Monday, November 19, 2012

Courts offer legal aid, gas prices drop, Kaui mayor fingered in gas theft, Honolulu mayor filling cabinet, Maui seeks waste-to-energy plant, hypnosis thefts in Chinatown, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

copyright 2012 All Hawaii News
Hawaii Supreme Court (c) 2012 All Hawaii News

With the backing of Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, courthouses across the state are setting aside space to help people who can't afford a lawyer prepare for their day in court. Star-Advertiser.

As Hawaii’s main solar lobby fights off attempts to scale back the state's energy tax credits, a national expert and advocate of solar energy says that Hawaii should get rid of the incentives altogether. Civil Beat.

A state Senate committee will announce the findings of its investigation into the University of Hawaii's operational and financial management. Star-Advertiser.

Teachers intend to stop doing all the work they do on their own dime, limiting their hours to what's contractually obligated, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Everything else that would normally get done won't on work-to-rule protest days, the first of which was last week at Campbell High School and a few other campuses around the state. Civil Beat.

Publishers of the free guides and brochures visitors pick up at Hawaii's airports may soon have to pay the state for the right to get their publications into visitors' hands. Star-Advertiser.

Federal scientists have developed new tsunami forecasting models that can accurately predict where a wave will hit, and where it will flood. They've also designed new buoys that could help the tsunami warning center fill the gaps in its net. So why hasn't Hawaii embraced the new technology? Civil Beat.

Prices at the pump have continued to mercifully decline as the Thanksgiving holiday nears. Tribune-Herald.

Oahu

Hawaii Civil Defense will conduct tests of five warning sirens around Oahu on Monday. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu City and State lawmakers hold informational meeting over disaster planning. KITV4.

The process of establishing a new Honolulu city administration has begun for Mayor-elect Kirk Caldwell. KITV4.

Hawaiian Electric Co. says its interconnection facility inside the battery energy storage system warehouse at the Kahuku Wind Farm on Oahu's North Shore, which was destroyed by fire in August, will cost at least $8 million to rebuild and take about a year to complete. Pacific Business News.

The Italian parent company of one of the largest contractors working on the Hono­lulu rail project now has a credit rating just above junk-bond status, and officials with the Hono­lulu Authority for Rapid Transportation want assurances that that won't affect the $5.26 billion project. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu motorists saw something Friday that they haven’t seen in nine months: Prices at a number of gas stations around Oahu dipped below $4 a gallon for the first time since February. Pacific Business News.

An 8-inch water main broke on Ahua Street between Kaihikapu and Mokumoa Streets in Salt Lake early Monday morning near Hawaii Self Storage, causing the road to buckle up. Hawaii News Now.

The Chinatown community is on alert after a new scam has swindled thousands of dollars worth of cash and jewelry from elderly women. Police are looking for three women whose scheme may involve hypnosis. KHON2.

Hawaii

Hawaii Electric Light Co.'s recently launched search for developers to expand geothermal energy production on Hawaii island emphasizes the potential benefits of locating new production facilities on the west side of the island where population growth is the fastest. Star-Advertiser.

Geothermal companies are trying to line up potential sites for a new power plant before a bidding deadline early next year. Tribune-Herald.

Along with a new County Council leadership, there will be a new county clerk taking office next month. Big Island Now.

The sewer rehabilitation project along Kalanianaole Avenue in Hilo has progressed to its second phase, leaving businesses that were impacted by the first phase breathing sighs of relief. Tribune-Herald.

Almost everything used in Ke Kula o Ehunuikaimalino’s cafeteria is washable, reusable, recyclable or compostable, said Clare Loprinzi, the school’s garden coordinator. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Maui County is seeking bids for a company to convert the island's solid waste into energy in an effort to cut down on the amount of trash that ends up in the Central Maui Landfill in Puunene. Maui News.

Maui County isn’t waiting on the electric utility to issue a request for proposals for waste-to-energy projects. The county’s Department of Environmental Services issued its own RFP last week. Civil Beat.

A state Office of Planning official said that developers of two large retail centers and 250 affordable housing units in Kihei should have filed a motion with the state Land Use Commission to amend conditions placed on the parcel that was initially proposed as a light industrial park. Maui News.

A National Transportation Safety Board report on a December 2009 helicopter crash in Hana, Maui, in which a commercial pilot and a Federal Aviation Administration inspector were seriously injured, presents a frightening narrative of a routine safety exercise that turned into a life-threatening emergency. Star-Advertiser.

Kauai

A warrant for the arrest of Kauai Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. on charges that he stole more than $5,000 of county gasoline in 2009 and 2010 has been submitted to two state judges on the Garden Isle who reportedly refused to sign the warrant until there is more evidence. Hawaii Reporter.

The personal attorney for Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. angrily denounced efforts by Police Chief Darryl Perry and outgoing Prosecutor Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho to charge the mayor for alleged theft of more than $5,000 of county gasoline. Hawaii Reporter.

People for the Preservation of Kaua‘i, one of the driving forces behind the fight against the Hawai‘i Superferry, has reformed with a new mission — to squash Act 55 in court. Garden Island.

DBEDT: Kaua‘i had strong 2nd quarter in 2012. Garden Island.

Molokai

Molokai residents put in their two cents for who they felt should become the new Honorary Mayor of Kaunakakai last Saturday, and elected Glenn Davis. Molokai Dispatch.

Honoring kupuna is part of Hawaiian culture, and on Molokai, there’s a special tradition to recognize those with exceptional aloha spirit. Hawaii Public Radio.

Kanemitsu Bakery, after having been closed for five months, will be open in time for Thanksgiving this year. Molokai Dispatch.


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