Monsanto to pay $12M for illegal pesticide use in Hawaii, cyber attack shuts down Honolulu transit servers, teachers escape discipline, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Monsanto workers (from Monsanto Hawaii Facebook page)

Monsanto to plead guilty to illegal pesticide use in Hawaii; pay $12M in fines. The court filing said Monsanto agreed to plead guilty to 30 environmental crimes after workers were allowed to go into corn fields last year on Oahu after glufosinate ammonium-based product named Forfeit 280 was sprayed on the fields. The company will also plead guilty to two felony crimes related to the storage of a banned chemical on Maui. Associated Press. Civil Beat. Big Island Now. Hawaii News Now.

U.S. and Japan continue to heal wounds of war in Ford Island ceremony. At the end of Pearl Harbor anniversary events, after the veterans who fought back that day and fought during World War II are rightly honored, after the 2,403 American service member and civilian casualties from the day of infamy are memorialized, there is another remembrance. Star-Advertiser.

How Does Hawaii’s DOE Deal With Teachers Accused Of Misconduct? One teacher was fired four months after being sentenced in a criminal case. Civil Beat.

Hawaii records 1 new coronavirus-related death, 143 additional infections. The new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 98 new cases on Oahu, 13 on Hawaii Island, 21 on Maui, eight on Kauai and three Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Cyberattack shuts down servers at theBus, Handi-Van. Honolulu Police Department, the FBI and the Secret Service are investigating the incident, which city transit officials said might be a ransomware attack. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Transportation department seeking public comment about adding H-1 eastbound lane. The state Department of Transportation is seeking public comment for a proposed widening of the H-1 freeway. The DOT wants to add an eastbound lane to the interstate from the Ola Lane overpass to the Likelike Highway off-ramp. Hawaii Public Radio.

Chinatown May Get More Affordable Housing For Older Adults, Plus A Hotel. The proposal comes as Honolulu is struggling to provide affordable housing on an island where the median price for a home rose above $1 million earlier this year. Civil Beat.

City removes benches, tables at Waikiki pavilions to curb crime. The City Department of Parks & Recreation removed the benches inside the pavilion to prevent illegal activities in the area, but not everyone is happy with their methods. KHON2.

Aiea-Halawa well doesn’t have detectable petroleum, Navy officials now say. A day after the Navy reported dangerously high levels of diesel fuel in water samples collected at its Aiea-Halawa well, officials said the contamination came from an unused segment of the distribution system and that the well does not have detectable levels of petroleum. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. KITV4.

BWS says keeping Navy fuel out of aquifer will be a long-term challenge. The Board of Water Supply warned Oahu households and businesses Thursday that its system could eventually be impacted by the Navy’s petroleum contamination. Hawaii News Now.

More than 322K gallons of sewage discharges on Oahu; multiple water advisories remain. The torrential rains and storm brought on by the “Kona low” earlier this week resulted in at least nine sewer discharges across Oahu, with water advisories that are expected to remain in effect for several more days. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Ready for prime time: New County Council maps set for public hearings. New County Council districts proposed by the Redistricting Commission are now ready for prime time, and the commission has set hearings next week to see what the public thinks of its work. West Hawaii Today.

Hilo skatepark mulled. About 70 people, including members of the Hilo Skateplaza Coalition, attended a meeting best described as a brainstorming session about the design of a long-hoped-for skatepark to be built on about 2.5 acres of undeveloped county land across from the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, where the meeting was held. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Kula Water Restoration Underway, All Main Line Breaks Repaired. Parts of Kula remain without water this evening, but could have service restored by tonight into tomorrow, barring any further breaks to water lines, according to officials with the County of Maui Department of Water Supply. Maui Now.

Sale of Royal Lahaina Resort to BlackSand Capital is Complete. BlackSand Capital, a locally owned and managed Hawai‘i real estate investment firm, completed the purchase of the Royal Lahaina Resort on Maui from Pleasant Travel Service on Dec. 9. Maui Now.

Kauai

Hanama‘ulu homeowners’ black-slime problem persists. Homeowners in a local housing development continue to fight chronic “black slime” biofilm and health issues they claim are caused by contaminated plumbing installed by the builder, nearly three years after some households first noticed the problem. Garden Island.

New Waimea substation without phone, internet. The Waimea substation relocated to the West Kaua‘i Technology Center at 9565 Kaumuali‘i Hwy. from its previous Ola Road locale, which had been used by KPD since 2013. Garden Island.