Tourists prefer Neighbor Islands, $198 roundtrip to Japan draws crowds, Hawaii Dems reject ex-Lingle staffer, private school tuition rises, Legislature protests high shipping costs, Democrat Hannemann courts Guam GOP, more Hawaii news for web and smartphone

Hawaii black sand beach (c) 2012 All Hawaii News

Hawaii visitor surveys, handed out on airplanes, show a growing number of visitors intend to spend their entire vacations on a single neighbor island. Hawaii News Now.

Average hotel room rates in Hawaii rose 4.7 percent last week, year over year, while occupancy rates increased by 4.8 percentage points, according to Hospitality Advisors LLC and Smith Travel Research. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has fallen to the lowest level in three years. Associated Press.

On Sunday, H.I.S. Hawaii travel agency released its lowest deal ever to Japan, $198 round-trip flight on Hawaiian Airlines to Osaka, tax included. The agency said that same flight can average $1,100. KITV4.

Mufi Hannemann

Democratic Congressional candidate Mufi Hannemann held a fundraiser March 21 with prominent Republicans on Guam. Civil Beat.

Laura Thielen is denied opportunity to run as Democrat for state Senate. KHON2.

A new provision in the charter school reform bill would exempt the public charter school system from the state Ethics Code, despite a recent auditor's report that lambasted a few charters for unethical and improper spending and employment practices. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Gov Remains Defiant on HSTA Standoff. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Legislature on the Downhill Slide. Hawaii Reporter.

The state House has passed a resolution protesting routinely higher retail shipping costs to Hawaii and Alaska. Associated Press.

Hawaii's largest private schools will increase tuition by 3 to 6 percent in the 2012-13 school year, with increases at several schools slightly larger than what parents paid this school year. Star-Advertiser.

A decades-long dispute between the state and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs came to a close Friday with applause, a standing ovation and lots of hugs. Associated Press.

The census asks all Hawaii residents for their martial status.  Ten Hawaii communities were listed in the census. KITV4.

Oahu

Most city department heads would get 3 percent raises in the coming fiscal year under recommendations made by the Hono­lulu Salary Commission last week. Star-Advertiser.

Kailua residents are organizing to prevent commercial activities at area beaches. Hawaii Independent.

Councilman proposes total ban on Kailua commercial vendors. KITV4.

The Honolulu Zoo has won re-accreditation one year after it nearly lost that status from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Hawaii News Now.

With heavy, above-ground construction set to start any day, rail opponents have revved up their criticism of the $5.2 billion project. Civil Beat.

Hawaii

The layers of categories and exemptions in Hawaii County’s tax policies lead to confusion among property owners and potential inequity in taxation, an independent audit has concluded. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald on Friday selected a 10-acre site on Kealakehe Parkway and Ane Keohokalole Highway to house the long-planned Kona judiciary complex. West Hawaii Today.

The Hawaii Airshow Invitational will go on, just not this year. West Hawaii Today.

Surface flows of smooth pahoehoe lava from Kilauea Volcano continued to progress Sunday across the pali and upper coastal plain of the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision. Star-Advertiser.

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle

Maui

Mayor Alan Arakawa is proposing to eliminate the county's grant to the embattled Wailuku Main Street Association for 2013, moving the funds instead to an open-ended appropriation for small-town planning services. Maui News.

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa proposed the allocation of funds for the design of a Central Maui Sports Arena and Civic Center in Wailuku, and a Central Maui Aquatics Center in Kahului. Maui Now.

Honolulu is shipping three retired, 18-year-old public buses to Maui to help with the Valley Isle's fast-growing public transportation system. Maui News.

Kauai

About 300 people gathered in Kapa‘a on Sunday to exchange seeds and plants to grow more of their own food. Garden Island.

A same-sex couple announced last week that they tied the knot at a Hanapepe church. Garden Island.

Kaua‘i counters close 2012 whale season. Garden Island.

John Burger, an environmental coordinator at the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Mana, will speak on  “Environmental Conservation at PMRF: Managing and Protecting Resources” at a free lecture at the Hanapepe Public Library at 6 p.m. Thursday. Garden Island.

Molokai

Maui will get a taste of Molokai next week. It’s all part of the annual Maui County Agricultural Festival. Hawaii Public Radio.

After 30 years of service with the Maui Police Department — 28 of which were served here in Molokai –Sergeant Detective Eugene Santiago is retiring. Molokai Dispatch.

As the Molokai community continues to determine its future and where tourism fits into the economical equation, the Aha Kiole, a resource management group, has compiled the results from a series of community meetings and surveys. Molokai Dispatch.

Ala Wai Harbor to get upgrades, 60 retired workers get big state pensions, state mulls mongoose control, inmates may return, Kauai police chief battle continues, zip-line death could spur lawsuit and more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Ala Wai Boat Harbor (c) 2012 All Hawaii News

Commercial subleasing has begun on the $20 million Kalia Marketplace project that plans to bring two wedding chapels, retail and office space and return a boat repair facility to the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor in Waikiki. Star-Advertiser.

In 1890, the Kingdom of Hawai’i was an independent nation, with diplomatic relations with other countries. Within ten years, the government was overthrown and the nation was annexed as America joined the ranks of colonial powers. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii could become a key state in the discussion over a patient's right to ask for a physician's help to die, according to a group seeking to expand awareness of the issue in the islands. Maui News.

Nearly 60 retired state and county workers in Hawaii each receive government pensions of more than $100,000 annually. Star-Advertiser.

The state plans to return Hawaii inmates incarcerated on the mainland to the islands. Two Senate committees will hear more details of the plan from the Abercrombie administration on Tuesday. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii is a hot spot for sex and labor trafficking. Hawaii Reporter.

A proposal to make abusive conduct against an employee an occupational safety violation would allow Victims to be eligible for workers’ compensation. Associated Press.

Despite several hundred calls to the agency’s tip line a year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has closed only one case on Kauai and three cases on Oahu during the past decade. Civil Beat.

The state land board approved a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to come up with a mongoose eradication plan. KITV4.

The Hawaii Reapportionment Commission meets Monday at 2 p.m. at the state Capitol to act on its district maps for state Senate and House. Hawaii Reporter.

A bill to be heard Tuesday would outlaw the taking of opihi from below the waterline, set seasons for opihi picking and limit the amount of opihi that can be taken for non-commercial purposes. It would also essentially ban opihi picking on the island of Oahu for five years. Tribune-Herald.

Four of Hawaii’s five largest private K-12 schools plan tuition increases for the 2012-13 school year. Pacific Business News.

State roundup for Feb. 27. Associated Press.

Oahu

A complaint about a chemical odor led to the discovery of an illegal gambling room in Kakaako. Hawaii News Now.

The man whom Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation officials have tapped to serve as the agency's new CEO had a rocky departure from his job as general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Civil Beat.

The Coast Guard in Honolulu wants to retire its two biggest ships, the aging 378-foot cutters Jarvis and Rush, but can't because it has no replacements, officials said. Star-Advertiser.

Past the chaperoned façade of school bus transport, first time home buyers, optimistic and anxious, were shuffled around by Hawaii HomeOwnership in Waipahu. KHON2.

Hawaii

More than 6,000 Big Island low-income individuals and families are on a waiting list for federal rent assistance, according to a recent report the Hawaii County Housing Agency filed with the federal government. West Hawaii Today.

The mother of the man killed in last summer's collapse of a zip line tower in Paukaa may follow a lawsuit challenging Hawaii's failure to regulate its zip line industry. Tribune-Herald.

Maui
There were no grandiose plans or brand-new ideas in Mayor Alan Arakawa's State of the County address Friday. Maui News.

In his State of the County address on Friday, Mayor Alan Arakawa noted his administration's accomplishments last year. Maui News.

A community meeting will be held Monday night to familiarize people with their legal rights and the Hawai'i Access to Justice Commission. Maui News.

Kauai

There may soon be some clarification over who's in charge of Kauai's police chief. Hawaii News Now.

With six small-scale hydroelectric projects, a 12-megawatt solar farm and an island-wide rollout of smart meters all on the horizon, it’s arguably the most significant time in the history of the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative. Garden Island.

“Free health care for all” on Kaua‘i this week has the state Department of Health phones ringing constantly. Garden Island.

Molokai

A shiny new fire engine, made specifically to fit Molokai’s needs, has joined the fleet at the Kaunakakai Fire Station. Molokai Dispatch.