Constitutional amendment would allow tax-free bonds for construction industry, Honolulu exempts HART from eminent domain notification requirements, electricity returning to Kauai, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii construction industry pushes constitutional amendment to lower housing costs. Constitutional amendment question 2 is mostly about paying for new roads, bridges and water systems, which until now housing developers had to pay for themselves upfront. The tax-free bonds, already used across the country, are paid back from future property taxes generated by new homes and businesses in an improvement district. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiʻi Voting Groups Cheer As High Court Rejects Trump Mail Ballot Restrictions. The decision allows Hawaiʻi and other states to continue sending mail ballots under existing processes. Trump wanted restrictions before the November elections.  Civil Beat.

More Unlicensed Teachers Are Filling In Gaps In Hawaiʻi Classrooms. The Hawaiʻi Department of Education reported 142 teacher vacancies earlier this month, a jump from the 73 unfilled positions last school year. Civil Beat.

University of Hawaiʻi tuition freezes, increases proposed for all campuses. A new proposed schedule would keep tuition unchanged at all of the University of Hawaiʻi’s campuses for two years. After the freeze, two years of increases would begin. KHON2.

Preparations underway for final aloha for Gov. George Ariyoshi. Members of the general public have several opportunities later this week to pay respects to late Hawaii Gov. George Ariyoshi and his family, starting with a visitation and ceremony Friday at the state Capitol. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Honolulu City Council exempts HART from eminent domain notice rule. The Honolulu City Council has approved legislation exempting the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation from a city law requirement to notify property owners and lessees when seeking Council authorization to condemn their property for construction of the over $10 billion Skyline project. Star-Advertiser.

Bill passed by City Council would allow farmers markets in underutilized parks. The Honolulu City Council passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow the Department of Parks and Recreation to permit nonprofit organizations to host farmers markets and food distribution events in underutilized public parks. Aloha State Daily.

He Was Banned From Police Work In California But Hired In Honolulu. A California cop stonewalled an internal investigation into his handling of an alleged kidnapping while lining up a job in Hawai‘i as an investigator in the prosecutor’s office. Civil Beat.

City and state join forces to help prevent Honolulu’s flood problem. City and state crews were working along the Woodlawn Drive Bridge in Mānoa, an area known for flooding, before both Hurricane Lala and Hurricane Lowell hit the islands. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii Island

University of Hawaiʻi law school brings recruitment events to Big Island. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law representatives will provide an overview of program details, admission requirements, application process, timelines and scholarships as well as be available to answer any specific questions those who attend might have. Big Island Now.

Maui

Mayor to host series of community meetings for 2028 budget. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen and officials from his administration will host a series of community budget meetings for residents to offer input on the budget for fiscal year 2028. Maui News.

Hawaiian Council opens vendor applications for ʻUlu O Lele Marketplace in Lahaina. Hawaiian Council announced Monday that the website and vendor application portal are now live for ʻUlu o Lele, the interim marketplace and community gathering space being developed at the former Outlets of Maui site in Lahaina. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now. 

Significant Little Fire Ant infestations discovered on Maui in Ha‘ikū and Kapalua. Native to Central and South America, little fire ants arrived in Hawai‘i in the late 1990s, likely as hitchhikers on a cargo or nursery shipment. Today, they are among the most destructive invasive species on the islands. Maui Now.

Kauai

Power back on for most of Kauai but some areas may have to wait 2 weeks. Some areas of Kauai’s North Shore could see power restoration on Wednesday, though it could take one to two more weeks for remote areas to turn on their lights, according to the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. Star-Advertiser. Kauai Now.  Garden Island. 

‘Definitely A Hit’: Hawaiʻi Urges Trump To OK Disaster Aid. Kauaʻi will have to tap its reserve funds to help pay for damages from Lowell as state leaders seek major disaster declarations from the White House. Civil Beat.

County of Kauaʻi extends application deadline for Grant-in-Aid program. The application deadline for the County of Kauaʻi Grant-in-Aid program has been extended to 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 30. Kauai Now.

Travelers heed calls to avoid Kauai amid Hurricane Lowell recovery. As Kauai recovers from Hurricane Lowell, many residents are repeating their calls to visitors to avoid traveling to the island, and it appears some are listening.  Hawaii News Now.