Hawaii happiest state, hula reduces heart attack risk, Caldwell mulls gubernatorial bid, Mauna Kea astronomers selling off equipment, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii senior hula dancer ©2019 All Hawaii News

Study finds hula can ‘significantly’ reduce risk for heart disease. Results of a five-year study with more than 260 Native Hawaiian participants found that hula “significantly” reduced a patient’s risk for heart disease. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Named Happiest State in the Nation. WalletHub compared the states across 31 key indicators of happiness to determine where Americans had the highest satisfaction with life.  Maui Now.

Respecting culture among topics of HTA’s new ‘Kuleana Campaign’ for visitors. The Hawaii Tourism Authority is rolling out a new campaign targeted at educating visitors to the islands. They’re calling it the ‘Kuleana Campaign.’ They’ve created special videos to teach tourists cultural etiquette. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Tourism Authority releases visitor safety videos. From drownings to hiking tragedies, the Hawaii Tourism Authority has become involved in making sure visitors are more aware of Hawaii’s hidden dangers. KHON2.

Hawaii’s need for doctors continues to fall behind a growing demand. Hawaii’s supply of doctors is the lowest since 2015 as aging physicians retire and younger ones move to the mainland for better-paying jobs. Star-Advertiser.

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Gabbard says she’s closer to the debate stage, despite national reports to the contrary. National reports to the contrary, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard says she secured her third qualifying poll on Sunday, leaving her one poll short of making October’s Democratic presidential primary debate. Star-Advertiser.

Mayor Caldwell: ‘I’m seriously looking at running for governor’. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell says he’s “seriously looking at running for governor” in the next election come 2022. Hawaii News Now.

Sea Turtles For Swordfish? Feds May Lift Cap On Endangered Species. Wespac has proposed easing federal regulations on the incidental entangling of loggerhead turtles by commercial longliners. Endangered turtles are at the center of a dispute between fishing regulators and environmentalists over how many turtles are too many to lose each year to fishermen on the hunt for swordfish in the waters off Hawaii. Civil Beat.

Boat Harbor Fee Hikes to Help Delayed Maintenance. Fees for Hawaiʻiʻs small boat harbors and boating facilities will increase soon, a press release from the Department of Land and Natural Resources announced. Maui Now.

Increased boat harbor, commercial use permit fees go into effect Nov. 1. Big Island boaters will be doling out more green come November when increased fees for small boat harbor users and commercial operators on state waters go into effect. West Hawaii Today.

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Kim’s Maunakea plan could be delivered to Gov. Ige this week. Mayor Harry Kim on Monday said he believes that no police escalation will occur until his role as a mediator between the state and the Hawaiian community has been completed. Tribune-Herald.

TMT Protesters Who Flocked To Mauna Kea For A Showdown Are Still Waiting. Protest leaders say the alarm bells went off when many sources consistently reported that a move to clear the road to the summit would happen this week. Civil Beat.

After a night filled with anxiety over a possible law enforcement action – and a few false alarms – the hundreds gathered in opposition to the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea greeted the sunrise on Monday morning. Big Island Video News.

Rumors of Mauna Kea sweeps run rampant on social media, causing worry for some. An overnight false alarm and social media rumors over the weekend sparked all hands on deck of an estimated 1,000-plus people at Mauna Kea. Hawaii News Now.

Social media fueling concerns atop Mauna Kea. KITV.

If TMT goes, billions of research dollars could go with it. The man in charge of research and innovation at the University of Hawaii says there’s more at stake in the Thirty Meter Telescope impasse than the loss of an important astronomy outpost. Star-Advertiser.

Tour companies trying to hang on. Maunakea tour companies are restructuring and selling off equipment as the closure of the access road and inability to conduct stargazing tours stretches into the ninth week. West Hawaii Today.

Oahu

Mayor Caldwell traveling to Atlanta for Smart City Expo. Mayor Kirk Caldwell is traveling to Atlanta, Georgia tonight to represent Honolulu at Smart City Expo Atlanta – a leading national conference focused on urban technology and innovation. He is scheduled to return to O‘ahu on Saturday, Sept. 14. KHON2.

Will Hawaii Electric Customers Ever Save Money With Renewable Energy?. A regulatory scheme designed to create savings for consumers is unfolding even as Hawaiian Electric proposes a rate increase for Oahu. Civil Beat.

New lab safety software implemented at UH Manoa following 2016 explosion. More than 3 years after a lab explosion at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the school’s department of Environmental Health and Safety Office implemented a new laboratory safety software platform called the “UH Safety Solutions," or UHSS. Hawaii News Now.

Nursery on Sand Island experiments with coral to speed up the healing of reefs. n Oahu’s Sand Island a small team of coral specialists and technicians has been working for years to restore the slow-growing coral reefs in Hawaii that are being subjected to increasingly frequent bleaching events. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Land secured, Ka'u nonprofit looking to build big time skate park. A Ka‘u community is coming together in a grassroots effort to bring a multi-purpose recreational center to their region. West Hawaii Today.

Company Introduces QR Codes for Kona Coffee. The Kona Coffee brand has been a point of contention and market confusion for decades. Big Island Now.

Maui

Maui Electric to Lower Electric Vehicle Charging Rates. The Maui Electric Company is taking over four electric vehicle charging stations throughout Maui. Maui Now.

Eight Citations Issued at Maui Convoy; Aloha Aina Observance Planned in October. Maui police issued a total of eight traffic citations during a Mauna Convoy at Kahului Airport on Monday afternoon. Maui Now.


Kauai

Council to address ‘pension spiking’. A bill for an act for possible inclusion in the 2020 Hawaii State Association of Counties Legislative Package, proposed by councilmembers Mason Chock and Council Vice Chair Ross Kagawa, is attempting to address pension reform. Garden Island.

Restoring trust and the watershed. There’s a need to establish trust between hunters and gatherers on Kauai and the state that manages the forests upon which they rely to feed their families. Garden Island.

Kauai Superintendent Bill Arakaki has announced his retirement. Garden Island.

Lanai

As tensions over TMT run high, plan to build small observatory in Lanai faces scrutiny. Residents gathered Monday for an informational meeting about the Manale Observatory project. Pulama Lanai wants to build the facility on the grounds of the Four Seasons Resort Lanai. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii is the happiest state, legislator's racial slurs revealed, government stuck in a time warp, Kauai's only press shuts down, Abercrombie pushes public-private partnerships in Kona, plastic bag ban a success, minimum wage, GMO, election bills advance, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi courtesy photo

People in Hawaii are the happiest and healthiest in the nation, according to an annual national survey released Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

State Rep. Faye Hanohano — unhappy with the paintings installed in her state Capitol office as part of a public exhibit — used racial and ethnic slurs in a tirade Monday, according to an email from a state exhibit specialist. Star-Advertiser.

Wednesday may have been the last day of recess for the full Hawaii Legislature, but for some lawmakers it was a marathon of voting on bills. Associated Press.

It could be up to voters to decide whether candidates have to actually live in the district they want to represent. And Hawaii could count military just like most everyone else does on the mainland — as residents, according to several measures before lawmakers. Civil Beat.

The first state minimum wage increase in six years became closer to reality Wednesday after lawmakers passed a bill mandating regular pay hikes through the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii small business owners are imploring lawmakers this session to make changes that will allow them the freedom to make a profit, reinvest in their business and employ more people. Instead, key committee chairs are planning to increase the minimum wage and add even more regulations. Hawaii Reporter.

Hawaii lawmakers are doing more this session than ever to plug a multi-billion-dollar hole in health and retirement benefits promised to thousands of county and state workers. Civil Beat.

Walking into the windowless office where payroll is processed for the state of Hawaii is like stepping back in time. Associated Press.

Earlier this month, opponents of Genetically Engineered Food lobbied State lawmakers to encourage them to pass legislation to require the labeling of GMO foods.   Today, workers from Hawai’I’s five GMO companies … the  producers of Hawai’i’s largest agricultural commodity … visited the Capitol to tell their story. Hawaii Public Radio.

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa has introduced a bill she says will help avert defense cuts that are due to the continuing resolution and avoid the need for layoffs at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. Star-Advertiser.

A proposal is making its way through the State Legislature, that would raise the age limit for foster kids who receive support. KHON2.

Part 4 of a 5-part series. Read all the stories in Civil Beat's special report, In The Name Of The Law.

The number of foreclosure sales in Hawaii during the fourth quarter of 2012 fell 11 percent compared to the year before, but the average sales price of a foreclosed home jumped 24 percent, according to the latest data from RealtyTrac. Pacific Business News.

Oahu

Some 3,585 Oahu families who receive rental housing subsidies have been notified that massive federal budget cuts set to kick in Friday could leave them without a roof over their heads. Star-Advertiser.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is suing the city and Waste Management of Hawaii Inc., the operator of the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill in Leeward Oahu, over gas emissions. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii senators are moving forward with a bill to direct the governor to purchase land owned by Turtle Bay Hotel and Resort on the North Shore. Star-Advertiser.

After hearing hundreds of complaints from riders who had longer waits for overcrowded buses, city leaders unveiled a plan Wednesday to reverse many of the cost-saving service changes for TheBus system that serves more than 200,000 riders daily. Star-Advertiser.

The company that oversees all police-initiated automobile tows for the city is continuing to overcharge motorists even though the city says it is closely monitoring the contract because of previous problems with overcharging, according to testimony at a hearing Wednesday and towing invoices reviewed by the Star-Advertiser.

Police disciplinary records are supposed to be released when an officer is discharged. But getting those records can be tough — and so expensive that most people likely can’t afford it — as Civil Beat has learned in researching this special report.

For some disabled students at Kipapa Elementary School, it was a nightmare of physical abuse, verbal assaults and emotional attacks. Hawaii News Now.

Chevron Corp.’s Hawaii operation is planning to develop a solar thermal demonstration project at its Kapolei refinery, which will be used to offset burning fossil fuels utilized to generate heat and steam for internal use. Pacific Business News.

Developer accused of ruining Hawaiian cultural site. Hawaii News Now.

Three bills aimed at clearing the homeless and their possessions from city sidewalks passed first reading at the Feb. 20 City Council meeting. Honolulu Weekly.

Hawaii

The first month of Hawaii County’s plastic bag ban seems to have been a resounding success, members of the county Environmental Management Commission learned Wednesday. West Hawaii Today.

Five of the nine County Council members will travel to Washington, D.C., this week for the National Association of Counties legislative conference. Tribune-Herald.

Neil Abercrombie came to Kona on Wednesday to push one message: Hawaii needs public-private partnerships. West Hawaii Today.

Police Chief Harry S. Kubojiri gave an overview of crime and traffic trends in Hawaii County on Tuesday to members of the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce. Tribune-Herald.

A state transportation official will hold a meeting next week to update the public on the status of an expansion project at Kona International Airport. Big Island Now.

The former home of Miko Meats is undergoing transformation to a new business incubator, creating jobs and building community in East Hawaii. Tribune-Herald.

Maui
A new county office building on the old Wailuku Post Office site moved a step closer to being built as a Maui County Council committee recommended approval of $1.5 million for planning and design. Maui News.

Maui Planning Commission members approved Tuesday a special management area permit for HFM Maui to build a 45,000-square-foot warehouse at 120 Kane St. in Kahului on the 2.5-acre former site of Maui Land & Pineapple's administrative and corporate offices. Maui News.

With a 6-3 vote, the state Land Use Commission determined that owners of Kihei property slated for retail--Pi'ilani Promenade and Maui Outlets--and apartment development violated three conditions of the original 1995 order that changed the permitted land use from "Agricultural" to "Urban." Maui Weekly.

Kauai

Kaua‘i is the first major Hawaiian island to not have a press. Starting with Friday’s edition, The Garden Island will be printed on O‘ahu Publication Inc.’s $80,000,000 state-of-the art printing facility launched in 2004 at Kapolei. Out of 42 staff, the new operations retained 17 workers.

The Kaua‘i Planning Commission on Tuesday approved an office building in Hanalei in the front portion of a highway-facing lot, despite the outcry of members of the Hanalei to Ha‘ena Community Association, who wanted the building far from the highway as possible. Garden Island.