Friday, January 7, 2022

Monsanto pleads guilty to environmental crimes, Oahu House seat to move to Big Island, officials grapple with record high COVID cases, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

from Monsanto Facebook page
Monsanto seed planting in Hawaii PC:Monsanto Facebook page

Monsanto enters plea agreement, accepts $12M fine in Hawaii pesticide case.
The Monsanto Company pleaded guilty in federal court this morning to two felonies, 30 misdemeanors and agreed to pay a $12 million fine for environmental crimes related to the use of a pesticide on corn fields in Hawaii and illegal storage of a banned pesticide. Star-Advertiser. Associated Press.

Reapportionment Commission approves House seat move from Oahu to Hawaii Island. The Big Island will gain an eighth seat this year in the state House of Representatives at the expense of Oahu, following an 8-0 vote Thursday by the state Reapportionment Commission. West Hawaii Today. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio. Hawaii News Now.

General fund forecast to grow 15% this fiscal year. Another sign of Hawaii’s economic recovery came Thursday when the state Council on Revenues forecast a 15% increase in the state’s general fund for the fiscal year that’s already underway as visitor arrivals in the past six months already have surpassed the 3.3 million tourists who came to the islands in fiscal year 2021.  Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

Well-known Hawaii businessman considers run for governor on Republican ticket. Successful developer 75-year-old Peter Savio says Hawaii has been saddled with the same problems for years and believes he’s got out of the box solutions. Hawaii News Now.

About 100 Hawaii National Guard soldiers to be deployed to the Middle East.
The Department of Defense has notified about 100 Hawaii Army National Guard soldiers that they will be deployed to the Middle East in 2023. Officials said it will be a year-long deployment in which soldiers will be supporting the US Central Command efforts in the region. Hawaii News Now.

At least 8 Hawaii charter schools go virtual or extend break due to COVID-19
. Kamaile Academy Public Charter School in Waianae has sent 100 middle school students home to quarantine, while DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach has shifted to full virtual learning for at least two weeks. Star-Advertiser.

7 Hawaiian Air employees file class-action lawsuit to block vaccine mandate. The suit claims Hawaiian Air is violating their religious rights and disability protections by denying all requests for medical or religious exemptions. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Faces A Shortage In Covid Treatments As Cases Reach New Highs. The Health Department reported a record 4,789 cases on Thursday, saying the high number was in part the result of New Year’s celebrations. Civil Beat.

20% of those in Hawaii hospitals with COVID were actually admitted for other reasons, experts say. Hawaii officials are considering changing the way COVID hospitalizations are tallied because a growing number of those in Hawaii hospitals with the virus are actually getting care for other reasons. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii reports 4 new coronavirus-related deaths, sets new record with 4,789 additional infections. The new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 3,245 new cases on Oahu, 508 on Hawaii Island, 676 on Maui, 213 on Kauai, 41 on Molokai, 17 on Lanai and 89 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu


Honolulu’s Republican Party Told To Move Fundraiser Off Army Base. The event at Schofield Barracks was to feature mainland party activist Scott Presler, described in reports as anti-Muslim. Civil Beat.

Miske associate ‘Harry Boy’ Kauhi details Hawaii murder-for-hire in plea deal. A member of an alleged Hawaii crime lord’s organization entered into a plea agreement with the federal government today, acknowledging a role in murder for hire schemes, racketeering, and robbery. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

Grand Princess passenger cruise set to dock in Honolulu on Jan. 9. The Grand Princess, which will be sailing from California, will be docking on Sunday, Jan. 9, in Honolulu. It is the first cruise ship with passengers welcomed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic after the state reached an agreement with Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Lines. KHON2.

Key congressional panel poised to press Navy on whether they’ll de-fuel Red Hill tanks. The House Armed Services’ Subcommittee on Readiness will call some of the Navy’s top officials in Hawaii and on the mainland to testify about the fuel spill. They will also question them about whether the Navy plans to comply with the state’s order to shut down the fuel tanks. Hawaii News Now.

December caps record year for Oʻahu real estate. Home prices expected to rise in 2022. For a sixth consecutive month, the median price for a single-family home on Oʻahu was more than a million dollars, according to a new report from local real estate firm Locations Hawaiʻi. Hawaii Public Radio.

Several well-known radio personalities laid off.
Danielle Tucker, Billy V, Wayne Maria, and Gregg and Shawnee Hammer were among 20 people at four Honolulu stations who lost their jobs. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

First cruise ship in nearly two years slated to arrive in Hawaii next week. Carnival Corp.’s Grand Princess is scheduled to be the first passenger cruise ship to arrive in Hawaii since March 2020. Tribune-Herald.

HPD Investigates Anonymous Threatening Calls to Waiākea High. Hawai‘i police have initiated terroristic threatening cases in connection to threats received by personnel at Waiākea High School two days in a row. Big Island Now. KITV4.

Maui

Maui County delays update of ‘fully vaccinated’ status that adds COVID-19 booster. Maui Mayor Michael Victorino has announced the postponement until Jan. 24 of implementation of new public health rules that, in part, revises the definition of “fully vaccinated” to include those who have received a COVID-19 booster shot. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

‘Priority projects’ aim to reach 5,000-unit goal. The Maui County Council is hoping a series of housing projects in the works will help the county reach its goal of building 5,000 affordable for-rent and for-sale units over the next five years. Maui News.

Maui COVID-19 hospitalizations rise to 20, up 67% in first week of the new year.
Of the 20 patients hospitalized today, there is just one COVID-19 patient in the ICU, and none on ventilators. Maui Now.

Kalaupapa has thousands of unmarked graves. A proposed memorial would honor all who lived there. Exactly 156 years ago on Thursday, the first dozen people diagnosed with leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, landed at Kalaupapa on Molokaʻi. Hawaii Public Radio. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai

Kawakami: no new restrictions; 240 new cases. Kaua‘i’s surge in COVID-19 cases attributed to the omicron variant and holiday events isn’t over, Mayor Derek Kawakami said Thursday, but that does not mean there will be new restrictions to the county. Garden Island.

State, feds announce cash flows to Lihu‘e Airport. Ongoing projects at Lihu‘e Airport have gotten funding boosts in recent weeks, following announcements of state and federal disbursements. Garden Island.


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