NOAA to survey coral reefs, lawmakers mull veto overrides, Honolulu rail project leaks leaders, Maui rejects affordable housing plan, names proposed for Fissure 8, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Coral reef with wrasse ©2019 All Hawaii News

NOAA To Assess Reefs for Coral Bleaching, Map Sea Floor. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will set sail on the research vessel Oscar Elton Sette Tuesday to search the waters around the Hawaiian Islands for coral bleaching. Hawaii Public Radio.

Spikes in bacteria at Hawaii beaches raise concern. In this summer of record heat and rain, beachgoers might want to do a water-quality check before diving in. Star-Advertiser.

Legislative Leaders Counting Votes In Case They Try To Override Vetoes. There’s no solid plan for a special session Monday, but a Senate memo lists measures lawmakers may try to enact even if Gov. David Ige rejects them. Civil Beat.

Community activists urge governor to allow real estate tax bill to become law. Community activists paid Gov. David Ige a surprise visit at the State Capitol on Wednesday, urging him not veto a bill that would tax some of Hawaii’s largest landowners. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

‘It’s A Struggle’: Rail Project Loses More Top Deputies At A Crucial Time. Key personnel continue to leave the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation as rail construction nears its most critical crossroads. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Supreme Court Suspends Ex-Prosecutor's Law License. The Hawaii Supreme Court is suspending the law license of a former high-powered Honolulu prosecutor after a U.S. jury convicted her of conspiracy. Associated Press.

Katherine Kealoha mingles with fellow inmates at Federal Detention Center. Katherine Kealoha, the former deputy prosecutor- turned-convicted-felon, has been moved out of a segregated cell into the general population at the Federal Detention Center, where she has her Bible and rosary beads but still has not seen her husband, former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha. Star-Advertiser.

Prosecutor’s Safe House For Abuse Victims To Close As Questions Swirl. The City Council cut funding for the facility, a favored project of the Honolulu prosecutor, and now it faces allegations of civil rights abuses from residents. Civil Beat.

City denies retaliating against safe house residents and workers. The city has retaliated against residents and employees of a controversial “safe house” for victims of domestic violence after they spoke to government investigators looking into public corruption, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and an attorney with knowledge of the situation. Star-Advertiser.

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Kawaiahao Church members try to right 27 desecrated graves. Nanette Napolean, historian and cemetery expert, guided Kawaiahao Church members and volunteers as they righted the heavy headstones toppled some time early Wednesday morning. Hawaii News Now.

Test finds E. coli bacteria in Windward Oahu drinking water source. On Wednesday, the Board of Water Supply announced that a drinking water sample from BWS Waihee Tunnel, which serves Windward Oahu from Kahana to Waimanalo, has tested positive for the presence of E. coli bacteria. Star-Advertiser.

Weather, increased enforcement may have sunk ‘Floatilla’. The Fourth of July “Floatilla” off Waikiki that caused major headaches for ocean safety officials in recent years failed to materialize Thursday. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

The deadline to submit possible names for fissure 8 has passed, with a total of 20 proposed monikers submitted. The state Board of Geographic Names began soliciting proposed names for fissure 8, one of the most prominent landmarks formed from the 2018 Kilauea eruption, from the general public last year.  Tribune-Herald.

The county is moving forward with plans for a popular Kona beach park, but there’s still a long road ahead. A month after the Department of Parks and Recreation set a May 31 deadline for comments on plans to implement preservation recommendations at Laaloa Beach Park, the agency said it’s now working to compile that data for the State Historic Preservation Division. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii Island Veterans Memorial Chair Retires After 20 Years of Service. Reeve N. “Bob” Williams, Lt. Col, US Army retired, was presented a memorial plaque from the Board of Director’s at a dinner held June 22, 2019. Big Island Now.

Maui

Affordable project fails in committee. Councilors vote against Launiupoko developments with 96-workforce units. Maui News.

Schatz Discusses Climate Change, Appropriations at Maui Town Hall. US Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii held a town hall meeting on Maui on Tuesday afternoon at Kahului Elementary School. Maui Now.

Kauai

Money for maintenance. With many of Hawaii’s most popular trails seeing record numbers of hikers, Hawaii Tourism is providing $530,000 to the DLNR Na Ala Hele Trail and Access System. Garden Island.