Counties grapple with concealed carry laws, union boss vote-rigging trial begins, bivalent COVID boosters unpopular as more die from virus, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Voting Is Solidly Underway In Hawaii As General Election Approaches. With a week to go before general election voting comes to an end in Hawaii, state and county elections officials report about 195,000 ballots have been returned. That’s out of more than 731,000 ballots distributed so far, a return rate of about 27%.  Civil Beat.

A More Civil Legislature? Hawaii Lawmakers May Soon Be Asked To Bolster Citizen Rights. The Legislature’s special commission aimed at fighting corruption is continuing to fine tune proposals for the upcoming session. Civil Beat.

Witness details alleged vote rigging in Ahakuelo trial. Testimony in the trial for former union boss Brian Ahakuelo highlights more details in the alleged vote rigging to raise union dues. Ahakuelo was the former business manager at IBEW Local 1260. KHON2.

Hawaiʻi Sells $800 Million Of General Obligation Bonds. Before the sale, the State says Moody’s and S&P affirmed the State’s bond ratings of Aa2 and AA+, respectively, with stable outlooks. Big Island Video News.

Matson Inc. to buy 3 vessels totaling $1 billion; profit falls. Matson Inc. demonstrated its commitment to its long-term decarbonization strategy by announcing Wednesday it had signed contracts totaling $1 billion with Philly Shipyard Inc. to build three new liquefied natural gas-powered Aloha Class containerships. Star-Advertiser.

Bivalent booster uptake low as holidays near. A total of 167,434 residents have received the new bivalent booster, representing 11.8% of the state’s total population and about 15% of the state’s eligible population — age 5 and older. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii records 1,017 new COVID-19 cases, 7 more deaths. The state’s average positivity rate also declined to 5.5% compared with 6.2% in the previous week. Star-Advertiser. KHON2.

Oahu

Honolulu lags other counties on concealed-carry gun licenses. The Kauai Police Department will begin issuing concealed carry weapons licenses to gun owners this week, leaving Honolulu as the last county to finalize rules and process the 575 pending applications to carry a gun in public. Star-Advertiser.

City Council vacancies inspire hot races, but the transition could bring business to a halt. The Honolulu City Council said an early aloha to two members Wednesday ― and there is no shortage of candidates fighting to replace them and fill a third open seat. Hawaii News Now.

Honolulu City Council unanimously passes measure to protect historic cultural sites. In an effort to better protect historic cultural sites, the Honolulu City Council voted Wednesday to activate the Historic Preservation Commission. Star-Advertiser.

Another HPD officer involved in chase, crash asks for taxpayer-funded legal defense. Officer Joshua Nahulu is part of three civil lawsuits that stem from the Sept. 12, 2021 incident in which he and two other officers, Jake Bartolome and Erik Smith, are accused of improperly chasing a white sedan before the driver crashed in Makaha. Hawaii News Now.

Lawsuit Raises Stakes In Pollution Dispute Between Boat Owners and Kakaako Developer. A group of commercial boat operators located at Kewalo Basin Harbor has sued the Howard Hughes Corp. for allegedly violating state and federal laws by discharging construction debris laden with minute metal particles from the developer’s massive condo construction sites in Kakaako. Civil Beat.

Hanabusa: Rail’s Limited Passenger Service Start Date Could Be Pushed To Summer. The opening date for limited passenger service on the Honolulu rail has steadily been pushed back in recent years. On Wednesday, the chair of the volunteer board overseeing that transit project said it might be pushed back several months further. Civil Beat.

Police arrest at least 10 ‘habitual’ offenders in Waikiki as part of crackdown on crime. Since September, when the Safe and Sound Waikiki program was launched, police have arrested 10 people near Kuhio Beach ― mostly on drug charges. Court records show those 10 people have at least 54 prior felony and misdemeanor convictions combined. Some of the offenses date back to the late 1980s. Hawaii News Now.

Passport services will be available at Kapolei Satellite City Hall. The Kapolei Satellite City Hall will begin accepting U.S. passport applications on Dec. 5. The expansion comes after Ala Moana Satellite City Hall began offering the services in August. Hawaii Public Radio.

Ahead of rainy season, large Oahu encampment in flood zone draws concern. With forecasters predicting a wetter-than-normal winter, Waipahu residents are raising concerns about an encampment in their community that’s near a canal. Hawaii News Now.

Waikiki’s largest resort Hilton Hawaiian Village to get bigger. Hilton Hawaiian Village is in the early stages of the permitting process for a new 36-floor Ala Moana Boulevard Tower that will add approximately 515 rooms to what is already Waikiki’s largest resort property and has the most rooms of any Hilton in the world. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

After much debate, gun bill advances. After hours of considering, approving and rejecting more than half a dozen amendments, the County Council voted Wednesday in favor of a bill prohibiting concealed firearms in certain places. Tribune-Herald. Hawaii News Now.

Council kills property tax relief. A measure that would have provided property tax relief for properties not currently under assessment caps was soundly defeated Wednesday by a County Council majority. West Hawaii Today.

Man cited after his dog is seen harassing Hawaiian monk seal. State officials say a 52-year-old man has been cited by multiple agencies after his dog was seen harassing an endangered Hawaiian monk seal last month at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now. Maui Now. Kauai Now. KITV4.

Hawaii Radiologic at a standstill: ‘Technical difficulties’ prompt company to suspend key services. Hawaii Radiologic Associates has been experiencing what it refers to as “technical difficulties” that have caused temporary disruptions to its computer systems, phone lines and website. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now.

Hawaii Care Choices shutting down in-patient care facility. After a decade of service, Pohai Malama Care Center, a 12-bed inpatient hospice facility owned and operated by Hawaii Care Choices, will cease operations starting Nov. 18. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

A Massive Effort To Manage Hawaii’s Nearshore Waters Just Launched On Maui. The process is beginning six years after Gov. David Ige first announced the initiative to manage 30% of the state’s nearshore waters by 2030. Civil Beat.

Iconic Kula Lodge sold to 5 Palms owner, Simon Vojdani. The iconic Kula Lodge & Restaurant and Kula Marketplace are now under new ownership and management by Simon Vojdani. Vojdani is the owner of 5 Palms Restaurant, which was previously situated on Keawakapu Beach in South Maui for 27 years. Maui Now.

Kauai

Kaua‘i County Council lays groundwork for electric vehicle infrastructure. In a 5-2 vote Wednesday, the council agreed to pass Bill No. 2877, which requires that new parking lots with more than 100 spaces install EV charging systems in 5 percent of their stalls. Garden Island.

Kauai construction company dropping lawsuit against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's company.  A Kauai construction company is dropping its lawsuit against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s company for not receiving payment of more than $130,000 for work it had completed on the billionaire tech titan’s North Shore Kauai property. KITV4.