Intrigue at state Capitol: Souki, Tokuda expected to lose posts today, Ige rejects extended session, Bounty Hunter wife could help pick Honolulu police chief, senator accused of trying to influence police commissioner, Maui sand removal stopped, Banyan Drive revitalization bill killed, gun registration up, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Gov. David Ige press conference, courtesy Rep. Kaniela Ing

Gov. David Ige rejected the notion Wednesday of extending the 2017 legislative session to try to salvage a rail-funding deal, calling it a “waste of time” if state legislators don’t already have an agreement in place. Star-Advertiser.

With the Hawaii House and Senate unable to resolve fundamental differences over how to help pay for Honolulu’s beleaguered rail project, Gov. David Ige said Wednesday he will not extend the legislative session unless legislators can reach an agreement. Civil Beat.

Gov. David Ige rejected calls Wednesday to extend the Legislative session to break the deadlock over funding Honolulu's embattled rail project. Hawaii News Now.

Gov. David Ige said Wednesday he will not extend the session, which adjourns Thursday, unless lawmakers can come together. KHON2.

The state’s top-elected official said Wednesday an extension of the legislative session to resolve issues involving Honolulu’s rail project would be a waste of time.” Garden Island.

Mayors of all four Hawaii counties are asking Gov. David Ige to extend the 2017 legislative session to find funding for the troubled Honolulu rail transit project, but Ige says he’s not inclined to do so. Associated Press.

=====

House Speaker Joe Souki and Senate Ways and Means Chairwoman Jill Tokuda are expected to be ousted from their positions of power today in an end-of-session leadership shakeup. Star-Advertiser.

House Speaker Joe Souki Expected to Lose His Post, Members Say. The expected shakeup in House leadership comes as the Senate is undergoing its own significant reshuffling. Civil Beat.

State Sen. Jill Tokuda is being forced out of her position as head of the powerful money committee in the midst of 11th-hour debate over funding for the Honolulu rail project. Civil Beat.

Sen. Jill Tokuda will be removed as chair of the Ways and Means committee. KHON2.

Retaliation blamed: Some legislators say a Big Island rat lungworm funding bill died because of a political fight between Senate Ways and Means Chairwoman Jill Tokuda and Sen. Kai Kahele, who played a central role in trying to reorganize the Senate, including plans to oust Tokuda from her powerful position overseeing the budget. Star-Advertiser.

First Term House of Representative Members Talk About Their First Session. Hawaii Public Radio.

Why The Stakes Are So High In Hawaii Police Union Negotiations. There are huge financial ramifications, especially for Honolulu. Meanwhile, a state senator wants to make it easier to fire bad cops. Civil Beat.

Consumer Reports, the respected consumer product testing organization, on Wednesday unveiled a new study on home-sharing services such as Airbnb that should make the Hawaii hotel industry and the tens of thousands of people who work in the business more than a little nervous. Pacific Business News.

The Department of the Attorney General released new numbers from 2016 that show an increase in registered firearms in Hawaii. Hawaii News Now.

First-quarter profit at Matson Inc. tumbled 61 percent as the largest ocean cargo transportation company serving the state absorbed higher fuel prices and small cargo volume declines in Hawaii, Alaska and Guam. Star-Advertiser.

Shipping company Matson Inc. reported a 61 percent decrease in net income for the quarter ending March 31. Pacific Business News.

Oahu

Beth Chapman, reality TV star and wife of Dog the Bounty Hunter, could help select the next police chief of one of the largest departments in the country. Civil Beat.

A Hawaii state senator tried to influence a Honolulu Police Commission member to vote against a pricey severance package for a retiring chief under federal investigation, according to a letter from the commission chairman. Star-Advertiser.

A Hawaii State Senator is accused of trying to influence a controversial vote with the Honolulu Police Commission. KITV.

Former Police Chief Louis Kealoha is threatening to complain to the Honolulu Ethics Commission about Police Commissioner Loretta Sheehan if she doesn’t disqualify herself from an upcoming vote. Civil Beat.

Environmentalists pushing for a ban on all plastic checkout bags to reduce litter and protect marine life maintain that a Honolulu City Council bill that was advanced Wednesday does not go far enough. Star-Advertiser.

A bill that would require stores to charge 10 cents for bags, while allowing businesses to continue offering thick plastic bags, passed out of a Honolulu City Council committee Wednesday. Civil Beat.

Oahu's residential real estate market has experienced the tightest supply conditions and shortest days on market in over 10 years in April, according to Locations. Pacific Business News.

A Waipahu cultural center troubled with overnight homeless campers. Hawaii News Now.

In a ceremony Wednesday, the city opened the South Street Protected Bike Lane to give bicyclists a mauka-makai route in the heart of Honolulu, improving access to downtown and Kakaako. Star-Advertiser.

Oceanit has been awarded a $750,000 Phase II contract by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate to develop a prototype of a device for first responders. Pacific Business News.

The developer of Ward Village announced Wednesday that it sold an additional 34 condominium units among five towers in the emerging Kakaako community during the first quarter. Star-Advertiser.

Former Hawaii first lady Vicky Cayetano is in talks to expand her laundry business on Oahu. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

The state Senate rejected the last remaining Banyan Drive redevelopment bill Tuesday following the return of broad language intended to help extend land leases for Mauna Kea observatories. Tribune-Herald.

Of the eight bills introduced by East Hawaii legislators this year to address economic revitalization in Hilo, just one will make it to Gov. David Ige’s desk. Tribune-Herald.

It’s use it or lose it time for the County Council. Facing a possible cutback of contingency funds in next year’s budget, council members Wednesday polished off $73,060 for 19 projects as they rushed to meet the deadline to spend their 2017 largess. West Hawaii Today.

A parade of Bodacious Ladies and their supporters testified in favor of a Food Basket grant from the Hawaii County Council. Big Island Video News.

Still working to fill the gap left when its popular Senior Produce program ended this year, the Food Basket, Hawaii Island’s food bank, is starting a new kupuna initiative and expanding other efforts to offer fresh fruits and vegetables. Tribune-Herald.

Following concerns from community residents and an environmental legal group, Marine Corps Base Hawaii agreed to reduce operations at North Kohala’s Upolu Airport. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Environmental and cultural preservation groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to invalidate the Maui Planning Commission’s approval of the proposed $354.5 million, mixed-used Makena Resort project. Maui News.

The Honolulu-based concrete production company that has been moving sand from Central Maui to other places off-site, including Oahu, has stopped transporting sand, following a formal notice from Maui County regarding permit issues on Monday. Maui News.

Small businesses are a favorite target of cyber criminals, and owners need to prepare for attacks as they would a flood, fire or other risk, experts said Wednesday at the Hawaii Small Business Conference. Maui News.

A notice has been posted in Baldwin Beach Park informing the homeless community they have until May 23 to vacate the area. Associated Press.

Kauai

Hawaii shouldn’t be held for “nuclear ransom” by North Korea and needs to activate its Aegis Ashore missile testing facility on Kauai in times of emergency to provide a layered missile shield for the isles, a defense expert told Hawaii state lawmakers Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Developers may be facing a ticking clock on the North Shore if a policy on resort-designated land is approved by the Planning Commission. Garden Island.

Teriyaki Spam coming to Hawaii, Gabbard creates Future Caucus, big raises for DOE administrators, molasses cleanup continues, fracking big topic on Big Island, Lanai airport upgrades, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Spam Jam file photo (c) 2013 All Hawaii News

Minnesota-based Hormel Foods LLC has formulated Spam Teriyaki and has chosen Hawaii to be its exclusive launch point. Star-Advertiser.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, two of the youngest members of Congress, are forming a new bipartisan Future Caucus. The Hawaii Democrat and Illinois Republican, both 32, hope the Future Caucus will channel a national discussion on technology and innovation to encourage economic growth. Star-Advertiser.

State, federal and local agencies have created a command post near the site of last week's massive molasses spill in Hono­lulu Harbor to help better respond to the disaster, officials announced Tuesday. Star-Advertiser.

The fate of a controversial and long-worked-on fishery rules package now lies in Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s hands. West Hawaii Today.

The Department of Education's six assistant superintendents will see their six-figure salaries go up an average 3.6 percent while the deputy superintendent will see a 16.6 percent boost under raises approved by the Board of Education on Tuesday. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii is trying to find out whether its public school teachers are making the grade. This year's Hawaii public school teachers are being evaluated under a new, controversial performance evaluation system that takes into account in-classroom observations, student surveys, academic growth and other measures that determine the size of raises that teachers will get during the next school year and beyond. Civil Beat.

Leaders from the executive and legislative branches of all four counties agreed on a coordinated action plan for the 2014 Legislative Session, officials announced. Maui Now.

Oahu

Nearly 100 people received their naturalization certificates during a ceremony aboard the USS Missouri in conjunction with Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, recognizing the 1787 signing of the Constitution. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

The next time there is a food shortage emergency, the county will handle it better, several County Council members vowed Tuesday after hearing how a council action last year overwhelmed the Hawaii Island Food Basket with too much food to distribute in too short a time. West Hawaii Today.

County residents got their first chance to weigh in Tuesday on the future, or lack thereof, of hydraulic fracturing — a process also known as “fracking” — on Hawaii Island. Tribune-Herald.

Maui
Hawaii Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald on Tuesday named six nominees to the District Court for Maui County. Pacific Business News.

Kauai

After a four-month time out, the wheels are again turning on the Kauai Department of Water’s proposal for a high-elevation well near Mount Kahili. Whether they are turning fast enough — or should be turning at all — was up for debate Tuesday. Garden Island.

Lanai
The state is receiving millions of dollars from the U.S. Transportation Department to bring runways at the island of Lanai's only airport into compliance with safety requirements. The runways there do not meet current Federal Aviation Administration safety standards. Hawaii News Now.

Poor oversight at Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, tax revenues up, University of Hawaii in upheaval, Democrats have all the power, lax oversight over food funds, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands property (c) 2013 All Hawaii News

The federal government more than 90 years ago gave Hawaii the responsibility to administer a newly created trust designed to provide homestead lots for eligible Native Hawaiians. But the government never gave Hawaii the federal regulations to govern how the roughly 200,000-acre trust should be administered. Star-Advertiser.

Department Responds To Star-Advertiser Articles. The following is the un-edited opinion piece which was submitted to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in response to their recent series of articles critical of our Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

State tax revenues through the first 10 months of Hawaii's fiscal year were 8.4 percent higher than the same period a year ago, the state Department of Taxation said. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii’s economy will likely grow faster than the national average, but not as quickly as previously predicted for 2013 and 2014, state economists said Friday. Associated Press.

As History Is Made, Hawaii Studies Gay Marriage. Civil Beat.

Coming off a turbulent year, the University of Hawaii Board of Regents is preparing to select the next UH president, and observers say the board must take a new tack if it wants to avoid more angst. Star-Advertiser.

As she prepares to end her tenure as the University of Hawaii's 14th president, M.R.C. Greenwood said she is still trying to figure out how consequences from a botched Stevie Wonder benefit concert grew into "a full investigation of all the things the university does." Star-Advertiser.

Deferred compensation and other benefits lift the pay packages for University of Hawaii President M.R.C. Greenwood and UH-Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple past the half-million-dollar mark. Star-Advertiser.

The Democratic Party of Hawaii thoroughly dominates elective office and government at the county, state and federal level. It looks to continue that dominance in 2014, despite contested races for the U.S. Senate and one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Civil Beat.

Youth in Hawaii should have a better chance of getting the help they need with the launch of an online database of youth services that is easily searched by counselors, court officers, parents and the kids themselves. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

The pilot student transportation program that the Hawaii Department of Education plans to roll out to some Oahu schools next school year is expected to do more than just test out an innovative way of buying school bus routes — officials say it'll also restore rides for many of the 2,000 kids who lost out when routes were cut this past school year. Civil Beat.

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard said it is seeking to fill about 100 apprenticeship jobs. Those hired for the new class will begin their employment in January, with an average starting pay of $19 an hour, the shipyard said. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

When the Hawaii County Council last year took the unprecedented step of dipping into the county’s disaster fund to give the nonprofit Food Basket Inc. an emergency $200,000 appropriation, strict reporting standards were put into place to ensure full accountability of taxpayer money. But a West Hawaii Today investigation has found that none of the reporting requirements in the May 3, 2012, contract were met, despite $199,000 of the emergency money given to the Food Basket, as well as $74,000 from a separate council action.

A state-owned affordable rental apartment complex on Hawaii island where more than half the units are vacant and need major renovations will be given to a Christian missionary training school after an unsuccessful attempt to sell the project about 18 months ago. Star-Advertiser.

Dean John Pezzuto conveyed Friday a sense of determination paired with lingering shellshock as he updated students and faculty on the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy’s failed campaign to fund a permanent building this Legislative Session. Tribune-Herald.

Two South Kona residents are proposing to turn the late Herb Kane’s Honaunau home into a bed and breakfast. West Hawaii Today.

Rob and Cindy Pacheco founded Hawaii Forest & Trail back in May 1993 with a vision to share Hawaii’s natural history while educating about the importance of conserving the environment. Stephens Media.

Maui

House Speaker Joe Souki almost quit after his first term as a lawmaker in 1982. Maui News.

As Maui County's first lady, Ann Arakawa leads a very public life, often seen at her husband's side as Mayor Alan Arakawa appears in parades, gives speeches and meets dignitaries. Maui News.

No unexploded ordnance, discarded military weapons or ammunition were found during a 2011 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investigation of Kanahena Point, a former military bombing site on Maui's south shore that is now located in a natural area reserve. Maui News.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources today told Maui Now that it would enforce swimming zones at Ka’a Point, following public concerns that kite surfers were endangering beachgoers.

Kauai

Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced last week he will seek a second term, and started campaigning almost immediately, visiting three islands, including Kaua‘i on Monday, in a span of a few days. Garden Island.