State parties try to rein in members, Pearl Harbor preps for 75th anniversary, Lassner gets high marks as UH president, Honolulu police and domestic violence, invasive species control pits Maui property owner against government, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Road in Hawaii © 2016 All Hawaii News

The state recently sold more than $204 million in highway revenue bonds at the lowest interest rate in the 23-year history of the state’s Highway Revenue Bond Program. The bond sale raised over $247 million. Pacific Business News.

Will Hawaii Dems’ Progressive Movement Have Staying Power? Energized by the Sanders presidential campaign and hot-button local issues, a handful of newcomers spiced up primary races. Civil Beat.

State political parties seem to be having a hard time keeping some of their members in check. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii GOP Appears Stuck With Angela Aulani Kaaihue. As offensive as the congressional nominee’s views on ethnicity and religion are, there is little that the Republican Party can do to make her go away. Civil Beat.

Japan’s first lady Akie Abe teamed up with U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s widow Monday to launch an environmental symposium that they hope will become an annual gathering of students, scientists and activists from both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Star-Advertiser.

A witness to Pearl Harbor and a USS Arizona survivor added to their World War II legacies over the past week as big plans continue to unfold for the 75th anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, attacks on Oahu. Star-Advertiser.

University of Hawaii President David Lassner received high marks on his latest performance evaluation by the Board of Regents but again requested no salary increase. Star-Advertiser.

Going Green At IUCN. Organizers of the World Conservation Congress meeting in Hawaii next month urge participants to be “carbon neutral, plastic free, paper low.” Civil Beat.

State officials are gearing up to give a helping hand to some of Hawaii’s smallest creatures through programs involving captive rearing and release into the wild. Star-Advertiser.

New nautical rules have gone into effect, increasing safety requirements for numerous vessels and leading to more registration requirements. West Hawaii Today.

DRFortress, the largest carrier-neutral data center and cloud services provider operating in Hawaii, has been selected as the landing and operating partner in the state for a planned 8,700-mile trans-Pacific submarine cable system from Australia and New Zealand to Hawaii and the West Coast. Pacific Business News.

New state data aimed at helping newly licensed marijuana dispensaries determine where to set up shop shows the Big Island has nearly twice as many medical marijuana patients as Oahu. Associated Press.

Oahu
Domestic violence victims and their advocates say officers showing favoritism toward a fellow officer — is not uncommon when one of “Honolulu’s finest” is accused of abusing a family or household member. Star-Advertiser.

Advocates for domestic violence victims say the process for filing complaints against police officers in Hawaii is too stringent and needs to be changed. Star-Advertiser.

Imagine re-thinking a neighborhood through the lens of food. That’s what a group of residents, business owners, and policy makers in Kaka‘ako have been doing. Hawaii Public Radio.

Commentary: When The Law Allows Overbuilding For The Rich. A proposal to build six luxury condos on a single oceanfront lot is the type of project that’s more likely to benefit out-of-staters than locals. Civil Beat.

Manoa Botanicals LLC has begun forming companies that will be part of its effort as one of the eight firms in Hawaii to get medical marijuana dispensary licenses in the state, Pacific Business News has learned.

Dozens gathered at Schofield Barracks Monday as the US Army and Hawaiian Electric broke ground on a new power plant. KITV.

Hawaiian Electric and the U.S. Army are building a power plant capable of burning biofuels. Associated Press.

Hawaii

The number of applications for photovoltaic systems in Hawaii County has dropped considerably from last year’s numbers, according to permit data from the county Department of Public Works. Tribune-Herald.

The state has sold more than $200 million in highways revenue bonds, of which $22 million are headed to the Big Island, the governor’s office announced Monday. West Hawaii Today.

The Hawaii County Council Committee on Planning voted to halt decisions on rezoning applications for projects in Hamakua until the district’s community development plan is adopted. Big Island Video News.

Former Hawaii politician and real estate developer D.G. “Andy” Anderson and his grandsons, Brad and Cord Anderson, plan to assign their state-leased parcel surrounded by the Coconut Grove Marketplace in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island to the owner of the shopping center. Pacific Business News.

Greggor Ilagan is wasting no time choosing a new career path following his failed state senate bid. The Puna councilman has launched a new YouTube channel, Ilagan Videos. His first offering is the shaving cream challenge. Big Island Video News.

Maui

One resident's attempts to keep employees from invasive species agencies off his Huelo property have created a clash of rights between communities wanting to eradicate invasive species, and individuals opposed to the methods used to fight them. Maui News.

Maui authorities are discussing how to eradicate invasive species without trampling on the rights of individuals opposed to the methods used to fight them. Associated Press.

Grand reopening held at park. Maui News.

The 22-acre, 413-room Fairmont Kea Lani hotel in Wailea on Maui recently completed a solar energy project that is expected to reduce the property’s electricity demand by more than 10 percent, the resort said Monday. Pacific Business News.

Charles Louis Millman of Maui Marine Photography captured this rare look of what he described as a pod of melon-headed whales off of Kīhei, Maui today. Maui Now.

Kauai
Improvements to Waimea Canyon Drive, Kokee Road and parts of Kuhio Highway will be funded by the state, officials announced Monday. Kauai received more than $2.2 million for improvements from Leho Drive to Aleka Loop, on Kuhio Highway and Waimea Canyon Drive and Kokee Road, said Tim Sakahara, spokesman for Hawaii Department of Transportation. Garden Island.

Flags can create a firestorm of controversy, Jane Gray, director of the Kauai Museum discovered Monday afternoon. Outside the museum, an American flag flew alongside the Japan national flag. Garden Island.

A trial date is set for a Lihue man incarcerated at Halawa Correctional Facility who said two Kauai jail corrections officers violated his civil rights when they allegedly did not allow him to practice his religion. Garden Island.