Election reform, involuntary psychiatric commitment, fireworks bills advance in Legislature, state auditor cancels rail contract, battle over taxpayer-funded ex-police chief defense, heavy metals found near East Hawaii schools, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Keiki day at the Capitol PC:House Majority Office

Keiki rallied at the Capitol Wednesday for children's issues. Advocates rallied at the Capitol Wednesday to support active bills regarding children's health, safety and education in the state Legislature. KHON2.

Hawaii parents, pushing to make it more affordable took their message to the State Capitol Wednesday morning calling on lawmakers to invest in our keiki and make early child care and pre-school available for all families. KITV.

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Hawaii’s economic growth expected to rebound. The ongoing slow growth of Hawaii’s economy is expected to pick up slightly this year after easing last year, according to a new state forecast. Star-Advertiser.

Economy Projected To Grow At Slower Pace Than U.S. Average. The latest economic growh report, released today by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, shows the state economy expanded by 0.7 percent from January to September, lower than the 2.8 percent for the U.S. average over the same time period. Hawaii Public Radio.

Read DBEDT's quarterly economic report.

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Hawaii lawmakers pass automatic recount, voter registration. Hawaii lawmakers have passed several bills to make it easier to vote and boost confidence in elections. Associated Press.

The State House of Representatives unveiled its election reform bills that crossed over to the Senate. Hawaii Public Radio.

Lawmakers in both houses of the Hawaii state Legislature appear ready to approve a proposal which would institute automatic recounts in closely contested elections. The legislation, which will require a constitutional amendment approved by voters, was pushed forward at the Capitol as a reaction to the state Supreme Court being thrust into action following the 2018 general election. Hawaii News Now.

Many Climate Change Bills Are Still Alive, Including A Carbon Tax. At the session’s halfway point, several new measures have support. But some current initiatives will expire if action isn’t taken. Civil Beat.

Fireworks bill targets property owners and allows video evidence. The use of illegal aerial fireworks has sky-rocketed in Hawaii. KHON2.

Bill Focuses On Revolving Door Of Involuntary Psychiatric Treatments. The measure would form a task force to find ways to make emergency mental health admissions more efficient, and better protect the public. Civil Beat.

Changes could make it easier to commit mentally ill to treatment. State lawmakers want to change the law, so that more mentally ill people can be forced into treatment. KITV.

Southwest Airlines has new fuel-efficient planes coming that would allow the carrier to add more destinations to its lineup of flights between Hawaii and the mainland, a spokesman said Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Kealoha lawyer seeks city funding for fees. An attorney for former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha on Wednesday urged the Police Commission to use taxpayer money to pay for the lawyers representing him in two federal criminal cases. Star-Advertiser.

Deadline approaches for City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro to respond to petition calling for his suspension. 19 days ago, state Attorney General Clare Connors filed a petition for extraordinary with the Hawaii Supreme Court, writing that Kaneshiro should not be allowed to serve as city prosecutor -- at least for the time being -- given his serious conflicts of interest as the target of a federal probe. Hawaii News Now.

The Hawaii State Auditor has canceled a contract with a company that was supposed to review change orders for the $9.2 billion Honolulu rail project, and it is unclear whether that report will ever be completed. Star-Advertiser.

Federal Probe Has State Looking To Pull Back On Rail Audits. Proposed legislation would repeal the requirement for more audits. But added scrutiny has already led state finance officials to withhold $40 million from HART. Civil Beat.

A rail station was changed to save money. Now, a do-over could cost millions. Hawaii News Now.

The reason for Oahu’s 20% drop in sheltered homeless? Far fewer shelter beds exist. The sharp decrease -- which led to a 4 percent drop in Oahu’s overall homeless population -- is being blamed on the closure of a transitional shelter shelter in West Oahu and on new government regulations that forced the state’s largest homeless service provider to reduce capacity. Hawaii News Now.

State senator films Maili brush fire, police standoff while riding bus. State Sen. Maile Shimbukuro happened to be riding TheBus home from the state Capitol and took photos of the large brush fire as the bus slowly moved through congested traffic. Star-Advertiser.

Business incubator unveiled in Kakaako. The developer of the “Entrepreneur’s Sandbox” held a blessing for the $7.3 million state-owned business incubation center, which was paid for by federal, state and private funding. Star-Advertiser.

Argosy University Students Advised To Prepare For Possible Friday Closing. Hawaii Public Radio.

Argosy University could close as soon as Friday. KHON2.

Oahu home prices make modest February gains. The Honolulu Board of Realtors on Wednesday released sales data that showed roughly 2 percent increases for median sale prices of single-family homes and condominiums last month. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu home sales drop in February as median price posts gains. Home prices on Oahu posted modest gains in February, compared with a year ago, as sales of single-family homes declined by 4 percent and condominium sales dropped by 17 percent, according to the Honolulu Board of Realtors. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Island

The state Department of Education and Department of Health are implementing environmental hazard management plans at 18 East Hawaii schools after a study found elevated levels of contaminants such as lead, arsenic and chlordane in the soil at those facilities. Tribune-Herald.

The Department of Education has found elevated levels of lead, arsenic or chlordane in the soil at 18 of the 23 public schools it tested in eastern Hawaii island, mostly around the perimeters of old buildings. Star-Advertiser.

The Big Island’s only jail is going to get larger, but that’s just to better house its current population of inmates, not increase the inmate population. West Hawaii Today.

Opponents Will Try To Stop Geothermal Plant From Reopening. Even though the power facility damaged by last year’s lava flows is expected to be “operational” by year’s end, it’s facing challenges. Civil Beat.

More than a year after plans surfaced and fizzled for a pilot program to manage surf schools at Kahaluu Bay, businesses are still in the dark about how to get permits to teach wave riding at the popular spot. West Hawaii Today.

Home prices on Hawaii's Big Island jump in February. The median price of a single-family home on the Big Island in February was $382,000, an increase of 18.45 percent from $322,500 in February last year. Sales declined to 152 homes sold, 5 percent fewer than the 160 homes sold in February 2018. Pacific Business News.

Maui

Maui County’s state lawmakers were divided over their support of House Bill 1326 as the controversial measure on revocable water permits crossed over to the Senate on Tuesday. Maui News.

More than 15 soon-to-be released or furloughed inmates incarcerated at the Maui Community Correctional Center recently completed approximately 56 hours of workforce industry training from the Office of Extended Learning and Workforce Development at the University of Hawaii Maui College. Maui Now.

Grand Wailea plans appear before design board. Suggestions offered for saving chapel, masking parking structure. Maui News.

Kauai

Taxis in the terminal. A tentative agreement was recently reached between Lihue Airport administrators and taxi drivers who were threatening to strike if their demands for a curbside presence at the terminal continued to be ignored. Garden Island.

Kauai waits for Southwest flights. Flights to and from Kauai haven’t yet been announced. Tuesday, Southwest Airlines spokesman Brad Hawkins said that’s in the works. Garden Island.

Home sales on Kauai drop in February. There were only 26 single-family homes sold on Kauai last month, a 50.94 percent drop from 53 homes sold in February 2018. The median price of those homes was $689,000, a 4.97 percent decline from $725,000 in February 2018. Pacific Business News.

Molokai

Maui County wants to hold Molokai event to obtain, renew TWIC credentials. People who pick up shipments at state harbors, such as Kaunakakai Harbor, need to present a TWIC card, and the County of Maui Office of Economic Development is stepping up to offer an event to help people obtain or renew this credential. TWIC stands for Transportation Worker Identification Credential. KHON2.

Inouye, Kamehameha Schools sex scandals revisited, huge raises for Hawaii County officials, no new landfill for Oahu, Maui group sues DLNR over boat traffic, mental hospital escapee fights extradition, Kauai whale beaching hearing held, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

File photo: late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye © 2017 All Hawaii News

Would Dan Inouye Have Survived 1992 Sex Allegations Today? Accusations against the revered Hawaii senator didn’t generate much of a public outcry 25 years ago. Civil Beat.

The Kamehameha Schools administration in the 1990s dropped the ball by not investigating allegations of sexual abuse against a psychiatrist who had treated hundreds of students from the late 1950s to the early 1980s, a board member from that period told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Monday. Star-Advertiser.

Kamehameha Schools sex abuse victims: 'Monster' stole our childhoods. Hawaii News Now.

Kamehameha Schools responds to sex abuse scandal. Hawaii News Now.

PHOTOS: Hidden Betrayal: Kamehameha Schools Scandal. Hawaii News Now.

‘Attack’ siren to sound Friday. Schoolchildren statewide won’t be scurrying for shelter Friday when officials sound an “attack warning” siren in the first test of its kind in decades. Star-Advertiser.

State Hospital escapee fights extradition to Hawaii. Hawaii State Hospital escapee Randall Saito today contested extradition to Hawaii. Star-Advertiser.

Island Air just one of several airport tenants that owe the state rent money. KHON2.

Craigslist: Where Desperate Hawaii Renters Plead For Help. Online postings show the dire straits would-be renters face in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Project to provide 160 homes for Native Hawaiians. More than 100 Native Hawaiians are inching closer to homeownership as the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands works to complete a long-planned subdivision in Kapolei. Star-Advertiser.

The judge in the federal criminal case against former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha, his prosecutor wife, Katherine Kealoha, and four former members of the Honolulu Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit has pushed back the trial by six months. Star-Advertiser.

New Kealoha Defense Tactic: Going After ‘Mainland Prosecutors’ A federal judge pushed back the trial date until June due to the complexity of the case and sheer volume of the evidence. Civil Beat.

City wants to extend landfill’s life. The city will move forward with its plan to continue using the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill into the near future with the hope that it won’t need a new location down the line, Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced Monday. Star-Advertiser.

Despite new rankings for alternate landfills, mayor opposes opening new site. The city released a consultant's report on Monday that includes new rankings for the 11 sites identified as possible alternatives to the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill. Hawaii News Now.

A new report shows the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill may only have 20-years left, but Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said Monday afternoon, he does not want another landfill on Oahu. KITV.

Accessory dwellings touted as alternative to ‘monster’ homes. The leader of the Honolulu Board of Realtors said Oahu homeowners looking to help family, friends or even strangers with housing should look into the idea of creating an accessory dwelling unit on their properties. Star-Advertiser.

Many huge homes not illegal under current city laws. While they’re getting a ramped-up number of complaints from Oahu residents about the large-scale houses that are creeping into their neighborhoods, Honolulu City Council members are learning that existing zoning and building laws allow for much more than people think. Star-Advertiser.

A public hearing will be held Tuesday in the hearing room of the Mission Memorial Building on the Honolulu Hale municipal ground to discuss quiet times at the 17 campsites the city maintains across Oahu. KHON2.

Tempers fray over parking fees, maintenance on private Kakaako roads. Hawaii News Now.

Retail plan near Sharks Cove advances. The public has another opportunity to comment on a developer’s plan to build a “rural” retail complex on Oahu’s North Shore as part of a state environmental review. Star-Advertiser.

Two More Condo And Hotel Towers Proposed For Ala Moana. The city planning department has given the green light to the builders as long as they add more community benefits. Civil Beat.

Ex-officer gets 6-month sentence for seeking sex to fix case. Former University of Hawaii volleyball player and fired Honolulu police officer Maulia LaBarre is going to jail for six months for offering to help a woman get her prostitution case dismissed in exchange for sex. Star-Advertiser.

Ex-Cop Sentenced For Helping Prostitute In Exchange For Sex. Judge cites “abuse of your position of power” in sentencing Maulia LaBarre to six months behind bars. Associated Press.

A former University of Hawaii volleyball player and former Honolulu Police Department officer was sentenced Monday to 6 months in prison for federal wire fraud. KITV.

OCCC clearing out contraband. KITV.

Sleep Number to open first Hawaii store in December. U.S. mattress and bedding brand Sleep Number will open its first Hawaii store on West Oahu. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Island

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for some top county officials who will see double-digit raises as high as 39.7 percent. West Hawaii Today.

An underground leak slowed motorists Monday but didn’t create a significant impact on the water-sensitive region. West Hawaii Today.

Six Rescued From Sinking Vessel Off Hawaii Island. The Coast Guard, and good Samaritans rescued six fishermen from the 57-foot fishing vessel, Jane, reportedly taking on water 110 miles southeast of the Big Island of Hawaii on Monday. Big Island Now.

Prominent San Diego couple, George and Gladys Novinger, swept away in Wailuku River. The couple owns Vineyard Hacienda, a Spanish hacienda-style inn on a 9-acre property with a Bordeaux wine grape vineyard in Rancho San Diego. Tribune-Herald.

Winter arrives on Big Island summits. Snow fell Monday on the summits of Mauna Loa and Maunakea after the National Weather Service declared a winter storm warning. Tribune-Herald.

A winter wonderland! Mauna Kea sees heavy snow (and more is on the way). Hawaii News Now.

Coffee Theft on Hawaii Island. Agriculture theft has been a problem on Hawaii Island for decades. Hawaii Public Radio.

Most Hilo locations already sold out of cut Christmas trees. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

A lawsuit has been filed against the state Department of Land and Natural Resources over the current permitting system for tour boat operators off of Kaanapali Beach. Maui Now.

Fire-damaged Kahului school to reopen Thursday. Kahului Elementary School will remain closed to students until Thursday as staff work to cope with the aftermath of a suspected arson fire. Star-Advertiser.

Kahului Elementary Remains Closed Until Thursday, Nov. 30. Maui Now.

Kahului Elementary School remains closed today after a suspicious fire Friday night burned six classrooms, damaged the school’s waterlines and left parents and students frustrated and saddened. Maui News.

Kauai

A briefing to discuss findings regarding the October beaching of pilot whales on Kauai is scheduled at 10 a.m. today at the State Capitol building. Garden Island.

Samples taken from 45 mullet-like fish found in Lehua tide pools during the summer 2017 rat-eradication project are too degraded to point to what killed the animals. Garden Island.

Loop Road in Wailua has been closed past the point known as “Jurassic Gate” temporarily, after recent rains created muddy conditions and caused trees to fall over the dirt road. Garden Island.

More abandoned dogs being found at Kokee kennels. Garden Island.

State reacts to killer's escape from mental institution, 7 employees on unpaid leave, hospital history examined; Honolulu rejects polystyrene ban; neighbor islands tackle homelessness, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii State Hospital courtesy photo

The California capture of an escaped killer from the Hawaii State Hospital resulted in seven hospital employees being suspended without pay on Wednesday as Gov. David Ige ordered an investigation of how Randall Saito was able to get the money and means to escape after 38 years in confinement. Star-Advertiser.

A dangerous psychiatric patient who escaped from the Hawaii State Hospital in Kaneohe and flew to California before being captured Wednesday has prompted an investigation into why employees appeared to fail to do their jobs. Associated Press.

Saito

'Fault on our side': State officials take blame for killer's escape. Seven Hawaii State Hospital employees have been put on leave without pay — and others could follow — as authorities investigate why it took 10 hours for personnel to alert authorities of a psychopathic killer's escape Sunday. Hawaii News Now.

Gov. Ige on state hospital escapee: "His escape should never have happened" KITV.

Atty Gen: Saito’s Escape was “Premeditated, Intentional and Planned”. The escape of a mental health patient from the Hawaii State Hospital and the lengthy time it took to report the incident is being called “unacceptable,” according to comments made by state authorities this afternoon. Maui Now.

Hawaii State Hospital Wasn’t Built For The Type Of Patients It Serves. Some lawmakers want tighter security at the psychiatric hospital, where seven patients have escaped since 2014, until new facilities are built. Civil Beat.

More than a dozen escapes have occurred over the past eight years at a Hawaii psychiatric hospital where a patient described as dangerous walked off the grounds and made it to California before he was captured this week. Associated Press.

Kaneohe lawmakers: State hospital escape is unacceptable. They want answers, and they want improvements. KITV.

Saito captured, San Joaquin County Sheriffs Dept

Killer's escape shines spotlight on the controversial judge who acquitted him. The Circuit Court judge who deemed Randall Saito mentally unfit to stand trial and committed him to the State Hospital in 1981 was a controversial figure, and one of his decisions even prompted hundreds of people to protest at the state Capitol. Hawaii News Now.

What will happen to state hospital escapee when he returns to Hawaii? Once Hawaii State Hospital escapee Randall Saito is back in Hawaii, he won’t go directly back to the hospital. KHON2.

An alert taxi company employee on Wednesday helped deputy sheriffs in California nab a dangerous Hawaii murderer who had escaped by walking out of the Hawaii State Hospital Sunday — chartering a flight to Maui, and taking a commercial airliner to the mainland before ever being reported missing. Star-Advertiser.

Randall Saito's escape started in a cab and three days later, it ended in one too. A tip from the Yellow Cab Company in Stockton California led to Saito's arrest Wednesday morning near a local gas station. Sheriffs swarmed the cab the 59-year-old was riding in. KITV.

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There have been 90 traffic deaths in Hawaii this year through Monday — 10 fewer than reported at the same time last year, according to data released Wednesday by the state Department of Transportation. Star-Advertiser.

HMSA’s third-quarter profit drops; Kaiser posts loss. The gains of the state’s largest health insurer were down from $17.8 million in the year-earlier quarter. HMSA’s main competitor, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, lost $300,000 in the quarter, reversing a year-earlier profit of $7.7 million. Star-Advertiser.

The Building Industry Association of Hawaii sponsored its 3rd Summit titled, “Still Houseless in Hawaii.” Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

A Honolulu City Council committee on Wednesday deferred a bill that would bar food vendors from using polystyrene foam food containers and require them to instead use compostable ones. Star-Advertiser.

Will Rail Go To Manoa and Waikiki After All? The HART board may be resurrecting a route plan far more ambitious than the one submitted to federal transit officials. Civil Beat.

Council Panel Votes To Prohibit Lying Down At Honolulu Bus Stops. But the committee postponed action on a measure to extend the sit-lie ban to areas around schools and libraries. Civil Beat.

New HPD Chief Shares Her Goals For A Department In Turmoil. Susan Ballard outlined what she wants to accomplish in the coming years in her first regular meeting with the Honolulu Police Commission. Civil Beat.

Starting fresh: Chief Ballard outlines plans to revitalize HPD. Chief Sue Ballard had her first chance to share her new ideas with police commissioners and the public Wednesday afternoon. Hawaii News Now.

Restoring community trust among new police chief’s goals for HPD. KHON2.

The state Senate voted Wednesday to confirm four judges to fill vacancies in Oahu’s circuit and district courts. Star-Advertiser.

Former band director indicted in sex assault. The sexual assault charges against fired Damien Memorial School band director Peter Rucci stem from a three-month relationship the 62-year-old Rucci had with a 15-year-old girl, Deputy Prosecutor Ayla Weiss told a state judge Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Parents claim students reprimanded for speaking up after bleach attack. KHON2.

Ward Warehouse demolition begins; luxury condos slated for site. Hawaii News Now.

The Hawaiian Humane Society has appointed Lisa Fowler as its new president and chief executive officer. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Island

Scientist says chemicals create ‘zombie’ coral, add to reef decimation. Craig Downs, a Ph.D. and executive director of Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, gave a presentation on the topic Tuesday night at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority Gateway Center at the request of Rep. Nicole Lowen, D — Kailua-Kona, Holualoa, Kalaoa and Honokohau. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii Community College is looking to either renovate its current campus on Manono Street or move to a larger site elsewhere in Hilo. Tribune-Herald.

32 Die on Hawaii Island Roadways So Far This Year. Big Island Now.

Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel under renovation. The Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel will be renamed the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort in February after Mauna Kea Resort LLC signed a franchise agreement with Westin Hotels and Resorts in August. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Housing First is making a dent in homelessness. Program’s aim is to get people off the streets first, then provide the needed social and medical services. Maui News.

Maui Seminar Explores How to Increase Exports. The State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism announced the launch of a program designed to help local small businesses increase their exports. Maui Now.

Kauai

The County of Kauai may establish a safe zone to help the homeless population. Garden Island.

Hawaiian Airlines held an open house Wednesday for former Island Air employees who lost their jobs after the airline’s recent shutdown. Garden Island.

ACLU sues to save homeless possessions, Trans Pacific Partnership details released, Gabbard blasts Red Hill fuel tank agreement, Sunshine Law confounds Honolulu Ethics Commission, jails packed with mentally ill, Maui liquor appointee demurs, Kauai ponders barking dogs, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Homeless Honolulu man with possessions ©2015 All Hawaii News

After failing in September to halt Honolulu city sweeps of homeless encampments, the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii now wants a federal judge to prevent the immediate destruction of homeless individuals’ property that city workers pick up. Star-Advertiser.

Citing new evidence that the City and County of Honolulu is using ‘sweeps’ of homeless individuals to continue bypassing Hawaii laws and violate the state Constitution, the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i Foundation (ACLU) and the law firm of Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing, filed a new request in federal court for a preliminary injunction. Hawaii Independent.

Details of a sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal released Thursday set the stage for a raucous debate in the U.S. Congress but also may provide reassurances to those who worried the agreement could gut protections for the environment, public health and labor. Associated Press.

State health officials are preparing to impose new licensing fees on long-term care facilities. For decades, the industry has beaten back such efforts, leaving it one of few business segments that doesn’t pay for licensing in Hawaii. Civil Beat.

Last year, the Legislature adopted a measure creating a two-year pilot program to divert up to 100 “nonviolent, low-risk drug offenders” from prison into treatment. It was supposed to start July 1, 2014, but, thanks to bureaucratic red tape, Hawaii’s Department of Public Safety has yet to get the program off the ground. Civil Beat.

The state Public Utilities Commission said Wednesday it will not be flexible with the 12-day timeline for the upcoming trial-like hearings in its regulatory review of NextEra Energy Inc.’s proposed $4.3 billion purchase of Hawaiian Electric Industries. The PUC will host 12 days of intervenor, or official participant, hearings at the Blaisdell Center Hawaii Suites starting Nov. 30. Star-Advertiser.

Alternative energy proponents can continue providing testimony in the ongoing Public Utilities Commission docket on the proposed $4.3 billion acquisition of Hawaii’s electric utilities. Tribune-Herald.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America, the top financial performer in the company’s fleet and the only home-ported ship in Hawaii, is going into dry dock as part of an aggressive schedule of upgrades planned for eight of NCL’s vessels. Star-Advertiser.

Matson Inc., the largest ocean cargo carrier serving Hawaii, said Wednesday its third-quarter profit jumped 93 percent to $41.5 million with the addition of its new Alaska service bought from Horizon Lines. Star-Advertiser.

John McNamara, the associate athletics director for external affairs at the University of Hawaii, is leaving his position to take over as president of Communications Pacific on Nov. 16. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu
The Queen's Medical Center paid $1.5 million to the U.S. Justice Department to settle a case involving implanted cardiac devices that were in violation of Medicare coverage requirements. Star-Advertiser.

The Honolulu City Council passed three resolutions to spend up to $220,000 to fund the city’s defense in two lawsuits relating to the Honolulu rail project and the seizure of homeless people’s property, and a criminal case involving a police officer. Civil Beat.

A scheduled closed-door meeting of the Honolulu Ethics Commission was canceled abruptly Tuesday — hours before it was to take place — after the state Office of Information Practices issued an informal opinion that called into question the validity of the meeting’s agenda. Star-Advertiser.

The Honolulu City Council is considering a bill that would add another step in the approval process for O’ahu’s City’s Bike Plan. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday lambasted the Oct. 1 agreement among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Hawaii Department of Health, the U.S. Navy and the Defense Logistics Agency that outlines a plan to upgrade underground fuel storage tanks in Red Hill over the next 20 years. Civil Beat.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply said Tuesday it has changed its position on NextEra Energy Inc.’s proposed purchase of Hawaiian Electric Industries and now supports the deal. Star-Advertiser.

A new list published by The Economist has shaken the conventional notion of college rankings and places the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the top half of more than 1,200 schools examined. Pacific Business News.

Liquor law violations on the University of Hawaii Manoa campus soared by nearly 50 percent last year. It's the most citations since at least 2007. Hawaii News Now.

A growing number of students are earning undergraduate degrees within four years from the University of Hawaii’s flagship Manoa campus, an improvement university officials attribute to better academic support. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

Inmates screaming, throwing feces, refusing to wear clothes. That’s the new reality, corrections workers say, at Hawaii Community Correctional Center, which is bursting at the seams with mentally ill inmates. West Hawaii Today.

In light of a recent Hawaii County Planning Department decision to reduce the monthly meetings of the various action committees working on the Big Island’s numerous community development plans, Kohala councilwoman Margaret Wille called for a discussion on Tuesday (Nov. 3). Big Island Video News.

Hawaii County has closed Hookena Beach Park to help contain the spread of dengue fever. Tribune-Herald.

A nonprofit organization seeking to buy and preserve the historic Kuamoo battlefield and burial ground in Keauhou has missed two deadlines to finalize the deal. But the goal is close. West Hawaii Today.

The parents of an abused 6-year-old boy whose disappearance in 1997 set off a statewide media firestorm were arrested in an investigation unrelated to the child’s disappearance. Tribune-Herald.

The Big Island man bitten by a shark Wednesday told Hawaii News Now he never got a look at the shark that attacked him and he was swimming in the nude when the attack happened.

If you’re in the market for Hilo’s hottest ticket — seats at the Merrie Monarch Festival’s hula competition — you’ll need to get your request in earlier this year, and it will cost just a bit more. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Twice selected as director of the Department of Liquor Control director, Dana Souza has decided not to accept the job. Souza was to have succeeded Franklyn Silva, who retired as department director as of Sunday. Maui News.

A Public Works district supervisor had been caught spending tens of thousands on a commercial kitchen that rivals a restaurant, tucked away inside a Wailuku baseyard building. Sources say side-business catering was going on out of there. The suspect has since retired from the county. KHON2.

The County Committee on Public and Intergovernmental Affairs today identified 11 individuals to serve on a special committee tasked with studying and providing recommendations on a county manager form of governance. Maui Now.

Kauai

The Kauai County Council heard testimony Wednesday on the latest proposed law regarding barking dogs. Garden Island.

Kauai Island Utility Cooperative recently flipped the switch on its 12-megawatt Anahola solar facility, which is Hawaii's largest solar project, on the east side of the Garden Isle. Pacific Business News.