State revenue council forecasts 4% growth, NSF sets May deadline to choose Giant Magellan or Thirty Meter telescope, Maui wildfire lawsuits to stay in state court, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Council On Revenues Anticipates 4% Growth This Year Despite Maui Fire Problems. State tax collections are holding up despite the impact of the deadly Maui wildfire, and will continue to grow at the brisk clip of 4% or more this year and next year, according to a state panel of experts. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Republicans could lock up Trump’s nomination tonight. Hawaii Republicans will gather at 35 locations around the islands tonight to determine how many delegates will cast ballots for presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, the only Republican still running for president. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

Public invited to inaugural Environment Day at the state Capitol. Eighteen local organizations are gearing up to convene at the state Capitol today for the first-ever legislative Environment Day.  Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

Kaneshiro-Mitsunaga Bribery Case Puts ‘Pay To Play’ On Trial. Allegations of impropriety have dogged Dennis Mitsunaga for years. A jury will decide whether the money he allegedly funneled to the city prosecutor constitutes a criminal conspiracy. Civil Beat.

City’s nearly 2,500 vacancies lead budget talks. A formal review of Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s proposed $3.63 billion operating budget for the 2025 fiscal year, which begins July 1, prompted discussion over the city’s nearly 2,500 worker vacancies. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi Convention Center takes 2nd attempt at securing funds to fix leaky roof. This year, lawmakers are being asked for the $64 million again to finally fix the roof.  Hawaii Public Radio.

Dedication ceremony for new battery energy storage facility in West Oahu. A special dedication ceremony was held for one of the world’s largest battery energy storage facilities located in Leeward Oahu. The new Kapolei Energy Storage facility, located on eight acres near Kalaeloa Boulevard, includes 158 Tesla Megapack batteries. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Hawaii Island

Dueling telescope proposals considered by NSF. The National Science Board, in a Feb. 27 statement, gave the National Science Foundation until May to decide how to choose between two competing proposals for the telescope -- the Giant Magellan Telescope at Las Campanas in Chile and the Thirty Meter Telescope currently planned for Mauna Kea. New York Times.

Building Permit Delays Expected Due To Software Issue. A recent software update is causing intermittent service disruptions for the County of Hawaiʻi’s EPIC building permit system.  Big Island Video News. Big Island Now.

Hawaii Ag Department proposes releasing wasps on Hawaii Island to save macadamia nuts trees. The Parasitoid Metaphycus is a small wasp found in Australia. It is about 0.8 millimeter, about the size of a sesame seed or smaller. The wasp doesn’t sting or bite, so most people won’t even notice it is there. KITV4.

BLNR issues temporary changes to Hawaiʻi Island hunting rules. The changes say that for two years, many hunting areas will have increased bag limits for pigs, goats and sheep. Some areas will also have expanded hunting periods. Hawaii Public Radio.

Rezoning request approved for Manono Street lot. Despite outcry from neighbors, the Windward Planning Commission approved a request by Big Island developers to rezone a property at the corner of Manono and Lanikaula streets in order to demolish the two dilapidated single-family homes and an abandoned small engine repair shop currently on the site and develop a retail building in their place. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Maui Wildfire Cases Will Stay In Maui State Court. Hawaiian Electric Industries on Monday lost its bid to remove the cases to federal court. At least 90 lawsuits related to the Maui wildfires against Hawaiian Electric Industries, Spectrum, Kamehameha Schools and other defendants will be sent back to Maui state court, where they were originally filed, a federal judge ruled Monday. Civil Beat. KHON2.

Lawsuit calls Olowalu fire debris site cultural, environmental threat. Claiming environmental and cultural damages, two Maui residents are suing the county over the temporary disposal site in Olowalu that is currently storing debris from the Lahaina fire. KITV4.

Eminent domain proposal for Central Maui Landfill expansion sent to Council committee. Maui County Council members were sharply divided Friday over a proposal to use Maui County’s condemnation power of eminent domain to obtain a nearly 20-acre former quarry next to the Central Maui Landfill for the final disposal of toxic Lahaina fire ash and debris. Maui Now.

EPA inspects 18.5 miles of sewer lines in Lahaina. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it has finished inspecting sanitary sewer lines in Lahaina following the Aug. 8 wildfires. Star-Advertiser.

Kauai

Mayor Kawakami to address Kaua‘i in State of the County address. Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami will address the people of Kaua‘i in the State of the County Address on Thursday. Kauai Now.

Construction of Kauai luxury condo on hold after backlash from activists. Construction of a luxury vacation condo on a Kauai cultural site is now on hold for 10 days. On Monday, a judge ordered a temporary work stoppage for Kauanoe O Koloa, a 279-unit project located next to the Kiahuna Golf Course. Hawaii News Now.