill caused by a sewer pipe rupture Monday has been stopped. West Hawaii Today.

Elevated bacteria levels have been recorded at a popular Keaukaha-area beach park. Big Island Video News.

A massive piece of land in Kaʻu is up for sale and the future of the area is likely tied to the person or entity that ends up making the purchase. West Hawaii Today.

The Growing Meat Market On The Big Island. Bolstered by a mobile slaughterhouse and new butcher shops, the fledgling industry is trying to keep it all local in Hawaii County. Civil Beat.

Maui

An audit of county-issued “pCards” or procurement credit cards found that fraud, waste, or abuse may have occurred. Maui Now.

Fraud and abuse. Personal and side-job spending. These are just a handful of findings by Maui County’s auditor after an extensive review of charges on government credit cards. KHON2.

As seas rise, calls grow to move major Maui highway inland. Maui activists say the conditions on Honoapiilani Highway need to be addressed -- before the highway is washed away completely. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai

A lawsuit filed in environmental court June 13 alleges Syngenta Corporation broke Hawaii law by failing to conduct an environmental review before starting operations on the island. Garden Island.

A community group on Kauai is filing suit against the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and seed company Syngenta to protect crown lands on Kauai's West Side. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai County Prosecutor Justin Kollar received the OK Wednesday from the Kauai County Council to apply for a $156,285 grant to fund another year of the Sex Assault Prosecution Unit, which is in its second year. Garden Island.

An affordable housing project that may provide the community with 550 residential units will be on the table at a Land Use Commission meeting later this month. Garden Island.

County approves stewardship agreement with Westside nonprofit group. Garden Island.

Another hui has been formed to ensure thriving environmental, social and economic conditions in Hawaii; and its focus is the political arena. Garden Island.

Five businesses from Kauai are at Hawaii on the Hill. Garden Island.

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