Foreign investment soars, owners to face fines for fake service animals, homeless qualify for Medicaid housing, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Honolulu ©2018 All Hawaii News

Amid already hot housing market, foreign investment in Hawaii properties soars. Decades after the collapse of the Japanese investment bubble, foreign investment in Hawaii is making a big comeback. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii to roll out database to track school repair backlog. The Hawaii Department of Education is rolling out an online database to track the estimated $868 million backlog of repair and maintenance projects in the public school system. Associated Press.

Homeless people in Hawaii who are enrolled in Med-QUEST, the state’s Medicaid program, will have access to housing support services starting Jan. 1 that were previously offered to only a handful. Civil Beat.

As Ed Case prepares to be sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives in January, he’s been hiring key staff and gearing up for what he hopes will be major reforms in Congress. Star-Advertiser.

Claiming an ordinary dog to be a service animal will soon be illegal in Hawaii. Thanks to a law passed in July, the new year will add “misrepresentation of a service animal” to the state’s list of offenses punishable by a civil penalty. Tribune-Herald.

Circus and carnivals in Hawaii can’t bring lions, tigers or bears in for the show thanks to updated state rules signed by Gov. David Ige, and the head of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture says it’s been a long time coming. Garden Island.

Hawaii’s economy remained relatively strong through the year, with continued job growth, increasing wages and tax revenues that exceeded government projections in 2018, according to an annual financial report released last week by the Department of Accounting and General Services. Garden Island.

IMAGES OF 2018: A Year Of Alarms, Elections, Lava And A Notable Passing. The mother of all false alerts preceded very real disasters that flooded Kauai with rainwater and the Big Island with lava. Then came the threat of Hurricane Lane. Civil Beat.

Oahu

State Hospital overtime raises safety concerns. Big paychecks for overtime, also leads to big concerns about safety at the Hawaii State Hospital. KITV.

State and county officials, social service agencies and law enforcement are working together to address the highest per capita rate of homelessness in the country, but more needs to be done, according to the regional coordinator for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Star-Advertiser.

'It’s paradise’: Crowds head to the beach, trails for a sunny Christmas Day in Hawaii. A sunny Christmas Day sent throngs of merry-makers to Oahu beaches and parks Tuesday, where first responders were out in full force, too. Hawaii News Now.

Nearly 5 years after a huge fuel leak at the Red Hill Bulk Storage Facility, a forum will be held so people can get answers about preventing future leaks while protecting our water supply. KITV.

No flood, tsunami, earthquake or hurricane — not even retirement or a near-fatal heart attack — can keep Danny Tengan from readying East Honolulu residents for disaster. Star-Advertiser.

Water service will be temporarily suspended for four hours this morning at Magic Island, also known as Aina Moana, for a shower improvement project. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii officially down to one refinery. In line with the findings of the Hawaii Refinery Task Force's interim report from November 2013, one of the state's two refineries has, as predicted, officially ceased its refining operations before the year 2020. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Island

Embattled dairy intentionally discharges 800,000 gallons of sewage into Big Island waters. Hawaii News Now.

Big Island Dairy Discharges More Wastewater Amid Heavy Rains. Hawaii health officials say the diary, which was fined for spilling nearly 8 million gallons of wastewater this summer, is pumping out nearly 800,000 gallons in the latest incident. Civil Beat.

The owners of Big Island Dairy illegally discharged Monday roughly 600,000 gallons of sewage that contaminated coastal waters through Kaohaoha Gulch. Star-Advertiser.

Water within Kaohaoha Gulch was contaminated with animal waste due to an overflowing retention pond at the dairy facility caused by heavy rainfall, health officials say. Big Island Video News.

Waimea residents and others will get a chance next month to weigh in on which of two air service providers they’d rather see offer subsidized flights out of the Waimea-Kohala Airport. West Hawaii Today.

The reins of the Big Island’s fourth-largest private landowner quietly changed hands last week. The new president of W.H. Shipman Ltd. is Margaret “Peggy” Farias, previously the chief financial officer and treasurer of the Keaau-based company. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Timeshare resorts report occupancy rate of 91.8% in Q3. Maui News.

Chief: Officers’ actions ‘justified’ in shooting. Suspect, who was shot to death, drew a handgun, he said. Maui News.

New video of Sunday’s deadly officer-involved shooting in Wailuku was released at a press conference today at the Wailuku Police Station. The 23 second encounter at the Kaohu Street, South Market Street intersection, came following a chase that ensued for approximately 12 minutes. Maui Now.

Maui Electric is proposing to assume ownership and operation of the existing electric vehicle fast-charging network established on Maui through the JUMPSmartMaui demonstration project. Maui Now.

Maui Electric Co. on Friday proposed to assume ownership and operation of the JUMPSmartMaui electric vehicle fast-charging network on the Valley Isle. Pacific Business News.

Kauai

The last several miles of road along Kauai’s North Shore remain closed to the public since the April flood. Local residents are limited to commute along one lane of the highway and only during scheduled convoy times. Hawaii Public Radio.

More than 100 threatened and endangered seabirds have fledged from the Nihoku restoration site within the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge in the past four years. Garden Island.