Hawaii elections program likely passes legal muster, newspaper sues for police records, BOE meets today on bus, food hikes, Verizon 4G expanding, Internet cafes at risk, whales, albatross and other news of the islands

Aloun Farms courtesy photo

On Friday, July 15, 2011, U.S. District Court's chief Judge Susan Oki Mollway considered a number of motions filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and by attorneys for Mike and Alec Sou, the defendants in the Aloun Farms human trafficking case that is planned to go to trial on July 27. Hawaii Reporter.

A vegetable stand on Hotel Street is an extension of the Chinatown supermarket that sits behind it. But it's also violating a city law that sets boundaries on storefront displays.Hawaii News Now.

Work will begin on Midway Atoll next month to remove lead-based paint that dooms 10,000 Laysan albatross chicks each year to a heartbreaking and apparently painful death. Star-Advertiser.

Fewer than 1,500 humpbacks were left in the North Pacific in 1966, the year international whaling was banned. Since then, their numbers have steadily climbed to an estimated 18,000. Garden Island.

Today, the state Board of Education considers a recommendation from a finance committee to raise school bus fares, and other fees. KITV4.

The Senate and House Committees on Education will be holding a joint informational briefing to learn about education reform happening around the country. The committees will also hear recommendations on how to improve Hawaii’s education system. Hawaii Independent.

Hawaii County's publicly funded campaign pilot program should continue next year, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling finding public matching funds unconstitutional. West Hawaii Today.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser sued the Honolulu Police Department Monday, accusing police of breaking the law by refusing to release 911 dispatch tapes of a June 3 shooting spree that left a woman dead and two others wounded. Star-Advertiser.

The deal between Internet service providers, including AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon, and entertainment industry powerhouses to combat online piracy could have a huge impact on cafes, coffee shops, lounges and other businesses that offer wireless Internet access. Pacific Business News.

Alexander & Baldwin and Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative on Monday jointly announced plans for a 6-megawatt utility-scale solar farm on the South Shore. Garden Island.

The final weekend of the fireworks amnesty program on Oahu resulted in a bigger haul than the previous three weekends combined. KHON2.

Former Chief of Staff Eric Ryan says Honolulu City Council member Tom Berg fired him for blowing the whistle on government waste in Honolulu Hale. Civil Beat.

A Japanese tea master is due to perform a traditional tea ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in honor of Americans who died in the attack on 1941 attack. Associated Press.

At least 3 times a day … Honolulu Police initiate cases of identity theft and related fraud … and many more incidents go unreported. Hawaii Public Radio.

Verizon Wireless customers on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island will be able to surf the web and share files much faster this Thursday when the company's 4G Long Term Evolution network officially launches. KITV4.

Hawaii's six remaining Borders bookstores and nearly 400 others nationwide will be closed in the next several months as the 40-year-old bookseller said Monday that it will liquidate. Star-Advertiser.

About 100 Hawaiian Telcom customers in the Kapalama area might have to go a week without telephone and Internet service. Star-Advertiser.