Honolulu councilman's chief of staff fired for web smears, rules eased for elder homes, new Hawaii tax targets military, federal contractors, new Native Hawaiian governance group sought, more Hawaii news of the day for the web and your smartphone

Hawaii today (c) 2011 All Hawaii News

It is that time of year when the Hawaiian Islands experience the astronomical phenomenon known as "Lahaina Noon." KITV4.

Having agreed on the wording of the definition of a "qualified Native Hawaiian" under the state recognition law, officials are now trying to figure out exactly what those words mean. Tribune-Herald.

Ancient Hawaiians relied on oral traditions to perpetuate their culture and history from generation to generation. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii hopes to generate about $35 million a year by lifting the tax exemption and imposing a 4 percent general excise tax on vendors who sell as much as $1 billion worth of products to federal outposts from military commissaries and office buildings to the shipyard. Star-Advertiser.

At a time when Hawaii's senior population is surging, the state has watered down the main qualification for secondary caregivers at hundreds of adult foster homes, senior advocates say. Star-Advertiser.

A new group reviewing management of Hawaii's charter schools is meeting for the first time this week.Associated Press.

For more than two decades, the limited law-enforcement arm of Hawaii's state government has sought a respected place and function. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu City Council member Tom Berg fired his chief of staff after he escalated a World Wide Web war of words by creating a website accusing a state lawmaker of being a crook. Civil Beat.

The Honolulu Rapid Transit Authority has formally notified the City Council that it will begin acquiring public and private real estate along the 20-mile route of the fixed-rail guideway. Hawaii Reporter.

Hawaiian Electric Co., Energy Industries, RevoluSun, Hawaii Energy, EAH Housing and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are the sponsoring organizations for the inaugural month-long Kanu Hawaii Energy Challenge. Pacific Business News.

Kapiolani Park was filled with the sound of an instrument that's linked to Hawaii.Hawaii News Now.

A wave of change is rolling into Wahiawa. KHON2.

“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” That was the message Molokai residents gave members of the Maui Charter Commission last week, when more than a dozen community members testified against proposed changes to the Maui County Charter. Molokai Dispatch.

Mayor Alan Arakawa and Maui County Council Chairman Danny Mateo went to South Korea, not sure what they might find across the international dateline in the "Land of the Morning Calm." Maui News.

Seven years later and the county has yet to issue a single permit for the campsites it built for residents and visitors at Lydgate Park. Garden Island.

The Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea remains out of commission, weeks after an estimated 185 gallons of coolant leaked onto two mirrors and two instruments. Tribune-Herald.