Legislature passes Hawaiian homestead funding, Cayetano apologizes for comments on Hawaiian language, Honolulu not conserving water, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Children play at Hawaiian Home Lands campsite ©2022 All Hawaii News

Historic Hawaiian homestead funding approved. The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is a couple of short steps away from receiving a record $600 million largely to produce a few thousand homesteads for Native Hawaiians. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Thousands Of Hawaiians Could Lose Phone And Internet Service Amid Bankruptcy Dispute. Sandwich Isles Communications has been changing locks, barricading doors and welding gates shut to keep out Hawaiian Telcom employees in a bitter feud over bankruptcy fallout. Civil Beat.

Former Gov. Ben Cayetano apologizes for Facebook post. Former Gov. Ben Caye­tano apologized this week after receiving harsh blowback and lessons in Hawaiian history and language when he questioned why he never knew any Native Hawaiian classmates who were beaten in school for speaking Hawaiian. Star-Advertiser.

Democratic Rep. Kai Kahele will retire from Congress, source says. Democratic Rep. Kai Kahele of Hawaii is retiring from Congress at the end of his term, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The congressman has been telling colleagues that he intends to run for governor. CNN.

Legislative conflicts put Hawaii Tourism Authority funding at risk. State House and Senate conferees left HTA funding out of House Bill 1600 when approving their final version of the state’s $17 billion supplemental budget for the upcoming fiscal year Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Attempt to ban drone fishing questioned by some Maui, Neighbor Isle fishers. SB 2065 would prohibit the possession or use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, in Hawaiʻi waters for fishing, unless permitted by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Maui Now.

Crisis on the streets: Stemming the tide of inbound homeless. Once travel quarantine, testing and vaccination rules were lifted, the floodgates opened for all kinds of travelers. KHON2.

Big budget surplus means more taxpayer help for Hawaii nonprofits — and the people they serve. State lawmakers are ready to approve a budget that includes nearly $50 million in grants to private groups and organizations around the state. Hawaii News Now.

Growing push seeks to prevent the state from taking millions in benefits from foster kids. Over the past four years, Hawaii has taken more than $1.5 million from kids living in foster care in the form of Social Security payments and survivor’s benefits. There are close to 3,000 children in Hawaii’s foster care system. On average, the state received Social Security payments on behalf of 37 youth a year between 2018 and 2021. Those benefits during that time period totaled close to $1.5 million. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Health Department detects two new omicron mutants. The Hawaii Department of Health in its variant report published Wednesday afternoon confirmed the presence of two descendants of BA.2 — BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Green Lawns And Pools: Honolulu’s Biggest Water Users Struggle To Conserve. Despite calls to use 10% less water, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply says it hasn’t seen a significant drop in usage. Civil Beat.

Honolulu Police Chief Finalists Will Face The Public In TV Interview. The Honolulu Police Commission hopes to announce the city’s next police chief by early June. Civil Beat.

A Starbucks in Mililani could become the first unionized location in Hawaiʻi. The staff at the Mililani Town Center Starbucks won’t know if they have the votes to unionize until next week, but one organizer, Nate Jaramillo, is cautiously optimistic. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii Island

Round 3 for tax credit plan: Council members to discuss giving a $250 offset to qualifying homeowners. A proposed $250 tax credit for qualifying homeowners will be discussed once again at a County Council committee hearing next week. Tribune-Herald.

Lawmakers delay Mauna Kea decision. State House and Senate lawmakers Thursday delayed approval of the Mauna Kea governance bill, saying it continues to be a work in progress. Star-Advertiser.

Commission says county erred in sewer bills. The county was in error 23 years ago when it started charging owners of a historic home on Alii Drive two sewer fees instead of one, the county Environmental Management Commission said Wednesday. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Budget bill passes with funds for multiple Maui County projects. The Senate and House of Representatives’ money committees have approved the state budget bill, which includes funding for Maui hospital expansion, a new school in Central Maui and axis deer management. Maui News.

Even Apartment Dwellers Could Cash In On This Huge Lanai Solar Project. The planned 10,000-panel project is expected to meet the majority of the island’s current energy needs. Civil Beat. Maui Now.

Kauai

New COVID death ‘somber reminder’ pandemic persists. A 70-year-old Kaua‘i man has died of COVID-19 and local case numbers have more than doubled, Mayor Derek Kawakami reported Thursday. Garden Island.

Showrunner John Wells sells Kilauea ranch for $22.5M. The creative force behind hit TV shows like “ER,” “The West Wing” and “Shameless” parted ways with 237 acres of North Shore property this week. Garden Island.

Effort afoot to populate petrels on Moku‘ae‘ae. Last week, workers from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project and volunteers from Archipelago Research and Conservation, took the first steps to create a new colony of band-rumped storm petrels on Moku‘ae‘ae. Garden Island.