Ige touts ocean energy conversion, inspections lag for medical providers, voter registration hits record as election nears, Bureau of Conveyances digitizing records, Kenoi-Kim transition hits bump, Maui financial data goes online, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Gov. David Ige throws shaka Saturday at Hilo Veterans Day parade © 2016 All Hawaii News

Gov. David Ige said he is interested in the commercial use of ocean thermal energy conversion to help achieve the state’s 100 percent renewable-energy goal. Star-Advertiser.

A key division within the state Department of Land and Natural Resources that handles real estate transactions is halfway through a project to convert more than 170 years of vital state records into a permanent digital format. Pacific Business News.

Some of Hawaii’s medical providers haven’t had safety inspections for as long as four years as the state struggles to keep up with oversight responsibilities with a shortage of health inspectors. Star-Advertiser.

More Hawaii residents have registered to vote this year than ever before. The ease of online registration, offered for the first time in Hawaii this election cycle, might explain the increase in the total electorate  to 749,917. Civil Beat.

A look at early voter numbers in Hawaii indicates this may be a good year for voter turnout. KHON2.

Clinton, Trump Donors Include Some Familiar Hawaii Names. Individual gifts from the islands totaled $2.2 million to the 2016 presidential candidates. Civil Beat.

The death of one of Hawaii’s congressmen has led to an unusual ballot and voter confusion in urban Honolulu. The rare double election means residents in the 1st Congressional District are selecting someone to fill the late U.S. Rep. Mark Takai’s seat for the two-month unfinished term and someone to represent the district for the next two years. Associated Press.

Over the years, solar energy has become part of the landscape of Hawai‘i. But contraction in the industry has left some customers in the lurch. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

A lawsuit alleging that military families were not informed of high levels of ground contamination before they moved into their Kaneohe Marine Corps Base housing has been settled. Star-Advertiser.

A number of congressional, legislative and City Council races are on the ballot, but if a spot check on early voting at Honolulu Hale is any indication, it’s the presidential race first and foremost on the minds of many Hawaii voters. Star-Advertiser.

Mayoral Campaign Weekend Update. Caldwell identifies seven “whoppers” from Djou while the challenger unveils plans for parks and housing. Civil Beat.

The University of Hawaii’s flagship campus has narrowed down its finalists for chancellor. The Chancellor Search Advisory Committee identified two finalists, John V. White and Sonny Ramaswamy for the open chancellor position at UH Manoa. White and Ramaswamy will participate in a final round of interviews this month. Garden Island.

Car dealership sues Honolulu firm renting parking spaces. Star-Advertiser.

Fall victim’s family prepares to sue Ala Moana Shopping Center. KITV.

A frustrated Manoa homeowner says the land surrounding is home is sinking and causing structural damage. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii

Mayor-elect Harry Kim’s administration hasn’t even taken over yet, but the County Council is already trying to stave off a possible purge in the Office of Corporation Counsel. West Hawaii Today.

Mayor-Elect Harry Kim Talks Transition With Council. Big Island Video News.

As Mayor Billy Kenoi pushes to see other projects finished before his term is up, county-paid overtime has become an issue for some elected officials. Hawaii County Councilman Aaron Chung has been trying to organize a briefing on the subject for a few weeks. Big Island Video News.

Big Island restaurants yet to fail Health Department inspections. Tribune-Herald.

TMT wants to resume construction in 2018: Pace of contested case could impact deadline. Tribune-Herald.

A Japanese government delegation spent Saturday touring Hilo and discussing emergency response practices with Hawaii island officials as part of the first-ever international World Tsunami Awareness Day. Star-Advertiser.

A Hawaii developer plans to begin construction on a Malama Market-anchored shopping center on the Big Island in Feburary, the developer confirmed to Pacific Business News.

Friends of Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden nonprofit formed to save sacred space. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Members of the public will now be able to more easily access Maui County financial performance data, thanks to new open data software, county officials announced today. Maui Now.

“Keep Upcountry Upcountry” has been a rallying cry against creeping urbanization in Maui’s paniolo country, and that call resonates with Maui County Council candidates Napua Greig-Nakasone and Yuki Lei Kashiwa Sugimura. Maui News.

Both candidates for the Maui County Council’s Kahului residency seat emphasized balance in decision-making across the issues, with the incumbent touting his support by both the old political guard and the new progressive groups while his opponent talked about speaking for the old-timer “local people.” Maui News.

Ernest Balinbin touts his hard work and community involvement through his catering business as some of the reasons he should be elected to the West Maui residency seat on the Maui County Council. Maui News.

Kauai

Criminal liability may not be the first thing on the mind of a farmer designing his irrigation system, but for those in food production, it’s a real business risk that must be assessed. Garden Island.

Dennis Esaki, director of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, resigned from the KIUC board of directors, effective Oct. 31, due to personal and professional reasons. Garden Island.

Debra Wennett says she’s all for safer walkways and bikeways in Hanapepe Town, but she hopes county alterations won’t change the town’s rural identity. Garden Island.

Construction will begin today on the $2.4 million replacement of three bridges along the Mohihi-Camp 10 Road in the Na Pali-Kona state forest reserve. Garden Island.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs inducts new trustees, Kauhou aquifer plan delayed, lava turns toward shopping center, Pearl Harbor workers killed, youth e-cig use climbs, coffee beetle comes to Oahu, oceans clogged with plastic, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Office of Hawaiian Affairs investiture, photo courtesy HA

Though Native Hawaiians have made progress in education, health, economic self-sufficiency and other areas, there remains work to be done on nation building and overall community improvement, Kama­na‘o­pono Crabbe, chief executive officer of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, said Wednesday in his State of OHA address. Star-Advertiser.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees will be “servant leaders at our people’s table,” said newly elected chairman Robert Lindsey at an investiture of board members Wednesday in Honolulu. West Hawaii Today.

A new study estimates about 269,000 tons of plastic — enough to fill more than 38,500 garbage trucks — is floating in the world’s oceans. Associated Press.

Allowing Aloha United Way to solicit donations from state workers gives the private charity an "unfair advantage" over other nonprofits and is inconsistent with the fair treatment provision of the state ethics code, the staff at the state Ethics Commission has concluded. Star-Advertiser.

Reform measures and high returns on investments in recent years have helped Hawaii start to crawl out of its $20 billion hole in retirement benefits promised to thousands of public workers. But the state still has a long way to go — 26 years to be exact, based on the latest actuarial report for the Hawaii Employees’ Retirement System. State senators are set to learn more about the financial status and valuation of the public pension system Thursday morning during a legislative briefing at the Capitol. Civil Beat.

State health officials and a community organization are alerting the public to what they call an alarming increase in the use of electronic cigarettes among Hawaii's youth. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii has won a $14.8 million multiyear federal grant to launch public preschool programs at charter schools statewide. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu
Two civilian contract workers were killed and two others injured Wednesday while working on a barge at Pearl Harbor's Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility off Waipio Peninsula. Star-Advertiser.

Two men were killed when a 10,000-pound buoy fell from a crane onto contractors in Pearl Harbor. Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Jenkins says the men were on a barge that was servicing the Navy's fleet of inactive ships at the time of Wednesday's incident. Associated Press.

The City Council postpones a vote on Bill 62, which would ban sitting and lying on sidewalks and planters in five downtown Honolulu and Chinatown malls. Civil Beat.

The Queen's Medical Center, Hawaii's largest private hospital, has signed an agreement with Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning LLC to use the long-planned $250 million project that will cool Downtown Honolulu office buildings and condominium towers with cold water from the ocean. Pacific Business News.

The invasive coffee pest with which Hawaii Island growers have struggled for the last four years now has been found elsewhere in the state. The state Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday the coffee berry borer was discovered last week on farms owned by Dole Foods in Waialua, Oahu. Tribune-Herald.

Mayor Wright Homes may be the last place you'd expect to see a hotel, but developers are floating the idea to help pay for the aging housing project's redevelopment. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii

Hawaii County can stay in the driver’s seat of the Keauhou aquifer — but the reprieve is only temporary and comes with conditions. After nine hours of testimony in Kailua-Kona on Wednesday, the state Commission on Water Resource Management delayed making a decision on whether to put the aquifer under its control. West Hawaii Today.

The June 27 lava flow appears to have chosen which path it will follow. And it’s not good news for Pahoa’s main shopping center. Tribune-Herald.

The Volcano transfer station will be expanded and undergo structural repairs as part of a $1.06 million project that broke ground Tuesday. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Makila Land Co. is seeking to develop 11 agricultural lots on 214 acres north of 186 acres of oceanfront at Launiupoko that the landowner sold to Maui County for $13 million earlier this year. Maui News.

The Maui Planning Commission unanimously approved Tuesday a special management area permit for the Cove Beach Village project, a 32-unit apartment complex located on an acre along Kanani Road in Kihei. Maui News.

Kauai

The Kauai County Council will decide next week whether they want to override a vetoed law that would use lease rents, rather than fair market values, to calculate the real property taxes of biotech research land users. The seven-member board, by a 5-0 vote, decided to revive the killed law during their meeting Wednesday, paving the way for a final vote on it to take place during their Wednesday meeting. Garden Island.

Developers aren't saying why a planned Lihue shopping center is being delayed. Associated Press.

Investigating the death of an endangered species — in this case, a Hawaiian monk seal pup — is exactly what you might expect in any homicide investigation. Garden Island.

The Federal District Court in Hawai’i struck down Kaua’i and Hawai’i County ordinances that sought to restrict cultivation of genetically engineered crops. Both cases are being appealed. In his final report on the Maui GMO debate, Hawaii Public Radio’s Wayne Yoshioka asked residents what actions can be taken beyond the Courts.

Molokai

Four fishermen from Molokai have been indicted for allegedly boarding another fishing vessel and robbing and harassing the people on board. The four men will be arraigned in Maui Circuit Court later this month, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said Wednesday. Associated Press.

Four Molokaʻi men were arrested and charged for their alleged involvement in a confrontation between two groups of fishermen in Molokaʻi waters earlier this year. Maui Now.

Hawaii officials urge U.S. Army not to leave islands, Navy working on renewable energy research, Abercrombie recognized for gay marriage, lava flow poised to consume garage, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Pohakuloa Training Area © 2014 All Hawaii News

State and city officials are asking for the public's help in fending off a proposal that would reduce Army personnel in Hawaii by 20,000 and cost the state $1.35 billion. Star-Advertiser.

With the U.S. Army looking at restructuring its forces, community leaders, lawmakers and military supporters gathered at Honolulu Hale this morning to launch a campaign that aims to keep Hawaii's heroes in the islands. KITV4.

The U.S. Army is considering a proposal that would eliminate close to 20,000 soldiers and civilian workers from Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter as part of its 20-20 “force structure realignment.” This could severely impact Hawaii’s economy, with officials estimating a loss of $1.35 billion. KHON2.

The U.S. Navy is putting millions of dollars into renewable energy research in Hawaii. The Defense Department is the largest energy consumer in the U.S., and has long been worried about having to rely on expensive fuel oil for military operations. Associated Press.

Hawaii has become ground zero for a Pentagon research drive to develop alternative energy in areas including Asia and the Pacific, where the need to travel long distances -- and use lots of fuel oil to do it -- has been identified as a national security risk. Star-Advertiser.

Outgoing Gov. Neil Abercrombie will be given an award for his work to legalize same-sex marriage in Hawaii. Associated Press.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who leaves office Dec. 1, will be given an award next week for his work to legalize same-sex marriage in Hawaii. Civil Beat.

Gov.-elect David Ige took his first step as the incoming leader of Hawaii, announcing he will appoint Mike McCartney as his chief of staff. Associated Press.

David Ige: Engineer, Technocrat … and Ballet Dad? Hawaii's governor-elect recently opened up to Civil Beat about his entry into politics, why he stayed and how fatherhood may have slowed his legislative ascent. Civil Beat.

David Ige takes office with few political debts. The new administration's first test may be dealing with powerful interests. Star-Advertiser.

With 12.5 percent of all children born prematurely in the islands, Hawaii once again earned an average "C" grade for premature births even as the national rate dropped to a 17-year low of 11.4 percent. Star-Advertiser.

Students and faculty at the University of Hawaii are joining forces to try to force solutions to the system's spiraling financial crisis. Hawaii Reporter.

Oahu

Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s administration is having second thoughts about relocating 100 homeless people to a vacant lot on Sand Island. Civil Beat.

Interest in Hawaii as a test bed for wave energy technology is swelling as companies flock to Kaneohe Bay to prove the durability of their power-generating devices in the Pacific. Star-Advertiser.

A house in the Windward Oahu town of Kailua that Hawaii native Barack Obama once used as a getaway just months before he was elected president has been sold for $9.5 million. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii

A lava breakout in the area of Apa’a Street near the cemetery has entered a private property and is only 5 yards away from the garage area of a residential structure. Civil defense says it is possible that these buildings may be affected by the advancing flow later today. Big Island Video News.

According to Hawaii County Civil Defense, Sunday morning’s assessment of the June 27 lava flow from Kilauea Volcano shows that the flow front remains stalled with very little activity and has not advanced over the past 10 days. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said Friday officials are not considering re-opening Pahoa Village Road despite the front of the June 27 lava flow from Kilauea stalling for more than a week.Tribune-Herald.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard might have been in Pahoa as a member of the Hawaii Army National Guard, but her fatigues hardly helped in her blend in with the other men and women in uniform at a lava informational meeting Thursday evening. Tribune-Herald.

People seriously late on their sewer bills could soon find their water shut off, under a measure winning initial approval Friday. West Hawaii Today.

A team of representatives from the research and development company Makani spent Wednesday evening in Waimea assuring pilots that an experimental wind project won’t interfere with flights. West Hawaii Today.

Group launched to stop alleged turtle poaching. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Some Maui parents cheered the Legislature's approval of $130 million for a new high school last year, believing it meant a new school would open by 2016. But due to how the funding was structure, the state Department of Education said the school will have to be built in phases and won't open until perhaps 2020. Associated Press.

The Maui County Council on Friday approved amendments to the county's public sign ordinance in accordance with a U.S. District Court settlement involving a free-speech lawsuit stemming from a Martin Luther King Jr. Day march in Wailuku. Maui News.

Maui County Council Chairwoman Gladys Baisa and other concerned citizens have been assured by Gov. Neil Abercrombie that he will not sign off on proposed changes to cesspool rules in Hawaii, Baisa told The Maui News on Friday. Maui News.

Kauai

Living treasures honored. Garden Island.

A post-Inouye Hawaii Democratic Party, UH Manoa chancellor Apple ousted, Kauai GMO rules hearing Tuesday, Maui mayor candidate tased, arrested, property tax shock on Oahu, state tops in solar power, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie campaigning ©2014 All Hawaii News

Primary voters will help direct the course of state Democratic Party politics in August in the first election since the death of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, the dominant figure in Hawaii's political culture for half a century. Star-Advertiser.

How Did the ‘New Day in Hawaii’ Plan Work Out? Four years ago Neil Abercrombie outlined a vision for the state. Civil Beat analyzes whether the governor delivered.

Hawaii now has more solar power per person than any other state in the nation. Star-Advertiser.

Public elementary schools across the state will see around 5,500 fewer kindergartners this upcoming school year, beginning Friday when a new law goes into effect. Maui News.

It’s a pivotal time in history for Native Hawaiians and an unprecedented number of candidates want to be a part of it. Events coalescing around the state have brought a dramatic increase in candidates seeking a seat on the board of trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. West Hawaii Today.

The Army in Hawaii has landed Black Hawk and Kiowa Warrior helicopters on the decks of underway Navy ships in the past as the land service seeks to prove its sea-based flexibility. Star-Advertiser.

Matson Navigation Co. Inc., Hawaii’s largest cargo container shipping company, will pay $9.95 million as part of a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and Illinois freight consultant Mario Rizzo. Hawaii Reporter.

Oahu

Two years into what was supposed to be a five-year appointment, University of Hawaii at Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple will be removed from the position, but he may remain at UH as a professor, sources told Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Hall, where the office of the University of Hawaii's Manoa chancellor is located, was closed for the weekend, but it's been anything but quiet among the allies of Tom Apple. Hawaii News Now.

After just over two years on the job, University of Hawaii at Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple will soon be leaving his position as chancellor at the university, according to sources familiar with the situation. Several sources told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that Apple's ouster as chancellor is imminent, but the UH administration said in a statement Sunday that Apple is still chancellor.

Opinion: What’s the Story Behind Tom Apple’s Ouster as UH Chancellor? UH officials should be forthcoming about why the chancellor has been canned just a few weeks after new president takes over. Civil Beat.

Glass in the trash. A lack of funding for recycling non-Hi5 glass has forced businesses to begin throwing their wine and spirit bottles out with the trash. Hawaii Independent.

The Honolulu City Council’s District 6 covers much of Oahu’s urban core — including downtown Honolulu and a portion of the up-and-coming Kakaako — so it’s not surprising that high-profile issues such as homelessness, development and affordable housing are at play in the four-way Council race. Civil Beat.

This fall, Oahu is poised to be the first place in the United States where electricity generated by ocean waves is connected to a power grid — a milestone in the budding wave energy industry, officials say. Star-Advertiser.

Property valuations by city spur disbelief, derision. Shocked homeowners complain the numbers are way off and their tax bills are unreasonably high. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

The Thirty Meter Telescope cleared its last major hurdle Friday. The state Board of Land and Natural Resources dismissed the remaining contested case hearing requests for the $1.3 billion project’s sublease, allowing construction to begin on Mauna Kea. Tribune-Herald.

A final environmental assessment released last week found no significant impacts to a proposed project that aims to improve access from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority to Queen Kaahumanu Highway and Kona International Airport. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

State Sen. David Ige stopped by a luncheon for seniors Saturday at the Grand Wai­lea Resort in Kihei, Maui. He and his wife, Dawn, met in the afternoon with women who support his Demo­cratic primary campaign for governor at Cafe o' Lei at the Dunes at Maui Lani here. Star-Advertiser.

Maui mayoral candidate Beau Hawkes was arrested and released on bail after an encounter with police that resulted in him being tazed and handcuffed in Wailuku Town. Maui Now.

A bill seeking a ban on the use and sale of polystyrene disposable food service containers in Maui County comes up for review before a council committee on Monday. Maui Now.

One day after a Maui County Council committee deferred a citizen's initiative that calls for a temporary moratorium on genetically engineered crops, Mayor Alan Arakawa said at a Maui Chamber of Commerce luncheon Friday that he, personally, believes genetically modified organisms are not harmful. Maui News.

Maui County voters will cast ballots in November on a proposal to impose a moratorium on the cultivation of genetically engineered organisms. Associated Press.

The state has released $3.5 million to renovate University of Hawaii Maui College student housing and transform the former Hale Haumana into the Hospitality Academy of Maui, Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced Saturday. Maui News.

Kauai

The Office of Economic Development will hold a public hearing on draft rules that could be utilized to implement Ordinance 960. The ordinance was passed by the County Council in November 2013 to govern genetically modified organisms and pesticide use by large ag companies on Kauai. The hearing is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall. Garden Island.

Three candidates in Kauai County's mayoral race strongly oppose operations of seed companies on the lush island, while incumbent Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. seeks to strike a balance between the community and the biotech industry. Star-Advertiser.

A French battery maker has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract by Kauai Island Utility Cooperative to provide a battery energy storage system for the Lihue-based utility’s $54 million, 12-megawatt Anahola Solar project, which started construction late last month. Pacific Business News.

The general partners of early-stage investment fund mbloom and the president of the Hawaii State Development Corporation addressed questions from the local tech community regarding conflict of interest in a town hall meeting at Box Jelly in Kakaako on Thursday night. Pacific Business News.

Plans for a Kauai dairy farm are being modified in response to odor and other environmental concerns. Hawaii Dairy Farms modified its application to the state Department of Health, with plans for starting on a smaller scale with 650-699 cows, backers announced Friday. Associated Press.