Tourism grants, HTA board in limbo, Senate Ways and Means chair fails to disclose conflict of interest, Big Island police chief almost loses his job over Honolulu application, EIS released on Kauai bombing range, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Budget delay puts HTA’s community grants in limbo. Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s community program applicants are in limbo because the agency’s budget was not approved in time to meet the award schedule and the delay is bumping up against the program’s fiscal-year start. Star-Advertiser.

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority board in limbo as lawmakers call for briefing. The state legislators in charge of tourism are holding a post-session informational briefing Monday on the beleaguered Hawai‘i Tourism Authority that could play out more like an exit interview. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi Senator Didn't Disclose Possible Conflict Of Interest Before Voting. Donovan Dela Cruz voted four times in favor of passing a bill designed to protect māmaki tea, even though he owns a māmaki tea business. No other senators declared conflicts either. Civil Beat.

Report ranks Hawaiʻi among top nationally in quality preschool programs. Hawaii is just one of five states that met all 10 benchmarks by the National Institute for Early Education Research. Hawaii Public Radio.

University of Hawaii puts $7.4M into student success platform. The UH Board of Regents approved a $7.4 million, five-year contract for two integrated platforms — EAB Navigate360 and Edify — that will track student behavior and performance in real time, allowing advisers and support staff to proactively intervene before problems escalate. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now. 

Machine To Turn Local Meat And Produce Into Fancy Food Is Tangled In Red Tape. A $21.6 million machine meant to extend the shelf life of Hawaiʻi-grown products hasn’t been used in the year it’s been at the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Honolulu Wants To Put More Cameras In Public Parks To Reduce Crime. The City Council hasn’t come up with funding yet for the program and research shows cameras alone may not be effective. Civil Beat.

Waikiki’s latest wedding chapel hopes to boost romance travel.  A  partnership between Tsukaki Lognote Hawaii Ltd., and Outrigger Hospitality Group has produced Waikiki’s newest wedding venue. Star-Advertiser.

Former Honolulu Attorney Indicted In Alleged $1.5 Million Probate Fraud. The charges against Robert Earl Chapman appear to mirror those detailed in a 2022 case brought by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel in which he admitted to the misconduct, ending his legal career. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Close call for police chief: Commission sets meeting to let Moszkowicz answer ‘tough questions’. Hawaii Police Department Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz came within a single vote Friday of losing his job as the Big Island’s top cop at the Hawaii County Police Commission meeting in Hilo. Tribune-Herald.

Island facilities struggle to keep up with popularity of pickleball. Since the sport’s popularity exploded in the wake of the pandemic, courts meant for tennis, volleyball and badminton have been taped or re-painted with new lines to suit the needs of pickleball, but the many options islandwide still fall short of meeting the demand by players who would, for some, prefer to play multiple times per day. Tribune-Herald.

Paving work to begin at Onekahakaha park. A paving project at Onekahakaha Beach Park will begin Monday to address concerns raised at a recent community meeting in Keaukaha. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now. 

Maui

Maui council to continue hearing testimonies on short-term rental conversion bill. Maui County councilmembers will head into day three of public testimony regarding a controversial bill to phase out thousands of short-term rentals on June 23, with the community divided on the cause as Lahaina fire survivors and short-term rental owners bring heated testimony to the hearings. KHON2.

Samples indicate pollution in some Maui waters. A nonprofit group that has done tests for the presence of potential pollution on Maui says its latest results are enough to raise concern for some ocean users in North and South Maui. Maui News.

Long before last week’s 330-acre blaze, Kahikinui community spent years preparing for fires. On the steep slopes of the remote Hawaiian homesteading community of Kahikinui, a red house with a salmon-colored roof can be seen surrounded on all sides by blackened landscape in an aerial shot posted last week on social media by Maui County. Maui Now.

Kauai

Navy, NASA complete Draft EIS on land use. Public comments sought for draft EIS for federal installations on Kauaʻi.  The U.S. Department of the Navy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on Friday the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, for the proposed, continued use of state lands on Kauai for the Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility and the NASA’s Kokee Park Geophysical Observatory. Garden Island. Maui Now.  Hawaii News Now. 

Ben Osorno named interim chief executive officer at Kaua‘i Humane Society. Kaua‘i Humane Society announced that Ben Osorno is now the organization’s interim chief executive officer, effective immediately. Kauai Now.