Legislature advances vacation rental regulation, cesspool fees, groundbreaking held for $80M Benioff Medical Center, demolition of Haiku Stairs to begin, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Bills toward short-term rental regulation are in final stages of the legislative process. Two measures that would allow counties to begin phasing out non-conforming use permits for transient vacation rental units passed out of both of their chambers. It would give counties more control over short-term rentals. Hawaii Public Radio.

Cesspools are sending raw sewage into the ocean. Could a fee get people to convert? The state Legislature is considering a new fee on cesspools as part of a plan to end massive sewage leaks into the ground and ocean. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii lawmakers aim to avert ‘early’ DHHL funding lapse. The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands appears set to receive extra time to use $600 million appropriated by the Legislature in 2022. Star-Advertiser.

Ban On Biocontrols That Threaten Hawaiʻi Forage Grass Urged In Resolution. The discussion comes as the state considers all the different tools that can be deployed to reduce the invasive grasses that increase fuel loads and the risk of wildfire in Hawaiʻi. Big Island Video News.

Rising insurance rates on the horizon for Hawaii residents following Maui fires. Insurance rates have been rising for island residents, and those costs are expected to keep going up. KITV4.

Mufi Hanneman recognized at this year’s Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism Gala. For his significant and long-term contributions to Hawaii’s tourism industry, Mufi Hannemann has been chosen to receive this year’s ‘Legacy in Tourism Award’. KHON2.

Akebono, a pioneering giant and ‘proud Hawaiian’ in sumo, dies at 54. Hawaii sports legend Akebono Taro, who made history when he became the first non-Japanese-born sumo wrestler to reach the sport’s highest title, has died. Hawaii News Now. Star-Advertiser. KHON2. KITV4.

Oahu

Mayor Officially Begins Process Of Giving Ocean Safety Its Own Department. After years of lifeguards pushing for their own department, Mayor Rick Blangiardi began the process to officially give it to them by July 2026. Civil Beat.

North Shore residents fight plans for shopping center, ask for first responder hub instead. Opponents of a planned shopping center near Sharks Cove on Oahu’s North Shore are urging the city to keep talks going with the developer. KHON2.

First school-based health center in country opens at Waipahu High. The Academic Health Center represents a partnership between the state Department of Education and Hawaii Pacific Health, which will provide health care services to the community while offering high school students hands-on training from medical professionals. Star-Advertiser.

New mental health crisis center is already diverting patients from ERs, but has room to grow. The Behavioral Health Crisis Center is taking in patients nearly every day, but the numbers are far below capacity in the initial month of operation. Hawaii News Now.

State eyes vacant Windward Oahu campus for DOH offices, crisis center. Hawaii Pacific University’s iconic Windward Oahu campus could become a new home for the state Health Department and a mental health crisis center. Hawaii News Now.

Haiku Stairs’ demolition to begin late April, city says. The city says demolition of the more than 3,900 steps leading to the top of the Koolau Range, above Haiku Valley and the H-3 freeway, will begin at the end of April. Star-Advertiser. KITV4.

City looking to hire 500 to staff Summer Fun program. The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation is once again looking to hire hundreds of workers for its annual Summer Fun program at 60 sites across Oahu. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Blessing marks start of Hilo Benioff Medical Center expansion project.  The $80 million expansion project will add a new wing to the center, including a 19-bed intensive care unit, and 36 additional hospital beds. Star-Advertiser. Tribune-Herald.  Big Island Video News.

Benioffs bolster fire department fleet. After nearly losing their home to a fire a few years ago, the Benioffs asked the Sayre Foundation what the couple could do to help the fire department. Since then, the couple has purchased three Big Dog fire trucks, two tanker fire trucks and eight brushfire trucks. Tribune-Herald.

‘Kauhale Initiative’ garners support from Hilo crowd. Hilo residents were widely enthusiastic Tuesday night during a meeting about a state project to develop communities of tiny homes for the Big Island’s homeless population, despite misgivings about where those communities could be built. Tribune-Herald.

Mayor Mitch Roth presents 2024-2025 budget to Hawaiʻi County Council. The mayor’s $888 million operating budget is up 6.6% from last year. It says $30.5 million of that bump would go to salary increases for employees. Hawaii Public Radio. Big Island Now.

Work to decommission 2 Maunakea telescopes to resume. The University of Hawaii’s Hoku Kea Observatory and Caltech’s Submillimeter Observatory have been slated for decommissioning and removal from the mountain for years, although the process for both observatories has been slow. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now.

Death Of Foster Child Leads To $750,000 Settlement Pending Approval By Legislature. Fabian Garett-Garcia died on July 25, 2017, and his caregivers told authorities he was injured by accident when he fell on his face from a 3-foot-high bench while wearing virtual reality goggles at the foster home in Waimea. Civil Beat.

Maui

Aunty Carol Lee Kamekona files to run for Maui County Council in Kahului district. Carol Lee has become the first candidate to file the paperwork for the Kahului seat, according to a press release from Kamekona.  Maui News.

Judge Issues two orders against Maui County Council appointee to planning commission. Second Circuit Court Judge Kelsey Kawano issued a writ of quo warranto Monday against Danny Ray Blackburn, asking him to appear before the Second Circuit Court on April 17 to show what authority he has to participate as a Maui County Planning Commissioner, according to court documents. Maui News.

Council Budget Committee hears the pain of Lahaina wildfire survivors. Eight months to the day after a wildfire swept through Lahaina town, Maui County Council members heard the anguish of residents struggling to rebuild their lives after the disaster that claimed at least 101 lives and leveled their beloved historic town. Maui Now.

Skyrocketing Maui rent shrinks housing options for wildfire survivors. Some 1,100 households — or 2,768 individual evacuees — were still living in 11 Maui hotels as of Friday. Star-Advertiser.

A Low-Income Housing Complex Is Ready To Rebuild After Lahaina Fire. It Just Needs $36M. The developer of the 89-unit project is the first to obtain building permits in the burn zone. Now the county and state are being asked to pick up the cost of what insurance didn't cover. Civil Beat.

Kauai

Jobless rate falls to 2.5 percent in February on Kaua‘i. A robust labor market turned up the heat in February, as it added hundreds of jobs across key sectors of the island economy in the final full month of the winter tourism season. Garden Island.

Hawaiian monk seal returned to Kaua‘i waters after veterinary team removes ingested hook and fishing line. An 8-month-old Hawaiian monk seal was safely returned to Kaua‘i waters after a veterinary team at the Big Island’s marine mammal hospital removed an ingested hook and fishing line from the animal’s esophagus. Kauai Now. Garden Island.