Monday, February 27, 2017

Ige attends governor's conference, Tulsi Gabbard gets an earful at town hall, more money for homeless, 'vexatious requester' bill back before Legislature, Zuckerberg makes it official, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

courtesy Hawaii Governor's Office
Gov. Ige at governor's conference, courtesy Governor's Office
Hawaii’s Governor Steps Gingerly Into GOP Power Circle. David Ige, a Democrat, is in Washington meeting with everyone who he thinks might help the islands — including the newly empowered Republicans. Civil Beat.

Three years after homeless people on Oahu were first placed into market-rate, Housing First rental units, the state wants to add another $3 million to expand the concept to Kauai, Maui and Hawaii island starting in April. Star-Advertiser.

A bill in the Hawaii Legislature could limit some people’s rights to file public records requests with public agencies, raising concerns that it could reduce journalists’ and community members’ access to information. Associated Press.

The Department of Education has awarded more than two dozen contracts totaling $43.5 million to install just over 500 air conditioners that would get the state halfway to its goal of cooling 1,000 classrooms, a new status report shows. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii lawmakers are nearing the halfway point of the 2017 legislative session. They’re reviewing bills that need to be passed out of the originating chamber in the next two weeks in order to stay alive. Associated Press.

Hawaii lawmakers advanced a bill Friday that would significantly dial back the use of prolonged segregated confinement at the state’s eight prisons and jails. Civil Beat.

Were global trade to be disrupted, Hawaii would be particularly susceptible to food shortages, as the state imports the vast majority of what it consumes. Senate Bill 1313, pending at the Legislature, aims to change that by making Hawaii more self-­sufficient. Star-Advertiser.

Investigators working in the Hawaii correctional system were able to substantiate more cases in which corrections staff sexually abused inmates during 2015 than cases where inmates sexually assaulted one another, according to a new report released by the state Department of Public Safety. Star-Advertiser.

Roberts Hawaii said Friday that it has determined its website was hacked after a number of customers reported fraudulent credit card charges after making an online purchase with the tour company. Pacific Business News.

Even though the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism announced this month that Hawaii’s economy continues to expand, albeit at a slightly reduced rate, a Young Brothers report shows interisland cargo shipments between Honolulu and six Neighbor Island ports “essentially flat” at 0.1 percent growth in 2016. Maui News.

Commentary: If Souki’s tallies are right, medically assisted death bill has fighting chance to survive. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

A town hall with U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard included some heated exchanges Saturday, as some constituents questioned her about her recent trip to Syria and her stance on the president. Hawaii News Now.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard held a town hall meeting, on Saturday, called "Congress on Your Corner." to listen to her constituents concerns for their community and country. KITV.

The majority of parking lot owners have evaded a law that requires lots with 100 stalls or more to have at least one electric vehicle charging station. Star-Advertiser.

Regulators will gain more authority to crack down on illegal structures and uses on agricultural land if two bills advancing at the Legislature become law. The legislation was introduced to address enforcement gaps that emerged over the past several years as dozens of unregulated buildings, including illegal dwellings, were erected in an off-the-grid ag development in West Oahu. Star-Advertiser.

The amount of construction cranes in Honolulu is holding steady with residential and mixed-use projects continuing to dominate the construction industry in Hawaii’s state capital, according to a new report. Pacific Business News.

Longtime city ocean safety chief Jim Howe has been chosen to be Honolulu’s new director of the Department of Emergency Services. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaiian Humane Society on Friday issued a citation on 310 counts of animal cruelty against the owners of a Makaha animal shelter, where more than 300 dogs were seized in October. Star-Advertiser.

A California company plans to develop a big solar energy farm in Kalaeloa in West Oahu, Pacific Business News has learned.

Hawaii

Rep. Cindy Evans (D-North Kona, North Kohala, South Kohala) introduced legislation allowing farms to have so-called “tiny homes” on agricultural-zoned land in order to house employees. If enacted, the bill would be limited to agricultural land in Hawaii County. Tribune-Herald.

A bill to fund lifeguards and life-saving equipment at Kua Bay passed committee Friday in Honolulu and will now move to the full state House of Representatives. West Hawaii Today.

A bill that would grow a farming program at Kulani prison is headed for a vote in the state House. Tribune-Herald.

Sheriffs have new wheels for transporting custodies to and from Hawaii Community Correctional Center in Hilo for court hearings in Kealakekua. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii County Prosecutor Mitch Roth believes was a target of retaliation for raising concern over possible corruption within the ranks of state government. Big Island Video News.

Where’s the darn bus? That question could soon be asked a little less frequently, as Hawaii County works toward installing an app that will provide real-time information on estimated Hele-On bus arrival times. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaiians heard amid telescope hearings. Star-Advertiser.

Maui

On Maui Friday, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard toured the Maui Community Correctional Center as she continues this week’s focus on reforming the criminal justice system and visiting Hawai?i correctional facilities.  Maui Now.

With about 70 percent of the on-site preparation work done for the West Maui Hospital and Medical Center, the project is seeking as much as $85 million in bond financing for equipment purchases and to complete construction, hospital and medical complex developer Brian Hoyle said Thursday. Maui News.

Kauai

The majority of the crowd at Saturday’s Wailua-Kapaa Neighborhood Association meeting wanted one thing: for the state to take down the bridge currently under construction over Keahua Stream. Garden Island.

Starting today, The Garden Island is publishing profiles on the seven candidates for the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative board of directors. Garden Island.

One of the reasons Juno-Ann Apalla wants to be on the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative board is so she can help Kauai residents understand what’s going on within the organization. Garden Island.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has officially dropped his quiet title lawsuits against hundreds of fractional owners of small pieces of land, or kuleana lands, within his 700 acres of oceanfront land he owns on the island of Kauai’s North Shore, which was an attempt to gain ownership of those small pieces of lands, an attorney representing Zuckerberg confirmed to Pacific Business News over the weekend.

Commentary: A reporter’s work can still move mountains. Star-Advertiser.

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