Hawaii revising union laws following Janus decision, ballot testing and election updates, Maui council aide gets $100k county grant, volcano still simmers, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Union rally, 2009 All Hawaii News file photo

State Moves to Stop Fee Collection for Non-Union Employees. The policy, outlined in a memo from the State Comptroller, was spurred by last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Janus v AFSCME. Hawaii Public Radio.

How Gov Candidates Would Grow Hawaii’s Economy. The next governor will face the challenge of not just creating new jobs, but creating high-paying jobs that allow people to afford to live in Hawaii. Civil Beat.

Gov. David Ige wins over environmentalists. It wasn’t more than two months into his term as governor when David Ige ignited the ire of environmentalists by nominating a development lobbyist for Castle & Cooke to lead the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources. Star-Advertiser.

Commentary: Hawaii News Now enables Tulsi Gabbard’s campaign hypocrisy. Hawaii News Now.

Ballot machines tested ahead of primary election. KHON2.

Important dates you should know for the upcoming election. Hawaii News Now.

'Broken Promises': Documentary on Department of Hawaiian Homelands to release at Capitol. A new documentary centered around problems within the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands will be released at the State Capitol on Monday. Hawaii News Now.

Public schools could soon be open for business. SB2051 would not only help students learn about business, but allow public schools to generate their own revenue. KHON2.

Private schools across the state are raising tuition by an average of 4 percent this fall, with the bill reaching $24,780 at Punahou School, the state’s largest independent campus. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture has issued the first licenses to growers under the state’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Program. Garden Island.

Program Fighting Childhood Obesity Secures $2 million in Funding. Maui Now.

Big Island, Kauai see higher home prices in first half of 2018. Condominium prices on the Big Island rose by double digits during the first half of this year, while Kauai saw double-digit gains in sales for both single-family homes and condominiums. Pacific Business News.

Oahu

The latest vision of Laie’s future will get its first public airing at today’s City Council Planning Committee meeting, and the draft’s author expects the sparks to fly again in a dispute that’s dragged on for years. Star-Advertiser.

A proposal for more housing in Laie, BYU expansion garners mixed reaction. On Monday, city council members will hold a special meeting that is expected to draw supporters and opponents of a controversial development plan for part of Oahu's North Shore. Hawaii News Now.

What Honolulu Rail Planners Can Learn From Puerto Rico. San Juan’s Tren Urbano, an elevated, heavy rail system like that planned in Honolulu, has struggled with low ridership and cost overruns. Civil Beat.

A Navy captain on active duty at Pearl Harbor has been censured for “repeatedly and improperly” accepting gifts from a Singapore-based defense contractor. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu’s Bright Retail Outlook May Not Linger.  Retail on Oahu has been growing over the past six months, but that could change as retailers confront two unfavorable conditions. Hawaii Public Radio.

The Marco Polo high rise almost one year after the fire. The deadly Marco Polo Condominium fire is considered one of the most destructive fires in Honolulu's history. KHON2.

Mobile phone company Sprint hitches gear to city light poles. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu home prices dip but stay close to record. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Challengers in some Hawaii Island political races say the public is missing out on the back-and-forth of debates and candidate forums because the incumbents are no-shows. West Hawaii Today.

The Pahoa Community Center will open as a polling place on primary election day, Aug. 11, to allow residents hardest hit by the ongoing Kilauea eruption to register and vote on the same day. Star-Advertiser.

As a Puna geothermal plant enters its third month of a lava-triggered shutdown, its parent company affirmed its commitment to re-opening the facility and has told the 30 full-time workers they will remain on the payroll for at least a year. Star-Advertiser.

No significant change in volcanic activity. Tribune-Herald.

Community watches anxiously as lava closes in on Puna charter school. Hawaii News Now.

Several residents are determined to stay in their Leilani Estates homes. Star-Advertiser.

Kilauea eruption downsizes one of the Big Island’s largest orchid growers. Star-Advertiser.

While most of East Hawaii is seeing a wetter-than-average year so far, much of West Hawaii is parched. That’s particularly true for the Kona coffee belt — potentially bad news for this year’s coffee crop. Tribune-Herald.

Residents in the Laaloa Avenue area are one step closer to having a park of their own. A final environmental assessment with a finding of no significant impact for the long-planned project was published Sunday in the July 8 edition of the Office of Environmental Quality Control’s twice-a-month Environmental Notice. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Atay grant for queen’s events under review. $100,000 awarded to council member’s executive assistant. Maui News.

Ige signs bill to help tenants at Lahaina complex. Law begins process to condemn land under Front Street Apartments; provides $30 million for new construction. Maui News.

Pulehunui Industrial Park, Maui’s first and only subdivision to offer M3 Industrial zoning, is now complete and available to Maui businesses. Maui Now.

Maui Leads State in Timeshare Occupancy at 96%. Maui Now.

Kauai

Candidates at WKBPA meeting. The candidates for state representative for Kauai County District 16, Stephanie Iona and incumbent Dee Morikawa, will present their platforms. Garden Island.

County talks beach repair. April’s historic flooding brought in about 70,000 cubic yards of sand to Hanalei Bay, according to a study from the University of Hawaii. That damaged Weke Road, destroyed the comfort station at Black Pot Beach and left erosion up to 12 feet deep in some areas. Garden Island.

It could be months before reconstruction starts on Hanalei’s Weke Road — the sinkhole is still there and the road is still closed after April floods wiped it out. Garden Island.

Judge rules for developer in Coco Palms dispute, paves way for Kauai resort. A Hawaii developer will be able to lay groundwork for a resort in Kauai, ending court dealings in a lengthy property dispute. Associated Press.

Condominium sales jumped on Kauai last month, along with prices, while single-family homes posted a more modest price gain on flat sales, according to data from Hawaii Information Service on behalf of the Kauai Board of Realtors. Pacific Business News.