Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Voters want legislative term limits, alleged Russian spies lived quietly on Oahu, health care access dismal, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii Legislature gets low marks for handling of corruption. The state Legislature gets an abysmally low rating for policing internal corruption in a poll of registered Hawaii voters who also overwhelmingly support lawmaker term limits and more funding for regulatory commissions focused on ethics and campaign spending. Star-Advertiser.

Education: Governor Candidates Say More Money Is Needed To Fix Hawaii’s Schools. Both Josh Green and Vicky Cayetano say teacher pay increases are key to improving the system. The candidates also floated ideas such as housing stipends and a new literacy program. Civil Beat.

Hawaii police officers get a raise and bonus under new union contract. Police officers across the state are getting a pay raise. The new contract was issued by the arbitrator on Tuesday. They'll get a pay raise amounting to 15.76% in their base wage. KITV4.

Does US Sen. Brian Schatz Have ‘A Job For Life?’ Hawaii’s senior senator is on the ballot this year but faces little competition. Some say it’s because he made all the right moves. Civil Beat.

They lived quiet lives in Hawaii for years. The US alleges they were actually Russian spies. A couple living quietly in Kapolei for years were actually Russian spies, federal agents with the state Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service allege. Walter Glenn Primose, also known as Bobby Edward Fort, and Gwynn Darle Morrison, aka Julie Lyn Montague, were arrested in a raid Friday morning. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. KITV4.

Former Kaneohe Marine associated with neo-Nazi group plotted attacks, feds say. Prosecutors allege that while serving at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe, Cpl. Matthew Bel­anger was secretly conspiring to commit mass murder and sexual assault to “decrease the number of minority residents” in the United States as part of his membership in a far-right neo-Nazi group called Rape­krieg. Star-Advertiser.

Molokaʻi, Honolulu Airports to receive $34M to improve infrastructure and safety. Moloka‘i Airport and the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Oʻahu will receive nearly $34 million in combined funding from the US Department of Transportation to improve their runways and taxiways. Maui Now.

Health care access in Hawaii bleak, report finds. Community First, a nonprofit based in Hilo, released the “Access to Care” report Tuesday — a snapshot based on online survey results from nearly 3,300 Hawaii residents, along with input from more than 300 health care providers statewide in April and May. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Big Island Video News. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

New diversity director of Queen’s Health System seeks to better serve Hawaiʻi’s diverse communities. Hepua Hermosura, a licensed clinical psychologist, will lead Queen’s initiatives to better serve and support Hawaiʻi’s diverse communities. She said that means ensuring all identities across race, ethnicity, culture, gender and sexual orientation are represented in decision making. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

Public support for stadium replacement plan is shaky. Hawaii lawmakers and Gov. David Ige recently recommitted to replacing Aloha Stadium at its Halawa site, but voters electing the state’s next governor in November appear widely split over the bogged-down, roughly $400 million plan. Star-Advertiser.

HART: Cracking Could Require Building More Piers Under West Oahu Stations. The city and its consultants should release their findings on the potentially significant cracking problem in six to eight weeks. Civil Beat.

City council members concerned over manufacturer price gouging ahead of plastic, polystyrene foam container ban. As the city prepares to enforce the final phase of ordinance 19-30, banning plastic and polystyrene foam food containers from eateries and businesses, Honolulu city council members raised several concerns at a briefing Tuesday. KITV4.

Hawaii Health Department details concerns about Navy’s defueling plan in rejection letter. The Hawaii Department of Health has rejected the Navy’s plan to defuel its Red Hill fuel facility, laying out a list of shortcomings in a letter to Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett, commander of Navy Region Hawaii. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

A Navy Captain Was Faulted For His Red Hill Response. But He’s Still Working There. A Navy captain who was relieved of command over “leadership and oversight failures” after the catastrophic fuel leak at the Red Hill facility in November is still working on petroleum operations at the storage complex, according to the Navy. Civil Beat.

Honolulu City Council considering suspending bus fares to increase ridership. To increase TheBus ridership, the Honolulu City Council is considering suspending public transportation fares for HOLO card users from Aug. 22 to 26. Star-Advertiser.

Librarian: Homeless encampments at Oahu public libraries bring ‘compassion fatigue’. State library officials said Tuesday they’re working with the Sheriffs Department to keep homeless camps off their properties. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island


Telecommunications outage in West Hawaii resolved. The hours-long telecommunications outage that impacted much of West Hawaii was caused by the accidental severing of a fiber optic cable by a construction company working in a remote area near Waikoloa Village, according to Hawaiian Telcom. West Hawaii Today. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Video News. Maui Now.

Maui


Here Are Answers To Commonly Asked Questions About Voting In Maui County. Still not registered to vote? Not sure whether you can vote by mail or in-person? Civil Beat.

Molokai residents Lynn DeCoite and Walter Ritte face off for second straight election. After losing by just 94 votes in 2020, longtime Hawaiian activist and community organizer Walter Ritte again is taking on incumbent Lynn Pualani De­Coite in the Aug. 13 Democratic primary — except challenging De­Coite for her Senate seat this time. Star-Advertiser.

Kauai

Kaua‘i Police Department Deputy Chief Olsen resigns amid union criticism. Kaua‘i Police Department Deputy Chief Stan Olsen announced last week that he would be resigning from the Kaua‘i Police Department effective Aug. 26, citing personal reasons. Olsen became the subject of State of Hawai‘i Organization of Police Officers criticism after airport security discovered a loaded, department-issued handgun in his carry-on bag at Lihu‘e Airport in April. Garden Island.

No comments:

Post a Comment