Monday, July 18, 2022

Huge south swell batters Hawaii, SECNAV in Hawaii to observe RIMPAC, permit lag stymies Honolulu solar installation, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

‘Like a tsunami’: Huge south swell sends waves crashing into homes, businesses. Oceanfront communities around the state started clean-up efforts Sunday, a day after a huge south swell sent waves crashing into homes, businesses and roadways. Hawaii News Now. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now. Maui Now. KHON2.

Navy secretary in Hawaii to observe RIMPAC. U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro is in Hawaii this week to observe Rim of the Pacific exercises as the first step of a multinational tour of the Pacific. Star-Advertiser.

RIMPAC sinking exercise: live fire sinks decommissioned vessel north of Kauaʻi. Live fire from Rim of the Pacific 2022 partner nation ships and aircraft sank the decommissioned ex-USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60) July 12, in waters 15,000 feet deep, 50 nautical miles north of Kauaʻi. Maui Now. Garden Island.

2 sailors injured in engine fire aboard Peruvian ship participating in RIMPAC. Two Peruvian sailors suffered burns during RIMPAC exercises Sunday and were airlifted to a hospital on Oahu. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. Star-Advertiser.

Candidates For Governor Describe Hawaii’s Correctional System As ‘Deplorable’. Both Kai Kahele and Vicky Cayetano said they would explore new opportunities for using the governor’s clemency powers if elected. Civil Beat.

The Top Hawaii LG Candidates Have Spent $2 Million Telling Voters Who They Are. Keith Amemiya was the top fundraiser through the first six months of 2022, but was outspent by state Rep. Sylvia Luke. Civil Beat.

Tourism, homelessness up for discussion at Native Hawaiian convention. More than 150 guests and 1,500 attendees are expected at this week’s Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s 21st annual Native Hawaiian Convention, where wide-ranging discussions are planned for everything from sustainable tourism to homelessness. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

New law hikes fines for cellphone use while driving. The measure raised the fine for the use of a cellphone or mobile electronic device while driving from $250 to $300. In addition, if the infraction takes place while driving in a school zone or construction area, the penalty is hiked from $300 to $400. Tribune-Herald.

988 suicide hotline launches:
Hawaii joins nation with 3-digit number for mental health, substance use crises. The new phone number will help increase access to Hawaii CARES, a free mental health and substance use call center that links experts in the field to those in need. West Hawaii Today. Hawaii News Now.

Number of long-COVID cases continues growing, potentially affecting Hawaii workforce. An estimated 10% to 30% of people who contract the coronavirus will develop long COVID, according to Dr. Dominic Chow, a physician with Queen’s Post COVID Recovery and Care Clinic. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Has Plenty Of Pregnancy Resource Centers That Offer Alternatives To Abortion. But some doctors are concerned that the efforts will confuse and mislead women as they navigate a post-Roe world. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Nonprofit pulls out of Waikiki pavilion amid rise criminal activity. Mounting crime and increased homelessness in Waikiki have prompted the nonprofit Pacific Island Beach Boys to pull out of a concession at one of the four Kuhio Beach pavilions, which the city has used for the past several years as a tool to increase safety in the district. Star-Advertiser.

Companies pull back on solar installations for townhouses. Many Oahu solar companies have stopped taking on townhouse clients due to the long wait for building permit approval from the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting. Star-Advertiser.

‘No Parking’: Lanikai Residents Take Traffic Woes Into Their Own Hands. The Honolulu City Council asked the transportation department for a plan to mitigate the parking problems in the popular beachside neighborhood. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Lava buyouts begin: Five first phase applicants close deals with county. The Voluntary Housing Buyout Program allows owners of properties that were isolated, damaged or destroyed by the 2018 Kilauea eruption to sell their land to the county, which purchases the parcels using funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Tribune-Herald.

Council seeks answers about homeless program. The county Housing Office and representatives of an island nonprofit are being asked to justify programs at a Kailua-Kona homeless shelter after several West Hawaii council members balked at extending a lease arrangement for up to five more years. West Hawaii Today.

Two libraries slated for Puna: New Pahoa facility likely will be located at proposed transit hub. Attached to this year’s state budget, roughly $2 million was allocated to build a new library in Keaau. Another state library, for the lower Puna area, is being considered alongside a county transit hub as part of a co-location for both facilities. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Spending report: Bissen, Victorino lead mayoral candidates in campaign funds
. Maui County mayoral candidate Richard Bissen Jr. raised nearly $252,000 in the last two months, about four times as much as his nearest competitor, incumbent Mayor Michael Victorino, who brought in $62,153.12 in contributions during the same period from April 26 to June 30. Maui News.

Surfrider Foundation’s Blue Water Task Force reports high bacteria levels at five Maui sites. Five locations on Maui have high levels of enterococcus bacteria, according to samples taken on July 13, as part of a citizen scientist program conducted monthly by the Surfrider Foundation. Maui Now.

Kauai

Kauai Voters Rarely Elect Women To County Council. Will That Change This Election? Unlike other counties, Kauai’s council has never had a female majority. Experts say voter bias isn’t to blame. Civil Beat.

Swell smashes South Shore. County and state officials are urging the public to stay away from the shorelines along Po‘ipu and other areas on the South Shore and west-facing beaches because significant wave run-ups on roadways and into properties near shore have been reported. Garden Island.

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