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.