Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Honolulu rail progressing, Coco Palms occupiers to be evicted, Honolulu council bans 'monster homes,' Schatz plans false missile alarm hearing, Ige teased over Twitter, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

courtesy Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit
Rail construction Sept. 15, 2017 PC:HART
Redevelopment opportunities abound for state land near rail line. Ideas and objectives for making better use of roughly 1,900 acres owned by the state near 21 planned city rail stations on Oahu have been laid out in a new report by a council formed a little over a year ago. Star-Advertiser.

Is Honolulu Rail Agency Too Quick To Condemn Property? Landowners argue HART jumps the gun when it starts condemnation proceedings before negotiations are finished. Civil Beat.

Rail officials still don't know how to get the route to UH Manoa. Officials with the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) say they are focused on building the 20-mile rail system from West Oahu to Ala Moana, and they don't have the ability to develop plans for extensions of the rail line. Hawaii News Now.

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US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) will convene a Senate field hearing in Honolulu on the state’s emergency alert system to look into the false emergency missile alert that went out across the state on Jan. 13, 2018. Maui Now.

The false ballistic missile alert earlier this month put much of Hawaii in a state of fear and panic, but it didn’t seem to have much of a mental health impact overall, according to the state Department of Health. Hawaii News Now.

National press roasts Ige after he blamed Twitter login troubles for missile alert response. Hawaii News Now.

Three Bills Aim To Clear Obstacles For Injured Workers. Giving injured workers a say in which doctor is used to examine them is one of the key issues on the table this year. Civil Beat.

DLNR's drone use may have violated federal rules — on several occasions. A drone that flew over a large crowd at the Onipaa Kakou event at Iolani Palace last week is now the subject of a federal investigation. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii easily remained No. 1 last month for the lowest unemployment rate in the country amid a strong economy and an exodus of work-seeking residents to the mainland. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii unemployment rate drops to record low in December. Pacific Business News.

Young Brothers draws opposition to shipping rate hike. The state consumer advocate is opposing an application by Young Brothers Ltd. to raise interisland shipping rates 13.3 percent after less than a year ago the state Public Utilities Commission rejected a 4.4 percent increase. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu


Temporary ban on super-size houses advances. In a move designed to keep in check the increasing number of large-scale houses on Oahu, a Honolulu City Council committee Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a temporary ban on building permits for houses with more than 3,500 square feet of living area. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu City Council Committee Advances "Monster Homes" Bill. The Honolulu City Council Planning Committee advanced a measure today calling for a moratorium on so-called Monster Houses. Hawaii Public Radio.

Construction of monster homes could soon come to an end on Oahu. KITV.

Temporary ban on ‘monster’ homes put on fast track at Honolulu Hale. KHON2.

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State Hospital fence could run up to $24M. The state Department of Health says it would cost the state an estimated $17 million to $24 million to erect a fence around the Hawaii State Hospital campus to satisfy a permit condition imposed by the Honolulu City Council that the facility be “fully secure.” Star-Advertiser.

State working with the public to figure out how 'Pillboxes' trail can be managed. Dozens packed the cafeteria at Ka'ohao Elementary School in Kailua Tuesday night to voice concerns over a popular east Oahu hiking trail. Hawaii News Now.

Honolulu Is Stuck With Cars Abandoned By Military Personnel. The city has been storing them in golf course parking lots because federal law prohibits them from being auctioned off. Civil Beat.

Massive highway project will require closures through early next year. KHON2.

Robertson Properties plans to spend $85M to turn former Waikiki Niketown into hotel. Pacific Business News.

The Point-In-Time Count survey of Oahu’s homeless population is happening this week. The count is the basis for all homeless policy for the year. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii Island

Police chief’s request to use notification system not received after missile alert. The Police Department’s notification service, known as Nixle, wasn’t activated during the incident, Chief Paul Ferreira acknowledged to the Tribune-Herald on Tuesday, though dispatch was informing panicked callers the warning was false within minutes. Tribune-Herald.

The Hawaii County Council Committee On Public Safety & Mass Transit discussed the January 13 false alarm that panicked the entire state. Big Island Video News.

Appellate court sends Hu Honua back to planning commission. A state court ordered Hawaii County’s Windward Planning Commission to address public shoreline impacts with regard to repairing or replacing a damaged outfall for cooling water and storm water from the Hu Honua Bioenergy power plant under construction in Pepeekeo. Tribune-Herald.

Consultant: Hele-On needs buses, personnel, money. West Hawaii Today.

Manager-Chief Engineer Keith Okamoto and Deputy Kawika Uyehara of the Hawaii County Department of Water Supply both received pay raises after what was arguably the department’s most tumultuous year in recent memory. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

A proposed campground in Lahaina for homeless people received a special use permit from the Maui Planning Commission on Tuesday, triggering tearful hugs among supporters who have been trying to push the project forward for almost three years. Maui News.

Soon to fade from Maui’s business landscape is J.S. Kuge & Sons, the longtime custom jewelry and repair shop on Lower Main Street in Wailuku. Maui News.

Kauai

Coco Palms occupiers have 5 days to leave. District Court Judge Michael Soong ruled in favor of development company Coco Palms Hui on Tuesday and ousted a group that has claimed interest in a plot of land in Wailua for nearly a year. Garden Island.

Coco Palms at defining moment. This may well be a defining moment in the contemporary history of Kauai and the splintered, often ineffectual, movement for Hawaiian sovereignty. Kauai’s governing establishment — and, most likely, a large majority of regular residents — don’t want this controversy to blow up and bring the island to the center of one of the most vexing issues in Hawaiian history. Garden Island.

Kauai’s Crackdown On Airbnbs Is Backfiring. While one county is mired in disputes, legislators ponder their next moves regarding illegal vacation rentals. Civil Beat.


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