Hawaii to get some of Okinawa Marines, emergency money for APEC, trial for 6 Occupy Honolulu members starts today, dogs in restaurants, endangered snails released on Oahu, state lawmakers want more gifts, ziplines scrutinized, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Pololu Valley Lookout (c) 2012 All Hawaii News

The Public Land Development Corp., an agency tasked with developing public lands, has raised concerns from environmentalists and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and is under attack by lawmakers this session. Civil Beat.

Hawaii's tourism industry could be changed by a proposal discussed Tuesday that requires more strict inspections of zip lines, which allow riders strapped to a harness and a cable to glide above forest canopies. Associated Press.

Companion bills seeking the regulation of zipline and canopy tours in Hawaii are scheduled to be heard by respective committees today. Maui Now.

Fed up with the state's ethics chief over advice they haven't liked about whether they can accept certain gifts, a handful of Hawaii lawmakers recently decided to go over his head. Civil Beat.

Senior Japanese officials say 4,700 U.S. Marines on Okinawa will be transferred to Guam. The remaining 3,300 would reportedly rotate among Australia, Hawaii or the Philippines. Associated Press.

Three months after the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, the state is asking legislators for an emergency appropriation of nearly $3 million to help cover its costs. KITV4.

The legal argument about gay marriage may be headed for the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile a similar constitutionality battle continues in Hawai`i. Hawaii Public Radio.

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa

Among Hawaii's delegates, U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, D-Urban Oahu, traveled back to the Islands the most in the past year: 14 roundtrips from Washington between Jan. 1, 2011 and Jan. 23, 2012. Civil Beat.

Business and labor interests are mobilizing on opposite sides of bills pending in the Legislature that would mandate paid leave for employees who are sick, victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault. Tribune-Herald.

The state Health Department opposes a bill being supported by Gov. Neil Abercrombie that would allow people to bring their dogs to restaurants statewide. Hawaii News Now.

As part of a push to show progress on key education reforms, the Board of Education is looking to make it board policy that the state move to a new evaluation system for teachers and principals no later than July 1, 2014. Star-Advertiser.

The state Department of Education would need to allocate a certain level of funding for Hawaiian language immersion programs under a bill introduced by state Rep. Mele Carroll. Maui News.

While Hawaii Electric Light Company has predicted its 2012 profits will be affected as a result of customers switching to solar panels, it does not currently have plans to increase its rates. Tribune-Herald.

Dog the Bounty hunter and his wife Beth are lending their support to a bill that they say many other bounty hunters do not support. KHON2.

State roundup for Feb. 8. Associated Press.

Oahu

Former Gov. Ben Cayetano

Former Gov. Benjamin Cayetano, a Democrat in office for 28 years and now a candidate for Honolulu Mayor, had some fighting words for U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, in response to Inouye's support for both of Cayetano's mayoral opponents and the $5.3 billion elevated steel wheel on steel rail project, which Inouye announced yesterday received Federal Transit Administration approval to move to the next phase of construction. Hawaii Reporter.

Oahu home prices got a jump on the new year, as the median sale price in January for previously owned single-family homes reached its highest level in 16 months. Star-Advertiser.

Trial for Six Occupy Honolulu Members Arrested in November Set for today. Hawaii Reporter.

A bill that would outlaw nearly all commercial activities on Sundays at a popular stretch of beach in Kailua faces a final vote next week after being passed unanimously Tuesday by the City Council’s Parks and Cultural Affairs Committee. KHON2.

Army biologists are releasing three hundreds kahuli tree snails into the heart of Oahu's Waianae mountains help the endangered species. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii
A combination of good management and good luck have left Hawaii County with enough federal stimulus funding to pave another mile of Ane Keohokalole Highway. West Hawaii Today.

The building where Hilo's cruise ship passengers receive a welcoming ceremony and assemble before boarding land tours is being closed for the next year. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Filling shelves, kids with knowledge. Maui News.

Kauai

The Prince Course will reopen for play on March 1 at Kauai’s Princeville at Hanalei resort under the management of Montage Golf. Pacific Business News.

Kaua‘i Planning Commission member Hartwell Blake’s words may have summarized the frustration of some of his fellow commissioners when he said a transient vacation rental in an area zoned agricultural is spot zoning of a resort in the middle of a rural community. Garden Island.

Teachers from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School and Kaua‘i Technology Academy had an opportunity to become whale researchers Saturday at the Kukui‘ula Small Boat Harbor. Garden Island.

Hawaii pedestrians unsafe, Filipinos overtake Japanese, Kauai battles feral cats, Fire Department apologizes, money slows redistricting work, national group helps Maui publisher, Molokai health care truce, Big Island wealth concentrated, more news

Hawaii population shifts (c) 2011 All Hawaii News

Almost 29.3 percent of the entire county's total property value is in North Kona County Council District 8, home to just 12.3 percent of the population. West Hawaii Today.

Filipinos have overtaken Japanese as the top Asian ancestry group in Hawaii, according to new data released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau. Civil Beat.

The state Reapportionment Commission is awaiting the governor's final approval of an emergency appropriation of about $664,000 before it can proceed with a contract for software and technical materials needed to begin redrawing the state's political boundaries. Star-Advertiser.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the University of Hawaii are to produce legal primers on Native Hawaiian issues. Associated Press.

A report released Tuesday by Transportation for America, a nonprofit organization devoted to transportation reform with an emphasis on pedestrian safety, pointed to a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control showing Hawaii ranking first in the category of pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people 65 and older between 2000-2007. Star-Advertiser.

Feel free to continue to walk and talk, the law that would have made it illegal to cross the street while holding a mobile device is getting disconnected. Hawaii News Now.

The Honolulu City Council is joining the effort to try attracting President Barack Obama's future presidential library. Star-Advertiser.

The Honolulu Fire Department is apologizing for the way one of its dispatchers handled an emergency call after a fireworks explosion killed five men at a storage facility in Waikele. KHON2.

A year and a half after Louis Kealoha became the Honolulu police chief, there is high-level criticism of his leadership from within his own department and from people at other law enforcement agencies. KITV4.

With $854,000 in stimulus funding, officials at Better Place are looking for commercial property owners interested in hosting an electric car charging station. Pacific Business News

More than 5-thousand residents seek substance abuse treatment each year at a cost of 20-million dollars to taxpayers. Hawaii Public Radio.

The Kaua‘i County Council is set to vote today on a resolution supporting a trapping, neutering and return method of controlling the island’s feral cat population. Garden Island.

The Maui County Charter Commission discussed Monday how both the commission and the County Council can propose amendments to the county's guiding legal document. Maui News.

The Hawaii County Council wants to expand local government while simultaneously cutting millions from county operations, employee overtime and golfing subsidies. Tribune-Herald.

The Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, a national organization, is set to officially oppose a subpoena by the Maui Police Department and district attorney to release the names of all online commenters to an April 14 story in the Maui Time about the alleged assault of Maui Time publisher Tommy Russo by a police officer during an altercation involving Duane “Dog” Chapman and his entourage. Hawaii Independent.

Studies show more than one-in-four 14 to 24 year olds have been involved in some form of "sexting" - either sending or receiving sexually-explicit photos, videos, or text messages on-line or on cellphones. Hawaii News Now.

In a historic move, the island’s health care providers gathered last week to discuss how to co-exist peacefully. Molokai Dispatch.

Hawaii weather turning, Mauna Kea telescope delayed, state can't get its House in order, Dog the Bounty Hunter nabs one, Kona coffee farmers confused, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

The University of Hawaii said Wednesday it expects to delay by about two years the start of a new asteroid-hunting telescope it plans to build at Mauna Kea's summit. Associated Press.

The University of Hawaii is shelving plans to build an Air Force-funded, asteroid-hunting telescope on Mauna Kea. Tribune-Herald.

The consortium that wants to build the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea has sponsored robotics teams at local schools, downsized its proposed dome to be less conspicuous, agreed to ship all waste water back down the mountain, and pledged to train and hire local employees and contribute a million dollars a year to a local educational fund, among other concessions. Big Island Weekly.

The State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism Energy Office has filed state and federal notices of intent to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement for the Hawai‘i Interisland Renewable Energy Program. The PEIS will examine the program-level impacts of the development of up to 400 megawatts of wind energy on Maui County, the transmission of the energy to Oahu via an undersea cable, and the integration of that energy into Oahu’s electrical grid. Hawaii Reporter.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch this morning for Kauai and a flood watch will be posted for other islands later today. Star-Advertiser.

The calm and quiet weather we've been seeing is expected to change dramatically. KHON2.

With state House Speaker Calvin Say still one vote short of retaining power, dissidents are asking that he work with them to find a leadership compromise that will unify the House. Star-Advertiser.

After five weeks of what they describe as an "impasse" over who should lead the state House of Representatives, 18 Democrats who want a leadership change are asking Calvin Say to give up his battle to stay speaker. Civil Beat.

Following reports of nepotism at Myron B. Thompson Academy Public Charter School, Rep. Gene Ward (R-Hawaii Kai) announced that the $2.3 million in Federal Stimulus Funds recently released by the Lingle Administration for Charter School accreditation could help prevent these problems in the future. Hawaii Independent.

A national study finds 20% of Americans spend more than they make - and in Hawaii, 24%. Hawaii News Now.

The Library and Information Science Graduate Program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has been cited as one of the nation's best.Associated Press.

Tens of thousands of University of Hawaii students statewide are experiencing delays registering for next semester’s classes because of an overloaded computer system, UH officials said. KITV4.

A record 784 lost, injured and underweight wedge-tailed shearwater fledglings have been turned in to bird caretakers on Oahu in the last 15 days, prompting concern for the native seabird. Star-Advertiser.

The coqui frog has garnered quite a bit of attention in Hawaii during the last decade. Honolulu Weekly.

Three adult corrections officers who worked at the Halawa Correctional Facility have been fired after a surveillance video showed them assaulting an inmate inside the prison. KHON2.

Dog the Bounty Hunter and his crew chased down a suspect on Hawaii’s most wanted list and may consider going after the FBI’s backpack bandit. KITV4.

The most hotly debated issue in Chancellor Michael Rota's tenure at Honolulu Community College was finally settled yesterday when he helped unveil a statue of a pistol with a knotted barrel designed to honor former Beatle John Lennon, who was assassinated 30 years ago yesterday by a former Hawaii resident. Star-Advertiser.

Late Honolulu mayor Frank Fasi will be inducted into the Honolulu Marathon Hall of Fame Thursday. Hawaii News Now.

The 13th Air Force plans to have a change of command ceremony this week as Lt. Gen. Ted Kresge takes over from Lt. Gen. Hawk Carlisle. Associated Press.

Three more of Mayor Peter Carlisle's Cabinet appointees -- holdovers from the previous administration -- received initial approval from the City Council yesterday as the chamber completed its business for 2010. Star-Advertiser.

The status of the Volcano House remains in limbo, with the National Park Service yet to decide who will operate the landmark hotel. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii County has settled a lawsuit filed against it by a paving company that alleged the county violated its own procurement code when it bought materials from a rival company. West Hawaii Today.

Some coffee producers are expressing confusion in the wake of a new emergency rule creating two quarantine zones to halt the spread of the coffee berry borer on and off the Big Island. West Hawaii Today.

Maui Memorial Medical Center's Kahului Tower was renamed The Representative Bob Nakasone Kahului Tower on Tuesday - an honor the longtime, self-effacing lawmaker probably would have shied away from. Maui News.

The new owners of Na Koa Ikaika Maui baseball team are working with the county to make good on promised facility improvements that were not completed by the previous owners. Maui News.

After a long wait, community members on Wednesday were supposed to be able to watch the live online streaming of the Kaua‘i County Council meeting. Garden Island.

For months, Moloa‘a resident Hope Kallai has been watching a large yellow buoy roll over the reef in front of Lepe‘uli Beach, also known as Larsen’s Beach, on the North Shore. Garden Island.