Trump names former Hawaii AG Bennett to Court of Appeals, Syngenta settles with EPA, Mauna Kea telescopes stir hot debate in Legislature, Maui ferry not feasible, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Farming, courtesy Monsanto

Concerned residents from Maui and Kauai are set to testify in support of a pesticide regulation bill at the State Capitol requiring companies to alert the public before chemicals are sprayed. The Senate committees on Agriculture and Environment and Commerce, Consumer Protection and Health are expected to make a decision Wednesday. KITV.

President Donald Trump has nominated former Hawaii Attorney General Mark Bennett to the Hawaii seat of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Star-Advertiser.

This Trump Pick Wins Rare Applause from Hawaii’s Democratic Senators. Mark Bennett, the former state attorney general, has been nominated for the Hawaii seat on U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Civil Beat.

Today President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate an eleventh wave of judicial nominees including the nomination of former Hawaii Attorney General Mark J. Bennett as a Circuit Judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Maui Now.

Report: Public Is Being Shut Out On Critical State Information. A new study by a public interest law firm says Hawaii is the worst in the nation when it comes to timely decisions on open records and open meetings issues. Civil Beat.

Hawaii’s largest public pension fund lost about 6 percent of its value in the recent stock market correction. The Employees' Retirement System Star-Advertiser.

Bill Would Require Insurance Coverage Of Emergency Flights To Mainland. Patients who need to travel quickly for organ transplants can pay from $80,000 to $130,000 for air ambulance service. Civil Beat.

Hawaii lawmakers are pursuing legislation that would update the state’s disaster preparedness protocols after the false ballistic missile alert last month. Tribune-Herald.

DOE could be sued over lack of female locker rooms – a violation of federal law. The ACLU has given DOE a deadline of one month to come up with a plan to provide all student athletes equal access to locker rooms. Hawaii News Now.

University of Hawaii Cancer Center researchers are seeking legislative funding for a three-year study to determine why Hawaii has one of the highest rates of liver cancer in the country. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii regulators approve revised tariffs for Hawaiian Electric rate increase. Pacific Business News.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution, traveled across Hawaii this past weekend to promote citizen engagement, grassroots organizing, and efforts to reform and strengthen democracy and the Democratic Party. Garden Island.

Oahu

Development Lobbyist Failed To Register With Honolulu Ethics Commission. David Arakawa hadn’t registered to lobby at Honolulu Hale for at least five years. And then a reporter asked him about it. Civil Beat.

Moratorium on ‘monster homes’ faces final vote. A final vote on a bill placing a temporary moratorium on large-scale homes is scheduled for today, and Honolulu City Council members have been getting mounting pressure from both opponents and supporters of the “monster houses” legislation. Star-Advertiser.

Several bills were introduced at this year’s state Legislature to address concerns about large-scale houses. Star-Advertiser.

Bill would prevent sweep of Waianae homeless camp. Star-Advertiser.

Family members of a man who says four officers forced him to lick a urinal allege the extent of the abuse is worse than first reported. Hawaii News Now.

Should buses and other large vehicles be kept out of the freeway’s fast lane? KHON2.

Third Deedy trial pushed back as attorney prepares federal appeal. There's another delay in the latest trial of a State Department special agent who fatally shot a man inside a Waikiki McDonald's in 2011. Hawaii News Now.

Number of Honolulu Zoo exhibits & visitors going up. KITV.

Honolulu has been named one of the healthiest cities in the United States, according to a new report. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Island

Bill would create new authority to run Mauna Kea. Senate Bill 3090, sponsored by state Sen. Kaiali‘i Kahele (D, Hilo) and 16 other lawmakers, would establish the Mauna Kea Management Authority as a way of installing “fresh leadership” and “a new model of governance.” Star-Advertiser.

Heated discussion at the State Capitol Monday, over a bill calling for the removal of the board that manages Mauna Kea. That board is currently run by the University of Hawaii. KITV.

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim appeared today in Honolulu for the committee hearing on the controversial Senate Bill 3090, which would upend the way Mauna Kea is currently managed. Big Island Video News.

Kahele Grills OMKM Director Nagata Over Bulldozed Ahu. Big Island Video News.

Amid TMT dispute, lawmakers look to establish new body to manage Mauna Kea. Hawaii News Now.

Homeless Villages proposal up against deadline. The program would fund 50 homeless units — 25 at two sites in Kailua-Kona and Hilo, respectively — as well as two homeless assessment centers and supportive services under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s preferred Housing First model. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii County and Hawaiian Earth Recycling continue to hammer out the details of a new agreement after Mayor Harry Kim nixed plans to build a composting facility in a quarry near the Hilo landfill. Tribune-Herald.

This Hilo Community Fears Its ‘Toxic’ Neighbors. With a nearby airport, landfill, sewage plant, port and petroleum tanks, Hawaiian Homestead residents in Keaukaha want health concerns addressed. Civil Beat.

Hawaii County’s Mayor has about three weeks to send a budget to the County Council. Since 2000, the budget has increased more than 250 percent. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hilton Waikola Village recently became the first resort on the Big Island to discontinue the use of plastic straws and replace them with a compostable, paper alternative. Pacific Business News.

Maui

A ferry system to relieve Lahaina-bound traffic jams and shuttle sports teams within Maui County isn’t in the cards, at least for now. Maui News.

Greg Kaufman, founder of the 38-year-old Pacific Whale Foundation and a pioneer of whale watching on Maui, died Saturday. Maui News.

Pacific Whale Foundation today confirmed the passing of founder and executive director, Greg Kaufman. Maui Now.

Kauai

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Syngenta Seeds LLC have reached a settlement concerning safety violations affecting field workers on Kauai. Star-Advertiser.

EPA Settles Syngenta Pesticide Claim For Pennies On The Dollar. The GMO company will pay $150,000 instead of the $4.8 million that had been sought for exposing Kauai workers to pesticides. Civil Beat.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency came to an agreement Monday with Syngenta Seeds, LLC, to resolve violations of federal pesticide regulations at its farm in Kekaha. Garden Island.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a settlement with Syngenta Seeds to resolve violations of federal pesticide regulations at its farm in Kekaha, Kauai. Pacific Business News.

The Kauai County Council recently voted six to one to adopt the County’s General Plan. Garden Island.