Voter approval of Ige, Caldwell, drop in poll; Obama spotted on island; iconic farmers market changing; biofuel farm mulled for Molokai, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hilo Farmers Market ©2018 All Hawaii News

County gets tough after iconic Hilo Farmers Market fails to fix code violations. Tribune-Herald.

Hilo Farmers Market has been ordered by Hawaii County to take down all of its existing tarps and tents because of fire safety and zoning violations. KITV.

Former President Barack Obama is on Oahu following an Asia-Pacific trip that included stops in Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia. KHON2.

Voter approval numbers for Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell have declined in the last two years, according to the latest Honolulu Star-Advertiser poll. Star-Advertiser.

Gov. David Ige plans on pushing his administration’s accomplishments to the forefront of his campaign over the next four or five months, saying he’s been “too humble” about his successes. Garden Island.

Five in 7 Hawaii voters support efforts at the state Capitol to legalize medical aid in dying for terminally ill patients, according to the latest Hawaii Poll by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, which found consistent support across younger and older voters, men and women, and ethnic groups statewide. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii lawmakers call for tougher laws, penalties for child care providers. Under the bill, House Bill 2528, any adult relatives who help daycare operators care for children will be required to get a criminal background check. Hawaii News Now.

Should electric and hybrid car owners pay more to register their cars? It's a proposal being considered by state lawmakers to help fix our highways. KHON2.

Electric utility companies largely unprepared for anticipated EV boom, report says. Though Hawaii has one of the highest EV adoption rates in the county, the total number of battery-powered cars represents less than 1 percent of all passenger vehicles in the state. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii’s inventory of vacation rental units increased 35 percent to 23,000 from 2015 to 2017, according to a report by The Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice. Pacific Business News.

Some of Hawaii’s major labor unions are gearing up for a tough year ahead. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii’s Medical Pot Program Struggling To Get Its Act Together. The licensing and inspection programs remain very short-staffed, but pot shop owners are pleased by the state’s recruitment efforts. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Oahu voters overwhelmingly support a ban on so-called monster houses, according to the latest Hawaii Poll. Star-Advertiser.

Waikiki condo seeks to ban short-term rentals.  fierce battle is brewing at Waikiki Lanais over whether the condominium board has the right to ban short-term vacation rentals at the 160-unit building where the practice has been going on for decades. Star-Advertiser.

Lawmakers asked to approve sale of Kakaako property for new wastewater facility. A public hearing will be held Tuesday on a resolution to approve the sale of land on Forrest Avenue and Ala Moana Boulevard. KHON2.

Cure Oahu begins cannabis sales. Hawaii’s fifth dispensary began pakalolo sales Friday, with a steady flow of medical marijuana patients registering and visiting the Kapahulu retailer. Star-Advertiser.

The number of solar permits issued on Oahu rose in February for the second straight month after declining for two years in a row. Star-Advertiser.

Cardax Inc.’s first full year of revenue from its new anti-inflammatory product produced robust results. The Honolulu-based company, which launched ZanthoSyn in August 2016, was scheduled to announce today that it generated $610,323 in sales last year compared with $35,258 from its product’s limited release the year before. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu-based accelerator Blue Startups is partnering with Singapore-based venture capital investment platform Hatcher+ to co-invest in its startups. Pacific Business News.

No one was hurt today after a helicopter with four people on board made an emergency landing in a softball field at Koko Head Neighborhood Park. Star-Advertiser.

Mariota expanding role as philanthropist with Motiv8 Foundation. Hawaii News Now.

Monday marked the state holiday celebrating the birthday of a Hawaiian Alii, also known as a citizen prince, Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole. Many gathered to pay tribute to the Hawaiian monarch at the Royal Mausoleum in Nu'uanu for Kuhio day honors. KITV.

Hawaii Island

Activists erect makeshift checkpoint. About two dozen people calling themselves “kanaka rangers” held an unauthorized checkpoint Monday along the Maunakea Access Road. Tribune-Herald.

With Puu Huluhulu visible in the distance, a group of Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries set up an “Aloha Safety Checkpoint” by the Mauna Kea Access Road on Prince Kūhiō Day, part of the next phase of “Aina Mauna Solution”. Big Island Video News.

Group gathers on Kuhio Day to demonstrate alleged DHHL mismanagement. KITV.

Turns out the county’s affordable housing requirements can be pretty affordable for developers. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii County is looking to establish a Hilo counterpart to the proposed Village 9 homeless site in Kailua-Kona, although plans are still in preliminary stages. Associated Press.

A proposal to fund a cardiac care unit at Hilo Medical Center has nearly made it through both chambers of the state Legislature. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Report: 1 in 7 homes in county a vacation rental. Vacation rental group is disputing statistics. Maui News.

A Maui man who asserted his right to speak Hawaiian in court instead of English, has been granted a Hawaiian language interpreter. Maui Now.

County special use permit sought for Jaws zipline project. Haiku community meeting scheduled for Wednesday. Maui News.

County to remove hundreds of dead eucalyptus trees on Maui. The eucalyptus trees along Piiholo Road will be trimmed down to two-foot stumps to reduce the risk of injury or accident. Hawaii News Now.

Crews from the Maui County Department of Public Works began emergency tree removal along Piiholo Road. Maui Now.


Kauai

The Department of Public Safety is looking to fill several vacancies throughout the state for the position of adult correction officer. Garden Island.

Molokai

New Molokai Ranch Plans Pitched To A Development-Wary Island. An energy company has proposed buying the 55,000 acre ranch, which has been idle since 2008, to farm organic biofuels. Civil Beat.

Hawaii tourism spending up 10%, tax hike for teachers trimmed, raw milk rules sought, Oahu daycare deaths prompt legislation, Big Island bond rating improves, Kealoha's last day, Kauai fights mangroves, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Waikiki shoppers © 2017 All Hawaii News

A turnaround in the Japan tourism market and strong business from the U.S. mainland helped Hawaii’s visitor industry start the year with robust arrivals and spending. Star-Advertiser.

Spending by visitors to Hawaii jumped 10 percent last month compared to the same time a year earlier. Associated Press.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority will spread $3.3 million of its product enrichment funding across 128 programs statewide. Star-Advertiser.

Legislation to tax investors and visitors to fund education advanced in the Senate today. Hawaii Public Radio.

Only investment homes valued at $2 million or more would be subject to a property tax surcharge earmarked for public schools under revisions legislators made Tuesday to a controversial tax proposal drafted by the teachers union. Star-Advertiser.

A bill to authorize Airbnb to collect state taxes from both legal and illegal vacation rentals when accepting bookings in Hawaii won tentative approval from the House Finance Committee on Tuesday after Gov. David Ige’s staff intervened to ask lawmakers to keep the measure alive. Star-Advertiser.

One day after the state health department ordered Meadow Gold Dairies to discontinue its distribution of 2% milk due to high levels of the bacteria, Hawaii locavores are pushing for more options, including the sale of raw milk. Hawaii News Now.

Legislation that would allow terminally ill Hawaii adults to receive medication to end their own lives is heading to the floor of the state Senate. Civil Beat.

Hawaii's Congressional Delegation Reacts to President's First Address. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin says he asked President Donald Trump to explain a ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority nations. Associated Press.

Almost four years after Hawaii lawmakers approved a bill to assure safe sleep practices at day cares, the Department of Human Services has adopted regulations requiring infants to be placed on their backs while napping and prohibiting soft bedding and bumpers thought to pose a hazard for sudden infant death syndrome. Civil Beat.

An online system for parents to keep track of their child’s school lunch account is finally being rolled out. KHON2.

Alexander & Baldwin Inc. sold 451 condominiums and 611 acres of vacant land last year, but the cost to shut down Hawaii’s last sugar cane plantation pulled company earnings into negative territory for 2016. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu-based Alexander & Baldwin reported net income of $300,000, or 1 cent per diluted share, for the fourth quarter, compared to a net loss of $14 million, or 29 cents per diluted share, from 2015’s comparable period. Pacific Business News.

Oahu

A threatening phone call that led to the closing and evacuation of the preschool at Hawaii’s largest synagogue Monday has been added to a larger probe involving threats against 20 Jewish schools and community centers across the mainland the same day and some 100 hate crimes against Jewish institutions since the beginning of 2017, officials said Tuesday. Star-Advertiser.

Parents of children at an Ewa Beach day care where a toddler nearly died in an apparent assault were not informed about the incident, contrary to a recommendation from a panel of child abuse experts that reviewed the case. Civil Beat.

Three grieving mothers are pushing state lawmakers for changes to help prevent day care deaths. Hawaii News Now.

Parents: Baby sitter’s police ties stalled son’s abuse case. Associated Press.

Catholic Charities Housing Development Corp. has completed the first phase of its senior affordable rental housing development in Mililani Mauka, and has begun the second phase of the project. Pacific Business News.

Monsignor John Mbinda issued a double blessing Tuesday for a kupuna housing project’s first phase opening and second phase starting construction in Mililani Mauka where rent for residents is as low as $565 a month. Star-Advertiser.

Tuesday was Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha’s last official day on the job. KHON2.

Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha did not return to his office on Tuesday, his final day as the leader of the city's police force. Hawaii News Now.

Two Oahu residents have been charged in separate cases alleging theft of state accounts totaling more than $750,000. Star-Advertiser.

A Japanese wholesale food company that makes the Spam musubi sold at 7-Eleven stores in Hawaii has purchased Japan-based Fujifilm Corp.’s Hawaii regional office in Central Oahu, effectively ending the photography and imaging giant’s longtime run in the state, Pacific Business News has learned.

Hawaii

Hawaii County’s credit rating rose two notches Friday, when Fitch Ratings upgraded the county from AA- to AA+. West Hawaii Today.

Kahaluu Beach Park has been closed until further notice following the discharge of less than 100 gallons of wastewater onto the beach and beach waters, according to the state Department of Health’s Clean Water Branch. West Hawaii Today.

An upper-level disturbance is bringing some unsettled weather to the Hawaiian islands, including the potential for heavy snow and ice at Big Island summits. Hawaii News Now.

United Airlines will begin daily summer service between Denver, Colorado, and Kona starting in June. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Visitor arrivals on Maui increased 1.5 percent in January 2017 year-over-year, but a shorter length of stay resulted in no growth in visitor days. Maui Now.

Malassada Tuesday. Maui News.

Kauai

Volunteers wage fight against mangrove, threat to Hawaii’s economy, environment. Garden Island.

Learn how to benefit from state and federal landowner-assistance programs that support private forest-restoration efforts in a landowners’ forestry workshop on Saturday, March 11, hosted by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife. Garden Island.

Jim Mayfield wants to switch Kauai Island Utility Cooperative’s focus to pursuing an expansion of utility services, namely telecommunications and Wi-Fi. Garden Island.