Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Hirono to seek 3rd Senate term, Honolulu fined for lack of PPE at gun range, rats and mold at Big Island school, luxury yacht runs aground on Maui, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

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U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono will officially announce today she’s running for reelection in 2024, according to a campaign spokesperson. Hirono, 75, will be seeking her third consecutive six-year term in the Senate. Civil Beat.

Should Hawaii’s Legislature Meet Year-Round?
Supporters believe the idea could increase transparency, but restrictions on employment have met with pushback. Civil Beat.

Bills address Native Hawaiians, harassment of fishermen, community-based subsistence areas. A school of bills that would update fishing policies in Hawaii are rocking the boat for many fishermen. Tribune-Herald.

Various measures propose ways to address Hawaii’s educator shortage. At the start of the school year, the state Department of Education was short 736 teachers. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii timeshare occupancy back to pre-pandemic levels. The average timeshare occupancy rate reached 92.7% during the third quarter of 2022, when statewide timeshare occupancy for the first time exceeded pre-pandemic levels, according to technology firm STR data reported by the state Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Star-Advertiser.

Fentanyl Test Strips May Soon Become Legal In Hawaii. Hawaii would join others states in making fentanyl test strips legal and widely available if either of two measures moving quickly through the Legislature goes on to become law. Civil Beat.

Oahu

City fined after investigation revealed it didn’t provide gun range staff with proper PPE. The city of Honolulu has been fined thousands of dollars after a worker safety investigation revealed staff at Oahu’s only public gun range weren’t supplied with or required to wear proper personal protective equipment while cleaning the facility. Hawaii News Now.

In wake of fatal crashes, Hawaii lawmakers want crackdown on unlicensed drivers. Years ago, to reduce the backlog at traffic court, the state decriminalized most traffic offenses, but driving without a license remains a crime that usually forces unlicensed drivers to come to court. Hawaii News Now.

New TSA checkpoint will streamline interisland passengers at Honolulu airport. The makai checkpoint in Terminal 1 at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport will add four screening lanes — bringing the total to 10 lanes. Hawaii Public Radio.

Honolulu Habitat for Humanity prepares to close ReStore. Honolulu Habitat for Humanity is preparing to bid aloha to its ReStore shop in Palama. The warehouse store that sells donated goods is set to close March 18 so the nonprofit can focus entirely on building affordable housing. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Big Island school in ‘crisis’ with mold, rats, says teachers union. Years of worsening problems with mold, rats, termites, structural damage and other health and safety issues have reached a “crisis” level at Holualoa Elementary School on Hawaii island, educators and parents say, and the state teachers union is calling for more transparency and immediate increased help from the state. Star-Advertiser. West Hawaii Today. Big Island Video News. Hawaii News Now.  KITV4.

US military confirms reports of balloon that supposedly flew over Hawai‘i. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command not saying much. No one knows for sure right now, but sightings have been reported and there’s been enough chatter that it spurred the National Weather Service to forecast a possible track for the unidentified object. Big Island Now. Kauai Now.

Weather pattern dumps record rainfall on Hilo; wet conditions to linger. Through Sunday, Hilo had recorded 28.32 inches so far this month, almost three times the average rainfall of 10.22 inches the airport normally receives for all of February. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Luxury yacht runs aground in Honolua Bay on Maui. A 94-foot Sunseeker luxury yacht ran aground in Honolua Bay on Maui Monday morning after its mooring line snapped, sparking outrage on social media over the boat’s potential damage to the marine environment. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.  KITV4.

In Maui County, 36% of energy was generated by renewables last year.  Aided by new grid-scale and rooftop solar capacity, Hawaiian Electric achieved a 32 percent consolidated renewable portfolio standard — 36 percent in Maui County — in 2022 using a new calculation signed into law last year.  Maui News.

Kauai

Kaua‘i County Council to fill vacant seat. With newly appointed state Rep. Luke Evslin heading to O‘ahu, the remaining six members of the Kaua‘i County Council now must select a replacement to fill his vacant seat. Garden Island.

Lawmakers against axing paper ballot audits. Kaua‘i County Council members recently approved a resolution opposing two bills that propose to eliminate paper ballot audit requirements in Hawai‘i elections. Garden Island.

Kaua‘i towns first to be fully fiber enabled.  Hawaiian Telcom announced on Thursday that Kealia with ZIP code 96751, and Lawa‘i with ZIP code 96765 on Kaua‘i are the first two ZIP codes in the state that Hawaiian Telcom has completely enabled with fiber. Garden Island.

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