U.S. Senate campaign simmers through emails, federal judge to hear gay marriage case, voter registration up, Hollywood coming to Kauai, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Waikiki highrises (c) 2012 All Hawaii News

Waikiki may soon see its first new high-rise hotel in more than three years. Star-Advertiser.

A federal judge in Hawaii will hear arguments today on whether Gov. Neil Abercrombie should remain as a defendant in a lawsuit by two women who claim they’re being denied the right to marry. Associated Press.

In a campaign email sent out Sunday, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Ed Case criticized political rival Mazie Hirono for accepting more than $700,000 from political action committees this election season. Civil Beat.

Mazie Hirono last week accused Linda Lingle and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of being "two peas in a pod" for opposing President Barack Obama's priorities. Civil Beat.

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, a candidate for U.S. Senate, missed three additional votes last week 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.

A $2.2 million expedition that hoped to find wreckage from Amelia Earhart's final flight is on its way back to Hawaii without the dramatic, conclusive plane images searchers were hoping to attain. Associated Press.

Voter registration increased statewide this year for the fourth primary election in a row. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii may require skippers of power driven boats in state waters to complete a boating safety course. Associated Press.

State roundup for July 24. Associated Press.

Oahu
Being Honolulu mayor has its perks. Just ask Peter Carlisle. In November, he rolled out the red carpet for 21 world leaders from the Asia-Pacific region — including President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama — arriving in Honolulu for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation biannual summit. Star-Advertiser.

Not So Public: Open Records Agency Takes Up Civil Beat Appeal, 1 Year Later. Civil Beat.

Reapportionment – the redrawing of Hawai’i’s Legislative boundaries based on population changes in the 2010 Census – has forced a number of veteran lawmakers to face each other in a Primary Election run-off. Hawaii Public Radio.

More highway lanes will soon be available through one of the H-1s bottleneck areas, as lane re-striping gets underway. KHON2.

Hawaii

County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi closed the Hilo Elections Office on Monday for an audit of the county voter registration list, an action a state elections official called unprecedented and a county councilman called “fishy.” West Hawaii Today.

The county Office of Elections was closed Monday for a manual check of its more than 101,000 registered voters and to weed out any irregularities. Tribune-Herald.

Mayors Race Erupts on Big Island Over Geothermal. Civil Beat.

Maui

Two first-time Maui political hopefuls are among the few Hawaii candidates to so far tap into the state's public funding program that matches dollar-for-dollar campaign contributions of $100 or less. Maui News.

The Oscars of the Hawaii coffee industry brewed a lot of interest Saturday at the Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu. Maui News.

Jo Anne Johnson Winer – Maui’s Veteran Public Official. Maui Now.

Kauai

Kauai may not be getting “The Hunger Games” sequel, but it looks like another Hollywood feature will be filmed in Hawaii. Pacific Business News.

The Kaua‘i Charter Review Commission on Monday approved the final list of questions related to proposed Kaua‘i Charter amendments to be included in this year’s ballot. Garden Island.

Next year the Kilauea Lighthouse, the northernmost place of the Main Hawaiian Islands, will celebrate its 100th anniversary. As a result, the Kilauea community is going through a comprehensive restoration. Garden Island.

Lanai

For months, it's been a battle of the Big Wind signs on Lanai. Both pro and anti wind farm factions have draped banners on buildings and placed signs in front yards that read, "No Windmills on Lanai!" or "Wind Power - To Keep Lanai Green." Civil Beat.

Molokai

In order to bring more tangible data to ongoing efforts to better understand Hawaiian monk seals, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a research project that will attach Crittercams, or small video cameras, to the backs of the seals. Molokai Dispatch.

Former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle: supporting President Obama's plan?

President Obama and former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle during happier times. 2009 White House courtesy photo.

The Democratic Party of Hawaii is blasting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for what it calls putting big business special interests over the truth in its support of GOP candidate for US Senator Linda Lingle in the TV commercial it’s airing in Hawaii.

The chamber made a two-week television advertising buy backing former Gov. Lingle for U.S. Senate, touting Lingle as a bipartisan leader who can help increase tourism. The chamber would not immediately disclose how much it invested in the ads, but sources told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that it is roughly $100,000.

The Democratic Party criticized the chamber's TV ad because it states that Lingle supports "President Obama’s plan.”

“This is typical Linda Lingle, she did not support Obama when it didn’t fit into her own personal campaign, but now she’s a supporter because it looks good for her,” said party spokesman Chuck Freedman in a statement.

“These Republican special interests from Washington DC are just wrong about Linda Lingle’s record,” said Freedman. “The fact is that Lingle criticized President Obama’s economic plan."

Lingle is the front-runner for the GOP nomination the Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Democratic Sen. Daniel Akaka. Leading the Democratic field are former U.S. Rep. Ed Case and U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, both of Hawaii's District 2.