Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Senate panel grills Hawaiian Homes leaders over spending priorities, Green finds lack of legislative support for tax-cut plan, attorney general won't re-prosecute Mauna Kea protesters, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

New Hawaiian Home Lands leader grilled over priorities to spend $600M.  Members of the Ways and Means Committee and Hawaiian Affairs Committee on Tuesday gave a sometimes scathing reaction to an agency budget presentation from new DHHL Director Ikaika Anderson flanked with support from longtime agency staff. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. 

DOE slow to assess schools’ vulnerabilities to violence. Even though school shootings and mass shootings nationwide have hit historic levels — with a record-high 51 school shootings that killed or injured 140 people in 2022 — fewer than half of Hawaii’s 258 public school campuses have been evaluated for vulnerabilities to targeted violence, and department officials say it will take three more years for them to finish. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Candidate Green promised dramatic tax reform. Now Gov. Green is seeking compromise. As a candidate, Gov. Josh Green repeatedly promised a dramatic tax reform ― eliminating the 4.5% excise tax on food and drugs. But after lawmakers have said that was probably unrealistic, he’s floating potential compromises. Hawaii News Now.

 ‘Where’s The Hammer?’ Hawaii Prosecutors Dodged Public Discipline For 40 Years Despite Misconduct. Prosecutors sometimes cross the line. But for a host of reasons, the Hawaii Supreme Court does not sanction them. Civil Beat.

Feds Collected $2 Million From Criminal, Civil Debtors Last Year.
Hawaii’s U.S. Attorney’s office secured over $2 million owed in criminal and civil cases last year, U.S. Attorney Clare Connors announced on Tuesday. An additional $7.5 million was collected from the owners of the defunct Oahu Sugar Company due to historical pesticide contamination. Civil Beat. Maui Now.

Applicants Sought For Elections Commission. Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald is looking for qualified people to fill a seat on the state Elections Commission. The unexpired term of William Dean from the County of Hawaii will expire on June 30, 2024. Civil Beat.

Oahu

‘The Eddie’ a no-go as conditions change. 
Organizers of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational canceled today’s event due to changes in wind and swell conditions on Oahu’s North Shore. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio.  Hawaii News Now.

Honolulu prosecuting attorney on balancing crime enforcement and outreach. Identifying crime and prosecuting criminals is only one part in working to make an area safer, according to Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm.  Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii Hospital Giant Reaches Tentative Deal With Nurses. Nurses at Straub Medical Center got a New Year’s gift this week in the form of a tentative agreement that union leaders say includes provisions that will make working easier for caregivers and provide better treatment for patients. But it remains to be seen whether the concessions will be enough to sway the 400-member union. Civil Beat.

Kakaako shoppers, businesses grapple with traffic ‘madness’ as road repairs continue. Businesses and consumers say the city’s sinkhole repairs in Kakaako and other road repair projects are turning the area into a hard-to-navigate maze. Hawaii News Now.

Red Hill moms demand congressional hearing on Navy’s fuel-tainted water. Two moms who were sickened during the Red Hill fuel-tainted water crisis more than a year ago are on Capitol Hill, demanding a congressional hearing on potential long-term health impacts. Hawaii News Now.

Death Penalty Phase Begins For Hawaii Prisoner In Arizona. Miti Maugaotega Jr. was convicted of murdering a fellow inmate in the Arizona prison where they were both being held. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Attorney general declines to re-prosecute 38 Mauna Kea activists. State Attorney General Anne Lopez is declining to re-prosecute the people — primarily Native Hawaiian activists — who were charged in 2019 for obstructing Mauna Kea Access Road while protesting the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. Star-Advertiser. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now.  Hawaii News Now.  KHON2.

Hilo siren taken offline after 2 false alarms. Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno confirmed Tuesday that one faulty siren — near the intersection of Kanoelehua Avenue and Banyan Drive, across from Ken’s House of Pancakes — was the cause of both incidents. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News.

Affordable housing complex on schedule. Construction of the Hale Na Koa ‘O Hanakahi housing project began in November after years of planning, and will eventually offer 92 single-bedroom units of affordable housing for Big Island seniors on Kawili Street across from the University of Hawaii at Hilo campus. Tribune-Herald.

‘Perfect storm’ hits Kona coffee: Crop faces a ‘devastating’ drop in production, price hike. The combination of drought, coffee leaf rust fungus and the continued presence of the coffee berry borer — a beetle that infests and destroys coffee cherries on the tree — has created what the president of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association described as “a perfect storm” that resulted in a significant drop in coffee production. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

One of priciest home sales in Maui history, Mākena mansion sells for $32.76M. The 7,400-square-foot home known as “Mākena Modern” at 4572 Mākena Road was the highest listed property sale recorded on Maui, according to listing agent Chelsea Dimin of Compass.  Maui Now.

Training underway for humpback whale disentanglements. A team of highly trained state and federal individuals met up in December in waters off of Maui to fine tune their skills in humpback whale disentanglements.  Maui Now.

Kauai

Kaua‘i democratic party accepting applications for Jimmy Tokioka’s statehouse seat. The Democratic Party of Kaua‘i announced Monday night that it is accepting applications for the role vacated by longtime state Rep. Jimmy Tokioka, who recently accepted a job as state Department of Transportation Airports Division deputy director in the administration of new Gov. Josh Green. Garden Island.

Opponents Of West Kauai Energy Project Want More Environmental Scrutiny. The solar-charged hydro power concept would be the first of its kind in world. Civil Beat.

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