Gas passes $5 a gallon, UH to keep classroom mask mandate, PETA seeks criminal charges against Kauai slaughterhouse, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Waikiki beach girl ©2022 All Hawaii News

Hawaii Tourism Authority awaits procurement for contract to promote Hawaii. The Hawaii Tourism Authority contract to supply destination management services and promote Hawaii to the U.S. market, the islands’ largest visitor source, is still up in the air at a time when travel spots across the world are competing to tap into rebounding travel demand. Star-Advertiser.

Japanese are eager to visit Hawaii: Lifting of restrictions there removes major barrier to travel. With Japan dropping its emergency COVID-19 restrictions next week, visitors from the country could start to return to Hawaii en masse as soon as next month. Tribune-Herald.

Across Hawaii, gas is over $5 a gallon, enticing some to electric vehicles. Soaring gas prices are leading some motorists to rethink how they get around. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. KITV4.

House sends budget proposal to Senate for further consideration. A state budget proposal is crossing over from the House to the Senate for further consideration. The measure will distribute more than $25 billion. Hawaii Public Radio.

Bill to support public high school surf teams advances. A measure to provide funding to support surfing as an interscholastic sport in Hawaii remains alive this legislative session. West Hawaii Today.

Committee passes bill aimed at reducing Hawaii's female prison population. House Bill 2312 proposes to establish the women's corrections implementation commission in the judiciary. The commission would develop a plan so that women who commit non-violent crimes, especially women with underage children, could participate in a rehab program instead of going to jail. KITV4.

University of Hawaiʻi Updates COVID-19 Guidelines, Face Mask Rules. Face mask requirements will be relaxed but will still be mandated for certain indoor activities on campus. Big Island Video News. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Popular Deaf School Principal Gets His Job Back. The Hawaii Department of Education acted in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner when it demoted and reassigned the principal of the Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind to a lower-level position at a different school three years ago, an arbitrator hearing a grievance in the case concluded late last month. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Bill to extend time for condominium owners to comply with fire safety codes passes. The Honolulu City Council voted to pass a measure that gives condominium owners more time to comply with a law that requires them to install fire sprinklers or pass a safety evaluation. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio.

Honolulu City Council eyes HART budget amid proposal to stop short of Ala Moana. The Honolulu City Council gave initial approval Wednesday for next year’s budget for the agency overseeing the rail transit project. Hawaii Public Radio.

Federal attorneys file additional counts against former corporation counsel Donna Leong. The first superseding indictment was filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday afternoon, in the case against Leong, former city managing director Roy Amemiya, and former Honolulu Police Commission chair Max Sword. In the documents filed, five counts were added on, specifically against Leong, accusing her of making false statements to the FBI. KITV4.

U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele calls for return of Makua Valley land. U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele has introduced legislation requiring the cleanup, restoration and return of 782 leased acres of Oahu’s Makua Military Reservation used for live-fire training from 1942 to 2004 to the state of Hawaii. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

U.S. House approves heritage designation for Kaena Point. Kaena Point, the remote westernmost tip of Oahu, could become Hawaii’s first National Heritage Area under a bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now.

Hawaii Island

Closures Planned for Helicopter Operations at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park. The reason for the closures is to provide public safety during the removal of invasive, non-native vegetation using a helicopter. Big Island Now.

Underground cable work on Kalanianaole Avenue. The Hawaii Department of Transportation said Thursday there will be work install underground cable between Monday and April 22 on Kalanianaole Avenue in Keaukaha. Tribune-Herald.

Kona restaurant issued yellow placard. Kai Eats and Drinks was inspected after a complaint was made to the Food Safety Branch by a customer who became ill after consuming a salad. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Maui Condo Owners Want To Tax Themselves To Save Their Homes From Rising Seas. Are Community Facilities Districts a win-win? Property owners pay to protect their condos, and the public gets to enjoy improved beaches and infrastructure. Civil Beat.

Councilmember King to host community town hall on affordable housing, March 22. Councilmember Kelly Takaya King hosts an in-person town hall on March 22 at 6 p.m. at the Malcolm Center, 1305 N. Holopono St., to discuss affordable housing and address residents’ questions on affordable housing. Maui Now.

Kauai

Native Hawaiian homestead nonprofit buys Kauai affordable rental property. A Native Hawaiian homestead nonprofit recently purchased an affordable rental property on Kauai, advancing a first-of-its-kind project. The nonprofit’s leaders say the initiative is an effort to keep more rentals at affordable rates, particularly during the economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Star-Advertiser.

PETA seeks criminal charges against Wailua slaughterhouse. International animal-welfare organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the Kaua‘i county prosecutor to investigate a local slaughterhouse. Garden Island.

Feds: Paco’s Tacos withheld over $62K in overtime, tips. Federal investigators have recovered nearly $63,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 42 employees of Paco’s Tacos Cantina, a restaurant with four locations on Kaua‘i and one on O‘ahu. Garden Island.

Military feeds Hawaii economy, Army identifies crew lost in Black Hawk crash, PETA asks Omidyar to cease Kauai dairy plans, Honolulu rail special session nears, mumps hits Big Island school, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Pearl Harbor aerial view © 2017 All Hawaii News

Military Buildup Is A Boost For Pearl Harbor Shipyard. Amid rising tensions in Asia, hundreds of workers are being hired and aging dry dock facilities are being replaced. Civil Beat.

Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. Inc. on Monday was awarded a contract of more than $60.6 million from the U.S. Department of Defense for the construction of two facilities at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay. Pacific Business News.

Cultural access to military training grounds in Mākua Valley began in a court battle between the military and the native Hawaiian community. Nearly two decades later, the cultural access program has begun to foster a transformation in mutual understanding and relationship building. Hawaii Public Radio.

Officials announced Monday that they have suspended the search for five Army soldiers who were in a helicopter crash during offshore training in Hawaii last week. Associated Press.

Army families in North Carolina, Alabama, Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee on Monday received the news they had been dreading: The search for the crew of a downed Black Hawk helicopter off Kaena Point on Oahu had ended with no recoveries. Star-Advertiser.

The Army said they are committed to recovering the remains of the missing aviators. After five days of searching, only four helmets were recovered. KITV.

Legislators eye Honolulu general excise tax surcharge extension plus increase in transient accommodations taxes for rail. Star-Advertiser.

Why Hotels Will Likely Get Stuck With Honolulu Rail Tab. State lawmakers also want a thorough audit of the beleaguered project. Civil Beat.

Public frustrated over rail's price tag, management ... but they still want to see it finished. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii’s new school superintendent says she’s not going to tell school leaders how to do their jobs or second-guess decisions they’ve made about what’s best for students. Civil Beat.

Hawaii hotel executive Elliot Mills has been named to a five-year term on the board of trustees for Kamehameha Schools, the educational trust supported by a multibillion-dollar endowment. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

The Sierra Club is suing the state Department of Health over leaks from the Navy’s fuel storage facility at Red Hill. Star-Advertiser.

The city is expected to begin work on an $85.7 million sewer rehabilitation project in Nuuanu Valley next summer. Civil Beat.

A Honolulu City Council Committee will conduct a public hearing Tuesday on a bill to retrofit older high rises with fire sprinkler systems. Hawaii Public Radio.

Honolulu Police Commissioner Loretta Sheehan sent a letter Monday to HPD's Acting Chief Cary Okimoto, saying the public has a right to know about the termination of Darren Cachola, a former sergeant, who is trying to get his job back. Hawaii News Now.

Abigail Kawananakoa’s former attorney and now trustee of her $200 million estate formally asked the court Monday to appoint a neutral party to investigate the legal issues and circumstances surrounding the Campbell Estate heiress and to authorize independent medical examinations. Star-Advertiser.

The city Monday added Pacific Street in Iwilei and several areas from Victoria to McCully streets to the long list of commercial areas where people can no longer sit or lie. Star-Advertiser.

Pearl City High School is reaching out to the community for help controlling the population of feral cats that call the school grounds home. KHON2.

The erosion at Kuhio Beach in Waikiki has reached a new level. KHON2.

Ala Moana Center plans to add another collection of dining establishments at Hawaii’s largest shopping mall in October with the opening of what it is calling The Lanai @ Ala Moana. Star-Advertiser.

After Waikiki's Shore Bird Restaurant and Beach Bar at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort closes its doors on Sept. 30, the hotel will refresh the space and quickly open a new restaurant, called the Reef Bar and Market Grill. Pacific Business News.

After 38 years, Waikiki's popular 'Shore Bird' restaurant set to close. Hawaii News Now.

The number of luxury homes in escrow at the end of July increased 14 percent from last year, according to Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties, offsetting decreases in activity that occurred in May and June. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Island

Water usage restrictions applied to all of North Kona banning residential irrigation and the recreational washing of boats and vehicles will persist for at least two more months. West Hawaii Today.

A statewide mumps outbreak has hit a Ka‘u classroom. West Hawaii Today.

A Hilo businesswoman who filed a lawsuit last year against Hilo Lanes Inc., claiming its owners reneged on a signed deal to sell the property to her, has added a defendant to her lawsuit — the parent company of Cost-U-Less, the business next door to the long-vacant bowling alley. Tribune-Herald.

Sunday's passing storm brought rain and thunder, and apparently some snow, to the Big Island of Hawaii. Big Island Video News.

Maui

The Haiku Community Association will host a public meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Haiku Community Center for a panel discussion of a proposal to amend the Paia-Haiku Community Plan. Maui News.

Armstrong Development recently held a topping off ceremony at its Keala o Wailea development on Maui, marking a milestone in construction as the roof was added to the seventh and final building. Maui Now.

Kauai

PETA urges Ebay founder to call off plans for Kauai dairy farm. In a letter to eBay's founder Pierre Omidyar, an animals rights group called upon the billionaire to scrap plans for a Kauai dairy farm citing environmental and animal safety concerns. Hawaii News Now.

Pierre Omidyar’s plan to put an industrial dairy farm on Kauai has been detailed in national rags, and most recently an Aug. 13 article in The New York Times gave some space to the controversy. The dairy is being proposed as a 699-cow operation that could be expanded to a herd of 2,000 pregnant dairy cows on about 557 acres in Mahaulepu Valley near Poipu. Garden Island.

The Kauai County Housing Agency Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program will be accepting applications for its Section 8 HCV waiting list during the open period from 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 6, to 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8. Garden Island.

KCC enrollment rises. Classes begin same day as eclipse. Garden Island.