Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Native Hawaiians arrested for protesting Native Hawaiian convention, 46% profits for Matson shipping, bill tackles abandoned pets, homeless emergency extended, Honolulu employees fill Caldwell campaign coffers, reprieve for Coco Palms, dengue session slated, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

photo by Ryan Sonognini
Woman is arrested Monday at Native Hawaiian convention, photo courtesy Ryan Sonognini
Honolulu police have arrested eight people for trespassing at a golf club where Native Hawaiians are gathered to discuss self-governance. Associated Press.

A video posted to Facebook by user Kaukaohu Wahilani shows several Hawaiian activists, including Kaleikoa Kaʻeo and Kahoʻokahi Kanuha allowing themselves to be arrested by Honolulu police officers in protest of the Naʻi Aupuni ʻAha on Monday, Feb. 22. Hawaii Independent.

Hawaii Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui on Tuesday extended a emergency declaration proclamation to address homelessness statewide — the third extension to the proclamation on homelessness that Gov. David Ige first declared four months ago. Civil Beat.

Acting Gov. Shan Tsutsui on Tuesday again extended the state’s emergency proclamation to address homelessness on all islands. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii has extended the state's emergency declaration to fight homelessness. Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui announced the move Tuesday. It's the state's third extension since Gov. David Ige declared a state of emergency in October. Associated Press.

Hawaii lawmakers are expected to make a decision on House Bill 2773 on Thursday.  The bill would allow prisoners to retain their right to vote, even while incarcerated. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii already has the lowest gun death rates in the nation, but state lawmakers are looking to take gun control a step further. House Bill 625 aims to prohibit firearm and ammunition sales to people who have been convicted of misdemeanor stalking or sexual assault. Civil Beat.

State lawmakers are considering a bill to plug the insurance gaps for drivers who use personal vehicles to haul paying riders. Hawaii Public Radio.

A bill that will be heard Friday at the Hawaii State Capitol calls for punishing people who desert or abandon Fluffy and Fido. Civil Beat.

Lawyers for the company that had its three solar farm contracts terminated by Hawaiian Electric Co. said state regulators should investigate whether NextEra Energy Inc., the firm looking to buy HECO’s corporate parent, influenced the utility’s decision. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii’s largest ocean cargo transportation company, Matson Inc., earned a record profit last year despite fourth-quarter net income being a bit lower than the same quarter a year earlier. Honolulu-based Matson announced Tuesday that it earned $103 million last year, up 46 percent from $70.8 million in 2014. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiian Electric Co. President and CEO Alan Oshima received total compensation of $1.4 million in 2015, according to a year-end filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Star-Advertiser.

Boost sub force to keep China in check, Pacific chief says. Star-Advertiser.

University of Hawaii officials are proposing another round of tuition hikes to help deal with a deferred maintenance backlog of $503 million. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

Mayor Kirk Caldwell has received large chunks of cash from his own employees at Honolulu Hale as well as from those involved in major construction and development projects around town, a Civil Beat analysis of Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission data shows. Civil Beat.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell got mixed news as he walked through Chinatown with reporters to survey the streets of Oahu’s oldest neighborhood at lunchtime Tuesday. Star-Advertiser.

With another round of high surf on the way to the north shore on Thursday, homeowners along the coastline are concerned for their property. KITV4.

As rates of erosion increase along Hawaii’s coastlines, policymakers are grappling with what to do with the hundreds of seawalls that line coasts and pose a potentially daunting liability risk to the state. Star-Advertiser.

The first Honolulu Biennial, set for spring 2017, is expected to have a $49.7 million impact on the Hawaii economy, the foundation behind the festival said Tuesday. Pacific Business News.

Patrick Sullivan, chairman and founder of the Honolulu-based engineering firm Oceanit, thinks Honolulu is brimming with talent and has enough capital for now. If that’s the case the stage is set for Startup Paradise to thrive. However, the city has a flaw, in his view — a lack of confidence. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii


Chairman Dru Kanuha has called a special meeting of the County Council for 9 a.m. March 2 to receive an update from local and state officials on efforts to control the dengue fever outbreak on the Big Island. West Hawaii Today.

The spread of dengue fever on Hawaii island appears to be slowing, but keeping up the fight is crucial on all fronts to ward off the mosquito-borne disease and others like it, officials say.Star-Advertiser.

The University of Hawaii at Hilo wants to put the brakes on its rapidly increasing tuition. Members of the UH Board of Regents will hear a new proposal Thursday for tuition hikes that would begin in 2017. Tribune-Herald.

A former Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee aide is joining the Office of Mauna Kea Management team as its new Cultural Resource Program Manager. Big Island Video News.

Maui

A group seeking to generate a voter initiative that would allow Maui residents to trigger the power of the county to convert farmland from private to public ownership will be holding a meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Haiku Community Center. Maui News.

A committee considering a new form of government for Maui County may take a vote Thursday on whether a County Council-county manager system would be an improvement over the current council-mayor system. Maui News.

Commentary: It’s pretty wonkish, but some pretty far-reaching local government reforms will be up for discussion at a public meeting this Thursday, Feb. 25. Yes, it’s time for yet another gathering of the county’s Special Committee on County Governance. MauiTime.

Hawaii regulators have conditionally approved the power purchase agreement between Maui Electric Co. and Lahaina-based Kuia Solar LLC for a planned 2.87-megawatt project in Lahaina near Lahainaluna School, which would be the first project of its kind on the Valley Isle, according to public documents. Pacific Business News.

The state Public Utilities Commission approved Maui's first two "utility scale" power purchase agreements last week between Maui Electric Co. and two Maui-based companies for a total of 5.75 megawatts of solar power from facilities in Kihei and Lahaina that could be online by the end of the year. Maui News.

The Haleakala Visitor Center at the 9,741-foot elevation that overlooks the crater rim will be closed for repairs for several weeks beginning Wednesday. The repairs are expected to take four weeks, according to a park news release Monday. Maui News.

Kauai

The redevelopment firm seeking to rebuild Coco Palms has a bit more time to get their ducks in a row, even though they’re going to be past deadline for demolition. Garden Island.

If elected to serve another term on the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative board of directors, Calvin Murashige wants to explore ways to inspire people to be more energy efficient. Garden Island.

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