More join Maui GMO fight, homeless the bane of Chinatown, lava flow costs taxpayers and home sales, Ige building Cabinet, Kauai homeless drop, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Maui GMO opponents courtesy photo

A week after a federal judge granted Monsanto a temporary injunction halting the implementation of Maui County's voter-approved initiative that would temporarily ban the cultivation of genetically engineered crops, proponents of the measure filed to dismiss the federal lawsuit challenging the initiative. Maui News.

Two organizations have separately filed motions in federal court seeking to defend Maui County’s temporary moratorium on genetically engineered crops after expressing doubt as to the county’s commitment to the ordinance. Civil Beat.

At a seminar for new governors last weekend in Colorado hosted by the National Governors Association, Gov.-elect David Ige learned that a governor's most precious resource is time. Star-Advertiser.

Conservation groups are suing the National Marine Fisheries Service over a new rule that increases the amount of Big-Eye Tuna (ahi) that can be legally caught.  The lawsuit says that a ruling issued on October 28th, nearly doubles the amount of tuna that can be caught in the central and western Pacific. Hawaii Public Radio.

Opinion: Gov. Neil Abercrombie's graceless excuses seeking to spin his landslide loss as somebody's fault other than his own is making him difficult to ignore and further tarnishing what's left of his legacy. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

A Circuit Court judge has ruled there was prosecutorial misconduct in a high-profile alleged gambling case that resulted in hundreds of sweepstakes machines being seized, nine people being arrested, and a 414-count indictment -- the largest in the state's history. Hawaii News Now.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell received about 100 letters and emails in three months complaining about the homeless. Most are from local residents, not tourists. Civil Beat.

Like other business operators in Chinatown, Sam Say said he has noticed an influx of new faces in the area's homeless community in recent months, a possible result of the ban on sitting and lying on sidewalks that took effect in Wai­kiki in September. Star-Advertiser.

At Transit Oriented Development Summit, Experts Urge Honolulu to Dream Big. Speakers at Saturday's conference suggest adding more financing options and focusing on very low-income housing to improve growth around rail. Civil Beat.

The newly renovated, brightly-lit Makai Market Food Court at Ala Moana Center is a big hit with both diners and restaurant owners alike. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii’s state campaign spending commissioners want the Honolulu city prosecutor to investigate a case brought by former Gov. Ben Cayetano against Pacific Resource Partnership’s political action committee. Hawaii Reporter.

Hawaii

The slow-moving lava flow from Kilauea volcano is costing more than frayed nerves. It’s also costing county taxpayers millions of dollars. West Hawaii Today.

Lower Puna real estate sales fall sharply amid lava threat. Tribune-Herald.

Hawai'i County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira and his team are going door-to-door along Pahoa Village Road letting residents know they're going to re-open the street as soon as crews finish removing the cinder piles surrounding the heat-protective wraps that were installed around the Hawaiian Telcom poles. They're expected to be finished by Monday, so officials are telling the families living there to prepare for the barricades at Post Office Road and Apa'a Street to come down sometime tomorrow afternoon. Hawaii News Now.

Officials hope to reopen the remainder of Pahoa Village Road in time for the Thanksgiving Day holiday, Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said Friday. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

The Maui County Council approved two business measures Friday on first reading - one to reduce permitted vacation rental property tax rates and a second to allow home businesses in neighborhoods under certain conditions. Maui News.

Maui County Council Member Don Couch has introduced a measure that he hopes will help defuse a conflict over strained communications between council members and their staffs and county department directors and other administration officials. Maui News.

Scientists are saying the shark most likely to bite you likes hanging out in shallower waters. Tiger sharks are often the most likely culprit in shark bites in Hawaii, and researchers are beginning to believe the tiger shark's favorite destination is Maui. Associated Press.

Kauai

In the last fiscal year, the state’s homeless population increased by 3 percent. On Kauai, however, homeless numbers dropped nearly 10 percent, according to a new University of Hawaii report. Garden Island.