Showing posts with label Donald Horner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donald Horner. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Hawaii unveils online restaurant inspection tool, Honolulu rail transit head quits amid cost overruns, parents of downed Marine blame military for Honolulu helicopter crash, seed industry drops out of Kauai pesticide study, Maui mayor quizzed on land holdings, busy day today for Hawaii Legislature, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Food inspection placard in Hilo restaurant front © 2016 All Hawaii News
Online tool to access restaurant inspection data, via Hawaii Department of Health. Get link here.

Launched on Monday by the state Department of Health, a restaurant inspection website is intended to supplement the state’s color-coded restaurant inspection placard program initiated in July 2014. Reports on all of Oahu’s food establishments are now available, and the department wants to add reports for eateries on the neighbor islands by the end of the year. Star-Advertiser.

You can now look up restaurant food safety inspection results through an online tool created by the state Department of Health. Civil Beat.

A new website published by the Hawaii State Department of Health lets foodies inspect how Hawaii restaurants and other food service organizations fare in food safety inspections. The website rolled out Monday with data from 7,000 Oahu inspection reports to start, and will be expanded. Pacific Business News.

The Hawaii State Department of Health has launched a new online portal that lets consumers see how Hawaii restaurants and other food service organizations fare in food safety inspections, starting first with Oahu inspection data. KHON2.

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After decades of tough-on-crime policies, Hawaii is one of four states that solve their prison crowding problem by shipping inmates out of state, usually to facilities run by for-profit companies such as Corrections Corporation of America and The GEO Group.  Civil Beat.

Women would be able to obtain a year’s supply of birth control pills under a bill aimed at improving access to contraception and reducing unintended pregnancies. Star-Advertiser.

State lawmakers prepare for a heavy voting day Tuesday and cleanup Thursday, which is the deadline for bills to pass third reading in their non-originating chamber in order to “cross back” to the originating chamber. Civil Beat.

With less than a week to go before the state Department of Health announces the names of Hawaii's first medical marijuana dispensary owners, applicants are rushing to meet last-minute requirements for background checks. Associated Press.

Will ‘pot’ become too pricey? Some fear dispensaries will limit access and be cost-prohibitive. Tribune-Herald.

In hopes of keeping the ferry issue afloat, the state Senate passed a resolution last year asking transportation officials to study whether Washington state’s ferry system could be used as a model for Hawaii. After seeing no action, the Legislature appears to be ready to do the same again, though this time with a mandate and funding to go with it. Tribune-Herald.

State Sen. Sam Slom will undergo coronary bypass surgery this week, according to his office. Slom, the only Republican lawmaker in the 25-member Senate, was hospitalized last week. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Don Horner, former CEO for First Hawaiian Bank, is the first political casualty in Honolulu’s struggle to rein in cost increases on its $6.6 billion commuter rail project. Civil Beat.

Don Horner, who once oversaw the state’s largest financial institution, will no longer help oversee the state’s largest public works project. Horner tendered his resignation to Mayor Kirk Caldwell on Monday as the rail agency’s volunteer board chairman, as the transit project faces rising costs and growing uncertainty. Star-Advertiser.

Don Horner has resigned as chairman of the board of the Honolulu Area Rapid Transit Authority.  He submitted his resignation to Mayor Kirk Caldwell today….after a meeting of about 20 minutes at Honolulu Hale. Hawaii Public Radio.

Despite the resignation of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation's chairman, the rail transit system still faces significant challenges and critics said that even more changes are needed. Hawaii News Now.

Honolulu’s rail budget has ballooned over the years. When the project began in 2008, it was estimated at $4 billion. In 2012, that number shot up to $5 billion, and then $5.2 billion two years later. Currently, the project is $2.5 billion over its original budget at $6.5 billion. KHON2.

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The parents of a Hawaii Marine killed in the Jan. 14 crash of two helicopters off Oahu’s North Shore say the CH-53E Super Stallions shouldn’t have been flying because of safety concerns over worn-out Marine Corps choppers. But beyond that, Mike and Lisa De La Cruz say they are angry and maintain that the Marine Corps wasted lots of time in trying to make a recovery at sea that has yielded remains identifications for nine of 12 aboard — but not their son. Star-Advertiser.

Lower-income residents in Honolulu live shorter lives than people in similar circumstances elsewhere in the nation, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii

State lawmakers passed a bill providing additional funds to combat rapid ohia death. But they are not ready to write the check just yet. Tribune-Herald.

Every Big Island judge has recused, or removed, themselves in the felony theft case against Mayor Billy Kenoi, which led to the assignment of Oahu Circuit Court Judge Dexter Del Rosario. That is also true in the case of where a man allegedly burned the Big Island Drug Court, which is being handled by Maui Circuit Court Judge Rhonda Loo. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

A Kihei resident is asking the Maui County Board of Ethics to seek more information from Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa on possible income from his holdings in Arakawa Farms and three Omaopio Road parcels. Maui News.

Kamalani, a new residential community in north Kīhei, will begin accepting sales applications for its first neighborhood on Sunday, April 17, 2016.  Maui Now.

A crew from Sea Engineering Inc. of Oahu takes a core sample at Maalaea Small Boat Harbor on Friday morning. The sample will help determine the size and depth of new pilings scheduled to be set at the harbor. Maui News.

Kauai

Two seed industry employees have dropped out of a Joint Fact-Finding group that was charged by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Kauai County to evaluate the environmental and health impacts of agricultural pesticide use on Kauai. Civil Beat.

The county is still replacing sand that’s eroding near Pono Kai in Kapaa, even though they just completed a $950,000 project to restore the integrity of the seawall. Garden Island.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Hawaii's restaurant inspection database fails, hotels busy, Ige signs farm-to-school, overdose bills, legislators trim spending after ethics rules, UH athletics in the red again, turmoil atop Mauna Kea, Molokai ferry seeks as-needed schedule, federal money for coffee berry borer, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

copyright 2015 All Hawaii News all rights reserved
Hawaii restaurant inspection placard © 2015 All Hawaii News
One year after requiring restaurants to display safety inspection placards for their patrons, and after spending nearly $170,000, the Hawaii State Department of Health is going back to the drawing board to launch a restaurant database the public can access online. Pacific Business News.

While Hawaii's hotel market started the year slowly, the pickup seen in March has continued and led to a record-setting May. Star-Advertiser.

Gov. David Ige signed a farm-to-school bill Tuesday that is intended to increase the amount of local food students eat in Hawaii’s public school system and boost their understanding of its importance. Civil Beat

Gov. David Ige on Tuesday approved a bill designed to help reduce the number of drug- and alcohol-related deaths in Hawaii by encouraging bystanders to call for help when they witness an overdose. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii ranks 40th among states for its overall “fiscal health,” according to a national study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. The study, released Tuesday, measured fiscal solvency of the 50 states based on short- and long-term debt and other “key fiscal obligations,” such as unfunded pensions and health care benefits. Civil Beat.

How Hawaii Lawmakers Spend Up to $13,000 a Year — Each. A review of this year’s spending shows legislators are much less inclined to spend public money on questionable expenses. Civil Beat.

Donald Horner, who has led the state Board of Education since 2011, announced Tuesday he is stepping down as its chairman this month. Star-Advertiser.

Gov. David Ige will be selecting a new chair for the state Board of Education after Don Horner announced plans on Tuesday to step down from the position later this month. Civil Beat.

New Hawai’i Homelessness data reveals a growing population that is older and mentally or physically disabled. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaiian Electric Co. has conditionally approved 4,176 out of roughly 5,700 customers with rooftop solar energy systems waiting to be connected to its grid who were stuck in the queue since October, according to public documents. Pacific Business News.

Abnormally warm ocean temperatures are creating conditions that threaten to kill coral across the equatorial Pacific, north Pacific and western Atlantic oceans, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday. Associated Press.

Services for former Lt. Gov. Nelson Kiyoshi Doi, who died May 16 in his home in Wai­mea, Hawaii, will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Oceanside Luau Grounds. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

The University of Hawaii athletic department’s deficit for the just-concluded fiscal year is expected to be the biggest in its history. By the time the annual audit is concluded this fall, UH said it expects to report a deficit of $4.2 million-$4.4 million for the fiscal year that concluded June 30. Star-Advertiser.

Your home is your castle, but under a proposal put forth by City Councilmember Carol Fukunaga, your street might also turn into paid parking. KITV4.

City Council chairman Ernie Martin and Gov. David Ige met Tuesday to discuss the homeless situation in Kakaako. They’re trying to come up with a plan to move the homeless out of the area. KHON2.

Hawaii

Protesters of the Thirty Meter Telescope say they are being unfairly targeted by the state’s proposed “emergency” rules restricting access to Mauna Kea’s summit. Tribune-Herald.

The attorney for the Mauna Kea Hui claiming to have been “denied access to exercise their religious, cultural and traditional practices on Mauna Kea” has sent a letter challenging the legalities to the Attorney General of the State of Hawaii, Douglas Chin. Big Island Video News.

The state is taking direct aim at the Thirty Meter Telescope protesters by proposing an emergency rule that prevents them from camping near the Mau­na­kea Visitor Information Station, TMT foes said Tuesday. Star-Advertiser.

A proposed “emergency rule” on the BLNR’s Friday meeting agenda is aimed at breaking up the encampment of protesters on Mauna Kea—the only thing stopping the Thirty-Meter Telescope from being built right now. Hawaii Independent.

State officials are proposing emergency rules that would prohibit camping and restrict nighttime access on Mauna Kea. Hawai‘i’s Board of Land and Natural Resources plans to vote on the issue this Friday. But opponents say the new rules unfairly target TMT protesters and would violate the rights of cultural practitioners. Hawaii Public Radio.

In addition to the state Land Board, the Office of Mauna Kea Management also is proposing new access rules for Mauna Kea, though they are not in direct response to the ongoing protests. Tribune-Herald.

The first observatory placed atop Mauna Kea will now be one of the first to come down, the University of Hawaii announced Tuesday. Civil Beat.

Hawaii County could soon see more money from Washington to fight the coffee berry borer that has threatened signature coffee brands in Kona and elsewhere on the island. West Hawaii Today.

Delays in widening Queen Kaahumanu Highway are hitting the pocketbook of the county Department of Water Supply, which is trying to coordinate laying water lines with the roadwork. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

The Maui County Council approved raising compensation to $2.25 million on Tuesday for private legal counsel to defend against a lawsuit in which the county faces millions of dollars in fines over its use of four injection wells at its Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility. Maui News.

Parade Staging Criminal Trespass Case Forwarded to Prosecutor. Maui Now.

A state lawmaker from south Maui plans to draft a bill for the next legislative session to appease both residents who oppose the burning of cane fields and the company that burns them. Associated Press.

The secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday during a special visit to Maui that he supports the building of a one-stop facility where Maui veterans can receive medical and psychological services and assistance with benefits. Maui News.

Kauai

More than seven months after his son was killed after being struck by a car and then hit again by a responding police officer, the father is still seeking answers. Garden Island.

Molokai

The Molokai ferry is moving ahead with plans to seek Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approval to operate on an "as needed" basis for voyages between Maui and Molokai. Maui News.