Vacation rentals proliferate in Hawaii, DLNR scales back Obama protection, body cameras for Kauai police, Maui family sues state over sexually abused foster children, Hawaii County buys Ebola gear, snowy Mauna Kea predicted, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Waikoloa ocean and mountain view © 2014 All Hawaii News

Thousands of illegal vacation rentals have been allowed to proliferate throughout the islands, likely contributing to a reduction in state tax revenue and a tightening of local rental markets, a new report by the Hawaii Tourism Authority suggests. Civil Beat.

A recent study commissioned by the Hawaii Tourism Authority has identified tens of thousands more home-based vacation rentals advertised online than the agency thought were available. The HTA said the home-based rentals now represent 25 percent of all lodging units, with hotels accounting for 50 percent. Time shares and condo hotels contribute 12 percent each. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Health Connector is allowing residents more time to sign up for health insurance coverage that would begin Jan. 1. The original deadline to enroll for coverage that begins at the start of the new year was Dec. 15, but they've extended the deadline to noon on Dec. 31. Associated Press.

Local telecomunications executive Albert Hee appeared in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to face federal tax evasion and tax fraud charges. Hee pleaded not guilty. Hee is the president of Sandwich Isles Communications, which along with its two subsidiaries provides telephone and high-speed Internet service to customers living on Hawaiian homelands. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

As hundreds of Hawaii law enforcement officer take part in President Obama's security detail on Christmas and New Year's Day, one state agency will be conspicuously absent. Hawaii News Now has learned that the Department of Land and Natural Resources has pulled back its ocean safety officers for those two key dates because it does not want to pay for overtime.

Hawaiian Electric Co. is asking Hawaii regulators for more time to negotiate an updated power purchase agreement with AES Hawaii, the owner and operator of the state's only coal-fired power plant, as well as the single-largest generating plant on Oahu. Pacific Business News.

The city has sent its real property assessment notices for 2015, and the total assessed valuation of all taxable real property on Oahu has increased from $200.74 billion to $214.90 billion, an overall increase of 7.1 percent. Hawaii Independent.

Local communities struggling to battle crime are in danger of losing the money they depend on to carry on the fight. The Weed and Seed program — overseen by the U.S. Department of Justice — can be found in areas including Ewa and Ewa Beach, Waipahu and in an area that combines the communities of Kalihi, Palama and Chinatown. KHON2.

A coconut crab that somehow made its way to Oahu is causing concern about whether there could be others around. Star-Advertiser.

An outbreak of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus appears to have spread on Waianae pig farms. Star-Advertiser.

Derrick DePledge, the state government and politics reporter for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, is leaving the newspaper. Civil Beat.

A California real estate investment firm, which owns the 2,742-acre Dillingham Ranch on Oahu's North Shore that was founded more than a century ago by Hawaii railroad tycoon Benjamin Franklin Dillingham, plans to develop 934 acres of the Waialua ranch into a 91-lot agricultural subdivision at a cost of $30 million. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii

County Finance Director Nancy Crawford, who had a hand on the county purse strings for two mayors, is retiring at the end of the month. West Hawaii Today.

The Hawaii County Fire Department was given permission Tuesday to purchase better equipment to protect emergency medical services workers from the Ebola virus, even though the equipment will cost more than that offered by the lowest bidder. West Hawaii Today.

It’s weather Santa would approve of. The Big Island’s two summits are braced for Hawaii’s answer to that proverbial howling nor’easter — with wind gusts to 90 mph expected to drive up to a foot of snow hard into the mountain faces by today. Temperatures on the peaks were forecast to dip to a frosty 23 degrees tonight, according to the Mauna Kea Weather Center. West Hawaii Today.

The June 27 lava flow, after stalling less than a half-mile from businesses just in time for Christmas, is giving merchants a much appreciated holiday reprieve. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

The state Department of Human Services is facing a lawsuit after placing two minors in the custody of a foster parent who sexually assaulted them from 2009 to 2011. Maui News.

A pilot project on Maui that allows primary care physicians to send photos of suspicious moles, lesions and rashes to dermatologists for evaluation has been expanded to all patients of Kaiser Permanente. Maui News.

Watching whales from the shoreline will have a unique spin this year—and you can win a prize. Starting now through mid-May, Pacific Whale Foundation will have trained naturalists stationed at key points along Maui’s coastline to help nature enthusiasts locate and learn about whales from the shore. Maui Time.

Kauai

The Kauai Police Department could become the first law enforcement agency in the state to use body cameras next summer. The department plans to buy 141 cameras for $134,000 and begin using them by June or July, Police Chief Darryl Perry said. Star-Advertiser.

Kauai is set to receive one of the 30 deputy sheriffs that graduated Friday in a ceremony on Oahu. Garden Island.

With the annual return of humpback whales to the Hawaiian Islands comes a need for fresh sets of eyes to monitor their behavior. Registration is now open for the 2015 Sanctuary Ocean Count, themed “Keep Calm and Count Whales.” Garden Island.

Abercrombie's security pricey, India sends $158M for Thirty Meter Telescope, Kaneohe Bay to get busy, statewide apartment smoking ban sought, Lanai fights Big Wind, Maui looks at single-member council districts, homeless services declining, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Gov. Neil Abercrombie security (c) 2011 All Hawaii News

Hawaii taxpayers paid at least $1.2 million for security personnel for the governor last year, Civil Beat has found. Civil Beat.

Five years after a workplace smoking ban took effect in Hawaii, the next battleground in smoking regulation is being fought in the boardrooms of condominiums and apartments, a debate over whether to ban smoking inside apartment units. KITV4.

The number of people who used homeless shelters or were helped by outreach services leveled off and may have even dropped slightly last year, after five years of increases, according to a report released Tuesday that looks at homeless services in Hawaii. Star-Advertiser.

The number of homeless people in Hawaii receiving shelter and help from outreach programs declined by 3 percent — or 453 people — from fiscal year 2010 to FY 2011. Civil Beat.

A proposed bill would allow the city to confiscate all personal belongings left or kept on public property for more than 24 hours. Civil Beat.

A new Marine Corps study says airfield use at Kaneohe Bay is expected to increase 49 percent by 2018 compared with a 2009 "base-line" level of activity, as the Corps and Navy update aging aircraft and add new capability in a reflection of Hawaii's growing importance in the Pacific. Star-Advertiser.

A Water Resource Sustainability Conference is being hosted by the University of Hawai’i at Manoa this week. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii Medical Service Association, poised to raise rates again at the start of the year, posted earnings of $12.9 million in the third quarter, which continued its return to profitability but raised some eyebrows over the magnitude of its financial turnaround. Star-Advertiser.

Two Hawaii resorts have made it on to the five-star list in the new issue of the Forbes Travel Guide, while six other hotels made the guide’s listing of four-star establishments. Pacific Business News.

Hawaiian Airlines passengers will soon be able to travel from Honolulu to the Big Apple in one flight. Hawaii News Now.

Torch bearer does his job, distracts Clinton, ends up in viral video. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

Honolulu is the third most expensive college town in America when it comes to real estate. KHON2.

City officials say they are pleased with the curbside recycling program that began in 2007 and went islandwide in May 2010, but are working to get more Oahu residents to put newspaper, bottles and other "mixed recyclables" into their blue bins. Star-Advertiser.

The president of the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union has abruptly resigned, the latest sign that the governance of the state's second-largest credit union continues to be beset by controversy and turmoil. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu Police Department Major Carlton Nishimura, already under indictment on federal extortion charges, now faces drug distribution charges following an FBI raid of his Waianae home last night. Hawaii Reporter.

Richard Heinberg presented ideas at the Moana Nui summit based on more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Hawaii Independent.

Hawaii

The Indian government is contributing around $158 million in high-tech components for the Thirty Meter Telescope. Tribune-Herald.

A charter amendment to devote 0.25 percent of property taxes to maintain the land the county is purchasing with open space funds got a tentative nod Tuesday from a County Council committee. West Hawaii Today.

Plans to transform North Kohala's rural Akoni Pule Highway into a National Scenic Byway have been halted following an outpouring of community opposition to the designation. West Hawaii Today.

Hilo Municipal Golf Course is a pretty good deal, with or without a proposed increase to its greens fees, said golfers there on Tuesday morning. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Fresh out of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference on Oahu, Taiwan government officials spent Monday on Maui to honor Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a Chinese revolutionary leader who lived in Kula more than 100 years ago. Maui News.

Members of the Maui County Charter Commission on Monday looked at some possible alternatives to the current system of County Council districts, but postponed a decision on the issue. Maui News.

Kauai

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the Kaua‘i Community Alliance will host the Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week this week. Garden Island.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources announced Tuesday that the Kaua‘i District Office of the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation has completed its relocation to Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor. Garden Island.

Lanai

More than 25 years ago, billionaire real estate tycoon David Murdock bought this bucolic Hawaiian island and promised to keep it as unchanged as a few high-end resorts and golf courses might allow. Civil Beat.