Hawaii short health-care workers, teachers, corrections officers; cash flows to legislators during session, coffee labeling bill advances, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Lawmakers Consider Higher Bar For Labeling Hawaii Coffee. The label “Kona Coffee” could no longer used by coffee distributors unless more than half of the blended beans were in fact from Kona if a bill moving through the Legislature becomes law. Civil Beat.

Campaign Cash Flowed To Hawaii Senators Just Before An Energy Bill Vote. Reform Measures Won’t Stop It. A bill would prohibit lobbyists from cutting checks to lawmakers during the legislative session, but wouldn't prevent other people with an interest in legislation from writing checks. Civil Beat.

Bills to repeal Hawaii Tourism Authority advance. Two bills are moving forward to repeal the embattled Hawaii Tourism Authority this legislative session, which could prove one of the more contentious for the agency since state lawmakers gave it life in 1998. Star-Advertiser.

Lawmakers Are Focusing On Hawaii’s Youngest Residents As Other Education Measures Stall. Proposals to increase preschool attendance and stabilize child care centers are receiving the most attention in this legislative session. Civil Beat.

To stem exodus of preschool teachers, lawmakers consider using taxpayer dollars to boost their pay. Hawaii preschools say a shortage of qualified teachers is making Hawaii’s childcare crisis even worse. Now, lawmakers are considering using taxpayer money to give some underpaid educators a raise. Hawaii News Now.

Resurrected afterschool proposal gets approval from Senate committee.  House Bill 69 would give an additional $2.5 million to the DOE's Resources for Enrichment, Athletics, Culture, & Health (REACH) program for middle and intermediate school students. Hawaii Public Radio.

Reports show more healthcare workers leaving Hawaii. According to a recent survey from the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, vacancy rates went from 10% in 2019, to 17% in 2022. KHON2.

Waitlists grow for Hawaii’s long-term care facilities. For years, Hawaii’s long-term care facilities, which include nursing homes, have been dealing with staffing shortages, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Today the situation has only gotten worse, with long-term care facilities operating in crisis mode. Star-Advertiser.

Labor conflict in Hawaii’s shipping industry playing out at Legislature.  The dispute is largely, or at least partly, between different factions of organized labor, and it could affect the prices and availability of goods. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii’s state prisons face severe staff shortages. The confirmation hearing for Tommy Johnson to lead the state Department of Public Safety revealed a deep and complex rift between guards and the department over chronic staff shortages, absences and overtime. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

DOH: Fecal bacteria in Kailua Bay exceeds permitted levels; Stay out. The public is advised to avoid Kailua Bay until further notice after wastewater was discharged into the ocean, according to the Hawaii Department of Health. Star-Advertiser. KHON2.

State considers closing financial gap to buy Maunawili Valley. More than a thousand acres of Maunawili are privately owned, and for years community members have been raising funds to buy it. Now, with the state’s help, they hope to restore agricultural land and preserve cultural and historical sites. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Permit granted for Ka‘u-based satellite receiver array. The Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics plans to install a system of 10 satellite dishes 20 feet in diameter on a two-acre site on a larger 10.7-acre parcel in Wood Valley in order to observe faint radio pulses from deep space. Tribune-Herald.

60th Annual Merrie Monarch Festival kicks off with Ho‘olaule‘a. Seven halau and a taiko drum group were to entertain an anticipated crowd of hundreds, perhaps thousands, starting at 9 a.m. at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. Tribune-Herald. Hawaii News Now.  KITV4.

Merrie Monarch Week: The ‘unofficial’ events.  The action during the upcoming 60th Annual Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo on the Big Island isn’t just confined to the official events at Edith Kanaka‘ole Multi-Purpose Stadium and Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. Big Island Now.

Maui

Bissen’s Spending Plan For Maui Targets Affordable Housing And A Rainy Day Fund. His $1.23 billion spending plan for Maui, Lanai and Molokai is only slightly higher than fiscal year 2023’s $1.21 billion spending plan — the largest budget in county history.  Civil Beat.

Maui experts hope to catch up in battling coquis, Little Fire Ants, miconia. Christy Martin and Teya Penniman have spent more than 20 years successfully leading the fight against alien species on Maui, including the coqui frogs and Little Fire Ants. But they warn budget cutbacks in recent years have hurt their efforts. Maui Now.

Mokulele Airlines struggles to win the trust of its kamaʻāina passengers. Mokulele Airlines serves as a lifeline for the Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi communities, especially for critical medical appointments and off-island work. However, residents say they can no longer depend on Mokulele to get them there.  Hawaii Public Radio.

Kauai

Kaua‘i police warn of Craigslist apartment rental scams. The already herculean task of finding an affordable apartment on Kaua‘i has been made more difficult by a recent rash of fake listings aimed at scamming tenants. Garden Island.

Therapists to analyze ‘climate psychology’ at next Kaua‘i Climate Action Forum. The Kaua‘i Climate Action Forum – made up of local environmental groups Zero Waste Kaua‘i, Kaua‘i Climate Action Coalition and the Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i Chapter – will discuss “climate psychology” at its next online meeting. Kauai Now.