Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Hawaii teachers rally for more pay - here's how much they make, gas tax could jump 62%, more money for Wahiawa General Hospital, depleted uranium plan approved, Maui development controversial, teenage alleged rape victim scrutinized in DLNR agent trial, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

courtesy Hawaii State Teachers Association
Hawaii teacher rally at Capitol, courtesy Hawaii State Teachers Association
Several thousand public school teachers packed the grounds of the state Capitol on Monday as part of a rally calling on the governor and lawmakers to increase funding for public schools and raise teacher salaries. With a starting salary of $46,601 and highest salary of $85,488, the average teacher here is earning $58,959 this school year, according to the Department of Education. Star-Advertiser.

About 6,000 Hawaii teachers marched to the state Capitol to call for better pay. KITV.

Hawaii teachers marched to the state Capitol to call for better pay. They rallied today while the union is in the midst of contract negotiations with the state. Associated Press.

A state Senate committee on Monday voted to raise the gasoline tax in Hawaii by 10 cents per gallon, from 16 to 26 cents. Hawaii News Now.

Gov. David Ige’s proposal to increase the state’s vehicle weight tax, gasoline tax and registration fees won tentative approval from a Senate committee Monday after a key lawmaker announced she will amend the bill to increase the state gas tax by more than 62 percent. Star-Advertiser.

Drivers May Face Higher Taxes, Fees To Maintain Highways. A bill to hike Hawaii’s fuel and vehicle weight taxes and registration fee stays afloat at the Legislature. Civil Beat.

Hawaii’s public employees pension fund dug a little deeper hole for itself last quarter as it tried to climb out of a $12.44 billion shortfall. Star-Advertiser.

A bill that would have prohibited county mayors and the governor from holding additional work was deferred last week at the Hawaii State Capitol, meaning that it’s almost certainly dead for the 2017 session. Civil Beat.

A group of local doctors fears that proposed legislation to allow the terminally ill to end their own lives will endanger the public’s health and safety. Star-Advertiser.

Change in school lunch policy urged after kids denied meals. KHON2.

A federal judge is allowing Hawaii to file an amended lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's travel ban on people from seven mostly Muslim countries. Associated Press.

Oahu

The Navy opposes proposed state legislation that would require the military’s Red Hill fuel tanks to have secondary, or double-­walled, containment by 2027 — and so does the state Department of Health. Star-Advertiser.

Lawmakers are considering pumping more money into the struggling Wahiawa General Hospital to keep it afloat, provided it discontinues acute-care services and focuses solely on emergency, geriatric and long-term care. Star-Advertiser.

Man hit with hepatitis A sues Genki Sushi, food suppliers. Star-Advertiser.

Manoa Valley pool and gym to close for at least six months because of safety reasons. KITV.

Why Aren’t We Changing Waianae’s Culture Of Fistfights? “Nobody seems to care,” says a man who lives near where schoolkids regularly congregate to watch two or more students duke it out. Civil Beat.

A California developer broke ground Friday on its 14-story, 191-unit student housing project that will replace the iconic University Square retail center near the University of Hawaii Manoa campus in Honolulu. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii

Money to battle rapid ohia death fungus, subsidies for rural schools, personnel costs at Hawaii Community Correctional Center and agriculture and water programs are facing new cuts as Gov. David Ige adjusts his proposed budget to account for an unexpectedly bleak economic picture. West Hawaii Today.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week approved a radiation monitoring plan for Pohakuloa Training Area and other U.S. Army installations that previously used depleted uranium. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii taxpayers are on the hook to pay a Hawaii island developer $1 million after a state agency scuttled plans that had languished for more than two decades for a sprawling subdivision equipped with luxury homes, a golf course and shops. Star-Advertiser.

A teenager who claims she was raped by a state law enforcement officer on New Year’s Day 2016 on a Hilo beach testified Monday that she didn’t tell her stepmother about the alleged incident because the teen “didn’t know how to deal with it.” Tribune-Herald.

Ongoing trouble in regards to a special stone placed on Mauna Kea by one of the original petitioners in the Thirty Meter Telescope contested case hearing took center stage on Monday. Big Island Video News.

Maui

A controversial development proposed for Maui's North Shore drew hundreds to a community meeting on Monday. Hawaii News Now.

Home inventory on Maui has increased for the high season as prices continue to trend upward, according to a monthly real estate report by Realtors Association of Maui Chief Staff Executive Terry Tolman. Pacific Business News.

The median price of a single-family home in Maui County fell 6.5 percent to $655,000 in January, compared with December when median prices reached $700,500, according to Realtors Association of Maui statistics. Maui News.

Kauai

An instructor in early education will be available to speak with people interested in acquiring a bachelor’s degree in early education on Tuesday from 9 to 10 a.m. in Room 204 at the One Stop Center at Kauai Community College. Garden Island.

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