Hurricane Dora passing well south of Hawaii, another Honolulu architect charged with attempting to bribe city permitting staff, back-to-school bolstered with teachers from Philippines, preschool classrooms, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Red flag, high wind warnings issued for all islands as Hurricane Dora passes south of state. The National Weather Service has issued severe weather alerts Monday morning as Hurricane Dora passes south of the state, bringing damaging winds with gusts up to 65 mph and critical fire conditions. Hawaii News Now.

Green condemns Alaska mayor’s plan to give homeless people tickets to warmer cities. There’s growing pushback among Hawaii’s elected leaders to an Alaska mayor’s plan to ship homeless people to warmer cities — including, conceivably, in Hawaii. Hawaii News Now.

FAA proposes new safeguards for Hawaii air tours. The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing new procedures that aim to prevent Hawaii air tour operators from flying too low and into bad weather.  Star-Advertiser.

Troubling Trajectory Of Hawaii Newspapers Has ‘Deep Implications’ For Democracy. Ongoing cutbacks at local publications mean there are fewer watchdogs for the public's interest. Civil Beat.

Union balks over ‘hazard pay’ survey distributed to thousands of government employees. Thousands of state government union members have received a survey seeking information about their hours from 2020 to 2022 — the height of the pandemic. The survey, sent to roughly 8,300 Hawaii Government Employees Association members, seeks to garner information on “temporary hazard pay.” Hawaii News Now.

Emergency declaration prohibits price gouging, lawyer says. Gov. Josh Green’s recent declaration of a statewide housing emergency might have an unintended consequence of making things other than housing cheaper for Hawaii consumers, according to a Maui attorney who contends that the governor’s July 17 proclamation automatically made it illegal to raise retail and wholesale prices on any commodity, including groceries and gas. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii hotel investment tops $2B since 2019. Hawaii hotels statewide have completed more than $2 billion in improvements since 2019, with at least another half-billion in renovations and from-the-ground-up new hotel builds in the pipeline. Star-Advertiser.

First 11 preschool classrooms launch Ready Keiki initiative. It's taken mor than two decades for the state to finally make major progress on its universal preschool access, with classrooms opening this week: seven on Oahu, two on Maui and one each on Hawaii island and Kauai. Star-Advertiser.

Former health director tapped to lead state CPR initiative at public schools. Former Hawai‘i health director Dr. Elizabeth "Libby" Char may return to the state government. But this time, as an outside consultant tasked with developing a Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) program at public high schools. Hawaii Public Radio.

As generative AI booms, students dive in and educators lag behind.  No sweeping bans on AI are being considered by the state Department of Education or the University of Hawaii, as the islands’ public schools resume classes starting Monday, and UH and most private schools follow suit this month. Instead, both state agencies as well as many of Hawaii’s leading private schools are favoring finding ways to teach about and work with AI. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Honolulu Architect, 89, Charged With Attempted Bribery Of Permitting Worker. The case is the first of its kind to be filed since 2021 when the feds busted six people in a yearslong bribery scheme at DPP.  Civil Beat.

Veterans have until Aug. 9 to file for retroactive benefits for toxin exposure-related conditions. Veteran Affairs’ Hawaii Division is hosting a face-to-face event to help veterans register and answer questions today at the Garden Lanai Ballroom of the Ala Moana Hotel from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Hawaii News Now.

Waikiki residents rally for passage of law banning early trash pickups. Some Waikiki residents who are fed up with the loud sounds generated by early-­morning garbage trucks in their neighborhood made some noise for their own cause Sunday at a rally to end pickups before 6 a.m. Star-Advertiser. KITV4.

Hawaii affordable housing demand is sky high, but not at one tower. At the Sky Ala Moana towers rising in Oahu’s urban core, market-priced condominiums are sold out at prices from $568,800 to $1.3 million, yet only 14 of 84 units priced from about $270,000 to $515,000 under a city affordable-housing program have sold over the past nine months. Star-Advertiser.

State, HPU stalled in dispute over Aloha Tower Marketplace repairs.  A dispute between the state and Hawaii Pacific University remains unresolved over several million dollars in repairs to piers around Aloha Tower Marketplace, which HPU owns and where it houses and teaches some of its students. Star-Advertiser.

Feral Pigs Are Increasingly Running Wild In Some Oahu Neighborhoods. Pig hunters are becoming the de facto first responders for residents who feel threatened by growing herds. Civil Beat.

Paalaa Kai Bakery in Waialua shut down for health violations. The state State Department of Health has issued a red “closed” placard to Paalaa Kai Bakery, immediately shutting down the Waialua eatery. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

State takes first steps toward demolition of Uncle Billy’s.  Initial work began Friday in an effort to demolish the dilapidated and unsafe former Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel. Tribune-Herald.

Council: Expand mail delivery in Puna. In a nonbinding resolution discussed at Wednesday’s meeting of the council, Puna Councilman Matt Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder urged the U.S. Postal Service to improve its facilities throughout Puna, which he said currently has woefully insufficient access to mail services. Tribune-Herald.

‘Higher-risk’ runaways found: FBI sweep locates 5 keiki; police say they were not victims of sex trafficking. Five runaway children on Hawaii Island were recovered as part of Operation Cross Country, a nationwide FBI-led sweep targeting sex traffickers and missing children. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

State hopes historic building won’t delay Kahului Civic Center. Lawmakers push agencies to iron out historic preservation, get started on building 300 housing units. Maui News.

Kahului business closed due to rodents. Port Town Texaco in Kahului has been shut down after the Hawai’i Department of Health’s Maui Food Safety Branch ordered it to close after a rodent infestation was found during a complaint inspection on Thursday, the DOH said Friday afternoon.  Maui News.

Kauai

Kaua‘i schools welcome 11 new teachers from the Philippines. Students in the Department of Education public schools report to class starting Monday.  Garden Island.

Kaua‘i’s craft breweries to double from 2 to 4 in 2023 – with a fifth in the works. The number of Kaua‘i-based craft breweries will double this year, with the recent opening of Nā Pali Brewing Company in Wailuā and the planned opening in November of Mucho Aloha in Kōloa.Another brewery – Hawai‘i Standard Time – is also in the works on Kress Street in Līhu‘e, although its owners have yet to name an opening date.  Kauai Now.

Logan named new Honolulu Police chief, Ige signs bill giving high school journalists press freedoms, PUC rejects biomass power plant, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Retired Maj. Gen. Arthur ‘Joe’ Logan is named new Honolulu police chief. Retired Maj. Gen. Arthur “Joe” Logan will take command of 2,000 sworn officers and civilian staff and manage an annual budget of more than $300 million at a time when violent crime is at a three-year high through April. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Associated Press. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. KITV4.

Special Interest Money Fuels Hawaii Delegation’s Leadership PACs. Hawaii Congressman Kai Kahele continues to raise money from corporate donors, lobbyists and political action committees for his federal campaign committee despite a gubernatorial campaign promise not to do so for his state campaign, federal campaign finance reports filed last week show. Civil Beat.

Hawaii student journalists now protected from unlawful censorship. Hawaii public school and college students now have the same freedom of press protections as working journalists after Gov. David Ige signed a new law into effect Monday. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Associated Press. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now. Hawaii News Now.

Ige Appoints Appoints 2 State Ethics Commissioners. Wesley Fong was reappointed while Robert Hong fills a vacancy. Civil Beat.

Richard ‘Dickie’ Wong, a ‘street kid’ who became Hawaii’s Senate president, dies at 88. Richard “Dickie” Wong, who rose from humble roots to become president of the state Senate and chairman of the powerful Bishop Estate’s board of trustees, has died. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

COVID surge to culminate in June, University of Hawaii researchers forecast. The Hawaii Pandemic Applied Modeling Work Group, a voluntary partnership of epidemiologists and data scientists, on Monday said it expected daily, new reported cases in Honolulu to peak at 3,500 to 4,000 sometime in the first three weeks of June. Star-Advertiser.

Public advised to avoid Kewalo Basin Harbor after wastewater discharge. State officials are warning the public to stay out of the waters of Kewalo Basin Harbor due to a wastewater discharge caused by a clogged sewage line. Star-Advertiser.

City prepares for return of in-person Memorial Day ceremony at Punchbowl. As Memorial Day approaches, the city and officials at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl are making preparations to once again honor veterans in person. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Public Utilities Commission rejects Big Isle biomass plant again. The state Public Utilities Commission on Monday placed another roadblock in front of a $520 million biomass plant that would burn trees to generate electricity on Hawaii Island. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Hawaii Public Radio. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News. KITV4.

Mayor Mitch Roth calls for ‘mindful masking’ as COVID-19 case counts rise. By “mindful masking,” Roth said in a news release that masking is strongly encouraged when in large gatherings, grocery stores, indoor gathering places, aboard public transportation, and in bars and restaurants when not actively eating and drinking. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now.

Naniloa hotel dispute still not resolved. The Edward C. Olson Trust has until November to serve legal documents to a pair of business partners the trust is suing over two Banyan Drive development projects. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Discussion begins on South Maui CPAC selection and application process. Discussion will begin on the selection and application process for the South Maui Community Plan Advisory Committee or “CPAC” on Wednesday at the Planning and Land Use Committee meeting. Maui Now.

Ige Proclaims Second Axis Deer Emergency Period For Maui. Gov. David Ige’s second emergency proclamation empowers the county and state to better address the problems facing the drought-stricken county. Civil Beat.

Hawaii officials mourn ‘sudden passing’ of former OHA Trustee Colette Machado. Molokai’s Colette Machado, a former Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee for 24 years, has died, local officials said Monday. Maui News. KHON2.

Kauai

Opposition to airport master plan takes off. The new Lihu‘e Airport Master Plan appears set for a rocky landing, as public opposition mounts against the long-term development strategy. Garden Island.

Commentary: It's what journalists do

It's what journalists do.

We write things that someone, somewhere, probably won't like. It's been happening as long as the media has been around.

"There are but two classes of people in the world—those who have done something and want their names kept out of the paper, and those who haven’t done anything worth printing and want their names put in."—Atchison (Kansas) Globe, 1894.

The deadly rampage today in the newsroom of the Annapolis Capital Gazette, allegedly by a man holding a longtime grudge because of a column written about him, is an extreme example of the former.

Five journalists died today.

Danger is no stranger to our profession. We go to war zones. We uncover corruption. We go to dark places to interview shady sorts with nefarious motives to dig the nuggets of fact out of their often overlong and overblown stories.

We ignore the glares, the hate-filled comments about our work, those who crowd into our personal space and whisper threats. We turn down gifts, free dinners, special favors.

We try to be gentle with victims of tragedies, with children, with those naive to the ways of the world. But we get the story. It's what we do. We're not the counselors at the tragedy. We're the scribblers on the scene, getting that first draft of history.

We're not the innocents. We're not the schoolchildren huddled under their desks while shooters run wild.

Most of us aren't very well-paid. We're not in it for the money. We're in it because we can't imagine not being in it. It's a calling, not a profession.

We hold that torch high. We're not perfect and sometimes the torch slips. We take our lumps and vow to do better.

We're by no means the only ones who understand danger is part of the job. Police, firefighters, soldiers, corrections officers. All of us know what we're getting into.

The world doesn't have to like any of us. But the world needs all of us.

Gazette reporter Chase Cook said it best: "I can tell you this: We are putting out a damn paper tomorrow."

It's what journalists do.