Shikada confirmed as attorney general, feds may allow shortened train route, COVID cases ticking up, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Holly Shikada confirmed as top law enforcement officer. A 33-year veteran of the state Department of the Attorney General was confirmed by Hawaii senators Tuesday to stay on as the agency’s leader and top state law enforcement officer. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii COVID cases see upward trend 5 weeks in a row. For the past five weeks Hawaii has seen a steady increase in 7-day average daily case counts which is causing some Hawaii residents to continue wearing their masks despite the lifted mandate. KHON2.

Hawaii Tourism Plan Focuses On Marketing, Not Management. The Hawaii Tourism Authority’s $35 million tourism marketing and management contract will guide how the state presents itself to U.S. travelers. Civil Beat.

Pandemic continues to hurt Hawaii public school students’ grades, attendance. Pandemic gaps in academic grades worsened slightly in multiple areas during the second quarter of the school year, while problems with learning and attendance persisted, according to new state Department of Education data. Star-Advertiser.

Senate accused of ‘punitive’ funding plan for University of Hawaii. The state Senate’s budget proposal to give the University of Hawaii a $275 million funding increase comes with strings attached, including a $100,000 pay cut for the UH West Oahu chancellor and eliminating the positions of communications director and director of the Office of Equal Employment. Star-Advertiser.

Conservative Group Targets Kahele Over Possible Ethics Violations. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust says the congressman was clearly attending political events in Hawaii instead of casting votes in person in D.C. Civil Beat.

Oahu

HART head: Federal authorities appear receptive to ending rail project in Kakaako. A plan to pause rail construction at South Street rather than building to Ala Moana Center could be gaining traction with the federal government. Lori Kahikina, CEO of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, said she received a letter in December from Federal Transit Administration officials saying they were open to amending the Full Funding Grant Agreement, which calls for the rail to build 21 stations and 20 miles of guideway. Hawaii News Now.

The ‘Lost Tower’: Why Howard Hughes Has A Love-Hate Relationship With Rail. The city has spent several years and millions of dollars fighting the developer in court over land for rail. Now, the transit system might not reach the Hughes Kakaako properties. Civil Beat.

As part of long-term monitoring program, DOH reviews Navy water samples. In the wake of the Navy’s tainted water crisis, the state Department of Health is now reviewing water samples from the first month of a long-term monitoring program at Pearl Harbor. Hawaii News Now.

UH Manoa looks to upgrade security cameras. University of Hawaii at Manoa officials are looking to up security on campus which includes possibly installing a centralized security camera system for its Department of Public Safety. KHON2.

Honolulu tops national list for solar energy generation. For a third consecutive year, Honolulu tops a national survey for solar energy production per person. That’s according to the eighth annual Shining Cities report, released Tuesday from the advocacy group Environment America. Hawaii Public Radio.

City expands free COVID testing for Oahu residents amid continued demand. Honolulu airport COVID-19 testing site again open on Wednesdays. The City and County of Honolulu announced today it is reopening Wednesdays at its free COVID-19 testing program for all Oahu residents at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Hawaii Island

Tax breaks postponed: Council wants more information before voting on tax credit, assessment cap. With the specter of California’s Proposition 13 hanging over the room, the County Council Finance Committee on Tuesday postponed a measure that would have capped increases in property values for most commercial classes. West Hawaii Today.

Fire chief ‘generally agrees’ with critiques of audit. After a less than glowing county audit of the Hawaii Fire Department last month, Fire Chief Kazuo Todd hopes to turn the department around over the next several years. Tribune-Herald.

A treasured gym’s looming demolition puts a rural Big Island community on edge. A rural Big Island community is rallying to save a treasured piece of its history. The Papaaloa gym is set to be demolished soon. Hawaii News Now.

Expert: Night is Becoming Less Dark, And That’s Not a Good Thing. Members of the Hawai‘i County Council on Tuesday, April 19, heard about a valuable economic and cultural resource that is slowly disappearing on the Big Island — the darkness of night. Big Island Now.

Federal case against Big Island doctor goes to jury. A jury is deliberating the fate of Hawaii island doctor and brother of jailed former Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha, accused of writing opioid prescriptions for pills that were sold or traded for cocaine. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Maui

Maui County launched online planning and permitting system; no more paper applications. On April 18, Maui County launched MAPPS — Maui’s Automated Planning and Permitting System, a new web-based software designed to support planning and permit processing. Maui Now.

Community input sought on Lānaʻi Skate Park preliminary designs. The Department of Parks and Recreation is requesting community input on preliminary Lānaʻi Skate Park conceptual designs. These designs come from community input in an online survey in October 2021.  Maui Now.

Some gun enthusiasts fear new homes could threaten Maui’s only shooting range. Some Maui gun owners fear the development of new homes could threaten the island’s only shooting range. Ukumehame Firing Range is the only legal public shooting range on the Valley Isle. Hawaii News Now.

County seeks input on resiliency hubs for disaster response. The Maui County Office of Climate Change, Resiliency and Sustainability will hold four community talk story sessions to discuss the formation of resiliency hubs aimed at responding to disasters in Maui County. Maui News.

Former Maui police officer enters guilty plea to attempted child enticement. A former Maui police officer pleaded guilty in federal court today to trying to lure a 13-year-old girl into a sexual relationship with promises of money and shopping trips. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Kauai

The Beach House restaurant expansion sees opposition. The proposed expansion of The Beach House restaurant became the subject of debate at last week’s Planning Commission meeting, with many neighbors voicing their opposition to the idea. Garden Island.

Hurricane hardening happening at Kapa‘a school. Structures at Kapa‘a Middle School are months away from becoming community hurricane shelters. Garden Island.

Ige taps Shikada for attorney general, USS Daniel Inouye commissioned at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii County Council passes 3% hotel tax, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Holly Shikada

Ige Names Holly Shikada To Be Hawaii’s New Attorney General. Shikada is a veteran lawyer who worked for years on educational issues, including ensuring compliance with the Felix Consent Decree. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now.  Hawaii News Now.

Red Hill Has Changed The Politics Around The Military In Hawaii. The military has enjoyed unwavering support from state and federal political leaders in Hawaii. But the threat to Oahu’s water supply may be bringing that to an end. Civil Beat.

USS Daniel Inouye commissioned in Pearl Harbor home port, honoring the late U.S. senator as a warrior and statesman. The Navy’s newest warship, the Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye, was officially commissioned at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Wednesday. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.  

Hawaiian Electric says 3,200 statewide still awaiting repairs, some may go another night without power. Hawaiian Electric said an estimated 3,200 customers are still without power statewide due to the impacts of the “Kona low” storm that ravaged the isles Monday and Tuesday. Those customers include about 400 on Oahu, 200 on Maui, and 2,600 on Hawaii Island. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now. Hawaii News Now.

US Request For More Bigeye Tuna Denied By Pacific Commission. Wespac Executive Director Kitty Simonds expressed her disappointment, saying the council had been trying for six years to negotiate an increase. Civil Beat.

DAR seeks proposed fishing rule input. This month, the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources is holding a series of scoping events to receive community input on proposed amendments to statewide rules for select species of herbivorous reef fishes. Garden Island. KHON2.

Hawaii records 6 new coronavirus-related deaths, 72 additional infections. The new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 51 new cases on Oahu, eight on Hawaii Island, eight on Maui and five on Kauai. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Navy Finds Contamination In Second Well And Identifies Pollutant At Red Hill Shaft. Meanwhile, the Navy outlined actions it would take in response to an emergency order by Gov. David Ige, but remained silent on the question of emptying the tanks. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. KITV4.

Honolulu waives permit fees to expedite storm cleanup efforts. The City and County of Honolulu is waiving all permit fees related to storm-damage cleanup in an effort to jumpstart recovery efforts on Oahu following the powerful Kona Low storm system that blasted the islands. KITV4.

Kahikina Is Named Honolulu Rail’s Third Permanent Executive Director. As rail’s interim executive director for 2021, Lori Kahikina guided Hawaii’s largest-ever public works project through yet another tumultuous year – one that saw maddening construction woes, questionable contract awards and steep funding hurdles. Civil Beat.

New plan to fill gap between rail wheels and track. Hawaii’s DCCA has granted a temporary exemption to allow welders without Hawaii licenses to make temporary repairs to fix the rail project’s too-narrow wheels and too-wide track junction. Star-Advertiser.

Carcasses of Fraser’s Dolphins Wash Ashore on Oʻahu, DLNR Reports. Three carcasses of Fraser’s dolphins have washed ashore between Diamond Head and Waikīkī, DLNR officials reported earlier this week. Big Island Now.

Hawaii Island

Council passes 3% TAT: New hotel tax makes up for state cuts. Visitors to Hawaii Island hotels and vacation rentals will be digging a little deeper come Jan. 1, with the County Council on Wednesday unanimously passing a 3% local option lodging tax. West Hawaii Today.

Parks herbicide ban moves forward. The County Council on Wednesday advanced on first reading a bill banning the use of glyphosate-based herbicides in county parks. West Hawaii Today.

CSO one step closer to decommissioning. The planned dismantling and removal of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory from Maunakea has cleared another hurdle with the publication Wednesday of the final environmental assessment. Tribune-Herald.

Council votes to accept funds to fix ‘major thoroughfare’ in Hilo. The Hawaii County Council voted Wednesday to accept $12 million in state funds to improve a small but vital one-lane bridge in Hilo. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Dedicated Philanthropists Donate $1 Million to Maui Memorial Medical Center. Maui Health Foundation is the recipient of a one-million-dollar gift from Wayne and Nan Kocourek for dedicated use towards the Maui Memorial Medical Center Emergency Department. Maui Now.

Hazardous Conditions Prompt Closure of Maui Recreation Area & Two Forest Reserves. Due to hazardous conditions and impassable roads and trails caused by this week’s heavy rains and strong winds, DLNR has closed the Kula State Forest Reserve, Kahikinui State Forest Reserve – Papa’anui Tract, and Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area.  Maui Now.

Maui Conservationists Sound Alarm Over Sightings Of Invasive Bird. The first red-vented bulbul was spotted by a forest bird conservationist at Haleakala National Park on Nov. 28. Civil Beat.

Kauai

KFD Air 1 hangar considered inadequate, unsafe. The county’s Air 1 hanger, located at the Lihu‘e Airport, was deemed “inadequate and unsafe” by auditors in a recent utilization study of the Kaua‘i Fire Department. Garden Island.

Endangered bird, rescued from certain death, takes flight. An endangered ua‘u, or Hawaiian petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis), rescued in October has taken flight after 67 days of care. Garden Island.