Lawmakers to award $50M to help offset federal cuts, Kapiolani Medical Center employees to strike, OHA may jump into military land dispute, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Small Group Of Lawmakers To Award $50M To Nonprofits Facing Federal Cuts. The money will be in addition to $30 million given to nonprofits and social service agencies last spring. Civil Beat.

Hawai‘i Food Banks And Farmers Are In ‘Real Trouble’ With Federal Cuts. Funding for food stamp programs and food banks are under threat, grants to boost farming have been slashed and, now, the state might step up to help. Civil Beat.

Hawaii farmers, families feel strain from federal fallout. Hawaii’s farmers and ranchers are grappling with mounting uncertainty as federal policy shifts, the government shutdown, and delays in renewing the U.S. Farm Bill ripple across the state’s fragile agricultural and food security systems. Star-Advertiser.

Should OHA Play A Bigger Role In Military Lease Negotiations? Activists and prominent community leaders urged the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on Thursday to assert itself as the representative of the Hawaiian community in lease negotiations between the state and federal government for thousands of acres of land used for military training. Civil Beat.

Illnesses at Hawaii schools potentially linked to milk rise to 15. As of Thursday morning, the state Department of Health had received reports of approximately 15 individuals experiencing gastrointestinal illness potentially linked to recently recalled Meadow Gold chocolate milk. Star-Advertiser.

4 Hawaii sheriff deputies sue state after ‘illegal’ arrests. A lawsuit filed by four state sheriff deputies accuses the state and two former Department of Law Enforcement leaders of “illegally” arresting them to help counter accusations in a separate civil lawsuit brought by a commander. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Passengers begin riding extended lines on Honolulu’s Skyline rail system.  Skyline trains Thursday morning were running fuller than they typically have been, with Leeward residents expected to ride rail to the major employment centers at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and the airport. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio.  KHON2. 

Hundreds of Kapiolani Medical Center employees to strike.  Unionized workers at the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children will begin a strike at 7 a.m. Friday morning. The union represents about 300 of Kapiolani’s technicians, housekeeping, food service staff, and more.  Hawaii News Now. KHON2. 

North Shore gondola project modified amid community concerns. North Shore residents are speaking out against changes to a proposed gondola up Mount Ka’ala. KHON2.

Warning from Board of Water Supply after residents encounter fake water tester. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is warning residents to be cautious after a man went door to door in Ewa Beach claiming he needed to test people’s tap water. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Lava Emerges At Kīlauea Summit, High Fountains Expected Soon. A series of lava overflows and drainbacks occurred from the south vent on Thursday, while spatter was seen at the north vent. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now.

Day 3 of Kaiser strike in Hilo. About 15 picketers circled the entrance to the Hilo Kaiser Permanente clinic Thursday on the third day of a labor strike by employees represented by the Alliance of Health Care Unions. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Maui Planning Commission backs higher Lahaina building limit, parking reform. The Maui Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend that the Maui County Council approve a bill that would increase the maximum allowable building heights for new construction in the post-disaster Lahaina National Historic Landmark District from 30 to 35 feet. Maui Now.

Grand opening celebrates 200 affordable housing units in Lahaina. Except for three managerial units, the project offers rent-restricted homes for 197 families who earn between 30% to 60% of Area Median Income, enabling residents to save an average of 53% annually in their rent payments compared to market-rate options.  Maui News. KITV4. 

House Finance Committee visits Maui. Members of the House Finance Committee visited Maui to see firsthand several projects and programs supported by the Legislature. Maui Now.

Kauai

Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative bolsters after-hours, weekend customer support services. The cooperative as of Oct. 1 has partnered with Cooperative Response Center — a nationwide 24/7 contact center providing support to rural electric utilities — to accept after-hours and weekend customer service and emergency calls. Kauai Now.

Community rallies to protect trees threatened by Poipu Road safety project. The county said the trees were not on the original plans when engineers designed the improvements. Hawaii News Now.