Hawaii remote work double the national average, press freedoms coming to student journalists, draft EIS published for first responder hub, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Honolulu/Waikiki ©2022 All Hawaii News

Hawaii remote workforce is double national average. Roughly 4 in 10 Hawaii private-sector employees were doing their jobs outside the traditional workplace in 2021, according to a state report assessing remote work amid the coronavirus pandemic. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi lawmakers adopt eight bills to improve standards of conduct. The Hawaiʻi House of Representatives’ Commission to Improve the Standards of Conduct’s March 30, 2022 interim report identified 14 bills to improve the standards of conduct. Maui Now.

Legislature passes energy, environmental measures. The bills promote energy efficiency, economy-wide decarbonization, a continued push to accelerate the clean energy transition, and measures to reduce the energy burden borne by low- and moderate-income families. Garden Island.

$164 million for teachers in Hawaii should aid retention, union says. The union representing Hawaii’s 13,500 public school teachers is cheering the Legislature’s approval of a state budget that includes more than $164 million to fix salary shortfalls for thousands of educators and maintain pay differentials to those working in some hard-to-staff categories. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Student Journalists Are Poised To Gain Press Freedom Guarantees. A bill extending more First Amendment protections to student journalists and their advisers awaits Gov. David Ige’s signature. Civil Beat.

Police input could have made a difference in hotly-debated bail reform bill, experts say. Supporters said the proposal will end the jailing of impoverished, non-violent offenders but critics compare the bill to a “get out of jail free” card. Hawaii News Now.

New research highlights racial inequities faced by Micronesian students in Hawaiʻi schools. Between 2013 and 2018, only half of the Micronesian students who started high school wound up graduating. That's more than a third below the overall state graduation rate. Hawaii Public Radio.

Gubernatorial candidates 2022. The list for Hawaii's top political seat continues to grow ahead of the candidate filing deadline on June 7.  According to a report by the Office of Elections, as of May 6th, 25 candidates filed for the governor's race. KITV4.

Oahu

State reviews draft environmental impact statement for first responder hub. The proposed 240-acre facility would be built at the Mililani Tech Park and house 20 federal, state and city agencies, including the Honolulu fire and police departments. KITV4.

Finalists for Honolulu police chief to emerge this week. The city’s 12th police chief will be selected May 23 by Honolulu Police Commission members, who will learn the identities of the remaining candidates Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Shorter Honolulu rail plan approved by HART Board. The latest plan for the Honolulu rail project with a shorter route has been approved by its governing board. It now goes to the City Council for approval and then to federal officials. Hawaii Public Radio.

Investigations into Red Hill water crisis drag on. Six months later, multiple investigations into the contamination still haven’t been released, leaving many unanswered questions about how fuel ended up in the water system, whether more could have been done to prevent residents from being poisoned and whether the contamination may have begun months earlier. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. KITV4.

Hawaii Island

Roth Attends IRONMAN World Championship in Utah. Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth traveled to Utah during the weekend to attend the 2021 IRONMAN World Championship, which was postponed from last October and moved from the Big Island because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Big Island Now.

Five Big Island schools on tap for water testing. The second and final phase of a study testing drinking water for lead throughout Hawaii’s public schools will take place this month. Tribune-Herald.

Kamehameha Schools Wants To Build A Culturally Sensitive Boutique Resort On The Big Island. Members of the public are concerned about increased traffic and tourist pressure on Keauhou Bay as well as the proposed removal of a popular beach volleyball court. Civil Beat.

CIP funds bolster hospital: HMC gets $6.6 million for improvements. More than $6 million in state funds is headed to Hilo Medical Center for a series of expansions and upgrades. Tribune-Herald.

Time for a break: Kahaluʻu Beach Park to close for coral spawning. Hawaii Island’s Kahalu‘u Beach Park will be closed next week to beach- and oceangoers alike for anticipated coral spawning events and to give the popular site a rest from “chronic daily use.”  West Hawaii Today.

Maui

This Is How The Government Decides What Housing Is ‘Affordable’. With Maui County planning to set aside millions of dollars to spur the construction of affordable homes on an island where a growing number of families are struggling to get by, some elected leaders and residents have questioned: Who will actually be able to afford this housing? Civil Beat.

Native Hawaiian plants are playing a key role in combatting erosion in West Maui. Heavy equipment pushed sand from one end of the beach to the other in front of Kahana Village in West Maui Monday morning. The work is to restore a dune that has been deteriorating because of erosion and putting the beach and surrounding buildings in jeopardy. Hawaii News Now.

Health Department investigating case of acute hepatitis in Maui child. DOH said the child, who is under age 10, was hospitalized for several days at the end of April with abdominal pain and fever but has since been released. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Kauai

Ahi Hub Kaua‘i to hold 1st meeting Wednesday. A project to increase the availability and market value of Kaua‘i-caught ahi is finally coming to fruition. Garden Island.

Hawai‘i Foodbank hands out over 6 tons Saturday. There were a lot of fresh faces Saturday during the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i food distribution to 300 families at the Lihu‘e Neighborhood Center. Garden Island.

Furloughs, layoffs loom for Hawaii government workers, Kauai reinstates 14-day quarantine, Supreme Court blocks police union attempt to keep discipline records secret, Kealohas to be sentenced today, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Merrie Monarch event pre-COVID ©2020 All Hawaii News

Next Year's Merrie Monarch Festival Is On But With No Live Audience. Organizers of the Merrie Monarch Festival announced there will be no live audience for the annual hula competition next year. Tickets to the spring event usually go on sale around Dec. 1, but the sales have been canceled. Instead, organizers and sponsors are exploring other options given the ongoing pandemic. Hawaii Public Radio.

Merrie Monarch 2021 Will Have No Live Audience. The organizers of the world-renowned hula festival say they are considering options for holding the event in 2021, but it is clear that there will be no live audience. Big Island Video News.

Merrie Monarch Festival organizers plan for crowd-less 2021 event. The stands of Edith Kanakaole Stadium in Hilo will once again be silent this April, as Merrie Monarch organizers announced Saturday that a 2021 event would need to be held without fans in attendance. Hawaii News Now.

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Saving The State Budget: Furloughs And Layoffs Are Looking More Likely. Even public employee union leaders are warning their workers that the Legislature will have to make the best of a dire budget situation this coming year. Lawmakers and Gov. David Ige are planning initiatives to “restructure” government to cut costs to cope with the state budget crisis. The Ige administration is setting a goal of cutting a whopping $600 million from next year’s operating budget. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Judge Blocks Police Union Attempt To Keep Cop Misconduct Secret. Hawaii’s police union has lost its first legal battle in an ongoing fight to keep officer misconduct records hidden from public view. On Friday, First Circuit Judge Dean Ochiai ruled that when a police officer is suspended or fired for misconduct such information is a matter of public record under state law. Civil Beat.

Hawaii seeks to be seen as a remote workplace with a view. The pandemic is giving many workers the freedom to do their jobs from anywhere. Now that Hawaii’s economy is reeling from dramatically fewer tourists, a group of state officials and community leaders wants more people like Berger to help provide an alternative to relying on short-term visitors. Associated Press.

New rule requiring travelers to present COVID-19 test results prior to flight already causing headaches. Starting Tuesday, travelers flying to the islands must upload their negative COVID-19 test before departure in order to avoid the state's mandatory 14-day quarantine. KITV4.

Lt. Gov. Green Suggests Changes To Traveler Testing Program. Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green suggested that the way to “perfect" the state's coronavirus testing system for incoming travelers is to extend the mandatory pre-flight testing window from three days prior to arrival to four and requiring a second test when the person touches down. Associated Press.

Billions in private construction projects stall during pandemic. Construction activity has been one of the economic bright spots during the pandemic. But in recent months, a number of high-profile projects have run into delays. Hawaii News Now.

Supreme Court dismisses election challenge suit. The Hawaii Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a lawsuit contesting the state’s presidential election filed by a woman who said she ran for president as an independent yet she wasn’t on the ballot. Two other lawsuits challenging the Nov. 3 general election results are pending before the state Supreme Court, which is where election challenges must be submitted under state law. Associated Press.

Humpback whale season opens early in Hawaii and researchers hope numbers continue to rebound. November is the traditional start of hoi kohola, the return of humpback whales to Hawaii, when an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 of the protected marine mammals migrate from their Alaska summer feeding grounds to the islands, where they sing, mate and birth and nurse calves in warm, shallow waters until April, when they start back north. Star-Advertiser.

VIRUS TRACKER — Nov. 29: 57 New COVID-19 Cases In Hawaii. The new cases included 46 on Oahu, four on Hawaii Island, one on Kauai and three on Maui. Three Hawaii residents were diagnosed out of state. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Kealoha corruption case nears conclusion with Monday’s sentencings. The fate of Honolulu’s once most powerful law enforcement couple — former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha and former Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kea­loha — is scheduled to be announced in federal court on Monday, writing a final chapter to one of Hawaii’s most stunning public corruption cases that embarrassed island law enforcement and shocked the community for the depths of its betrayal. Star-Advertiser.

After lengthy delay, Kealohas to be sentenced in one of Hawaii’s biggest public corruption cases. One of the biggest public corruption cases in Hawaii history is finally coming to an end. Ex-Police Chief Louis Kealoha and his estranged wife Katherine, a former high-ranking former deputy city prosecutor, will face a federal judge Monday to be sentenced. Hawaii News Now.

After several delays, Kealohas to be sentenced Monday.  Disgraced retired police chief Louis Kealoha and his wife, former deputy prosecutor Katherine Kealoha, are scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Monday, Nov. 30. KHON2.

Oahu surge testing wraps up on Monday, Nov. 30. The last day to receive a free surge test from the City and County of Honolulu will be Monday, Nov. 30. KHON2.

Ala Moana condo to go before City Council. Expect lively debate Wednesday when the owners of Ala Moana Center present to a Honolulu City Council committee their plan for a 40-story, 583-unit condominium tower on the makai, Diamond Head corner of Piikoi and Kona streets. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Council, public speak out on Roth’s Cabinet picks. Mayor-elect Mitch Roth drew from both government and private sectors in his choices for Cabinet officials, but some people think his appointees to head two key departments — Planning and Public Works — sway too far pro-development. West Hawaii Today.

Broken corals found in Makako Bay are reattached. More than 80 living coral fragments that were broken off the reef at Makako Bay have been replanted on the reef by biologists and staff with the Division of Aquatic Resources of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Star-Advertiser.

Broken Corals Restored To Coral Reef At Makakō Bay. In November, numerous live coral fragments were found scattered below the base of a popular manta dive site mooring at Makakō Bay, or Garden Eel Cove, in North Kona.  Big Island Video News.

Humane society looks to the future. In June, the humane society ended its contract with Hawaii County to provide animal control services, which were funded by the county. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Maui County could see more restrictions as COVID-19 cases rise. Maui County Mayor Mike Victorio says he plans to decide on Friday if he'll move the county from it's "Act with Care" phase to a "Safer At Home" order which would come with more restrictions. KITV4.

Restaurant closes for cleaning after COVID-19 cases found. The Monkeypod Kitchen in Wailea closed temporarily “out of an abundance of caution” after three employees tested positive for COVID-19. Maui News.

Uechi named Maui News managing editor. Longtime editor Lee Imada leaves after nearly 40 years. Assistant City Editor Colleen Uechi has been promoted to managing editor of The Maui News following the departure of longtime editor Lee Imada, the company announced Friday. Maui News.

Kauai

Kauaʻi Halts Participation In Pre-Travel Testing Program. The decision, approved by Goveror David Ige, means that all transpacific and inter-county travelers to Kaua‘i are again subject to a 14-day quarantine. Big Island Video News.

Kauai opts out of pre-travel testing program in bid to stem community spread. Gov. David Ige has approved a request by the mayor of Kauai to temporarily opt out of the state’s pre-travel testing program, a decision that will force all travelers to the Garden Isle — including those on neighbor island flights — to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai 'resort bubble' prepares for new travel restrictions. On December 2nd, Kauai County is opting out of Hawaii's pre-travel testing program. That means that anyone coming from either the mainland or another island will be required to do the mandatory 14-day quarantine regardless of COVID-19 test result. KITV4.

Virtual inauguration Tuesday. The Kaua‘i County Council and prosecuting attorney will be inaugurated virtually Tuesday, Dec. 1. Garden Island.

Kauai County Council Joins Fight Against Proposed Glamping Resort. The plan to develop luxury camping at a Princeville golf course may eventually run afoul of a newly reenergized county ordinance covering open spaces. Civil Beat.

Ground broken for huge ‘Ele‘ele housing project. The County Housing Agency held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Lima Ola affordable housing project in ‘Ele‘ele last week. Garden Island.

Molokai

Moloka’i Forests To Be Protected From Wildfires and Erosion. Forests on the southern slopes of Moloka‘i are about to receive additional protection from threats like wildfires, erosion and flooding thanks to a new award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The foundation has awarded over $1.8 million to the DLNR to address threats using proven tools such as fencing and removing hooved animals, as well as creating firebreaks. Maui Now.