Thursday, May 5, 2022

Ige off to Japan to tout tourism, Caldwell drops out of gubernatorial race, Hawaii County Council nixes fuel tax cut, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Ige Seeks To Persuade Japan That Hawaii Is Safe For Travel. The governor will travel to Japan next week to promote a return of visitors from Hawaii’s third-largest tourist market. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser.

Lawmakers Fail To Expand Access To Assisted Suicide In Hawaii. The House and the Senate could not agree on allowing APRNs and physician assistants to prescribe the lethal drug. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser.

Despite strong opposition from some, water cremation poised to become legal in Hawaii.
Hawaii could soon be the 22nd state to allow water cremation. Hawaii News Now.

Slow spending of federal COVID-19 aid for education frustrates Hawaii teachers, parents. The state Department of Education is getting the lion’s share of Hawaii’s Education Stabilization Fund allotment, but according to federal data, it has so far spent only 27.1% of its $639.5 million total in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, also known as ESSER. Star-Advertiser.

Kirk Caldwell Drops Out Of Race For Hawaii Governor. The former Honolulu mayor said his fledging campaign struggled with funding and momentum. Civil Beat. Maui Now. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

House Rep. Patrick Branco Announces Run For Congress. The former U.S. diplomat says he wants to represent Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District for the long term unlike others who have held the seat. Civil Beat.

University of Hawaii students feel safer from harassment, survey says. The results of a University of Hawaii survey indicate students across the 10-campus system feel safer overall from sexual harassment and gender-based violence. Star-Advertiser.

COVID-19 cases forecast to rise into mid-May without huge impact on hospitals. The Department of Health eported the state’s seven-day average of new cases at 485 on Wednesday, representing the sixth consecutive weekly increase. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii records 10 new coronavirus-related deaths, 4,249 new infections. By island, there were 2,855 new infections reported on Oahu, 565 on Hawaii Island, 468 on Maui, 233 on Kauai, 25 on Lanai, and nine on Molokai. Another 94 infections were reported out of state. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Oahu

City council gives HPD the green light to transfer $3.4 million to help pay for overtime costs. The resolution, RES22-086, authorizes HPD to use $3.4 million meant for its administrative services salaries to cover salary shortages in the police chief's office, patrol, special field operations, and investigations. KITV4.

Taxpayers to fund defense for retired detective linked to wrongful conviction case. Honolulu taxpayers will foot the bill for a retired HPD detective who helped prosecute a man for a sexual assault that he didn’t commit. Hawaii News Now.

Honolulu police arrest 658 for impaired driving so far this year. More than 650 people have been arrested for impaired driving on Oahu and Honolulu police are setting up sobriety checkpoints at random locations around the island through June 30. Star-Advertiser.

Security guard fighting for his life after attack. A security guard is fighting for his life after being attacked while on the job Tuesday night in downtown Honolulu. This latest incident is raising concerns among those who work in the area. KHON2. Star-Advertiser.

Crews replace carpet once again following flood damage at Honolulu airport. Crews at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport are dealing with flood damage for the second time in less than two months. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

No gas tax relief: Council kills 10-cent discount on 4-4 tie. A deadlocked County Council on Wednesday put the brakes on any relief from the county gas tax this year, even after the measure’s sponsor tried to make the plan more palatable by adding a deadline limiting the 10-cent per gallon discount to eight months. West Hawaii Today. Hawaii Public Radio. Big Island Now. KHON2.

Ige ‘open’ to Maunakea bill: Inouye, Acasio vote against measure to remove UH as manager of summit area. Gov. David Ige indicated Wednesday he may support legislation to remove the University of Hawaii as manager of the Maunakea summit area. Tribune-Herald.

No conflict: Judge to render verdict in bench trial despite previously representing defendant. A Kona Circuit Court judge will still render a verdict in a bench trial despite previously representing the defendant as a defense attorney. West Hawaii Today.

Connections charter school case being appealed to high court. The state Land Use Commission’s denial of an application by Connections New Century Public Charter School for a special use permit to build a campus in Hilo on about 70 acres of state land zoned for agriculture is being appealed. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Report: Maui Needs A Plan If It Actually Wants To End Homelessness. Maui’s Cost of Government Commission, a nine-member group tasked with looking for ways to make the county government more effective, recently released a 559-page report looking at ways Maui could end homelessness and ensure that anyone who loses their housing can get into a shelter. Civil Beat.

Maui Fair canceled for third year in a row; 98th Maui Fair to resume in 2023. While they had hoped to hold the 98th event this year, the Maui Fair Alliance Board reluctantly decided to postpone the event until next year. Maui Now. Maui News.

Kauai

Kapa‘a Public Library must move.
The Hawai‘i State Public Library System has completed a preliminary evaluation of alternative sites and has identified a desirable location at the southern-most portion of the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital campus. Garden Island.

Kaua‘i students’ college enrollment stayed low in 2021. College enrollments, which dropped at the onset of the pandemic, have remained down on Kaua‘i. Garden Island.

Former Kauai prosecuting attorney joins Hawaii Innocence Project. Justin F. Kollar, who served as Kauai County prosecuting attorney from 2012 to 2021, will work as a volunteer attorney and help HIP co-Director Kenneth Lawson and HIP Associate Director Jennifer Brown supervise law students from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Star-Advertiser.

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