Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Hawaii Democrats say Case doesn't represent party values, schools cut COVID quarantines in half, Navy to drain Red Hill fuel tanks, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

 

U.S. Rep. Ed Case

Hawaii Democrats: Rep. Case Does Not Reflect Party’s Values And Principles
. The Democratic Party of Hawaii has passed a resolution expressing “disappointment” with U.S. Rep. Ed Case over his position on one of President Joe Biden’s top legislative priorities. The congressman is criticized for his stance on Build Back Better, but Case says the party mischaracterizes his position and never bothered to call him. Civil Beat.

New guidance for Hawaii schools cuts isolation, quarantine in half.
The recommended amount of time that teachers and students should isolate or quarantine for COVID-19 has now been cut from the previous 10 days to five, under new interim state rules for Hawaii K-12 schools. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now. Maui Now. Garden Island. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Is The Hawaii Legislature Ready To Give Teachers A Raise? With a rosier economic outlook, the state teachers union and other advocates are stepping up calls to boost teacher pay as Hawaii’s Legislature prepares to convene in its annual session next week. Civil Beat.

DLNR Asks Hawaii Legislators For An Additional $31.6 Million. The budget boost would help the department hire more people in order to better maintain state parks and trails, officials said. Civil Beat.

Report: Hawaii Voters Support Upgrades to State Online Services, But Not With Tax Hikes. A majority of Hawaii voters surveyed support using taxpayer money to improve online access to state services, but only a quarter would back higher taxes to pay for these upgrades, according to a recent survey from Transform Hawaii Government. Civil Beat.

30 Hawaiian cultural programs receive $1.5 million from Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. Building on its commitment to support Hawaiian culture, the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is providing $1,475,000 in 2022 to 30 community-based programs in the Aloha State through its Kukula Ola program. Maui Now.

Home prices peaked in 2021 on neighbor islands. All of Hawaii’s neighbor island housing markets set median sale price records in 2021 for single-family homes and condominiums. Star-Advertiser.

COVID test results taking longer to return. The demand for COVID testing has increased in the last few weeks which means some people are having to wait days to get their results. KHON2.

Hawaii sees 2,929 new coronavirus cases, bringing statewide total to 150,028. The new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 1,999 new cases on Oahu, 208 on Hawaii Island, 496 on Maui, 180 on Kauai, 21 on Molokai, seven on Lanai and 18 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Navy to drain Red Hill fuel tanks but won’t rule out future legal challenges to Hawaii emergency order.
Navy officials told federal lawmakers Tuesday that they will comply with an emergency order issued by the state of Hawaii to defuel the service’s underground Red Hill tanks.  Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Associated Press. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Health Department expands Red Hill water contamination health survey. The Hawaii Department of Health has expanded its health survey of people affected by the petroleum contamination in the Navy’s drinking water system. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu technology department modernized systems but there's room for improvement, audit says. A new report is making several recommendations to improve a department in charge of the city’s digital infrastructure. But the department’s head disagrees with its findings. Hawaii Public Radio.

Honolulu Rail Board Members Signal Strong Satisfaction With Kahikina’s Job So Far. An official slide presentation on the new executive director’s performance cites plenty of achievements but no critiques. Civil Beat.

Oahu Emergency Medical Services stressed due to high call volume. Before the pandemic, EMS would receive about 200 to 250 calls a day. Now that number has gone up to over 300. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Hawaii Island

West Hawaii May Get House Seat As Reapportionment Shake-Up Continues. The Big Island could have eight seats in the 51-member Hawaii House as the state redistricting process continues and new maps emerge. Civil Beat.

A Grand return to Hilo: Passengers, vendors excited to have cruise ships back; some on social media critical. The first cruise ship passengers have arrived in Hilo since March 2020. Tribune-Herald.

The great gate debate: Lawsuits follow plan to gate Kaiolu Drive. Property owners along a private Holualoa road are embroiled in litigation over a gate some owners are building to try to make the area safer at night. West Hawaii Today.

U.S. Renal Care to open new dialysis clinics in Hilo, Kona. The Big Island is slated to get new kidney dialysis clinics in Hilo and Kailua-Kona. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

The Maui Charter Commission Is Weighing 85 Changes To County Government.
Later this month members of the public can comment on the proposed amendments, which if approved by voters would reform county elections, policing, zoning and more. Taken as a whole, a preliminary set of 85 proposals assembled by the Maui Charter Commission would dramatically increase the size of government, establishing four new departments and 19 new boards and commissions. The reforms are estimated to cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Civil Beat.

Upper Kula water now disinfected with chlorine. The Department of Water Supply changed its water distribution disinfectant from chloramines to chlorine in an attempt to clear away the last trace amounts of total coliform bacteria and E. coli from the Upper Kula water system. The change went into effect on Monday. Maui Now.

Kauai

Alaka‘i O Kaua’i Charter School dream up to space with NASA project. Three Alaka‘i O Kaua‘i Charter School students are preparing for liftoff. In May, NASA astronauts will assist them in delivering a sugarcane-research project to the International Space Station. Garden Island.

New bill takes look at cat holding period at Kaua‘i Humane Society. KHS is currently required by county law to hold microchipped cats for nine days. However, that may soon change. A new bill being introduced at the Kaua‘i County Council today seeks to shorten the time a cat is held before being put up for adoption to five days. Garden Island.


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