Showing posts with label OSHA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OSHA. Show all posts

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Homelessness down slightly, former lawmaker Tam dies, $5.1M for Maui jail riot repairs, GOP retains state Chairwoman Ostrov, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

copyright 2019 All Hawaii News all rights reserved
Homeless in Chinatown, Honolulu ©2019 All Hawaii News
Count shows homelessness down, but number of unsheltered homeless swells. The figures from the count, conducted on a single night in January, were released Wednesday and show slight declines in the overall homeless population. Hawaii News Now.

Airbnb says it would have hauled in $64M in taxes for Hawaii last year. If the vacation rental platform Airbnb had been authorized to collect taxes on behalf of the state last year, it would have hauled in $64 million in Hawaii hotel room and excise tax revenues, the company says. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii health care takes top spot in nationwide survey. Hawaii was No. 24 overall in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual 2019 Best States rankings but took the top spot for health care. Star-Advertiser.

Kailua Crash Puts Hawaii’s Copter Tours Under A Microscope. Regulators are updating the one flight manual that governs the state’s air tours, but the public won’t get to participate. Civil Beat.

Gun Group Sues FBI For Records On State Fingerprint Program. The Hawaii Firearms Coalition says it’s trying to find out why the state is retaining registered gun owners’ fingerprints. Civil Beat.

Hawaii GOP Keeps Ostrov As Party Chair. The minority party boasts of unity in a Democratic-controlled state. Civil Beat.

Nonprofit Group Says DOE Is Withholding Key Financial Data. The Education Institute of Hawaii is trying to pressure the state into providing information for a financial database to shed light on school funding practices. Civil Beat.

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Former Hawaii lawmaker Rod Tam dies from leukemia. Tam spent three decades in office between the House, Senate, and Honolulu city council. His political career however was overshadowed by a run-in with the law and brief time spent behind bars. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii politician Rod Tam dies due to complications from leukemia. Colorful and controversial political figure Rod Tam died this afternoon due to complications from leukemia, a family spokesman said. Star-Advertiser.

Former Hawaii politician Rod Tam has died at age 65. Former Hawaii politician Rod Tam has died due to complications from leukemia. KITV.

Oahu

Oahu saw only a 1% drop in homelessness in January — not the 4% decline reported in February, according to data released Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

How Honolulu Property Tax Decisions Could Affect Owners. The Honolulu City Council on Tuesday overrode Mayor Kirk Caldwell's veto of a bill that increases the standard home exemption on property taxes while advancing his proposal to hike the tax rate on hotels and resorts. Hawaii Public Radio.

Council member seeks to revive proposal after 17-year-old was hit in a mid-block crosswalk. Councilman Ron Last year, Menor had proposed a bill that would allow cars to turn on their hazard lights at mid-block crosswalks to alert other drivers that someone is crossing. KHON2.

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Pool of potential jurors for Kealoha trial shrinks. The pool of prospective jurors for the federal conspiracy trial of retired Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha; his wife Katherine, a former deputy prosecutor; and three former members of the Honolulu Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit is down to 249. Star-Advertiser.

Nearly 200 prospective jurors already eliminated for Kealoha ‘mailbox trial’.  Despite incredible amounts of publicity, lawyers in the Kealoha trial say they are confident they will have an impartial jury -- perhaps faster than expected. Hawaii News Now.

TV Reporter No Longer Sought As Witness In Corruption Trial. Hawaii News Now reporter Lynn Kawano had said the move to call her to the stand was retaliation for her prior coverage. Civil Beat.

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Pali Highway Repair Pegged At $20 Million To Date. Emergency work continues to install a rockfall mitigation system. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Lieutenant governor visits East Hawaii as part of state’s ongoing efforts to address homelessness. Lt. Gov. Josh Green visited several sites where homeless people congregate in East Hawaii, including a homeless camp nestled in the woods off Railroad Avenue and the homeless congregation around the Mooheau Park Bandstand in Hilo. Tribune-Herald.

‘Action plan’ necessary for county to access federal disaster recovery grant. A $66.9 million federal grant heading to the state for disaster recovery was welcomed news for Hawaii County officials. Tribune-Herald.

Noise From Helicopter Tours Leaves Residents With Frayed Nerves. It’s been a hot-button issue on the island for decades, but many say the problem has grown worse as more tourists are drawn to the site of the lava eruptions. Civil Beat.

State expects report about feasibility of restoring access to Pohoiki boat ramp by early June. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources hired consultant Sea Engineering to determine the feasibility of restoring access to the ramp. Tribune-Herald.

OSHA violations settled with Mass Transit. The Federal Transit Administration isn’t the only U.S. agency finding problems at the county’s beleaguered Mass Transit Agency. West Hawaii Today.

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Chief, mayor react to charges on retired officers; Fukui, Miller turn selves in. Former police officers indicted on charges ranging from drug offenses to conspiracy and tampering are scheduled to make their first appearances today in Hilo Circuit Court. West Hawaii Today.

Two Former Hawaii County Police Officers Indicted. Hawaii County Police Chief Paul Ferreira says the investigation began with cocaine and hashish missing from police custody. Hawaii Public Radio.

Maui

Council budget up for first reading. $823.6M budget is about $43 million, or 5.5 percent, higher than mayor’s proposal. Maui News.

Mayor Victorino to Visit Japan and Korea in a Goodwill, Business Trip. Maui Now.

Ige Signs Bill To Cover $5.1 Million In Repairs After Maui Jail Riot. The measure also includes $2 million to temporarily house 248 additional Hawaii inmates at a private prison in Arizona. Civil Beat.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is seeking the community’s input for the development of the agency’s new strategic plan through an online survey and a series of statewide meetings, with the first one on Maui on Monday. Maui News.

$340M rental car facility opens at Kahului Airport. CONRAC relied solely on rental car funds; ‘no taxpayer dollars were involved’. Maui News.

Kauai

Can $13 Million Save Lihue? A federal grant to reconfigure roads in the core of this island’s county seat could spur enough private investment to bring back the good times. Civil Beat.

Group protests 5G, doesn’t want it on Kauai. In a national day of protest against the fifth generation of cellular network technology, 5G Action Kauai rallied on Kapule Highway and Ahukini Road Wednesday afternoon. Garden Island.

Lanai

Lanai Airport gets $10M in federal money for runway improvements. The U.S. Department of Transportation grant is part of $779 million dollars in funding for more than 100 airports, nationwide and in Puerto Rico. Hawaii News Now.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Ige signs renewable energy bills, monk seal pups rescued, telescope 'bullet hole' that wasn't, Honolulu council beefs up staff, Oahu solar farms pending before PUC, parachute fails during NASA test on Kauai, layoffs coming to Kona hospital, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

courtesy Hawaii governor's office
Gov. David Ige signs energy bills, courtesy Governor's Office
Hawaii would be the first state to wean itself off of all fossil fuels by 2045 under legislation signed by Gov. David Ige and praised by advocates as groundbreaking for the state and the rest of the world. Star-Advertiser.

The Governor signed four energy-related bills into law today, establishing the state as a leader in renewable sources for power. Hawaii Public Radio.

Press release: Gov. David Ige today signed into law four energy bills, including one that strengthens Hawaii’s commitment to clean energy by directing the state’s utilities to generate 100 percent of their electricity sales from renewable energy resources by 2045. Governor's Office.

Two malnourished monk seal pups were rescued during the latest mission to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands by the research ship Hi‘ialakai in its efforts to protect the endangered species. The ship and crew working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration docked in Pearl Harbor on Monday after a 21-day voyage. Star-Advertiser.

Ocean wildlife officials recently started a 21-day mission to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. So far 14 researchers picked up approximately 5,000 pounds of marine debris. KHON2.

Oahu
The Honolulu City Council, which refused to fund seven new affordable housing positions, has doubled the number of staff that report to Chair Ernie Martin since he took the helm five years ago. Hawaii News Now.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is taking steps to close down the controversial hiking trail known as the Stairway to Heaven. The BWS plans to spends $500,000 on an environmental assessment and other studies to figure out the best way to remove the Haiku Stairs, a 3,922-step trail in Kaneohe that goes up into the Koolau mountain range. Civil Beat.

The seven major solar energy projects on Oahu total more than 200-megawatts and which have been put on hold are not dead just yet, the head of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission told Pacific Business News.

The bulk of solar farms pending before the Public Utilities Commission are in Central Oahu, so the delay on a decision on the projects caught the firms by surprise. KITV4.

A federal agency says workplace safety violations led to the deaths of two workers at Pearl Harbor last December. Associated Press.

Hawaii

By no later than Aug. 1, 34 positions at Kona Community Hospital will be eliminated, and the hospital will shut down its 18-bed skilled nursing unit. Administrators at the 94-bed hospital in Kealakekua announced the cuts Monday morning as part of a plan to patch a $6 million hole in the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. West Hawaii Today.

No, the Subaru Telescope didn’t take a bullet. Saeko Hayashi, a spokeswoman for the Mauna Kea observatory, said Monday morning that an approximately 9 mm hole in a metal door at the telescope was caused by it hitting a bolt sticking out from an intake manifold next to the side entrance. Tribune-Herald.

Turns out what appeared to be a bullet hole in the door of the Subaru Observatory on Mauna Kea is not a bullet hole after all. Star-Advertiser.

Reports of a “bullet hole” found in the door of the Subaru Telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea have been dispelled. The observatory has “confirmed a match between this hole and an intake manifold cover on the wall”, which indicates no guns or bullets were involved in creating the hole. Big Island Video News.

Ohia Disease on Big Island Poses Threat to Native Forests Statewide. Foresters are scrambling to figure out how the disease is spreading and how to stop it. Civil Beat.

Tourism is once again expected to be the main economic driver on the Big Island over the next few years, with hotel rooms plentiful and bargain-priced, compared to Oahu. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Gov. David Ige is expected to sign a bill Wednesday authorizing the Maui region state hospitals to begin discussion on implementing a private-public partnership. Pacific Business News.

It should surprise no one that County of Maui Managing Director Keith Regan is running for office. MauiTime.

The Maui AIDS Foundation has been awarded $1.4 million in federal funds to provide rental assistance to lower-income people who are suffering from HIV/AIDS and their families. Maui News.

Kauai

A parachute failed during a NASA test of new technology for landing larger spacecraft — and eventually astronauts — on Mars, the agency said Monday. The parachute deployed but failed to inflate, Kimberly Newton, a spokeswoman for NASA, said in an email. The agency plans to provide more details during a news conference on Tuesday, she said. The parachute appeared to disintegrate in a video of the test. Associated Press.

NASA and Pacific Missile Range Facility employees raised their eyes to the sky and smiled Monday as they watched the successful launch of NASA’s new “flying saucer.” Garden Island.

Michele Davis and her family have cruised on Hanalei’s Black Pot Beach every summer for the past decade, but the Kilauea native said the atmosphere at Black Pot has “definitely changed” in the past five years. Garden Island.

Molokai
A California energy firm hopes to make Molokai the first Hawaiian island to achieve the state's clean energy goals of 100 percent renewable energy. Maui News.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Hawaii deposit fee going up, Navy tests biofuel at RIMPAC, Hirono misses votes to campaign, Kona coffee farmers warn of fakes, OSHA to take over safety inspections, Lanai group gets standing in Larry Ellison utilities decision, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Copyright All Hawaii News
Hawaii recycling center (c) 2012 All Hawaii News
The deposit fee for beverage containers in Hawai’i will increase by a half-cent to keep the successful HI-5 recycling program in operation for two more years. Maui Now.

The cost of a beer or soda likely will creep up in September as the state kicks in a half-cent increase of the beverage container fee. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii will increase by a half-cent the bottle deposit fee that the state charges beverage manufacturers, distributors and importers, state health officials said Wednesday. Pacific Business News.

The federal government begins conducting some workplace safety inspections for the State Labor Department next month as part of the recovery from budget cuts and layoffs under the administration of former Gov. Linda Lingle, state officials said Wednesday. Hawaii News Now.

Former U.S. Rep. Ed Case had the worst fundraising quarter of his U.S. Senate campaign, raising doubts about the strength of his organization with the Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono just weeks away. Star-Advertiser.

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, who is a hotly contested primary race for U.S. Senate against former Congressman Ed Case, (D-Hawaii/2002-2007), missed several votes in the last few weeks, so she could continue to fundraise and campaign for the seat left open by the retirement of U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. Hawaii Reporter.

Colleen Hanabusa and Charles Djou ran in three separate elections — a special, primary and general election — for the 1st Congressional District just two years ago. Civil Beat.

U.S. Navy ships and planes operated on a biofuel blend off Hawaii during Rim of the Pacific war games Wednesday as part of a renewable-fuel push by Navy leaders — the biggest test of its kind and one that has become politicized and opposed by some in Congress because of its costs. Star-Advertiser.

As part of this year's RIMPAC exercises the US Navy is emphasizing its push to go green. KHON2.

Honolulu, Hilo, the Kahului-Wailuku area on Maui and Kapaa on Kauai posted declines in private-sector employment of between 1 percent and 4 percent, according to an analysis by Pacific Business News affiliate On Numbers, which used new U.S. Census Bureau data to analyze year-to-year employment trends for all metropolitan and micropolitan areas. Pacific Business News.

Kapalua, Molokai and Lanai airports are "absolutely all on the list" of places Hawaiian Airlines is considering to fly as it takes its first steps in the process of forming a subsidiary airline, a Hawaiian official said Tuesday. Maui News.

State roundup for July 19. Associated Press.

Oahu

Windward Oahu residents met Wednesday night to come up with a way to convince the city not to move forward with its plans to construct a Kaneohe to Kailua sewer tunnel. KHON2.

The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation is expanding its video surveillance program at city parks thanks to an $11,000 gift by the Palehua Community Association. KITV4.

The Sierra Club will hold off on endorsing a candidate for Honolulu mayor until someone emerges who backs rail and fights urban sprawl, the Hawaii nonprofit's leaders said Wednesday. Civil Beat.

The race between state Senate candidates Pohai Ryan and Laura Thielen is nearly tied — at least in terms of fundraising. Civil Beat.

Former state Rep. John Medeiros died Friday morning in his sleep after battling Parkinson's disease and a heart condition, his wife said. He was 83. Star-Advertiser.

The first glimpse in more than a decade into former Hawaii Governor Ben Cayetano’s financial backers shows he can still count on some old friends for support. Civil Beat.

Mayor Peter Carlisle: Profile. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii

A County Council committee on Wednesday had a sunny outlook for a nonbinding resolution asking the state Public Utilities Commission to make it easier for homeowners to hook up solar panels. West Hawaii Today.

Two seasoned politicians will face off next month to become the Democratic candidate for state senator of the newly created 4th District on Hawaii Island. Star-Advertiser.

A group of mostly small-scale Kona coffee farmers wants to alert consumers that a new state law could affect the quality of Hawaii’s premier specialty crop. Associated Press.

More than 30 years after a federal judge ordered the state to fix a broken fence on the upper slopes of Mauna Kea on the Big Island in order to protect endangered birds, officials will finally spend about $1 million to patch the holes. Civil Beat.

The mauka-makai beach access road to Kohanaiki Coastal Community Park will close for approximately six weeks for road improvements. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Maui Memorial Medical Center will be the only non-Oahu hospital participating in a mock disaster exercise Friday as part of the U.S. Navy's ongoing Rim of the Pacific international exercises in Hawaii. Maui News.

A drier climate would jeopardize Maui's water supply and native ecosystems, said UH-Manoa geography professor Tom Giambelluca. Maui News.

State regulators have granted Lana'ians for Sensible Growth limited participation in the ongoing review of whether transferring Lanai's public utilities to Larry Ellison, who owns the vast majority of the island, is in the public interest. Maui News.

Kauai

Despite a drop in the number of Kaua‘i public schools that have met federal standards this year, local schools have shown an overall improvement, according to Bill Arakaki, Kaua‘i Complex superintendent at the state Department of Education. Garden Island.

With many summer programs coming to an end and the first day of school looming two weeks away, youngsters can take advantage of this window to plan their entries for the Lego Contest, which is part of the Home Economics Show at the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau Fair, Aug. 23 through 26. Garden Island.