Showing posts with label Junior Tupai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Junior Tupai. Show all posts

Thursday, September 29, 2022

COVID reinfections rising, GOP team solidifies stance, doctors seek solution for physician shortage, Kauai police morale low, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii GOP LG Candidate Junior Tupa‘i Is Sounding A Lot More Like Duke Aiona. His past statements on social media, in news interviews and other forums might indicate otherwise. Judging by those alone, Tupa‘i is a pro-life, pro-gun activist and election denier who disagrees with government mandates during the pandemic. Civil Beat.

Doctors seeking solutions for state’s physician shortage.
The COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the need for more healthcare workers in the state, meanwhile, doctors said the physician shortage is an issue that has been in need of solutions for many years now and they said the shortage will only deepen if more is not done to attract and retain doctors. From last year’s physician workforce numbers, the state is short roughly 750 doctors. KHON2.

COVID-19 reinfections are rising, Department of Health says. The Hawaii Department of Health says COVID-19 reinfections have risen to account for about 10% of new confirmed cases in the state. Star-Advertiser. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now. Maui Now. Civil Beat. Garden Island. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

Big Questions Loom For Honolulu In Coming Years. New City Council Members Will Help Shape That Future. Honolulu voters will have tough choices on the ballot this year as they decide on four council races. But there’s a lot to consider. Civil Beat.

Pearl Harbor wastewater treatment plant needs fixes to avoid future 'catastrophic failure'. The U.S. Navy has yet to say if it will appeal a nearly $9 million fine from state health regulators due to sewage discharge violations near Pearl Harbor. Hawaii Public Radio.

As Defense Secretary arrives on Oahu, families sickened by fuel-tainted water demand help. Some 93,000 water users along the Navy’s system couldn’t drink the tap water for months until it was cleared by the state Health Department earlier this year. Military medical teams saw 6,000 people during the crisis. Hawaii News Now.

Redevelopment of Aloha Stadium to face further delays with Gov. Ige’s new direction, officials say. Two officials behind the state’s long-running effort to redevelop Aloha Stadium pushed back today against Gov. David Ige’s recent decision to move in a new direction with the project. Star-Advertiser. KHON2.

Former IT professional pleads guilty to sabotaging computer network of financial company. Casey Umetsu, 40, as part of his guilty plea in U.S. District Court, admitted to changing the online traffic of a Hawaii-based financial company that he had worked at shortly after he cut ties with the company, where he had worked from 2017-2019. Star-Advertiser.

$2.7 Million In Fireworks Intercepted At Honolulu Port. The shipment of 13,449 pounds of unpermitted fireworks was sent back to the mainland and then destroyed, the Coast Guard says. Big Island Video News.

Kalaeloa homeless encampment demolished to protect public safety, but dozens are now displaced. Dozens of homeless people living here in the old Barber's Point air strip were recently displaced and now they say they have no place to go. KITV4.

City to reopen applications for rent and utility relief next week.
The program launched in April 2021 to distribute more than $225 million in pandemic-­related federal funds to ensure renters continue to have housing. Eligible households can receive up to $2,500 monthly in relief funds for up to 18 months. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Panel to consider bill to curb rezoning time extensions. A bill that would require full County Council approval for time extensions of rezoning applications on Hawaii Island will be considered by the Windward Planning Commission next week. West Hawaii Today.

New Maunakea board could be confirmed sooner than expected. Gov. David Ige named eight nominees for the 11-member board of the Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, a new state agency that will take over management of the summit lands from their current steward, the University of Hawaii, in 2028. Those names were then forwarded to the state Senate for confirmation. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Maui council a step closer to buying Lahaina apartments in bid to save workforce housing.
Maui County Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve on first reading a budget amendment that would allocate up to $11 million of the county’s Affordable Housing Fund for the purchase of 20-unit Lahaina Crossroads. The bill now heads to second and final reading. Maui Now. Maui News.

County Council passes bill to restore and protect wetlands. Under the new law, wetland areas will be identified and mapped if they contain at least two indicators of hydrology (evidence of groundwater, hydric soils and hydric vegetation). Maui Now.

Kauai

Kawakami signs Bill No. 2875, Draft 2, overhauls ag dedication. Bill No. 2875, Draft 2, introduced by County Councilmembers Billy DeCosta and Luke Evslin, repeals the county’s current agricultural dedication program and enacts a comprehensive revision, which proponents hope will improve the incentive system for agriculture. Garden Island.

SHOPO survey shows low morale in Kaua‘i Police Department. Citing poor communication between leadership and rank and file, lack of adequate training and heavy caseloads, respondents gave employee morale an average rating of 3.58 out of 10. Garden Island. Hawaii News Now.

First humpback whale of the season surfaces. Numerous Port Allen harbor based boats were present to view the first whale of the season around sunset, Tuesday afternoon off Pakalas. Garden Island.

Annual Vehicle, Equipment Auction Now Live Online. To view the list of items in the auction and instructions on how to submit a bid, go to the county’s website, www.kauai.gov and click on “Bids and Proposals” and refer to 2023-SA-1. Kauai Now.