Federal uncertainty lowers state's economic forecast, Honolulu may sell naming rights for rail transit stations, Green describes conversation with Trump, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii’s tax revenue collection outlook is gloomy. The state Council on Revenues on Wednesday unanimously decided to drop its general fund tax revenue growth forecast to 5% from a prior 6.4% in the current fiscal year ending June 30 and expects such revenue to contract 2.25% in the fiscal year beginning July 1. A 2.25% revenue decline would shave $226 million from what is expected to be $10 billion in general fund tax revenue this fiscal year, influencing a $21 billion state budget bill that the House of Representatives sent Wednesday to the Senate.  Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Big Island Now.  Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii governor says President Trump told him of criticism: ‘Have at it as long as you’re leaving me out of it’.  Gov. Josh Green said of his conversation with Trump, “He said, and it was quite interesting, as long as I’m not being rude to him, I should do whatever I think is best regarding his secretaries. To which I said, well, you know, there are some fundamental differences of opinion that I have on health matters, at least, with the secretary of health, and he laughed and he said, have at it as long as you’re leaving me out of it. I’m basically summarizing.” Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiʻi School Libraries Are Shrinking When Students May Need Them Most. The number of school librarians in Hawaiʻi has declined dramatically over the past 20 years, despite an increased need to help students navigate misinformation and digital learning. Civil Beat.

Smaller vehicles could solve Hawaii’s school bus shortage. House Bill 862, which crossed over to the Senate and remains alive, would allow motor coaches, small buses and vans to take children to and from school. The legislation was prompted by the abrupt cancellation of bus routes just before the start of the past two schools years, sending thousands of children and their families scrambling. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Foodbank expecting cuts from federal funding as need continues to grow. The Hawaii Foodbank is hoping for the best but preparing for the worst if it takes a hit from federal budget cuts possibly affecting thousands of residents. KHON2.

Lawmakers consider program to help low-income seniors navigate health insurance. Kūpuna with lower incomes may not realize that they can qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare, because it can be difficult to navigate through the application process. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii extends bird transport pause to June over avian flu. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture today said it is extending a voluntary pause on the interisland transport of poultry and other bird species to help prevent the spread of H5N1, or highly pathogenic avian influenza. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now.

Oahu

$76M COVID-19 hazard pay settlement finalized with 2 city unions. At a special meeting Wednesday, the City Council unanimously voted to authorize and resolve temporary hazard pay, or THP, claims for affected employees and members of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers and United Public Workers of Hawaii, who performed essential government functions during the pandemic. Star-Advertiser.

City considers selling rail station naming rights to offset costs. Currently, laws against outdoor advertising limit how much advertising the rail and bus systems can sell. However, officials note, transportation systems around the world often sell advertising. Hawaii News Now.

New Honolulu Director of Homeless Solutions shares ideas to help residents get off the streets. The City and County of Honolulu has hired Roy Miyahira as the new director of homeless solutions. KITV4.

Danger on the road as speed cameras capture alarming number of speeders. It’s full speed ahead for the speed camera program now in the second week of its warning period. Transportation officials said the numbers are staggering, some 80,000 warnings a month. Hawaii News Now.

Community effort to eradicate little fire ants in Lanikai could be a model for others. The University of Hawaiʻi this week announced that a recent survey of the area turned up just one ant — only a year after dozens of houses in the Lanikai loop and beach areas were found to be harboring the invasive pest. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii Island

Immigration enforcement hits Kona with parents and young children recently deported. Immigration Customs Enforcement agents have been on the Big Island recently conducting what the federal agency says is an operation to locate undocumented children who are in the United States without their parents. Big Island Now.

Life of influential Hawaiʻi politician Heléne Hale showcased in new children's book. Longtime educator and author Barbara Hilyer has a new children's book out that examines the life of Heléne Hale, a fixture in Hawaiʻi politics for half a century.  Hawaii Public Radio.

Maui

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen highlights fire recovery efforts, lays out priorities in State of the County. In his third State of the County address, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen described the county as “determined.” Maui News.

While drawing praise, Mayor Bissen’s speech also raises questions about funding, open positions. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen’s State of the County address Friday received praise for delivering a positive message and remembering those who died in the 2023 Lahaina wildfire as well as those who risked their lives to help others, but the mayor’s remarks also raised questions among some Maui County Council members. Maui News.

Maui Council Acts To Fill Vacancies Paralyzing County Boards. Empty seats have hamstrung the volunteer boards that handle everything from homelessness and government ethics to planning and police accountability. Civil Beat.

Maui Police Commission to meet March 19 to discuss whether to put Chief Pelletier on leave due to Diddy lawsuit allegations. The Maui Police Commission faces a major decision of whether to place Maui Police Chief John Pelletier on leave based on allegations in a lawsuit that he was involved in the conspiracy of a gang rape orchestrated by rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs in California in 2018. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now.

Maui Planning Commission holds off decision-making on Honuaʻula; public testimony nearly 9-1 opposed. Maui Planning Commission members heard nearly six hours of public testimony Tuesday in Kīhei, with 58 of 66 testifiers opposed to developer requests for land-use amendments for the Honuaʻula master-planned community, a hotly debated 670-acre development south of Maui Meadows and mauka of Piʻilani Highway in South Maui. Maui Now.

Kauai

Some Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex courts to be closed for resurfacing. Kaua‘i County Department of Parks and Recreation is notifying the public that the dual-use tennis and pickleball courts as well as basketball court at Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex in Kapa‘a will be closed from March 17 through September, weather permitting, for resurfacing work. Kauai Now.

Waimea Canyon Middle School shines at leadership summit. Waimea Canyon Middle School leadership students made an impact through their participation in the State Middle-Level Student Leadership Summit, which was recently held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu. Garden Island.

Farm bills up for debate, disclosure sought for long-term car homes, pioneering legislator Hale dies, gas prices spike, Kauai council seeks garbage plan, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Waipio Valley taro farms (c) 2013 All Hawaii News

From protecting taro lands to regulating genetically modified food, the House Agriculture Committee is expecting to have a full plate when it meets today in Honolulu. Tribune-Herald.

Lawmakers will consider a number of proposals this week related to the budget, university tuition and local farms. Hawaii News Now.

Unlike the majority of states, Hawaii does not place its state inspection results for long-term care facilities online. Star-Advertiser.

The state Department of Human Services, which oversees some of the care homes, isn’t so much concerned with having to post the records online as it is in clarifying the legislation to reflect which department oversees which care homes. Civil Beat.

Hawaii lawmakers want to spend $100,000 to get unwanted guns off the streets, saying it will help the state avoid a mass shooting like those seen in Colo­rado and Connecticut last year. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii's four mayors are aligned with the president when it comes to strengthening federal gun laws. But they don't think we need stricter regulations here at home. Civil Beat.

Sleeping at a bus stop could soon come with a stiff penalty. KHON2.

To provide the best education, higher education facilities must look to industries in their vicinity and businesses must look to how they can support research universities in a critical partnership, University of Hawai‘i President M.R.C. Greenwood said recently. Garden Island.

The number of bankruptcies in Hawaii last month dropped 25 percent to the lowest level in January since 2008, according to statistics from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Honolulu. Pacific Business News.

There is nothing wrong with rejoicing over a record visitor year in 2012 - but it's useful to take note of areas where more growth will be needed to attain the last peaks of the local hospitality industry. Hawaii News Now.

Prices at the pump have jumped seven cents in just one week, 17 cents from a month ago.  And local economists say prices are only expected to rise. KITV4.

State roundup for February 4. Associated Press.

Oahu

Should the State Buy Turtle Bay For $50M to Keep Country, Country? That’s what one bill before lawmakers would seem to suggest. Civil Beat.

Economists think the closure of the Tesoro refinery was unavoidable, given the small size of Hawaii's oil market and the state's pursuit of alternative energy policies designed to make the local oil market even smaller. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii

Helene Hale, whose political career started before Hawaii’s statehood and who, as chairman of the county Board of Supervisors in the 1960s, was the first woman mayor in the state, died of natural causes Friday night at her Hilo home. She was 94. Tribune-Herald.

A specific memory came to mind when Brian DeLima learned that Helene Hale, Hawaii's first female mayor and a Merrie Monarch Festival founder, had died. It was one he said encompasses her widely known spunk and fearlessness. Star-Advertiser.

County crews were able to divert only 5.6 percent of the 12,524 tons of garbage brought to the sort station during its first eight months of operation, a far cry from the up to 40 percent diversion rate originally anticipated by county officials. West Hawaii Today.

Several Big Island lawmakers are once again seeking to put someone else in charge of Hilo’s resort district. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

An appeal pending before the Hawaii Supreme Court is holding up the start of construction on the $300 million Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, a joint project atop Haleakala by the University of Hawaii and the National Science Foundation. Maui News.

Maui High School has captured its fifth state title at the Hawaii Regional Science Bowl since 2002 and is headed to the nation's capital after defeating private and public schools from across the state. Star-Advertiser.

Work has begun on two fenced enclosures in the West Maui Mountains that aim to attract two threatened native seabirds to protect them from predators and to encourage them to nest with techniques including broadcasts of their calls. Maui News.

Following a record-breaking year for Hawaii’s visitor industry, Honolulu, Kahului and Lihu’e airports have won US ANNIE Airport Awards for traffic growth and success in establishing new routes and increasing air sets in 2012. Maui Now.

Kauai

A $1.8 million contract with a consulting firm — which includes the environmental consequences of a new landfill and a feasibility study on a mega-recycling center piggy-backing on the landfill —allows for only two informational meetings with the Kaua‘i County Council. Garden Island.

Kauai's second-largest private landholder wants the state to designate about 11,000 acres it owns as "important agricultural land" under a 2005 state law, but advising agencies are divided on whether the entire area deserves the special status. Star-Advertiser.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie is issuing an executive order to allow the state to take emergency actions to restore fire-damaged forest on Kauai. Garden Island.

Molokai

After 40 years in the same location, Molokai Fish and Dive is being moved into the gas station next door in a process that will bring several changes to the popular ocean gear and tour provider. Molokai Dispatch.

On Wednesday, Jan. 16, a unified group of charter school students and teachers, environmentalist, conservationalist, Hawaiian rights activists, people of all ethnic backgrounds, and families trekked a three mile march, from Buckman Hall on the University of Hawaii campus to the State Capital, in an effort to push for labeling GMO foods. Molokai Dispatch.