Senate panel faults utilities commission for failing to investigate Maui wildfire cause, EPA completes Red Hill inspection, half of Kauai waters tested show fecal presence, electricity shortage on Big Island, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Lawmakers say PUC 'failed to investigate' causes of Maui wildfires. A resolution put forward by state Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz says the Public Utilities Commission has failed to effectively investigate the causes of the August 2023 Maui wildfires. The resolution says that the PUC is bound by law to investigate the causes of any accident related to the operations of Hawaiʻi's utilities "which results in loss of life."  Hawaii Public Radio.

DBEDT establishes Military and Community Relations Office. The Hawai‘i Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism has established a Military and Community Relations Office which will focus on effective collaboration and transparency between the State of Hawai‘i, county governments, the community and the US Department of Defense. Maui Now.

DHHL waitlisters to benefit from new down payment assistance program. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has partnered with homestead nonprofit, Hawaiian Lending & Investments, to provide direct assistance to beneficiaries looking to construct, or purchase, a home on Hawaiian Home Lands. Maui Now. KHON2.

Oahu

City to pay $12.5M to Makaha crash driver. The city agreed to pay $12.5 million to the driver of a car that crashed in September 2021 in Makaha during a pursuit by Honolulu police officers who allegedly left the scene only to return and act like nothing happened. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

Proposed Council raises draw public concern. The Honolulu Salary Commission’s recommendation last week for a 3% or greater pay boost for the mayor, managing director, all nine members of the City Council and other appointed, high-level city officials drew a measure of public criticism Monday. Star-Advertiser.

EPA completes Red Hill inspection, says Navy task force ready to take over shutdown.  The EPA says Joint Task Force Red Hill is ready to let the Navy take over the shutdown of the bulk fuel storage facility. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board discussed East Honolulu beach park closures. Several Hawaii Kai residents showed up at the neighborhood board meeting concerned about the possibility of overnight park closures at all beaches in their area. KITV4.

Model arrested in bribery, obstruction case. A model was arrested after she tried to bribe a federal agent to help convince a judge to let her boyfriend out of Honolulu’s Federal Detention Center while he awaits trial on ammunition charges. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Hawaiian Electric: ‘Tight supply of electricity’ on the Big Island through April. Company spokeswoman Kristin Okinaka said the energy provider’s largest independent power producer, Hamakua Energy, has gone offline, leaving the power grid with a significant deficit of power. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News.  Big Island Now.  KITV4.

Grassroots group is concerned about high volume of people visiting beaches in Keaukaha. Volunteers with Waiʻuli We Count, a grassroots-led data collection effort, said more  than a million people enjoy the beach parks in the coastal community of Keaukaha on Hawaiʻi Island every year. Hawaii Public Radio.

State Is Moving Ahead With Wailoa Harbor Dredging Project After Receiving Funding. The Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a news release Monday that it has wanted to dredge the harbor for several years but it didn’t receive funding to do so until last year’s legislative session. The funds were released in January. Civil Beat. Big Island Now.

Hilo Travelers Advised To Plan Ahead For Merrie Monarch Festival. The 61st annual Merrie Monarch Festival will begin on Easter Sunday (March 31) and continue until Saturday, April 6.  Big Island Video News.

Maui

Maui Mayor Unveils $1.7 Billion Budget To Help County Navigate ‘Daunting Journey’ Ahead. Mayor Richard Bissen delivered his $1.7 billion proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2025 to the Maui County Council on Monday, a 34% increase over the current budget due to the ongoing recovery from the destructive Aug. 8 fires. Civil Beat. Maui Now.  KITV4.

New Deputy Planning Director named by county. Ana Lillis, a former planner in the Zoning Administration and Enforcement Division, has been named Deputy Director of the County of Maui Department of Planning. Lillis’ official start date is April 1, according to a press release. Maui News.

Waihou Spring Forest Reserve reopens to public following damage from August fires. The damage has kept crews busy at the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife over the last seven months. Hawaii Public Radio. Maui News.

Temporary school called ‘small miracle’ after Lahaina fire. Glancing at the new temporary school on a grassy slope in Pulelehua, Maui, casual onlookers might perceive a simple cluster of boxy modular buildings hurriedly erected in just over three months, but Gov. Josh Green calls the school’s rapid construction “a small miracle” in the wake of a disaster, and he and others also see the beginnings of healing and hope. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now.  Hawaii News Now.  

Shrine symbolizes healing and unity for Maui students.  It took serious coordination for students from H.P. Baldwin High School and King Kekaulike High School to lift and carry a “mikoshi,” or portable shrine, on their shoulders through the streets of Waikiki as part of the recent Honolulu Festival’s Grand Parade. Star-Advertiser.

FEMA Gave This Family A House In The Lahaina Burn Zone. Then They Found Out It Might Not Be Safe. Randy Dadez says the agency moved his family into a house that Maui County's map clearly shows lacks clean water. Civil Beat.

Bidding price expected to take centerstage as companies vie for rural air service contract. Multiple airlines are bidding for the federal contract to provide service to one of Hawaii’s rural communities. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai

Half of Kauai’s tested waters polluted. A monthly analysis of streams, rivers and surf spots across the island found high concentrations of enterococcus bacterium, a federally recognized indicator of fecal presence in water, at a number of locations. Garden Island.

Historic $7.3M grant awarded to nonprofit Hale Halawai ʻOhana O Hanale dedicated to North Shore flood mitigation projects. The Hale Halawai ʻOhana O Hanalei, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to serving Kauaʻi’s north shore community will take on the role of administering and distributing an unprecedented grant through the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency. Kauai Now.

Kauaʻi inmate seriously injured in a hit-and-run soon after his escape from jail. An inmate's escape on Kauaʻi was short-lived when a vehicle hit him as he was running away on a highway early Friday, authorities said. Hawaii Public Radio.