Hirono and Case in tight U.S. Senate race, Honolulu misses senior center deadline, Hawaii County elected officials could face drug tests, Kauai cleaning up civic center, APEC group 'ready,' more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Makaha Resort courtesy photo

The Makaha Resort & Spa is poised to close on Oct. 31, according to workers at the hotel. Employees were told the closure is temporary, they said, but no date has been set for reopening. Star-Advertiser.

U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono and former congressman Ed Case are in a close race in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, according to a new Public Policy Polling survey. Star-Advertiser.

Jon Yoshimura, communications director for U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka, is stepping down at the end of the month to take a job with a Honolulu-based solar energy firm. Star-Advertiser.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie is returning to Hawaii from a two-week trip to Japan and China. Associated Press.

Hawaii submitted its proposal Wednesday for how it would spend a $50 million federal grant to improve the state's early education system, saying it plans to institute a quality rating system for child care providers, make reforms to improve outcomes for at-risk students and improve coordination among multiple state agencies. Star-Advertiser.

Some Hawaii Teachers Ignore Ethics Code. Civil Beat.

Col. Jeffrey R. "Woody" Woods, commander of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, was relieved of duty Wednesday due to a "lack of confidence," just nine months after taking command of the base, officials said. Star-Advertiser.

The Sea-Based X-Band Radar, known informally as the giant floating golf ball, will be visible on the horizon today as it pulls into Pearl Harbor for maintenance and crew training, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said. Star-Advertiser.

Kamehameha Schools is on the verge of settling its lawsuit against a mother and child who received $7 million from the Schools after challenging the institution’s admissions policy that favors students of Hawaiian ancestry. Hawaii Reporter.

Prison garden providing growth, taste of freedom. Associated Press.

Oahu

The city of Honolulu has missed a federal deadline to review financial records of a Wahiawa senior center under investigation for possible misuse of $7.9 million in federal funds. Civil Beat.

Members of the APEC 2011 Hawaii Host Committee for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings taking place in Honolulu in 20 days want everyone to know this: “We are ready.” Pacific Business News.

A group that plans to protest the policies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting next month has been granted a permit to demonstrate, but said the location may be too far from the Hawai‘i Convention Center for people attending the conference to notice. Star-Advertiser.

A Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. subcontractor’s construction vehicle working on Honolulu’s rail transit project struck an overhead communications line near Aloha Stadium today, affecting the City’s traffic camera coverage. Hawaii Independent.

Every day as many as 4,000 hikers embark upon what is considered one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world at Diamond Head Crater. KITV4.

A stretch of Kamehameha highway in Kahalu'u has been a magnet for accidents particularly in the past two weeks. Residents are finally speaking out hoping some fix can be done before someone gets seriously hurt. KHON2.

Hawaii

Hawaii County Council Chairman Dominic Yagong is proposing a charter amendment requiring that council members, the mayor and the prosecuting attorney pass annual drug tests or face removal from office. West Hawaii Today.

Comments from a deputy attorney general prompted the Hawaii County Council to delay, again, a final vote on a proposed comprehensive building code. West Hawaii Today.

Just one West Hawaii public school missed the mark during the 2010-11 Department of Education's Fire Inspection Program. West Hawaii Today.

Tonight October 19th, at UH Hilo, Dr. Brian Schmidt, 2011 Nobel Laureate in Physics, – will speak on the Accelerating Universe. Hawaii Public Radio.

Residents on the Big Island of Hawaii were shaken by a magnitude 4.5 earthquake Wednesday afternoon. Hawaii News Now.

Maui

State officials confirmed Tuesday that they have removed the property manager of troubled West Maui affordable housing complex Honokowai Kauhale. Maui News.

Kauai

The Kaua‘i County Council on Wednesday unanimously approved two bills intended to clean up — literally — the grounds of the Lihu‘e Civic Center. Garden Island.

Rayne Regush was honored as Environmentalist of the Year at the Kaua’i Group Sierra Club annual picnic on Saturday at Hanama‘ulu Beach Park. Garden Island.

Molokai

A solid foundation to the new Veterans Caring for Veterans center was laid last week as five truckloads of concrete were poured early Thursday morning at the wharf road site. Molokai Dispatch.

Lingle, Case stump in Hilo, state shuttle competes with cabs, Big Wind hits resistance, minor protests expected for APEC, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Honolulu Rapid Transit courtesy photo

Ever since former Mayor Mufi Hannemann resurrected the idea of a Honolulu rail transit line in 2004, supporters and opponents of the project have sparred over the issue of how many jobs would be created during the construction phase of the $5.17 billion project. Star-Advertiser.

Two of the leading contenders seeking to succeed U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka got a taste of Hilo and its voters while on the campaign trail Sunday. Tribune-Herald.

U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono raised more than twice as much money as rival Ed Case last quarter, as the two battle for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Daniel Akaka. West Hawaii Today.

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono isn't one to smile just to break the ice. And she knows that some people say she's cold or aloof, but that's OK with her. As the 63-year-old Senate candidate puts it, she's had to "paddle (her) own canoe for a long time."  Civil Beat.

Members of the Hawaii House of Representatives will travel to Taiwan Saturday for a weeklong trip to tour governmental agencies and forge economic partnerships. Pacific Business News.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who used a number of new media tools to communicate with voters during his campaign for governor, such as livestreaming and twitter, is now being criticized by the media for being too uncommunicative. Hawaii Reporter.

Communications haven’t been a strong point for Gov. Neil Abercrombie to date and now his office has misspelled the name of the new communications director, Jim Boersema. Hawaii Reporter.


Just as it did in 2001 when the Asian Development Bank conference was held in Hawaii, the state's isolation might help limit the size of protests during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month, some government officials say. Star-Advertiser.

Globalizing the islands: The impact of APEC. Hawaii Independent.

The University of Hawaii is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's climate symposium. KHON2.

A revival of interest in geothermal energy brought key players to Waimanalo on Saturday to address the heavily Native Hawaiian community on the benefits of the renewable energy source. Civil Beat.

The state launched a 24-hour airport shuttle service Sunday that offers door-to-door rides at reasonable fees but which cab drivers say will hurt their struggling businesses. Star-Advertiser.

Karen Gleason said she never thought an eastern part of Maunalua Bay would be free of the acres of an alien alga that choked out a reef and a once-flourishing population of fish and crabs. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

A plan to use state road improvements funding for private subdivision thoroughfares is back on the County Council agenda Wednesday. West Hawaii Today.

Mayor Billy Kenoi said Friday the county carried over $24.7 million from the 2011 fiscal year, which ended June 30. That's $10.7 million more than the administration estimated the county would have left over, Kenoi said. West Hawaii Today.

The Big Island's Kau district will be getting its first Federal Emergency Management Agency-certified shelter. Associated Press.

Maui

A proposal by the state to expand the scope of the planned Big Wind energy project to include solar and geothermal resources on Maui does not go far enough, according to two groups that opposed the original plan to put wind turbines on Lanai and Molokai. Star-Advertiser.

The Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort has sat empty for more than four years, but workers are on-site now preparing for a partial demolition and reconstruction as the Andaz Wailea Hotel. Maui News.

Kauai

Seventeen cabins in Koke‘e and Waimea state parks have been empty for a few years without anyone maintaining them and some may be beyond repair. Garden Island.

Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. brought several of his staff and department heads to Hanalei last week to speak with North Shore residents about his Holo Holo 2020 initiative. Garden Island.

Kauai County has hired a consultant to develop design alternatives for improving three bridges in Kapaa and Wailua. Star-Advertiser.

Molokai

Sen. Mike Gabbard and at least two other legislators will visit Molokai Nov. 2 to discuss the so-called “Big Wind” project with local residents, the senator confirmed today. Molokai Dispatch.

Almost 500 homeless moved off Honolulu streets, Maui heart program in place, Ed Case opens Senate campaign HQ, water for Kau, biofuel costly, more Hawaii news

Ed Case Senate campaign kickoff courtesy photo

One year from this week, Ed Case will either be Hawaii Democrats' nominee for the U.S. Senate or, quite possibly, at the end of his political career. Civil Beat.

Ambitions to create a multinational research park on the moon will be discussed in November at a Big Island meeting of scientists, space agency representatives and entrepreneurs. Associated Press.

A series of dives by researchers this summer off Maui’s southern coast has added a bit more knowledge of the graveyard of military wrecks that lies off Hawaii’s shores. Star-Advertiser.

On the eve of a key hearing, the Hawaii State Teachers Association announced that it is filing a formal ethics charge against Governor Neil Abercrombie, Board of Education chair Don Horner and superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. Hawaii News Now.

While Hawaii's largest public-sector union has a new two-year contract, three others are still seeking deals to replace labor agreements that expired June 30. Tribune-Herald.

The state's Harbor police force has been working without firearms and their usual vehicles since late June. KITV4.

Two contracts for locally-produced biofuels, aimed at supplying a portion of the state’s electricity needs, are under consideration by the Public Utilities Commission, and more are expected. Civil Beat.

More than 445 homeless people moved off of island streets and out of emergency shelters during the span of Gov. Neil Abercrombie's 90-day homeless plan, which began in May and ends today. Star-Advertiser.

Abercrombie says APEC not related to 90-day homeless plan. KHON2.

Beginning Monday, doctors at Maui Memorial Medical Center will be able to do everything to treat emergency and acute heart disease conditions - except heart transplants, which is a procedure no facility in Hawaii does, according to hospital spokeswoman Carol Clark. Maui News.

At 7:30 on any weekday morning, while many of us are caught in lines of traffic, waves are breaking off Waikiki luring the lucky into the water. Hawaii Public Radio.

Flat-rate taxi fares between HNL, Waikiki being considered. Pacific Business News.

The state Board of Land and Natural Resources on Friday unanimously approved amendments to Hawai‘i Administrative Rules, regulating commercial activities in the waters of Hanalei Bay and River. Garden Island.

An international scientific workshop about a parasitic infection known as rat lungworm disease is to be held in Honolulu. Associated Press.

Landowners would be able to preserve tax breaks on large parcels dedicated for agricultural use, even when portions are rezoned for industrial or commercial use, under a proposal up for a final vote Wednesday before the Honolulu City Council. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii County Council Planning Committee members Tuesday will consider bills seeking classification and zoning changes to allow for the construction of a new development north of Pualani Estates in Kailua-Kona. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii County is opening six new or improved water spigots islandwide that will provide safe drinking water to thousands of residents relying on water catchment. Tribune-Herald.

U.S. Senate Democrats are charging taxpayers for an all expense paid trip to Hawaii, and that has some taxpayer advocates in the Washington beltway riled up. Hawaii Reporter.

A new downtown Hilo garden and footpath easements to the Pepeekeo shoreline will become Hawaii County's under separate resolutions the County Council is set to consider Wednesday. Tribune-Herald.