Hawaii set to test ranked-choice voting, Supreme Court explains redistricting decision, NTSB says deadly Kauai tour helicopter crash 100% preventable, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

 

Ballot testing in Hawaii ©2022 All Hawaii News

Ranked-choice voting set to be used in some special elections. Hawaii is set to use ranked-choice voting for the first time after state law‑ makers passed a bill that would test the voting method in certain winner-take-all special elections. Star-Advertiser.

Supreme Court explains reapportionment decision: Majority and dissenters release long-awaited opinions. Hawaii Supreme Court justices have released their opinions on why they voted as they did in a divided ruling that dismissed a challenge to how the state Reapportionment Commission determined boundary lines for state legislative districts. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii police officers’ union endorses former Honolulu councilman in Lt. Gov. race. The state’s police union is putting its support behind Ikaika Anderson in the race for Lieutenant Governor. Hawaii News Now.

Stiffer penalties ahead: Bill doubling prison term for fatal DUI crashes awaits Ige’s signature. A measure increasing the penalty on a person convicted of first-degree negligent homicide while driving under the influence of an intoxicant is one step away from becoming law. West Hawaii Today.

A ‘poor tool’ for justice? Bail reform measure heads to Gov. Ige for consideration. A bill passed last week by state Legislature would eliminate the use of monetary bail and require defendants to be released on their own recognizance for certain nonviolent offenses. Tribune-Herald.

Lawmakers request audit of driver’s ed program: Goal is to reduce backlog of students awaiting instruction. House Concurrent Resolution 125 requests a performance audit of the Hawaii driver’s ed programs to examine administrative policies and procedures. Tribune-Herald.

US Rep. Ed Case says White House is open to Jones Act exemption amid fuel import monopoly. U.S. Rep. Ed Case says it’s time for the Biden Administration to support an exemption for Hawaiʻi when it comes to the federal 1920 Jones Act. That law requires any cargo, including fuel, transported between two U.S. ports to be carried on U.S.-built and U.S-flagged ships. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

Honolulu City Council picks projects for COVID-19 relief funds. Honolulu City Council members Tuesday added about $167 mil­­­lion in projects they want funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act to the proposed city budget, with a focus on housing and job development. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu to launch agricultural grant program for farmers. A new $3 million federally funded agricultural grant program for farmers, ranchers and other growers on Oahu is being developed by Honolulu’s city government to support local agriculture. Star-Advertiser.

HART says $330M park-and-ride facility may need to be relocated to cut costs. The CEO of the rail authority said they may have to relocate a massive park-and-ride structure in order to cut costs on the embattled project. The 1,600-stall garage slated for the industrial area by the Pearl Highland Shopping Center has been put on hold because it could cost $330 million. Hawaii News Now.

Spending over $100 per bird, city discusses more effective ways to combat feral chickens. Over the last two months, traps in 5 locations have caught 67 chickens. Hawaii News Now.

Crime On Oahu Is Bouncing Back To Pre-Pandemic Levels. The number of homicides and car thefts have spiked on Hawaii’s most populous island, according to HPD data. Civil Beat.

Waikīkī opens first all-rental property in decades. Līlia Waikīkī sits across from the International Market Place on Kūhiō Avenue. Monthly rents start at $2,300 for studios to $6,255 for three-bedroom units. Hawaii Public Radio.

Document shows sailor found dead last year at Pearl Harbor served aboard a deeply troubled submarine. More than a year after a submariner died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound while on guard duty at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, a Navy report on its investigation into the command climate aboard the USS Charlotte shines a light on the toxic work environment he and his crewmates endured in the months leading up to his death. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

NELHA to grow research village, add visitor center. NELHA has announced plans to build new innovation center, which will expand the research campus located in North Kona. Also planned is a visitors center where the community can host events, such as concerts, birthdays, etc., at the Hawaii Ocean Science Technology Park, also known as the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority. West Hawaii Today.

2022 Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament Cancelled. The event is called off due in part to uncertainty around travel logistics as well as rapidly rising costs. Big Island Video News.

Celebration of Life Lantern Floating Event Returns to Reeds Bay. The Celebration of Life Lantern Floating Event returns after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Big Island Now.

Maui

Lawsuit against Maui County remains despite council’s vote to allow Taser sales. Maui residents are the only ones in Hawaiʻi who can’t buy a Taser in their county, and the representative of a lawsuit against the county said the legal pressure won’t stop until that changes.  Maui Now.

State’s $192M housing, civic center project in Kahului advances. A $192 million Kahului plan to develop 300 affordable and market-rate units, along with a civic center for state office space, cleared a hurdle in the approval process. Maui Now.

Developer wants to turn proposed hotel site into apartment complex. Six-story Hotel Wailuku on pause, landowner supportive of new plans for site. Lokahi Global Corporation’s proposal envisions a four-story housing building and a four-story parking structure on a piece of property near the corner of Main and Market streets. Maui News. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Pacific Island Nations Want More Renewable Power. Climate Financing May Help. Maui-based Mana Pacific is helping to give Pacific nations greater access to renewable energy infrastructure through collective buying power and resource sharing. Civil Beat.

Kauai

Kauai helicopter crash that killed 7 was ‘100% preventable,’ report says. Federal investigators blamed a deadly 2019 helicopter crash on Kauai on the pilot’s decision to keep flying into worsening weather, and in a report today they accused regulators of lax oversight of air tours that are popular among tourists to the islands. Associated Press. Garden Island. Hawaii News Now.

The Kauai Landfill ‘Conundrum’ Could Quickly Become A ‘Public Health Hazard’. The island’s only landfill is filling up fast. But the places available to put a new landfill are severely limited. Civil Beat.