Hawaii Tourism Authority sued over snorkeling dangers after long flights, temporary restraining order halts destruction of Haiku stairs, contested case hearing slows Punaluu black sand beach development, Civil Beat a Pulitzer finalist for Maui fire coverage, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Michigan family files lawsuit against Hawaii tourism authority over snorkeling dangers after long flights. A Michigan family filed a lawsuit against the Hawaii's Tourism Authority, and other visitor groups, because they don't warn tourists about potential dangers of snorkeling soon after flying. KITV4.

Hawaii Pushes To Ensure High Schoolers Learn About Money Management. The Department of Education wants to include financial literacy in students' individual transition plans for career planning. Civil Beat.

Hawaii county mayors crack down on short-term rentals, pledging neighborhood restoration. Now with the power to revoke permits, county mayors are moving aggressively to shut many of them down. KITV4.

Woman charged for alleged theft of more than $44,000 in IBEW union members’ dues. Attorney General Anne Lopez announced criminal charges against a woman for the alleged embezzlement of approximately $44,367 in union dues from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 1186. Maui Now. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Corruption Defendant Dennis Mitsunaga Injured In Jailhouse Fall, Delaying Trial. A high-profile bribery trial involving businessman Dennis Mitsunaga and former Honolulu prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro was delayed on Monday after Mitsunaga sustained an injury in custody, his attorney said.  Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now.

Settlement over Liquor Commission lawsuit is rejected. An offer by the city to settle a 2021 federal lawsuit alleging anti-gay discrimination by investigators working for the Honolulu Liquor Commission has been rejected. Star-Advertiser.

Friends of Haiku Stairs halt removal of popular, but prohibited, hiking trail. A temporary restraining order has been filed by the Friends of Haiku Stairs in an attempt to keep the city from their removal. KHON2.

Oahu housing market improves with year-over-year gains. The single-family home market had bigger gains, with a 26% jump in sales to 262 in April from 208 a year earlier, and a 10% rise in the median sale price to $1,100,000 from $999,995. Star-Advertiser.

Man who received $12.5M settlement from HPD arrested for gun crimes. Officers booked Jonaven Perkins-Sinapati Saturday afternoon for allegedly firing a gun out of a moving vehicle in Kaneohe. Hawaii News Now.

Biki’s Balancing Act: The Bike Share Company Is Raising Rates While Trying To Attract More Riders. Biki's Honolulu ridership has been steadily declining over the past few years, and its leadership wants to reinvest in the system to draw in more riders and start adding e-bikes. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Punalu‘u project stalled: Proposed Black Sand Beach Development On Big Island Hits Rocky Shores. The Windward Planning Commission granted petitions for a contested case hearing over a developer's plans to build 225 units along a remote strip of coastline. Civil Beat. Tribune-Herald.  Big Island Video News.  Big Island Now.

Star Alameda, wife of mayoral candidate dies. Star Alameda, wife of Hawaii County mayoral candidate Kimo Alameda and a career educator, died Friday. She was 54. Tribune-Herald.

National Science Foundation to decide on billions in funding for Thirty Meter Telescope. The National Science Foundation has until September to decide on advancing the Thirty Meter Telescope to the final design stage. The TMT is competing against a telescope project in Chile for limited NSF funding.  Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaiian Name Given To New Astronomy Instrument On Maunakea.  ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo have named a new instrument that will be used at the Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope on Maunakea. Wenaokeao, meaning “earliest glow of light,” was given after extensive research by high school students. Big Island Video News.

Maui

Notices of Maui homeless sweep lacking information cited by state Supreme Court. Notices of an ongoing homeless sweep at Maui’s Kahului Boat Harbor by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources lack the same information that was cited by the Hawaii Supreme Court in a challenge to Maui County’s homeless sweeps. Star-Advertiser.

A judge is forcing Hawaiʻi to give wildfire investigation documents to lawyers handling lawsuits. A judge on Friday forced the Hawaiʻi attorney general's office to turn over to lawyers involved in the hundreds of lawsuits over last summer's Maui wildfires all documents, interviews and data collected by the outside team hired to investigate the disaster. Associated Press.

Candidates file nomination papers, aim to help with Maui’s housing crisis. Two candidates for public office are testing political waters and saying they aim to help address Maui’s housing crisis, especially in the wake of the August wildfires. Maui Now.

Expeditions Maui-Lānaʻi Ferry expands to three round trips per day; continues to adjust following wildfires. The Expeditions Maui-Lānaʻi Ferry is expanding service with three round trips per day, seven days a week, starting the week of June 3, 2024. Maui Now.

Civil Beat Named Pulitzer Finalist For Maui Fire Coverage. Civil Beat’s reporting exposed critical flaws in the state and county’s emergency preparedness and response, including the absence of Maui’s top emergency management official, the county’s lack of transparency overall and the history of failures in ecological management that laid the foundation for the disaster.  Civil Beat.

Kauai

County and hotel developer respond to recent wastewater spills at Coco Palms. Two recent wastewater spills at the Wailua Coco Palms sewer pump station, expected to accommodate a 350-room hotel currently under construction, have added to public opposition to the development. However, county officials and the hotel developer assert that the sewer issues are not linked to the hotelʻs construction.  Kauai Now.

Niumalu Bridge on Kaua‘i closed till further notice. Following the flooding event in April, Kaua‘i County consultants inspected county bridges across the island and determined that the Niumalu Bridge was unsafe for motorists, prompting an immediate shutdown. Kauai Now.

Hanabusa has 20-point lead over Ige in poll, Green leading Lt. Gov. race, Kim and Chin tied in #HI01, public strongly favors Thirty Meter Telescope, Maui mayor pushes $900M budget, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

David Ige, Colleen Hanabusa

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa has a 20-percentage-point lead over incumbent Gov. David Ige less than five months away from the Democratic primary, with 47 percent of likely Democratic voters saying they would vote for Hanabusa if the election were held today, according to a new Hawaii Poll by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Star-Advertiser.

According to a new poll by the Star-Advertiser, Hawaii voters may be leaning towards electing a new governor. Hawaii News Now.

Many Hawaii voters are still undecided on who should be the state’s next lieutenant governor, but state Sen. Josh Green of Hawaii island has an early edge in the crowded race, according to the latest Hawaii Poll. Star-Advertiser.

Kim, Chin tie in race for U.S. House. Veteran lawmaker Donna Mercado Kim and Lt. Gov. Doug Chin are in a near tie in the race to represent urban Honolulu in the U.S. House, according to the latest Hawaii Poll, which shows the two front-runners each attracting roughly 30 percent of likely Democratic primary votes. Star-Advertiser.

Most see homeless problem getting worse. Registered island voters, in general, do not believe Hawaii’s homeless problem has improved over the last year, and 62 percent support the idea of so-called “safe zones” for homeless people to live without fear of getting swept. Star-Advertiser.

Nearly 20 years after Hawaii legalized medical marijuana, a slim majority of local residents support full legalization for recreational use of the federally illegal drug. Star-Advertiser.

A proposal to legalize medically assisted death for terminally ill patients cleared its last major hurdle at the state Legislature on Friday, paving the way for a full vote by the Senate, where the bill is expected to pass comfortably. Star-Advertiser.

The Last Committee: Medical Aid In Dying Bill Now Goes To Full Senate. The measure has been fast-tracked through the Hawaii Senate after coming over from the House earlier this month with additional safeguards. Civil Beat.

DOH Food Safety Branch says placard program working but hand-washing still an issue. It appears the state Dept. of Health's color-coded placard program is working, but even after three years since its launch, the number one problem is getting employees to wash their hands. KHON2.

Paying the Price of Technology Failures. High-profile failures of local government technology often make headlines in Hawaii. But there’s an everyday cost to those failures that are paid by businesses and citizens around the state. Hawaii Public Radio.

About 1 in 24 homes in Hawaii is a vacation rental, which is contributing to the state’s shortage of affordable housing, according to a report by an advocacy group. Associated Press.

State begins training Hawaiian language interpreters for courtrooms. Over the weekend, the state became one step closer to ensuring Hawaiian language interpreters are available for all courtrooms. Hawaii News Now.

Coast Guard crews located eight people in a life raft in waters hundreds of miles away from Hawaii Island Sunday. The Coast Guard says the eight people were part of the crew from a commercial fishing vessel named The Princess Hawaii. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

A bill that would allow for a limited number of new bed-and-breakfast permits to be issued on Oahu while establishing stiffer fines for unlawful vacation rentals soon will go before the City Council. Star-Advertiser.

A hotel and condominium tower on Kapiolani Boulevard and mostly modest-priced homes on farmland in Waialua are a step closer to being developed after a Honolulu City Council committee vote Thursday. Star-Advertiser.

Biki has increased the size of four existing Biki stops and installed two brand new ones. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu students lend voices as marches across country publicly decry gun violence. Star-Advertiser.

Students, teachers, parents march through downtown Honolulu to end gun violence. An estimated 5,000 people converged on the state Department of Education and then back to the state capitol. KHON2.

City and County of Honolulu offices will be closed Monday, March 26, 2018, in observance of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana‘ole Day, a state holiday. KITV.

Hawaii Island

On the eve of a court ruling that could determine the fate of the Thirty Meter Telescope in Hawaii, public support for the stalled $1.4 billion project has never been stronger. Star-Advertiser.

Kim says balanced budget isn’t enough. West Hawaii Today.

Creation of Hilo homeless facility in ‘very preliminary’ stages. Roy Takemoto, an executive assistant to Mayor Harry Kim, told the Tribune-Herald last week that the county is in the initial stages of acquiring access to two adjoining land parcels at the old airport in Hilo — located about 850 feet from Access Road — where it is looking to possibly erect tents and domes. Tribune-Herald.

There are opposite takeaways from this week’s sudden closure of Hawaii’s only homeless, government-sanctioned “ohana zone,” Camp Kikaha in Kailua-Kona. Star-Advertiser.

The County of Hawaii has ordered Hilo Farmers Market to remove the tarps and the tents that have been its primary structures for over 33 years or face $4,000 in fines for each day they remain in place. Big Island Now.

Pace of Kolekole Beach Park lead testing frustrates residents. State officials are going out to bid for more soil sampling at Kolekole Beach Park, which closed almost a year ago due to lead contamination. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii Island’s natural beauty and seemingly endless opportunities for adventure have earned it a spot among TripAdvisor’s top destinations in the United States. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa is asking the Valley Isle's council members to approve a $900 million budget for fiscal year 2019. The mayor is also proposing a new three-tiered progressive property tax structure, which he said would allow rate adjustments to generate the revenue required to maintain services and infrastructure. Pacific Business News.

Mayor’s final budget proposal calls for $820 million for fiscal year 2018-19. Spending would increase by $114.8 million, or 16.3%, over current period. Maui News.

Mayor Alan Arakawa’s budget proposes a tiered scheme for property taxes designed to increase income from second homes and investment properties, a growing trend that many say aggravates Maui County’s housing crisis. Maui News.

Maui County fiscal 2018-19 budget highlights. Maui News.

The Budget and Finance Committee received Mayor Arakawa’s proposed fiscal year 2019 budget today and will begin its review with committee meetings commencing on March 29. Maui Now.

Five Wailuku residents have checked out nomination papers to seek the Central Maui 8th House District held by two-time speaker and longtime Rep. Joe Souki. Maui News.

Kauai

Prince Kuhio Park expands. Tom Shigemoto of A&B Properties announced that the deed for 16 additional acres to the existing five-acre Prince Kuhio Park is nearly done, and turnover of the land to the Royal Order should be complete by year’s end. Garden Island.

You can now get a digital camera to help out with whale and dolphin research on Kauai, but there are only five available so the waiting list could be long. Garden Island.

The county will begin relocating the Poipu lifeguard tower on Tuesday morning. The tower will be moved 75 yards east of its current location. Garden Island.