Legislators advance bills limiting corporate money in elections, allowing automatic shipping rate hikes, paying UH student athletes; military members lose Red Hill case, Honolulu narrows police chief candidate pool to 3 finalists, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Legislators Advance Bill To Limit Corporate Money In Hawaiʻi Elections. The legislation would make Hawaiʻi one of the first states to sidestep the Citizens United U.S. Supreme Court case that allows unlimited corporate spending in local elections. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser.

Shipping rate-hike bill advances to governor. Young Brothers, LLC asked for the automatic increases of up to 5% a year despite receiving a nearly 26% increase last year. Hawaii News Now.

Isle nonprofits face mounting challenges, new report finds. As Hawaii lawmakers finalize state budget priorities and uncertainty looms over federal funding, a new statewide report is raising concerns about the stability of the nonprofit sector, which employs more than 1 in 10 workers and plays a critical role in supporting communities across the islands. Star-Advertiser.

Legislature passes package of health-related bills to strengthen access, care statewide. The Hawaiʻi State Legislature passed a broad package of health-related measures that expand care for kūpuna, mental health access, cancer screening, and long-term care planning. Big Island Now.

Hawaiʻi expected to regulate AI being used by children. Hawaiʻi will likely put protections in place for children using artificial intelligence. Hawaii Public Radio.

Bill to help UH recruit student-athletes set to become law. Hawaiʻi is set to establish “name, image and likeness” rules to recruit and retain student-athletes at the University of Hawaiʻi. Last week,state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 3263, which would require UH to create its own NIL rules. It also agreed to send $2.5 million from the state's general funds to the university system to pay student-athletes. Hawaii Public Radio.

Attention Divers! Hawaiʻi’s Reefs Need Your Help After Destructive Storms. Early reports support fears of widespread damage, but without more monitoring the picture remains incomplete. Officials are calling on more volunteer divers from across the islands to help assess Hawaiʻi’s reefs once it’s safe by posting their photos and reports to the Eyes of the Reef Hawaiʻi website. Civil Beat.

Oahu

3 Finalists Announced For Honolulu Police Chief. The finalists include the director of the Hawai‘i Department of Law Enforcement, a police chief in Georgia and a retired assistant chief in San Francisco. Civil Beat. KHON2.  KITV4. Hawaii News Now.  Star-Advertiser.

Military members lose Red Hill case against the federal government. Despite calling it an “overly harsh and unjust outcome,” a federal judge ruled against military service members affected by the Red Hill fuel crisis and dismissed their case against the government Tuesday — a decision attorneys for the plaintiffs say they are ready to take to the Supreme Court. Star-Advertiser.

Health officials see fewer pathogens in follow-up tests of Kona-low mud samples. The results show a “general decrease” in concentrations of environmental pathogens associated with the storms compared with results from about a month ago, Hawaii Department of Health officials said in a news release. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu housing market lagged in April. The Honolulu Board of Realtors on Wednesday published data showing decreases under 5%, which were relatively small but still represented the first month this year where there were negative figures across sale volume and prices for single-family homes and condominiums. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

A boon for Banyan Drive: State Legislature passes redevelopment bill. A Banyan Drive redevelopment bill is heading to Gov. Josh Green’s desk for his signature. Senate Bill 2001 was affirmed by a unanimous final Senate floor vote of 25-0 Wednesday. Tribune-Herald.

Commission OK’s rezoning plan for Pahoa town. The Hawaii County Windward Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a legislation package that would rezone parts of downtown Pahoa. These bills would change zoning designations for a stretch of mainstreet Pahoa from Village Commercial and Single-Family Residential to a new category — Downtown Pahoa Commercial — and codify standards for the new district’s permitted land uses, building heights and architectural density. Tribune-Herald.

State to remove passing zone on Daniel K. Inouye Hwy. after deadly crash. HDOT Director Ed Sniffen said crews will remove the passing zone at mile marker 26 on the cross-island highway known as Saddle Road. KHON2.  Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiʻi County Expands Kona Low Assistance Centers. Another assistance center will open at the Nā‘ālehu Public Library from May 26th through June 12th. Big Island Video News.

Hawaii Island Seed Bank helps build climate resilience. Containing mostly native plants and some food crops, the Hawaii Island Seed Bank was created to help preserve and protect the island’s native species. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Schatz congratulates Maui families awarded with federal funding to buy first home; Visits ʻĪao and Hālau of ʻŌiwi Art. US Sen. Brian Schatz conducted site visits on the Valley Isle on Wednesday, focus on the progress of recovery efforts on Maui, following the 2023 wildfires and recent Kona Low storms in March of this year.  Maui Now.

Despite A Death And Damage, Maui Stalls On Chronic Kīhei Flooding. Residents remain frustrated by the county’s lack of progress in addressing the decades-long problem facing the burgeoning South Maui town.  Civil Beat.

First neighbor island kauhale is changing lives on Maui. Six months after the largest kauhale in the state opened, residents are finding more than housing at Kīpūola Kauhale on Maui. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai

Kaua‘i County advances Wildfire Home Assessment Program. Kaua‘i County, in partnership with Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization, continues to advance a Wildfire Home Assessment Program to help residents reduce wildfire risk and strengthen community resilience. The program is scheduled to launch Aug. 1. Kauai Now.

Aging fair draws a crowd. More than 200 people surged through the doors of the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall on Wednesday when organizers opened the Kauai Senior Resource and Disabilities Fair. Garden Island.

Dozens of discarded needles scattered on Kauai shore discovered by Kauai comedian. What started as a normal walk along a Kapa'a shoreline Monday evening quickly turned into something much more alarming for local Kaua'i comedian Zavier Cummings. KITV4.

Coral reef damage and global warming alarm Hawaii scientists, Oahu environmental activist attacked, opposition mounts to military man heading University of Hawaii, Dems changing rules on filling vacancies in Legislature, hula STD app changes name, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Fourspot butterflyfish with rice coral © 2014 All Hawaii News

Armed with mounting evidence that the disease attacking Kauai's coral reefs is spreading, state aquatic officials Tuesday said they're stepping up their response to the problem. What's more, officials said they want everyone in Hawaii to be on the lookout for the black-band coral disease and report any discoveries to its "Eyes of the Reef" website. Star-Advertiser.

Access Eyes of the Reef website here.

A year and a half after a U.S. Geological Survey report described Kauai’s coral disease outbreak as an “epidemic,” the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said Tuesday it will lead an investigation to identify research and treatment options. Garden Island.

Coral disease

Hawaii needs to prepare for diminishing supplies of freshwater, dying coral reefs, stronger storms, rising sea levels and fewer native species, according to the third U.S. National Climate Assessment, a comprehensive report on the long-term effects of climate change on regions throughout the country. Civil Beat.

A federal report released Tuesday says Hawaii and other U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands are at risk of climate changes that will affect nearly every aspect of life. Associated Press.

Scientists and state officials are continuing to monitor a coral disease that’s quickly spreading across the north shores of Kauai. Hawaii Public Radio.

Which Hawaii Senators Got the Most Bills Passed? Civil Beat.

Retired Lt. Gen. Frank Wiercinski's decades-long military career was top of mind for students who protested a forum where he made his first public appearance Tuesday night as one of two finalists vying to be the next president of the University of Hawaii. Star-Advertiser.

There were protestors and pointed questions at the first of several "talk story" public forums with the finalists for the President of the University of Hawai'i system. Two men in the running for UH's top position, Interim President David Lassner and Lt. General Francis Wiercinski. Hawaii News Now.

A veteran former University of Hawaii administrator who wanted to be UH president said she might still be a candidate for the job if the Board of Regents hadn't changed the rules during the search process. Hawaii News Now.

The Native Hawaiian Roll Commission certified more than 125,000 people on its official register, completing a major first step for Native Hawaiians to form their own independent government that could seek federal recognition and the return of land to the Hawaiian people. Associated Press.

A mobile app called “Hula,” which is used to provide information about sexually transmitted diseases, will change its name after complaints that the use of the word was culturally insensitive to Hawaiians, the app’s owner said Tuesday. Tribune-Herald.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz continues to use his significant money advantage over Rep. Colleen Hanabusa to inundate Hawaii airwaves with messaging that he hopes will keep him in office well beyond 2014. Civil Beat.

Are Hawaii hospitals among the nation's best or worst for patient safety? It depends on which study you choose to believe. Pacific Business News.

Could HECO Fade Like Evening Newspapers and Ma Bell? Civil Beat.

Oahu

Environmental activist Carroll Cox was attacked Tuesday by two masked men armed with pipes in the Kalaeloa area not far from a property that he has been investigating for illegal use and improper dumping, Cox said. Star-Advertiser.

Environmental activist Carroll Cox said he was attacked by two masked men armed with a metal pipe as he investigated illegal dumping and questionable leases in Kalaeloa. Hawaii News Now.

More gaming machines could be deemed “illegal” through a City Council bill that is scheduled for a hearing Wednesday morning at Kapolei Hale. Bill 30 is scheduled for second reading, so it’s still a ways off from becoming law.  But it does open the floor for discussion. KHON2.

Oahu's housing market has been on a four-year upswing in sales volume, but that trend is now flirting a bit with a slowdown as relatively low inventory and high prices take a toll on buyers. Star-Advertiser.

Commentary: The Senate confirmed Brian Tamamoto to one of HCDA's two "small business" seats on April 24. The thing is, Tamamoto's company is a subsidiary of Kobayashi Group, a major developer ($3 billion worth so far) and anything but a small business. Hawaii Independent.

Within the next month the University of Hawaii and the Aloha Stadium Authority hope to get a better picture of future stadium prospects from two disparate studies. Star-Advertiser.

Whole Foods Market is the newest addition to the Ward Village redevelopment. The upscale grocer said Tuesday it has signed a lease to open another Hono­lulu store, which will be built as part of a mixed-used project at the site of the former Nordstrom Rack, existing Office Depot and a surface parking lot. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

The Hawaii County Democratic Party leadership has unanimously approved new rules governing how to fill vacancies in the Legislature, following a controversy last year filling the District 5 post vacated by former state Rep. Denny Coffman. West Hawaii Today.

Former Hawaii Tribune-Herald Publisher Jim Wilson filed last week to run in the District 6 election, starting his first foray into politics since leaving the fourth estate more than a decade ago.

Studying magma before it erupts is a big challenge for geologists for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the molten rock sometimes sits inaccessible miles below the earth’s surface. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

After nearly six weeks of deliberations and a clash between Mayor Alan Arakawa and County Council budget committee Chairman Mike White, the council budget committee Monday recommended approval of a $604 million county budget, which includes lower property tax rates but is 8 percent more than the current fiscal budget. Maui News.

The family of a Kihei woman who died in an airplane crash on Lanai is suing the companies that owned and operated the plane and the estate of the pilot, who also died in the crash, for negligence. Maui News.

Kauai

Work began Tuesday morning to remove diseased and termite infested Norfolk trees lining the Haleko Road entrance to the Kukui Grove Center. Garden Island.