Hawaii's Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander population edges up, Biden panel coming to Honolulu to seek input, Green signs health care bills, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii’s Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders up 1.8% in 2022. The Native Hawaiian and “other Pacific Islander” population in the U.S. rose to nearly 1.76 million in 2022, an increase of 1.8%, or almost 32,000 people, over the previous year, according to population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Star-Advertiser.

Biden Panel On AAPI And Native Hawaiians Seeks Local Input. President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders will meet in person in Honolulu July 7, the first time the commission has met outside the U.S. mainland, the administration said. Civil Beat.

Gov. Green returns to Hawai‘i Island where he practiced medicine to sign health care bills.  Gov. Josh Green used West Hawaii as a pulpit on Thursday to address Hawaii’s problems and sign several bills into law.  Green traveled to the Hawaii Island Community Health Center in Kealakehe for a signing ceremony for three bills related to health care and one for consumer telecommunications. West Hawaii Today. Big Island Video News.  Big Island Now.  KHON2.

Oahu

Hawaii report details health effects of Red Hill leak.  A new report released by the state Department of Health provides an assessment of the health effects people may have faced after being exposed to jet fuel, the cleaning product Simple Green, high levels of chlorine and an anti-icing agent in their drinking water after a pipeline burst at the Navy’s Red Hill fuel facility on Nov. 20 2021. Star-Advertiser.

HPD officer justified in shooting, prosecutor says.  Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm announced Thursday that a plainclothes acting police sergeant was justified in the Dec. 28, 2020, fatal shooting of a 45-year-old man in the parking lot of a public-housing apartment complex in Ahuimanu. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now.  KHON2.  KITV4.

‘Safe and Sound’ sees lower crime stats in Waikīkī.  The Honolulu Police Department is providing an update on the “Safe and sound” program that they instigated in Waikīkī.  According to HPD, crime is going down. KHON2.

Businesses hoping for boom in customers ahead of the June 30 opening of Oahu's new rail system. Like many businesses along the rail line, Ichiriki in Aiea endured months of construction that affected the number of customers coming into the restaurant. KITV4.

Honolulu rail’s launch means big changes ahead for bus riders, too.  The city’s long-awaited rail line opens on June 30, but regular bus riders may not yet be aware that it could affect their usual routes, especially west of Aiea. Hawaii News Now.

Thousands of endangered Hawaiian snails in captivity relocated to new home on Oahu. Some 8,000 snails were moved from Kailua to their new home in the Pearl City area Thursday morning. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Councilmember Seeks Emergency Declaration For Abandoned Hilo Hotel.  Hawaiʻi County Councilmember Sue Lee Loy has introduced a resolution urging Governor Josh Green to declare a state of emergency for the condemned and dilapidated former Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel on Banyan Drive. Big Island Video News.

Charges brought in Merrie Monarch Festival burglary.  Hawaii island police have brought an array of charges against two men arrested for the recent Merrie Monarch Festival office burglary and trespassing at a closed business in Hilo. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now.

Maui

Bill to regulate air and replica guns advances. A bill that would limit air and replica guns in certain public spaces to improve safety for the community and police officers was unanimously recommended by a Maui County Council committee on Wednesday afternoon.  Maui News.

County of Maui seeking public input for future Kehalani Mauka Park improvements.  The County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation will hold a pop-up open house to share information and seek input from the public on future improvements for Kehalani Mauka Park in Wailuku. Maui Now.

Kauai

Garden sprouts on Rice Street in downtown Lihu‘e.  The garden is part of the Downtown Lihu‘e’s Lihu‘e Placemaking, Forestry and Gardens Initiative, a two-year effort to build valued community green spaces in Lihu‘e and a shared vision for future green infrastructure along Rice Street. Garden Island.

Outrigger Resorts & Hotels to acquire Kauaʻi Beach Resort & Spa.  The transaction to purchase the 25-acre beachfront property with 350 guest rooms is expected to close on Aug. 22, 2023. Kauai Now.

Biden makes quick refueling stop in Hawaii, Hawaii County council passes list where guns banned, jury clears warden in prison rape case, jailed ex-police chief Kealoha starts paying restitution, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Biden lands in Hawaii, meets Iges after global tour. President Joe Biden used Gov. David Ige’s cell phone to take a selfie with Ige and First Lady Dawn Ige during a refueling stop today at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Iges reflect on their accomplishments and contemplate a future run for office. Ige declared a state of emergency 41 times-- each of them played out in the unforgiving eye of social media criticism often directed at Ige, famous for his methodical thinking and low-key, measured responses. Star-Advertiser.

Kouchi back as state Senate president. The state Senate announced Wednesday that Ronald D. Kouchi (D-8 – Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau) will remain Senate president next session, a position he has held since 2015. Garden Island.

Backlog delays food stamps for hundreds of families. Food stamps also known as SNAP benefits are usually received at the beginning of the month. But there are many who are still waiting. KHON2.

Longs Drugs pharmacists now prescribing Paxlovid. CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health, which operates Longs Drugs in Hawaii, said pharmacists at more than 9,000 locations can now prescribe Paxlovid, an oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19. Star-Advertiser.

Health officials push bivalent boosters ahead of Thanksgiving. While the daily average of COVID-19 cases in Hawaii has become less of a concern, health officials are now keeping an eye on the rise of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infections approaching winter. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii records 1,049 new COVID-19 cases, 6 more deaths. The number of cases per 100,000 in the state was at 10.0 compared with 10.9 the previous week. The state’s average positivity rate also declined to 5.1% compared with 5.3% the previous week. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Oahu

After recount of ballots, Democratic incumbent wins razor-thin state Senate race. In a razor-thin victory, Democratic incumbent Maile Shimabukuro won the state Senate race for District 22 after a recount of ballots. After the ballots were cured Wednesday, the results show Shimabukuro as the winner with just 40 votes over Republican Samantha Decorte.  Hawaii News Now.

The average wait for a residential permit is 10 months. The city hopes ‘bots’ will slash that to weeks. Improvements are in the works for Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting, which is grappling with a backlog of 6,000 residential permit applications. Hawaii News Now.

Jury finds state not liable for alleged women’s prison sex assaults. A federal jury on Wednesday returned a verdict finding that the state and a former warden of the women’s prison in Kailua are not liable for alleged sexual assaults committed by guards against six inmates between 2013 and 2016. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Navy stands up information sharing group to discuss Red Hill defueling. The Navy’s Joint Task Force Red Hill has named several elected officials and community members to a Defueling Information Sharing Forum group. Hawaii Public Radio.

VA researching jet fuel, Red Hill effects. Officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs told lawmakers Wednesday that they anticipate following the long-term effects of the Red Hill water crisis for many years. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

A bill that would impact theBus and Handi-van services is advancing at Honolulu Hale. The bill over bus fares has one more stop to make before becoming law. KITV4.

Imprisoned Ex-Honolulu Police Chief Kealoha Begins Paying Restitution. Honolulu’s ex-police chief Louis Kealoha has begun paying restitution more than three years after he was convicted in one of Hawaii’s most notorious corruption scandals. Civil Beat.

HPD chief: Officers were chasing motorcyclist moments before critical crash. Plainclothes police officers were chasing a motorcyclist moments before a crash last week that left the man critically injured, the Honolulu Police Department revealed Wednesday. The incident happened Nov. 10 in Wahiawa. Hawaii News Now.

Parents asked for more pedestrian safety efforts at Oahu’s North Shore — and they got it. The Department of Transportation is responding to parents pleas on Oahu’s North Shore for more action to address pedestrian safety. This week the DOT is installing two raised pedestrian crosswalks to act as speed bumps to reduce speeding in areas of concern. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

County Council passes legislation barring firearms in ‘sensitive places’. Bill 220, which defines a list of “sensitive places” on the island where carrying concealed and unconcealed firearms is prohibited, was introduced in late September and has finally been approved after three drafts and dozens of amendments. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now. KHON2.

Police Report: Mom Says Big Island Prosecutor Threatened To Shoot Her Son. A number of neighbors have had issues with the deputy prosecutor, Winston Albright, but he has kept his job as the cases get dismissed or resolved behind closed doors. Civil Beat.

Kanalani street extension to open soon. Just in time for holiday shopping, the extension of Kanalani Street providing access to the Kaloko Light Industrial Area could be opened as early as next week, thanks to action Wednesday by the Hawaii County Council. West Hawaii Today.

Nearly 2,000-acres In Kaʻū Transferred To Trail Association. Ownership and stewardship of Kiolakaʻa has been transferred from the Trust for Public Land to the Ala Kahakai Trail Association. Big Island Video News.

Maui

Deputy Chief Wade Maeda sworn-in as the Maui Police Department’s second in command. Maeda was promoted to fill the spot vacated by former Deputy Chief Charles Hank III, who announced his retirement in October after 10 months on the job.  Maui Now.

The State Just Cracked Down On This West Maui Water Company. Olowalu Water Co. was accused of taking more water than it was allowed from a stream, a rule that’s aimed at protecting fragile natural ecosystems. Civil Beat.

Lahainaluna farming program for boarders revives orchard. Project, which allows students to grow crops and sell products, gets help from Mahi Pono. Maui News.

Kauai

Council approves affordable housing funding commitment. In a move to set a floor for affordable housing funding, the Kaua‘i County Council unanimously approved a measure on Wednesday that would allocate 2 percent of real property tax revenue each year to a housing development fund. Garden Island.

Connecting with the homeless. The House Connect outreach event presented by the County Housing Agency in partnership with community agencies and groups continues on Thursday at The Salvation Army Lihu‘e Corps, starting at 10 a.m. Garden Island.