Former DLNR chairman Aila to be deputy Hawaiian Home Lands director, Green Party missed vote requirements, Honolulu Mayor Caldwell's state of the city today, rail transit board planned political strategy in secret, new doctors for Maui, Steve Case, Pierre Omidyar plans unveiled in book, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

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A legislative panel has recommended that the state Senate approve Gov. David Ige's nominees to lead the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs on Monday approved Jobie Masagatani to remain as the department's director and chairwoman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, over the opposition of some key groups that represent Native Hawaiians. The panel also approved William Aila, who until recently was chairman of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, to be her deputy director. Associated Press.

David Ige says he was caught by surprise when President Barack Obama singled him out early during remarks Saturday at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Civil Beat.

Hawaii’s Green Party will have to step up its game if it wants to continue fielding candidates beyond the 2022 election, according to the state Office of Elections. The office found the Green Party last year did not meet the voting threshold set in state law to continue qualifying as a political party after 10 years. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii's public education system has a difficult time recruiting experienced technology workers to support the state's schools, and the Department of Education is now backing a bill at the Legislature to allow high-tech employees to move more freely from one employer to the next. Star-Advertiser.

A program that allows retired law enforcement officers to carry a concealed firearm is drawing controversy at the state Capitol. The program is based on a federal law adopted in 2004. The federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, or LEOSA, allows for active and retired officers to carry a concealed firearm. KHON2.

The state Senate is reviewing two bills that would grant county mayors the power to fire police chiefs and require more qualifications for police commissioners. Garden Island.

Bill aims to tighten access at public housing properties. KHON2.

The 12 countries involved in a proposed Pacific-Rim free trade initiative will convene a chief negotiators’ meeting in mid-March in Hawaii, sources close to the matter said on Friday, as they scramble to secure a deal by the end of this spring. Japan Times.

This week marks the start of the 3rd Annual Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Awareness Week. In observance, state agencies and private partners working to rid the islands of these damaging species are highlighting 10 particularly bad offenders. Maui Now.

Opinion: Being Black in Hawaii Is Something Few People Talk About. It has been my experience that some black people will attempt to find alliances with non-white people when they come to Hawaii. Civil Beat.

Opinion: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Hawaii and Annexation. A student from Hawaii queried the judicial firebrand about the way the U.S. took formal control of the Islands. He got an answer. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Using the Foster Botanical Garden as his backdrop, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell is expected to emphasize park improvements Tuesday morning during his third State of the City speech. Star-Advertiser.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell will deliver his third annual State of the City address on Tuesday at 8 a.m. at Foster Botanical Garden. It’s an invitation-only event, as was the mayor’s first address in 2013. Civil Beat.

An announcement on a new Honolulu zoo director, the unveiling of the city's first hybrid electric bus and progress on how the city is battling Oahu's homeless problem are among key topics Mayor Kirk Caldwell will address in his State of the City speech Tuesday morning. Hawaii News Now.

Newly released records show top Honolulu rail officials were pumping state lawmakers for money before telling the public the project was over budget and facing a nearly $1 billion shortfall. The documents describe what was said during a Dec. 18 closed-door meeting between the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board of directors and city attorney Gary Takeuchi. Civil Beat.

Mililani Uka Elementary School teacher Jana Fukada, 32, was named a recipient of the Milken Educator Award, a national honor that recognizes excellence in education and comes with an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize. Star-Advertiser.

The National Park Service is suggesting historic designation for a larger area of the Dec. 7, 1941, Ewa Field battlefield, which would help preserve the site and stave off development plans, said John Bond, a proponent of the measure. Star-Advertiser.

The Army in Hawai’i is in the midst of completing another environmental study related to Makua Valley, the military’s live-fire range on O’ahu.  Hawaii Public Radio.

The Navy's public ceremony at Pearl Harbor will have African-American history and heritage as its theme this month. The ceremony will be held at the Pearl Harbor visitors' center at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday. Associated Press.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is moving forward with plans to demolish one of Oahu's most sought-after hikes. On Monday, the Board approved a $500,000 budget to study the demolition of Haiku Stairs, also known as the Stairway to Heaven. Hawaii News Now.

Opinion: It is remarkable that while public open space in Honolulu is increasingly threatened by development, a beautiful new public park has quietly sprung up in the heart of the urban core. This is the new Fort Ruger Pathway on the exterior backside of Diamond Head crater along Diamond Head Road. Civil Beat.

Hawaii

A 3rd Circuit Court judge heard arguments Monday on the dispute regarding whether Environmental Management Director Bobby Jean Leithead Todd is qualified for the position she has held for the past three years. West Hawaii Today.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has issued a finding of no significant environmental impact for the second phase of improvements to Kekaha Kai State Park. The finding, released Monday, says a full environmental impact statement isn’t needed because of the minor nature of the expected improvements. West Hawaii Today.

Two lanes will be available for Pahoa-bound motorists on Highway 130 near Keaau during peak hours as early as today, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman said. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Three doctors have joined Maui Memorial Medical Center's new outpatient clinic in Maui Lani, a welcome sight for Maui County as residents cope with a shortage of doctors. Maui News.

More competition in Central Maui is one reason the Salvation Army's Kahului Corps will close its Family Store in Kahului on Saturday, an official said Monday. Maui News.

Kauai

Grove Farm once planned to build resorts along Kauai's South Shore, but heavy community opposition nixed those plans, according to a new book about one of Hawaii's largest landowners. Grove Farm, which is owned by AOL founder Steve Case, instead opted to partner with Ulupono Initiative, eBay founder Pierre Omdiyar's investment firm, on a dairy farm project near the existing Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort in Poipu. Pacific Business News.

The county is considering a plan to transform the vacant Nawiliwili Bulk Sugar Building into a self-storage facility and recycling center for construction materials. Garden Island.

A former county public works employee claims his dismissal was due to race, age and disability. Amadeo Dullaga, 65, was hired as a temporary assignment markings crew lead supervisor for the county on May 1, 1996. He was seeking a full-time permanent supervisor position when his job was terminated on Sept. 9, 2013. Garden Island.

Rental units are still available in the new Rice Camp Senior Apartments on Hoala Street behind the Lihue fire station. Garden Island.

Molokai

More than a decade after Molokai veterans first began the process to build their own center, the Kaunakakai building is only one step away from being complete, veterans said Monday. Maui News.

Aquarium fish in jeopardy, Hawaii tax office backs off hefty filing fee, UH profs consider severing NEA ties, military cuts could hurt, plan could help solar panel installation, Steve Case licks wounds on Maui, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Yellow tang off Hawaii coast (c) 2013 All Hawaii News

Aquarium fish collectors love yellow tang, the electric-yellow fish that once thrived off the Hawaiian islands. But a successful research program on the brink of helping ease depletion of the wild species is facing an uncertain future. Civil Beat.

The state might help more consumers afford solar panels by tapping into the same bond financing that utilities have used to improve power plants and respond to storm damage. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii tax officials have backed off on plans to charge an extra fee to residents who file their taxes electronically after tax preparers used to doing so for free raised a big stink. Civil Beat.

The University of Hawaii's faculty union will decide this month whether to end its affiliation with the National Education Association, a move proponents say would save money and sharpen the union's focus. Star-Advertiser.

In the midst of the national debate over immigration, the University of Hawaii system is poised to begin treating undocumented students as state residents — a move that would make it less expensive to attend college and open up career paths for perhaps hundreds of young people. Civil Beat.

The University of Hawaii has received a $3 million gift in support of cancer and oceanographic research. Associated Press.

Hawaii among most vulnerable to federal military cuts. Associated Press.

Hawaii is the state most vulnerable to federal defense budget cuts, according to a report released Monday by Wells Fargo Securities. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz has tapped field representatives on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island, including the CEO of a Kauai engineering firm and the COO of L&L Franchise Inc., to help his office engage with local communities. Pacific Business News.

Trafficked Thai Workers' Dreams Become Nightmares. Hawaii Reporter.

Stunning underwater video of a Hawaii-based shark conservationist petting and swimming very close to a Great White shark is aimed at teaching people that not all sharks are violent, blood-hungry creatures, according to the people who shot the footage. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

The Waikiki Health Center, Honolulu's largest homeless service provider and operator of the city's biggest emergency shelter, has opted out of a plan to get some of Oahu's most mentally ill homeless off the street. Star-Advertiser.

The destroyer USS Russell has been replaced at Pearl Harbor by the destroyer USS Halsey in what's known as a "hull swap," but planned upgrades of the Russell that prompted the move are in jeopardy because of military-wide budget shortages, the Navy said. Star-Advertiser.

About 100 Kaiser Permanente Hawaii workers have authorized their union to move forward with preparations, including a potential strike, over layoffs due to the planned closure of Kaiser's Honolulu Clinic Urgent Care Center. Star-Advertiser.

Billionaire investor plans to change image of Kahala. Hawaii News Now.

A fishing boat that recently reached Hawaii has been confirmed as debris from the Japan tsunami, capping off a busy week of discoveries. KHON2.

Hawaii

April 23 marks the 20th anniversary of the West Hawaii Sanitary Landfill in Puuanahulu, an ambitious public-private contract born of necessity and forged through a lawsuit over union labor. West Hawaii Today.

A measure to codify language about public access and open space land Hawaii County voters approved six years ago goes before the County Council for its final reading Wednesday. West Hawaii Today.

HPR is getting underway with its next signal enhancement project – the building of a new HPR-2 transmitter for West Hawaii. HPR has just made the $100,000 goal needed for the West Hawaii KHPH transmitter. Hawaii Public Radio.

World-renowned inventor and engineer Graham Hawkes hopes to inspire the next generation of ocean explorers with his latest machine. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Steve Case's fortunes ballooned as the chairman of AOL was able to gobble up Time Warner in hopes of building an old/new media behemoth. It all unraveled at the dawn of the 21st century, and Case's fortune is a mere shadow of its past. But if you feel like you want to weep for the guy, take the road past Kaanapali and Napili to the far northwest coast of Maui. Orange County Register.

A bill that authorizes the mayor and the Department of Water Supply director to declare "water shortages" and to impose higher rates for Maui County residents is one step closer to becoming law with the Maui County Council on Friday approving the measure on first reading. Maui News.

A bill that would establish a Mala Wharf Task Force to examine the feasibility of redeveloping the collapsed pier at Mala Wharf on Maui, gained preliminary approval by a House committee on Friday. Maui Now.

Kauai

On Presidents’ Day, U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono met with about 40 veterans at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center to listen to their various concerns on jobs, health and education. Garden Island.

After several weeks of fine-tuning, the Kaua‘i County Council on Wednesday gave its final approval on a law that creates a planning enforcement account, where fines collected by the Planning Department will be deposited and used toward enforcement of zoning laws. Garden Island.

There are more than 200 former residents of the Marshall Islands on Kaua‘i, and they are adapting to Kaua‘i’s (comparatively) fast-paced lifestyle, leaders of the community said last week.  Garden Island.