Legislature seeks to curb governor's emergency powers, state could be without a schools superintendent for a year, Kaiser seeks takers for vaccinations on Oahu, more news from all he Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii state Capitol ©2021 All Hawaii News

Bill to limit governor’s emergency orders moves ahead as many want a return to normalcy. The measure would give lawmakers the authority to review the governor’s emergency orders after 60 days. It would also require the governor to justify any laws that are suspended by emergency orders. Hawaii News Now.

Gov. David Ige’s board picks grilled on how they would change tourism. A Senate committee on Wednesday advanced Gov. David Ige’s five nominees to the fill the board of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, but not before grilling them about how they planned to change the nature of tourism in Hawaii as residents express dread at the return of visitors to pre-pandemic levels. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Sees ‘Startling’ Increase In Number Of Children Facing Hunger. Even as benefits programs expand and school meal programs shift, food insecurity is expected to continue to grow in the islands. Civil Beat.

State income tax filing deadline is Tuesday. Hawaii is the only wage-taxing state not to copy the Internal Revenue Service and extend the due date. Star-Advertiser.

Reallocating money for tobacco cessation. A bill that will disassemble the state’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Trust Fund has passed through the Hawai‘i Legislature and is now headed to the desk of Gov. David Ige for a signature. Garden Island.

Program that helps visitors following trauma and tragedy faces deep cuts. The Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii says it won’t survive past the summer if proposed legislative cuts become a reality. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Legislative bill leads to tussle over federal money for Hawaii public schools. A bill to require the Department of Education to use federal pandemic relief funds to prevent furloughs or layoffs of unionized classroom staff for two years is moving forward with backing from the teachers’ union. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii’s Search For A New School Superintendent Could Take Nearly A Year. The state Board of Education’s transition committee proposed filling the role on a temporary basis to allow more time to search for a permanent hire. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Department of Transportation begins electrification with Tesla delivery. The Hawaii Department of Transportation picked up its first electric vehicle — a white Tesla — on Tuesday as the result of an innovative service contract that is expected to help electrify its entire light duty fleet. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now.

April 14, 2021 COVID-19 Update: The state Department of Health reports that there were 72 additional COVID-19 cases reported in Hawai‘i on Wednesday, including 35 on O‘ahu, 17 on Maui, 16 on Hawai‘i Island, and four in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed while out of state. Maui Now.

Oahu

Kaiser has nearly 2,000 open coronavirus vaccine appointments through Saturday in Kapolei. Kaiser Permanente announced that its location at the Kapolei Consolidated Theatre has close to 2,000 available COVID-19 vaccinations appointments from Thursday, April 15, through Saturday, April 17. KHON2.

Red light camera pilot program is moving forward on Oahu. Motorists who run a red light on Oahu might be caught on camera beginning late this summer under a new pilot program that will run for a minimum of two years, according to the Department of Transportation. Star-Advertiser.

Council OKs audit of HPD overtime costs amid ongoing scrutiny. The City Council has approved an audit of HPD’s overtime costs and why they continue to climb. Hawaii News Now.

In a turnabout for the city, mayor seeks $1M to remove Haiku Stairs. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s proposed budget, which is nearing approval in the City Council, includes $1 million to dismantle the stairway. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Commissioners redo fire chief vote: Kazuo Todd again selected to lead Hawaii Fire Department. The Hawaii County Fire Commission Wednesday set aside its March 10 selection of the Big Island’s next fire chief, opting to redo the vote in open session after questions were raised about how the vote was initially cast. West Hawaii Today.

‘Perfect storm’ of collective bargaining: County unsure of impact on 65% of budget. About 65% of the county’s $590.8 million operating budget goes for salary and wages, a figure that could increase as government negotiators undertake what Human Resources Director William Brilhante calls “the perfect storm” of collective bargaining, with contracts for all 10 of the county’s bargaining units ending June 30. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Maui’s March home prices tie record of $980,000. Maui County single-family home median sales prices in March tied the all-time high of $980,000 set in January, according to the latest report from the Realtors Association of Maui. Maui News.

It’s a balancing act for Maui businesses as the island adapts to an influx in visitors. Businesses are back open and Maui’s West Side is bustling once again. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai

Kauai Police Chief’s Rising Star Began To Fall Last Year, Job Reviews Show. Kauai Police Chief Todd Raybuck spent the last two years building community goodwill and fixing problems within his department. Civil Beat.

Abercrombie launches re-election bid, UPW contract inked, elections, solar credit, ag bills die, beach-born baby rescued, Maui councilor proposes no-new taxes budget, DLNR tackles Native Hawaiian protesters, Tesoro postpones layoffs, Caldwell staff get pay hikes, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

UPW Director Nakanelua, Hawaii Gov Abercrombie courtesy photo

More than 9,000 blue-collar workers for the state and counties have a new four-year contract that their union says acknowledges the sacrifices they made during tough budgeting times. Star-Advertiser.

The state inked another union contract Monday, the latest deal to come down before the legislative session comes to a close this week. Gov. Neil Abercrombie and county mayors signed a four-year agreement with United Public Workers Unit 1, which represents some 8,000 blue-collar employees. Civil Beat.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has formally launched his campaign to win a second term in 2014, saying Hawaii has built momentum coming out of recession and he wants it to continue. Associated Press.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie formally launched his re-election campaign Monday, citing the state's financial rebound and progress toward his "New Day" agenda as reasons voters should give him a second four-year term. Star-Advertiser.

Joined by Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and dozens of friends and supporters at Ward Warehouse Monday, Neil Abercrombie formally kicked off his 2014 re-election. Civil Beat.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie launched his re-election campaign Monday, as the Republican Party searched for an opponent to run against him in 2014. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie launched his 2014 campaign for re-election on Monday, promising to keep the state’s economy strong and to improve the educational system. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii lawmakers are preparing to vote on the final bills of the legislative session after a heated week of negotiations, but some advocates are disappointed several initiatives failed in the final hours after gaining momentum earlier. Associated Press.

Hawaii Lawmakers Set to Debate and Pass About 150 Bills in Final Hours of the 2013 Session. Hawaii Reporter.

A bill that would have required an evaluation of the chief election officer after each general election died because of a procedural gaffe in a legislative conference committee last week. Star-Advertiser.

A bill that would have changed the state tax credits for solar photovoltaic systems in Hawaii has failed to progress, leaving in place the administrative rules set by the state Department of Taxation that went into effect in November. Pacific Business News.

A contentious but at times comical scrap between Rep. Jessica Wooley and Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz has left in limbo $175 million in revenue bonds to preserve agricultural land. Star-Advertiser.

The Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity is underway in Honolulu this week, and one thing they will be looking at is the connection between disabilities and prison incarceration. Hawaii Public Radio.

As a younger member of the Hawaii Supreme Court at age 46, Steven Levinson wrote the landmark opinion issued nearly 20 years ago that launched the debate over same-sex marriage that still reverberates today across the country and in the nation's highest court. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiian Electric said on Monday that a record 13.9 percent of energy came from renewable sources last year. KITV4.

Hawaii Teacher: New Teacher Evaluation System Will Damage Education. Civil Beat.

State roundup for April 30. Associated Press.

Oahu

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell is taking a pay cut, but those closest to him are already making more than their predecessors in the Carlisle administration. Civil Beat.

Whoever abandoned a newborn girl at Sandy Beach late Sunday night could have avoided prosecution by turning the baby over to the proper authorities, state officials said. Star-Advertiser.

A shocking discovery was made on a south shore beach overnight. A baby just hours old was found abandoned on the sand. KHON2.

There are about 4,000 bus stops on Oahu, and right now there are no restrictions on where people who are waiting for the bus can smoke. Hawaii News Now.

The owner of a local wheel boot company may lose his business if a bill is approved this week at the Hawaii Legislature. Civil Beat.

Tesoro Hawaii Corp. now says that it will hold off on laying off about 210 of its employees while the Texas-based refiner and marketer of petroleum products remains in discussions with potential buyers for its Kapolei refinery. Pacific Business News.

On Monday, as Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell led a walking caravan of local officials through downtown, traffic consultant Dan Burden challenged the group to make the streets there safer for pedestrians. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

Sovereignty activists who planted a garden twice without permission near the King Kamehameha the Great statue in Hilo will be billed for the cost of removing their crops, William Aila, state Department of Land and Natural Resources chair, said Monday. Tribune-Herald.

Abel Simeona Lui, the colorful and controversial figure behind recent acts of Hawaiian sovereignty protests and civil disobedience around the island, will spend his 70th birthday in jail Wednesday. West Hawaii Today.

Real estate agents and appraisers agree — West Hawaii’s real estate market is hot again. West Hawaii Today.

A Fire Department hazardous materials team was unable to determine what caused people in the District courtroom at the Kona Courthouse in Kealakekua to begin coughing Monday morning. West Hawaii Today.

On Friday, state legislators approved $100,000 to fund early efforts to launch an international flight training center and advanced aviation degree program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Tribune-Herald.

Safeway has settled a lawsuit filed by a customer over the labeling of its “Kona Blend” coffee. Big Island Now.

Maui

Maui County Council Budget and Finance Committee Chairman Mike White is seeking to cut Mayor Alan Arakawa's proposed county budget for next fiscal year by $23 million and is proposing to not raise any real property taxes. Maui News.

Council Member Mike White today proposed the stabilization of real property tax rates in fiscal year 2014. Maui Now.

Hale Makua Health Services is accepting applications for financial assistance to its Adult Day Health program in Kahului, thanks to a $25,000 grant from The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. Maui News.

Results of a remedial investigation of the ‘Āhihi Kīna‘u Natural Area Reserve in South Maui will be discussed during an upcoming public meeting, officials said. Maui Now.

Kauai

Seed crop producer Syngenta will move its Hawaii research operations from Oahu to Kauai in June, a company official said Monday. Star-Advertiser.

County building applications are set to go paperless this week. Effective Wednesday, building applications submitted electronically will receive priority over paper-based applications. Garden Island.

Kaua‘i’s unique topology and weather allows some of the best star gazing conditions at sea level, said Dr. James Dire. Garden Island.

Collective bargaining bogs down in Labor Board, Gabbard opposes domestic drones, Hawaii House to vote on state budget by Wednesday, atrazine in drinking water, elevator inspections lag, public opposes Kauai biofuel plant, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii teachers protest, Hawaii State Teachers Association courtesy photo

The state agency charged with enforcing and protecting collective bargaining rights says its "skeleton crew and bare-bones budget" hamstring its ability to rule on dozens of labor complaints filed each year by public and private employees and their unions. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii state House and Senate are holding several hearings this week to vet each other’s proposals. Last week, both chambers passed hundreds of bills and sent them over to the other chamber, marking a new phase in the legislative session. Associated Press.

In Hawaii, additional gun regulation faces the fact that the state has among the most stringent gun laws in the nation, and unlike the mainland, little public urgency to make them tougher. Civil Beat.

The state House Committee on Finance passed Friday a nearly $23.3 billion budget for fiscal years 2014 and 2015, about $590 million shy of Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s request for $23.8 billion. Associated Press.

Hawaii lawmakers have trimmed Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s proposed biennium budget by almost half a billion dollars due to uncertainty over pending contract negotiations with public unions and looming federal budget cuts.Civil Beat.

Many of the state's 7,000 elevators are behind on inspections. KITV4.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard reiterated her stance against the use of drones on domestic soil during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. Star-Advertiser.

Civil Beat's chief political writer, Chad Blair, and, in his debut appearance, our fedora-topped D.C. bureau chief, Kery Murakami, talk about the implications of a rare split in the Hawaii Congressional delegation. And much more.

A mainland company that supplied a key component for many commercial and utility-scale solar photovoltaic projects in Hawaii has gone out of business, leaving its customers scrambling to come up with contingency plans for servicing the devices, which are critical to the operation of PV systems.Star-Advertiser.

Along with hockey sticks, canoe paddles should be included in the Transportation Security Administration's list of approved carry-on items on flights, local paddlers argue. Star-Advertiser.

Monday marks the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. Hawaii News Now.

State roundup for March 11. Associated Press.

Oahu

Thousands of Schofield Barracks soldiers who have been hard at training for months for a pair of deployments to Afghanistan might not go, officials say. Star-Advertiser.

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation said Friday that it has received $67.5 million of an expected $1.55 billion in federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration for the $5.16 billion Honolulu rail transit project. Pacific Business News.

U.S. State Department special agent Christopher Deedy will withdraw his request for dismissal of his murder charge that was based on his contention that he was acting as a federal law enforcement officer when he fatally shot a Kailua man at a Waikiki restaurant in 2011. Star-Advertiser.

A new survey of conditions and costs of driving in America's 50 most populated cities documents what drivers in Honolulu already know: Gas prices and congestion are high. Hawaii Reporter.

Hawaii

Police Chief Harry Kubojiri has disciplined a Hilo Patrol Division sergeant for misconduct over an incident that took place in the Hilo police cellblock on May 31 last year, according to a letter to the complainant. Tribune-Herald.

For years, Hilo residents’ drinking water has been contaminated with the chemical atrazine — a popular weed killer used on thousands of acres of sugar cane fields that lined the landscape up until a couple of decades ago. Civil Beat.

Goodfellow Bros. Inc. Regional Manager Ed Brown guided a tour along the 11-mile stretch that will bring Saddle Road closer to Kona by about seven miles. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

The House Finance Committee has included $65 million for the Kihei high school in the 2015 fiscal year of the state's biennium, an amount that's half of what Gov. Neil Abercrombie, the state Department of Education and South Maui's lawmakers have sought to complete the project all at once. Maui News.

Expected growth in the rental car industry at Kahului Airport drives the need for the proposed Consolidated Rental Car Facility, according a draft environmental report. Maui News.

Kauai

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is proposing to lease more than 2,000 acres of Anahola lands to Green Energy Team, LLC of Kaua‘i for the purpose of clearing existing albizia trees for its planned biomass-to-energy facility near Koloa. Garden Island.

It was sprinkling between periods of downpour, but several hundred demonstrators marched from the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa to Mano‘okalanipo Park on Saturday. Garden Island.

County officials told the Kaua‘i County Council Wednesday an anonymous tip that sensitive documents may have been secretly buried at Kekaha Landfill is too broad, and an internal investigation produced no results. Garden Island.

The original version of a bill progressing at the state Legislature would give the shrimp farm owner, Sunrise Capital, up to $1.3 million in state special purpose revenue bonds to protect the company’s hatchery facility and its salt water well, relocating them further inland to avoid shoreline erosion. Garden Island.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

Hawaii drivers soon will be paying the highest taxes on gas in the country, about 62 cents a gallon.

Two weeks before the price of fuel is expected to jump by about a dime in extra taxes, the statewide average for a gallon of gasoline hit the $3 mark.

Gov. Linda Lingle told state workers yesterday to expect massive layoffs as early as July 1 if they don't accept furloughs. But the public worker unions went to Circuit Court to fight the threatened furloughs.

Three public-sector labor unions filed legal challenges yesterday against Gov. Linda Lingle's plans to furlough state workers, while the governor said she has instructed state department directors to draft layoff options as an alternative if furloughs are blocked in court.

Hawai'i's elementary and middle school students not only lag behind their national counterparts but are also outperformed by their peers in many Asian countries and parts of Europe, according to a new international grading index.

Taxes and a little confusion led the debate as the Maui County Council's Budget and Finance Committee on Tuesday began the heated and tricky process of potentially raising property taxes for bed-and-breakfast and transient vacation rental owners.

A Kona woman who killed one woman and injured two men in a drunken driving collision in 2006 will be released from prison after serving only 18 months of a 10-year sentence in prison

The state Legislature chose not to enact the Department of Land and Natural Resources' proposed Recreational Renaissance plan, but department chairwoman Laura Thielen is working on a backup approach that may accomplish some of the same maintenance and improvement goals.

The public is invited to weigh in this week and next on the environmental impacts of the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope.

Hawaii County's main office building is going high-tech.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

Gov. Linda Lingle is warning public employee unions that those who bargain with the state now will get a better settlement than those who stall.

Gov. Linda Lingle accused majority Democrats yesterday of giving government labor unions a "false sense of hope" that the tax increases they have approved would help soften wage and benefit cuts in collective bargaining.

Healthcare costs are taking up an increasing share of people's budgets in Hawai'i, with 262,000 residents now paying more than 10 percent of their income for healthcare.

The fate of a lawsuit that challenged the state's title to lands once held by the Hawaiian monarchy now rests with Gov. Linda Lingle, who took the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the state on Tuesday announced an agreement over the sale of ceded lands.

From slamming the Hawaii Superferry exemption law to revealing debt-management counselors' deceptive practices, a new report provides a round-up of all the recommendations made last year by the state Office of the Auditor.

Third Circuit Court Senior Administrative Judge Ronald Ibarra entered his third 10-year
term as a Circuit Court judge Monday evening.

The state has identified 39 individuals and businesses who could help solve its budget crisis -- by simply paying millions in overdue taxes.

State health leaders are investigating the sudden death of Kurt Sonoda, a teacher and golf coach at Pearl City High School who contracted a flesh-eating bacteria. Officials say the 45-year-old was sent home from work on Thursday because he felt sick

The Maui Fire Department’s Air One helicopter lifted firefighters into an inaccessible area of Huelo on Monday afternoon to recover the body of a young woman found at the base of a 180-foot waterfall.

It's called the "greatest game of all time" by Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine. Tetris was born in Russia, but a local man gave life to it, making it an international phenomenon.

Substitute teachers seek pay parity

More than five years after suing the state to get better pay for substitute teachers, attorneys will press their case for back pay, this time to the Intermediate Court of Appeals.

Three judges of the court -- Corrine Watanabe, Daniel Foley and Katherine Leonard -- will hear oral arguments at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Supreme Court courtroom in Aliiolani Hale.

Paul Alston, an attorney representing the substitute teachers seeking more than $25 million in back pay, is fighting for retroactive raises after Circuit Judge Karen Ahn ruled in 2006 that the state Department of Education failed to comply with a 1996 law requiring it to pay substitutes the same daily rate as fulltime teachers.

The Legislature last year passed, and Gov. Linda Lingle signed, a bill that requires the DOE to give substitute teachers the same across-the-board raises that regular teachers, under collective bargaining, get each year. Now it’s just the back pay that’s at issue.

Among other things, the Circuit Court ruled that the state is liable to the substitute teachers for some but not all of the back pay sought by the teachers but doesn’t have to pay interest. The state is liable for contract claims, but is immune from direct claims under sovereign immunity, according to the court.

But the Circuit Court also refused to expand the rights to part-time employees, sparking an appeal. Attorneys for the substitute teachers also appealed rulings on statutes of limitations, tolling, sovereign immunity, pre-judgment interest, class certification and intervention. The state challenges the circuit court's orders allowing a third amended complaint, finding a waiver of sovereign immunity.