State seeks public input on $200M 'green fee' spending, carpenters' PAC pumps $12M into elections, factory-built homes come to Oahu, shelters open ahead of monsoon trough, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Next ‘Green Fee’ projects to involve more public input. An advisory council charged with making recommendations is seeking to influence a second round of Hawaii “Green Fee” projects to be selected for around $200 million in state funding. Star-Advertiser.

Mission Unclear: A $1 Million Contract Involving Invasive Species. Hawaiʻi has ponied up tens of millions of dollars to fight the plague of invasive species across the islands. But the state’s choice of contractors is raising serious concerns. Civil Beat.

Big Money Continues To Flow In Hawaiʻi Politics As Election Nears. Gov. Josh Green is spending big, according to the latest campaign reports. On Kauaʻi and Maui, money is also flowing in mayoral contests. Civil Beat.

Carpenters’ $12M political spending exceeds all other campaigns. With a week to go before the November general election, political spending in Hawaii has reached a new high, and most of it is coming from one source. The carpenters union political action committee, For a Better Tomorrow, is setting records for spending in support of candidates. The carpenters union is also behind a PAC supporting the RISE bonds constitutional amendment question. Hawaii News Now.

AIPAC Still Giving Money To Ed Case Despite His Criticism Of Israel. The moderate Democrat is Hawaiʻi’s only congressional candidate to get money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which recently announced it will no longer give directly to candidates. Civil Beat.

Delegation intervenes in lawsuit on admissions at Kamehameha Schools. Hawaii’s congressional delegation is backing Kamehameha Schools in its legal fight over the institution’s admissions preference for Native Hawaiian students, arguing that Congress has both the constitutional authority and a long-standing trust responsibility to protect Native Hawaiian rights. Star-Advertiser.

Hawai’i’s 2026 dry season 3rd wettest in 30 years; but wet season will be opposite with increased wildfire risk. Based on the NOAA wet season forecast the state may experience dryner than normal conditions and droughts in many areas due to El Niño. Big Island Now.

Oahu

Department of Hawaiian Homelands pilots factory-built homes to shorten waitlist. For years, Native Hawaiian beneficiaries have faced lengthy wait times for housing. Under the pilot program, DHHL offered leases for 24 scattered lots. Sixteen are in Kapolei, and eight will be in Waianae. Hawaii News Now.

City to pay $2.5M over fatal Salt Lake sidewalk fall. The family of a man who died after tripping on a cracked sidewalk in Salt Lake has settled a lawsuit with the city for $2.5 million. The accident also exposed cracks in the city’s sidewalk maintenance program. Hawaii News Now.

Koko Crater Stables tenant told to vacate. The City is ordering the current tenant out of Koko Crater Stables. Aloha Riding Lessons said it needs to vacate by mid-January. KHON2.

Shelters open as heavy rain from ‘monsoon trough’ arrives. The City and County of Honolulu opened four emergency shelters Tuesday evening as heavy rain began approaching Oahu. Star-Advertiser. KHON2.  KITV4. 

Hawaii Island

County seeks removal of destroyed buildings in downtown Hilo. Hawaii County sent letters last month to two downtown Hilo property owners whose buildings were destroyed by a fire late last year, notifying them they are required by law to remove the debris from their properties or face stiff fines for noncompliance. Tribune-Herald.

Water department to waive charges for customers in storm-damaged Ka‘u. The Hawaii County Department of Water Supply’s board voted Tuesday to waive charges for its customers in the Wai‘ohinu-Na‘alehu service area for the most recent bi-monthly billing period due to infrastructure damage caused by Hurricane Lala. Tribune-Herald.

Family Members Can Submit Claims For Nāʻālehu Cemetery Recovered Items. Family members of those laid to rest at Nāʻālehu Cemetery can submit a claim for recovered items ahead of an important filing date next week. Big Island Video News. KITV4. 

Maui

Council gives initial approval for new investigator to target Lahaina contractor fraud. The Maui County Council voted 8-0 on Friday to pass on first reading a bill that would add a prosecutor’s office investigator to focus on contractor fraud tied to the 2023 wildfires. Maui Now.

Construction Of Military Data Center On Maui Alarms Residents. The nearly $100 million facility would work in conjunction with seven proposed telescopes near the summit of Haleakalā. The lab and data center are expected to be completed early next year. Civil Beat.

Hawai‘i Department of Transportation receives $40.1 million federal grant for Port of Kahului. The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation announced that it has received $40,146,750 in federal grant funding through the US Department of Transportation’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. The grant will support the $56.1 million Port of Kahului Cargo Yard Expansion project, significantly increasing landside capacity and operational efficiency at Maui’s sole commercial port. Maui Now.

Maui police lieutenant denied bail again in federal bribery case. A federal magistrate judge denied bail on Tuesday for Maui police Lt. Michael Vaituulala, who is accused of taking bribes to protect criminals. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. 

Maui police seek help locating next of kin for unclaimed bodies. The Maui Police Department, in coordination with its health care partner Maui Memorial Medical Center, is seeking the public’s help locating next of kin for five deceased individuals whose bodies remain unclaimed. Maui News.

Kauai

Hawaiʻi voters to decide on two state constitutional amendments, one Kauaʻi County Charter amendment. Hawaiʻi voters to decide amendments on timing for judge appointments, funding public infrastructure and one amendment that clarifies the planning commission appeal process in the Kauaʻi County Charter. Kauai Now.

Kauaʻi's Mel Rapozo makes his run for mayor. In August's primary election, Kauaʻi County Council Chair Mel Rapozo led the race for Kauaʻi mayor with over 40% of the vote. He is running against Bernard Carvalho, who was Kauaʻi's mayor from 2008 to 2018. Carvalho did not respond to HPR's interview requests. Hawaii Public Radio.

Shameful behavior addressed. On the heels of the situation that took place on Saturday during the waning minutes of the Kauai Interscholastic Federation football game at the Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex stadium, the Kauai Police Department on Monday released a press release on the department’s “zero tolerance for violence.” Garden Island. Kauai Now.