Monday, September 26, 2016

Self-governance advanced for Native Hawaiians, road-use charge may replace gas tax, Maui battles coqui frog, crime drops at UH Manoa, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

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Department of the Interior hearings, file photo © 2016 All Hawaii News
In what’s being described by some as a historic step toward Native Hawaiian self-governance, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Friday that it has finalized “a pathway” that would formally recognize such an entity. Civil Beat.

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Friday that it finalized a rule for creating a government-to-government relationship with Native Hawaiians — if they choose to form their own government and if they want such ties. Associated Press.

State’s child abuse letters may violate law. Star-Advertiser.

The state may do away with gas taxes and replace them with a road use charge, depending on the results of a proposed statewide trial program. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii’s longline fishermen are back at sea in search of more ahi after extending their quota limit through an agreement with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Ron Taketa’s term on the Honolulu Police Commission expired nine months ago, yet Mayor Kirk Caldwell has yet to reappoint or replace him. Civil Beat.

The number of reported sex offenses, motor vehicle thefts and liquor law violations at the University of Hawaii at Manoa declined in 2015 from the previous year while the number of drug-related violations on campus significantly increased. Star-Advertiser.

The number of homeless military veterans on Oahu fell 44 percent between January and August, while the number of veterans becoming homeless each month also shows an encouraging decline. Star-Advertiser.

All areas on Oahu are being considered for a new facility that would replace the aging and overcrowding current Oahu Community Correctional Center in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kalihi, according to public documents. Pacific Business News.

A class-action lawsuit filed in federal court last month alleges that 72 Oahu homeowner associations and two law firms acting as their agents unlawfully foreclosed on 160 homes beginning in September 2010. Star-Advertiser.

The city is rethinking its policy on Kalakaua Avenue street closures in Waikiki in response to complaints that some past events haven’t merited disruptions to the nation’s fifth-most lucrative retail street. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

Profanity-Laced Video Shows Mayor Partying Hard At Conference Party. The mayor of Hawaii County, who is accused of buying booze and other items with taxpayer money, appears to be heavily intoxicated.  Civil Beat.

Guests in a hospitality room at the Hawaii Congress of Planning Officials Conference on Kauai got an impromptu earful they hadn’t planned on — courtesy of Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi. Tribune-Herald.

Several dozen people packed into a room at the Hawaii Community College Palamanui Campus Saturday to discuss new proposals aimed at reducing crowds at popular manta ray viewing sites in West Hawaii. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

The Maui Invasive Species Committee is tripling to quadrupling resources and working crews devoted to eradicating coqui frogs from the heavily infested Maliko Gulch area over the next five years, officials said. Maui News.

Two weeks after a powerful rainstorm forced the Wailuku River to jump its banks and fill up his home with mud and debris, Wayne Wong remains on edge, his ravaged dwelling now sitting dangerously close to a newly widened riverbed.  Star-Advertiser.

More than 500 people participated in the 12th Annual Town Clean Up in Lahaina over the weekend, according to event organizers. Maui Now.

Kauai

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative has begun the third year of testing an experimental laser system to prevent endangered seabirds from colliding with power lines. Garden Island.

The trial for a man accused of beating a monk seal has been continued. Garden Island.

The private access road to Mahaulepu Beach will be closed to the public starting Monday at the recommendation of the state Department of Health, and some locals are questioning the motives. Garden Island.

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