RIMPAC war games start this week, Sierra Club endorses Ige, vaping cannabis coming, $44M bonds for Honolulu rail, volcano just won't stop, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson departs San Diego in preparation for the ship’s participation in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2018. PC: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Z.A. Landers

Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, the world's largest maritime exercise coming to Hawaii, along with participants from 26 nations. The world's largest international maritime exercise kicks off this week, and large vessels will be sailing to Oahu as soon as Monday. Hawaii News Now.

The Sierra Club of Hawaii on Sunday endorsed Gov. David Ige for a second term during a sign- waving event at the state Capitol. Star-Advertiser.

The Sierra Club of Hawaii announced Sunday their endorsement of Governor David Ige for a second term. KHON2.

The Sierra Club of Hawaii announced it's endorsing Governor David Ige for re-election. KITV.
Marijuana dispensaries are preparing to sell cannabis oil cartridges starting next week so that patients can legally take the drug through vaping. Star-Advertiser.

Commentary: Campaign violations dim Kaniela Ing’s once-bright future. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Caldwell Wants To Sell $44 Million In City Bonds For Rail. The Honolulu mayor said there’s a tight time line to gain council approval and start funneling city money to the project’s construction. Civil Beat.

A $1 billion radar to track what are expected to be increasingly complex ballistic and hypersonic missile threats to Hawaii may be positioned high on Kaena Point, prompting questions about its visual impact and access to hiking trails. Star-Advertiser.

Retired General’s New Mission: Prepare Central Oahu For Disaster. Braden Sakai thinks it’s time for Mililani to catch up with other communities that have emergency plans. Civil Beat.

Department of Parks requests to hire temporary grounds keepers to help maintain city parks. KHON2.

A proposal for two more 400-foot-tall buildings next to the Pacific Guardian Tower at Kapiolani Boulevard and Keeaumoku Street is the latest project in the area to seek approval from the Honolulu City Council to build higher than currently allowed. Star-Advertiser.

Civil War guns spark Hawaii classroom conflict. Mililani Middle School teacher Garret Ogata likes to make history feel real, so when he covers the American Civil War, he shares relics dating from that conflict: letters penned by soldiers on the battlefield, photographs, even antique firearms. Star-Advertiser.

‘Slap On The Wrist’ For The Diamond Head Hawker. Park officials said the small fine is still a good step because it means prosecutors are taking illegal park activities seriously. Civil Beat.

Providing homeless people with rides to shelters played a key role in a new effort that got 56 people from Waikiki to Chinatown off of the streets between April 4 and June 13. Star-Advertiser.

Special court helps direct homeless to services rather than jail or fines. Honolulu’s 18-month-old Community Outreach Court — aimed at low-level, nonviolent offenses committed by homeless people — doesn’t have the feel of a typical criminal proceeding. Star-Advertiser.

Why This Highway Plan Is The ‘Holy Grail’ Of Bicycle Safety Projects. Some residents question whether the benefit of wider shoulders between Mililani and Waipio outweighs the loss of a traffic lane. Civil Beat.

Law Enforcement’s Struggle To Help Honolulu’s Mentally Ill. Even with assistance from police psychologists, some emotionally disturbed residents keep officers returning again and again. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

There were two collapse explosions at Kilauea’s summit this weekend that released high energy but very little ash, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Star-Advertiser.

No end in sight: Explosions, eruptions continue rattling the Big Island. Hawaii News Now.

Lava has blocked road access to favorite shoreline sites. Star-Advertiser.

State parks chief: ‘Pele is in control now’. Lava Tree State Monument and MacKenzie State Recreation Area “are closed and will likely remain so for a very long time,” the state parks chief said Sunday. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii Eruption – The Tourism Tumult. When 2018 began, Hawaii Island's visitor industry was projecting big numbers. But then in May, everything changed. Big Island Video News.

With lava flows imploding the county budget, there’s a lot to worry about back home. But that hasn’t kept six of the nine County Council members from taking a few days off for the annual Hawaii State Association of Counties conference, held Thursday through Saturday in Waikiki. West Hawaii Today.

Commentary: State leaders should be devising plans now to help volcano-affected businesses recover. Star-Advertiser.

Construction of a permanent federal inspection station at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole is expected to get underway next spring — and for substantially less than anticipated. West Hawaii Today.

Officials to discuss elevated risk cesspools pose, gather community feedback. West Hawaii Today.

An agreement between government agencies and a Hawaii private school system aims to protect and aid the recovery of 32 endangered plant and animal species on the Big Island. Hawaii News Now.

Maui

Maui Panel Discusses Quality of Life Issues Ahead of 2018 Election. Maui Now.

A new senior center and living and rehabilitation facilities could be in the works at the Kahului Community Center Park. Maui News.

Kahului Airport work in progress. Maui News.

Hearings on Young Brothers rate hikes set. The Public Utilities Commission will be holding public meetings next month on Maui, Molokai and Lanai to gather public testimony as it considers its final decision. Maui News.

Six Maui County companies received a share of $930,680 in grants awarded through the Hawaii Technology Development Corp. Manufacturing Assistance Program. Maui News.

Kauai

CCK to host election forums. The Community Coalition Kauai, in co-sponsorship with the Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action, announces its series of candidate forums that will start Thursday. Garden Island.

Kekaha resident and retired Army Ranger Harold Vidinha is running for Kauai County Council because he said people discuss problems among themselves, but nothing ever happens to bring forth change. Garden Island.

Kauai is expected to approach 70 percent renewable generation by the end of 2019 after receiving approval this week from the state Public Utilities Commission for development of a 19.3-megawatt solar facility along with a 70 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system. Star-Advertiser.

An estimated $6.5 million in Capital Improvement Project funding was authorized by the Hawaii Legislature for fiscal year 2019, including three critical projects on Kauai that will protect approximately 4,000 acres of priority watersheds through fencing. Maui Now.

The Hawaii Technology Development Corporation recently awarded $930,680 in Manufacturing Assistance Program grant funds to 29 Hawaii- based manufacturing companies. Garden Island.

Waterfalls do not make good neighbors, homeless czar's future uncertain, high tech corp seeks neighbor island mentors, more ethics complaints for Mayor Kenoi, Honolulu airport security guards unionize, staff cuts threaten vector control program, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Maunawili Falls, Wkipedia photo

Maunawili residents are bracing for another busy summer, anticipating an onslaught of visitors by the busload along with local hikers passing through the otherwise quiet neighborhood to get to the Maunawili Falls Trail. Star-Advertiser.

A $740,000 grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could give state Department of Health officials a better understanding on the reasons why suicides and other violent deaths happen. Civil Beat.

Hawaii’s High Technology Development Corp. has released a request for proposals in search of mentors to coach technology companies on the Neighbor Islands. HTDC is based in the Manoa Innovation Center and has had difficulty expanding its program outside of Oahu. Pacific Business News.

For all he knows, Colin Kippen will be out of his job in two weeks. Since June 2012, Kippen has been serving as the governor’s coordinator on homelessness, a job overseeing Hawaii’s homelessness response system. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Na Pua Makani Power Partners LLC countered recent community opposition to a second wind farm in Kahuku Wednesday by saying the new turbines will lower electricity bills. Star-Advertiser.

To help ease traffic congestion caused by rail and other construction projects in Central and West Oahu, City Councilman Brandon Elefante has introduced a resolution urging public and private employers to provide some help to employees, including those commuting into downtown from Waipahu and Pearl City. Star-Advertiser.

The city will relocate its bustling Kapalama satellite city hall and driver licensing offices at City Square this fall to the former Sprint building several blocks away on Dillingham Boulevard, city administration officials confirmed Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu Board of Water Supply officials told members of a City Council committee Wednesday that they worry a draft plan to make improvements at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility does too little over too long a period of time. Star-Advertiser.

Security guards at Honolulu International Airport voted overwhelmingly to join a Hawaii-based union Wednesday, joining neighbor island colleagues who have already done the same. The union's president said he hopes to negotiate a master agreement to raise the guards' pay and improve what he called “meager” benefits. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii

Mayor Billy Kenoi and his campaign manager, who was hired in April to head the Office of Aging, are the subjects of an ethics complaint alleging political favoritism in county hiring. West Hawaii Today.

The nonprofit Hawaii Island Electric Cooperative has retained an investment banker with years of experience with mergers and acquisitions as it continues to explore the idea of public ownership of the Big Island’s electric utility. Tribune-Herald.

Finance Factors is selling its 13,130-acre Koa Forest on the Big Island of Hawaii, which is one of the single-largest privately-owned tracts of old growth native koa trees in existence, for $14 million. Pacific Business News.

Maui

Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu said two police officers "followed what they were trained to do" when they were confronted by a fugitive who shot at the officers before shooting himself following a traffic stop Saturday afternoon in Wailuku. Maui News.

Maui County Corporation Counsel Patrick Wong regularly visits Las Vegas each year, according to the Financial Disclosure Statements he’s filed with the Maui County Board of Ethics. And over the past four or five years, these statements show, his trips to Vegas have clearly been worth far more than the nearly six hours it takes to fly there. In fact, they show that since 2011, Wong has earned somewhere between $500,000 and $1.2 million gambling in Vegas. MauiTime.

Health officials say they couldn’t investigate an increase in mosquitoes on Maui because of a lack of resources. The state Department of Health’s vector control unit suffered severe cuts years ago and we’ve been following the issue since. Vector control handles animals that have the potential to carry disease, from rodents to insects. KHON2.

Kauai

Kauai Bus riders have until the end of June to buy monthly and annual passes before rates go up. Monthly fare prices will increase by $5 starting July 1. Garden Island.

The Kauai County Council on Wednesday gave its stamp of approval to new collective bargaining agreements that will raise public employee wages and other benefits by more than $1.3 million in the coming fiscal year, forcing the county to again dip into its reserve savings. Garden Island.

The future is uncertain for tours of one of Kauai’s most famous resorts, as partial demolition of the hotel is pending state and county approval. Bob Jasper, owner of Coco Palms Tour, said he’s unsure how demolition work at Coco Palms Resort will affect his business. Garden Island.

Molokai

A devastating pest known as the coconut mite was recently found on Molokai and now threatens to destroy the island's historic Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove. Maui News.

Kahoolawe

In one month, the cash-strapped Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission raised about $38,000 to assist with operations through the summer, but the group still is short of its $100,000 goal and may have to reduce volunteer trips to the one-time practice range for the military. Maui News.