Hawaii emojis a hit, Legislature kills gambling, assisted-suicide bills, road study ignored, Maui school could be named for Patsy Mink, Native Hawaiians to protest constitutional convention, Waikiki groin work mulled, future of Big Island mayor uncertain, Coco Palms may be demolished, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

emojis courtesy Bank of Hawaii

Emojis are changing the way people communicate across cultures, which has led Bank of Hawaii to introduce a set of local emojis for Hawaii that features images such as Spam musubi, a loco moco, shaka and slippers. Pacific Business News.

It’s a bit early to pronounce any issue to be dead and buried for this session of the state Legislature, but the prognosis is poor for any legalized-gambling bill in 2016. Star-Advertiser.

Seventeen state legislatures across the country were considering physician-assisted suicide bills this year, but Hawaii’s effort is already over. Civil Beat.

Nearly eight years ago a national pavement consultant gave Hawaii’s Department of Transportation recommendations to help improve the condition of its crumbling roads — but the consultant’s report was largely disregarded, and DOT leaders say they’ve only recently begun to enact some of the steps he suggested. Star-Advertiser.

House lawmakers have gutted legislation that initially set out to strike a compromise between the interests of the burgeoning industry that provides long-term care for the elderly in neighborhood settings and the consumer advocates looking out for thousands of Hawaii residents who live in these facilities. Civil Beat.

Hawaiian community leaders are protesting the Naʻi Aupuni ʻAha today, and have issued a signed declaration rejecting the process and calling on other Hawaiians to do the same. Hawaii Independent.

University of Hawaii students would see modest tuition increases of no more than 2 percent annually from 2017-18 through 2019-20 under a three-year tuition schedule being rolled out by UH President David Lassner’s administration this week. Star-Advertiser.

China is likening its construction of islands and placement of surface-to-air missiles in the South China Sea to the U.S. military presence in Hawaii. Star-Advertiser.

Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi is the highest-paid Hawaii Department of Education employee at $200,000. At the other end, office assistants start at $22,824. Civil Beat.

Commentary: Still In Session? Let’s Raise Cash! Nine members of the Hawaii Legislature are holding fundraisers Tuesday night. It’s all perfectly legal. Civil Beat.

Oahu

A 16-year-old passenger died Monday after being injured last week in a Pearl Harbor helicopter crash, hospital officials said. Associated Press.

Stakeholders have a couple of opportunities to pick the best method of shoring up the Royal Hawaiian groin, which is needed to keep Hawaii’s most visited beach from being swept away. Star-Advertiser.

Erosion continues to eat away at the Royal Hawaiian groin in Waikiki. It’s an issue that has been affecting the area for years. KHON2.

City officials will hold a hearing Tuesday to consider closing the main public access point to Maunawili Falls trail, which attracts more than 1,000 a week. Hawaii News Now.

The department of Planning and Permitting is holding a public hearing to reconsider a conditional use permit which currently requires public access to the popular Maunawili Falls Trail.  If approved, access to the trail head could be closed. KITV4.

Hawaiian Monk Seal Vaccinations Begin On Oahu. Researchers say the endangered Hawaiian monk seal population is on the rise. But so is the threat of a fatal virus that could wipe out the native species if it reaches Hawai‘i. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii

People may line up on one side or the other over whether Mayor Billy Kenoi’s admitted misuse of his county-issued credit card was a criminal act, but there’s one thing Big Island residents seem to agree on — the investigation has gone on long enough. West Hawaii Today.

Following the completion of the much-anticipated audit of Hawaii County’s use of purchasing cards, or pCards, then-County Managing Director Wally Lau pledged the administration would follow through on all of its recommendations to prevent further misuse. But other than amendments to the County Code, it remains unclear how much progress the county has made in addressing the issue, sparked by the high-profile missteps of Mayor Billy Kenoi. Tribune-Herald.

The pension fund for Hawaii public employees has written off what it considers to be a bad $2.5 million investment it made in the Hu Honua Bioenergy project on Hawaii island after concluding the company won’t be able to resolve its engineering and other challenges. Star-Advertiser.

A California investor has pushed the pause button on the development of a 25-acre oceanfront estate at Puakea Ranch on the northern tip of the Big Island of Hawaii, the architect for the project confirmed to Pacific Business News.

In a week, it will be a year since a visiting bicyclist was killed in a vehicular collision by an on-duty police officer. West Hawaii Today.

Maui
Kihei Kai Nani residents are asking the Maui Planning Commission to grant them intervenor status and to hold a contested case proceeding for Victory Development's proposed $13 million, 39-unit Nani Loa condominium-hotel. Maui News.

Senate Bill 814, which has a hearing Friday, would require the Hawaii Board of Education to name the new public high school in Kihei, Maui, after the late U.S Rep. Patsy Mink. Civil Beat.

Growing up in Hawaii, residents are ingrained with reef etiquette and ocean safety early on: Don't stand on the coral, give fish and turtles their space and "if in doubt, don't go out." But for many Mainland and international visitors, a trip to Hawaii may be their first encounter with marine life and the unfamiliar dangers of the ocean. Maui News.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is seeking advisory council applicants. Maui News.

Kauai

The county may revoke the permits necessary for the rebuild of the Coco Palms Resort. The shuttered hotel’s restoration is once again up for debate, this time in front of the Planning Commission in a meeting scheduled at 9 a.m. today. Garden Island.

Bill Peterson, a candidate for the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative board of directors, is passionate about rooftop solar. Garden Island.

Waterfalls do not make good neighbors, homeless czar's future uncertain, high tech corp seeks neighbor island mentors, more ethics complaints for Mayor Kenoi, Honolulu airport security guards unionize, staff cuts threaten vector control program, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Maunawili Falls, Wkipedia photo

Maunawili residents are bracing for another busy summer, anticipating an onslaught of visitors by the busload along with local hikers passing through the otherwise quiet neighborhood to get to the Maunawili Falls Trail. Star-Advertiser.

A $740,000 grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could give state Department of Health officials a better understanding on the reasons why suicides and other violent deaths happen. Civil Beat.

Hawaii’s High Technology Development Corp. has released a request for proposals in search of mentors to coach technology companies on the Neighbor Islands. HTDC is based in the Manoa Innovation Center and has had difficulty expanding its program outside of Oahu. Pacific Business News.

For all he knows, Colin Kippen will be out of his job in two weeks. Since June 2012, Kippen has been serving as the governor’s coordinator on homelessness, a job overseeing Hawaii’s homelessness response system. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Na Pua Makani Power Partners LLC countered recent community opposition to a second wind farm in Kahuku Wednesday by saying the new turbines will lower electricity bills. Star-Advertiser.

To help ease traffic congestion caused by rail and other construction projects in Central and West Oahu, City Councilman Brandon Elefante has introduced a resolution urging public and private employers to provide some help to employees, including those commuting into downtown from Waipahu and Pearl City. Star-Advertiser.

The city will relocate its bustling Kapalama satellite city hall and driver licensing offices at City Square this fall to the former Sprint building several blocks away on Dillingham Boulevard, city administration officials confirmed Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu Board of Water Supply officials told members of a City Council committee Wednesday that they worry a draft plan to make improvements at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility does too little over too long a period of time. Star-Advertiser.

Security guards at Honolulu International Airport voted overwhelmingly to join a Hawaii-based union Wednesday, joining neighbor island colleagues who have already done the same. The union's president said he hopes to negotiate a master agreement to raise the guards' pay and improve what he called “meager” benefits. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii

Mayor Billy Kenoi and his campaign manager, who was hired in April to head the Office of Aging, are the subjects of an ethics complaint alleging political favoritism in county hiring. West Hawaii Today.

The nonprofit Hawaii Island Electric Cooperative has retained an investment banker with years of experience with mergers and acquisitions as it continues to explore the idea of public ownership of the Big Island’s electric utility. Tribune-Herald.

Finance Factors is selling its 13,130-acre Koa Forest on the Big Island of Hawaii, which is one of the single-largest privately-owned tracts of old growth native koa trees in existence, for $14 million. Pacific Business News.

Maui

Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu said two police officers "followed what they were trained to do" when they were confronted by a fugitive who shot at the officers before shooting himself following a traffic stop Saturday afternoon in Wailuku. Maui News.

Maui County Corporation Counsel Patrick Wong regularly visits Las Vegas each year, according to the Financial Disclosure Statements he’s filed with the Maui County Board of Ethics. And over the past four or five years, these statements show, his trips to Vegas have clearly been worth far more than the nearly six hours it takes to fly there. In fact, they show that since 2011, Wong has earned somewhere between $500,000 and $1.2 million gambling in Vegas. MauiTime.

Health officials say they couldn’t investigate an increase in mosquitoes on Maui because of a lack of resources. The state Department of Health’s vector control unit suffered severe cuts years ago and we’ve been following the issue since. Vector control handles animals that have the potential to carry disease, from rodents to insects. KHON2.

Kauai

Kauai Bus riders have until the end of June to buy monthly and annual passes before rates go up. Monthly fare prices will increase by $5 starting July 1. Garden Island.

The Kauai County Council on Wednesday gave its stamp of approval to new collective bargaining agreements that will raise public employee wages and other benefits by more than $1.3 million in the coming fiscal year, forcing the county to again dip into its reserve savings. Garden Island.

The future is uncertain for tours of one of Kauai’s most famous resorts, as partial demolition of the hotel is pending state and county approval. Bob Jasper, owner of Coco Palms Tour, said he’s unsure how demolition work at Coco Palms Resort will affect his business. Garden Island.

Molokai

A devastating pest known as the coconut mite was recently found on Molokai and now threatens to destroy the island's historic Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove. Maui News.

Kahoolawe

In one month, the cash-strapped Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission raised about $38,000 to assist with operations through the summer, but the group still is short of its $100,000 goal and may have to reduce volunteer trips to the one-time practice range for the military. Maui News.