Hawaii to become first state in nation to raise smoking age, state Supreme Court hears Honolulu Police secrecy case, homeless increase 10%, Honolulu officials don't misuse pCards, emergency sea cucumber harvest ban enacted, public concerned about Red Hill fuel tank leaks, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Cigarette display in Hawaii © 2015 All Hawaii News

Gov. David Ige has signed a bill to make his state the first to raise the legal smoking age to 21. The measure aims to prevent adolescents from smoking, buying or possessing both traditional and electronic cigarettes. Gov. David Ige signed it Friday. Associated Press.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed a bill Friday that will make Hawaii the first state in the nation to ban smoking for anyone under the age of 21 once it goes into effect Jan. 1, 2016. Civil Beat.


The number of homeless in Hawaii increased to its highest level in five years, boosted by a dramatic jump in the number of unsheltered homeless individuals, who now outnumber the sheltered, according to data released Thursday by the state. Star-Advertiser.

The latest count of Hawaii’s homeless population shows it increased by more than 10 percent — despite the high-profile efforts of Honolulu city and state officials to combat the issue. Civil Beat.

Neighbor island data confirms houselessness on the rise The state released the neighbor island data from its 2015 Point in Time count today and, in all counties but Kauai, the number of houseless citizens has increased. Hawaii Independent.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is proposing an emergency ban on harvesting sea cucumbers in Hawaii’s nearshore waters after officials were alerted to recent incidents of over-harvesting off Oahu and Maui. Star-Advertiser.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources says the recent mass harvesting of sea cucumbers from near shore waters on Oʻahu and Maui has prompted them to request emergency actions to prevent the depletion of this marine resource from Hawaiʻi’s oceans. Maui Now.

Reports of mass commercial harvesting of sea cucumbers off Oahu and Maui that may be in the tons have prompted the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to seek a four-month emergency ban on the taking of the sea creatures. Maui News.

A study that could have implications for Hawaii’s timber and wind-turbine industries has found evidence of two distinct lineages of the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat, which flew 2,500 miles across open ocean in two migratory waves. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii residents have until 6 p.m. Friday to submit comments on a controversial proposal to expand areas under federal protection and strengthen rules aimed at protecting humpback whales and other marine life. Civil Beat.

Nearly halfway through their sail around the world, a group of researchers arrived in Hawaii to look at plastic pollution on our shores as part of a global study of the issue. Star-Advertiser.

Republican reps ask Souki to stand down on ethics commission complaint. State reps. Ward and McDermott say the speaker has overstepped his authority, praise commission's executive director, Les Kondo, for his firm enforcement of the state ethics code. Hawaii Independent.

Oahu

The Hawaii Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments about whether the names of Honolulu Police Department officers suspended for serious offenses should be made public — and whether the decision to release or withhold the names ultimately rests with the courts or Legislature. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in a case that could have far-reaching implications for police accountability in the Aloha State. At issue is whether cops who are suspended for serious misconduct, such as assault, drunken driving or lying to investigators, should have their names and disciplinary records released under Hawaii’s public records law. Civil Beat.

No apparent misuse in Honolulu officials’ pCard spending. KHON2.

Hundreds of people packed the Moanalua Middle School cafeteria Thursday night to hear a draft plan to improve the Navy's fuel tank facility at Red Hill. About 27,000 gallons of jet fuel oil leaked from one of the tanks last year, prompting concerns about whether nearby drinking water supplies were affected. Hawaii News Now.

About 200 concerned citizens turned out for a public hearing held by the Environmental Protection Agency to hear public comment on a measure that is supposed to address the damage caused by a 27,000-gallon fuel spill at the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in 2014 and to prevent any future spills by the Navy. Star-Advertiser.

The Honolulu City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee resurrected a controversial issue in Kailua and O’ahu’s North Shore.  That of vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods. Hawaii Public Radio.

After three hours of testimony both in favor and against making more residential vacation rentals legal, the City Council Zoning and Planning Committee voted Thursday to defer the issue yet again. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

Hawaii County’s homeless population has exploded in the past year, adding more new individuals than the rest of the state combined. In a count conducted statewide on Jan. 25, the state Department of Human Services logged 1,021 homeless individuals without shelter on the Big Island, and an additional 220 that were being housed either through emergency shelters or transitional housing programs. Tribune-Herald.

With protesters waving signs outside their gate, developers of the Hokulia luxury subdivision say they are committed to moving quickly to create plans for burial sites, and will sit down with area descendants to craft plans for how graves should be protected and cared for. West Hawaii Today.

For a pretty penny, you can own what is considered the largest privately owned tract of old-growth koa forest on the planet. Honolulu-based Finance Factors is selling a 13,129-acre property known as the “Hilo Koa Forest.” Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Maui County's unemployment rate edged below 4 percent in May to 3.9 percent, 0.6 percentage point lower than the same month last year, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported Thursday. Maui News.

Kauai

The drought that is gripping Kauai is expected to improve in some areas — and become more severe in others. Garden Island.

“Squeezed Out: Understanding Kauai’s Housing Shortage” is the topic of the Kauai Planning and Action Alliance (KPAA) annual membership meeting Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. at Kauai Community College, OCET Building, Room 105. The public is welcome to attend. Garden Island.

Waterfalls do not make good neighbors, homeless czar's future uncertain, high tech corp seeks neighbor island mentors, more ethics complaints for Mayor Kenoi, Honolulu airport security guards unionize, staff cuts threaten vector control program, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Maunawili Falls, Wkipedia photo

Maunawili residents are bracing for another busy summer, anticipating an onslaught of visitors by the busload along with local hikers passing through the otherwise quiet neighborhood to get to the Maunawili Falls Trail. Star-Advertiser.

A $740,000 grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could give state Department of Health officials a better understanding on the reasons why suicides and other violent deaths happen. Civil Beat.

Hawaii’s High Technology Development Corp. has released a request for proposals in search of mentors to coach technology companies on the Neighbor Islands. HTDC is based in the Manoa Innovation Center and has had difficulty expanding its program outside of Oahu. Pacific Business News.

For all he knows, Colin Kippen will be out of his job in two weeks. Since June 2012, Kippen has been serving as the governor’s coordinator on homelessness, a job overseeing Hawaii’s homelessness response system. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Na Pua Makani Power Partners LLC countered recent community opposition to a second wind farm in Kahuku Wednesday by saying the new turbines will lower electricity bills. Star-Advertiser.

To help ease traffic congestion caused by rail and other construction projects in Central and West Oahu, City Councilman Brandon Elefante has introduced a resolution urging public and private employers to provide some help to employees, including those commuting into downtown from Waipahu and Pearl City. Star-Advertiser.

The city will relocate its bustling Kapalama satellite city hall and driver licensing offices at City Square this fall to the former Sprint building several blocks away on Dillingham Boulevard, city administration officials confirmed Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu Board of Water Supply officials told members of a City Council committee Wednesday that they worry a draft plan to make improvements at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility does too little over too long a period of time. Star-Advertiser.

Security guards at Honolulu International Airport voted overwhelmingly to join a Hawaii-based union Wednesday, joining neighbor island colleagues who have already done the same. The union's president said he hopes to negotiate a master agreement to raise the guards' pay and improve what he called “meager” benefits. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii

Mayor Billy Kenoi and his campaign manager, who was hired in April to head the Office of Aging, are the subjects of an ethics complaint alleging political favoritism in county hiring. West Hawaii Today.

The nonprofit Hawaii Island Electric Cooperative has retained an investment banker with years of experience with mergers and acquisitions as it continues to explore the idea of public ownership of the Big Island’s electric utility. Tribune-Herald.

Finance Factors is selling its 13,130-acre Koa Forest on the Big Island of Hawaii, which is one of the single-largest privately-owned tracts of old growth native koa trees in existence, for $14 million. Pacific Business News.

Maui

Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu said two police officers "followed what they were trained to do" when they were confronted by a fugitive who shot at the officers before shooting himself following a traffic stop Saturday afternoon in Wailuku. Maui News.

Maui County Corporation Counsel Patrick Wong regularly visits Las Vegas each year, according to the Financial Disclosure Statements he’s filed with the Maui County Board of Ethics. And over the past four or five years, these statements show, his trips to Vegas have clearly been worth far more than the nearly six hours it takes to fly there. In fact, they show that since 2011, Wong has earned somewhere between $500,000 and $1.2 million gambling in Vegas. MauiTime.

Health officials say they couldn’t investigate an increase in mosquitoes on Maui because of a lack of resources. The state Department of Health’s vector control unit suffered severe cuts years ago and we’ve been following the issue since. Vector control handles animals that have the potential to carry disease, from rodents to insects. KHON2.

Kauai

Kauai Bus riders have until the end of June to buy monthly and annual passes before rates go up. Monthly fare prices will increase by $5 starting July 1. Garden Island.

The Kauai County Council on Wednesday gave its stamp of approval to new collective bargaining agreements that will raise public employee wages and other benefits by more than $1.3 million in the coming fiscal year, forcing the county to again dip into its reserve savings. Garden Island.

The future is uncertain for tours of one of Kauai’s most famous resorts, as partial demolition of the hotel is pending state and county approval. Bob Jasper, owner of Coco Palms Tour, said he’s unsure how demolition work at Coco Palms Resort will affect his business. Garden Island.

Molokai

A devastating pest known as the coconut mite was recently found on Molokai and now threatens to destroy the island's historic Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove. Maui News.

Kahoolawe

In one month, the cash-strapped Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission raised about $38,000 to assist with operations through the summer, but the group still is short of its $100,000 goal and may have to reduce volunteer trips to the one-time practice range for the military. Maui News.

Monsanto works to improve image, Kondo keeps job as state ethics director, pCard audit delayed, contractor wins Honolulu train station work, electric utility sale awaits PUC, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Anti-GMO, Monsanto rally in Hilo © 2015 All Hawaii News

Monsanto Co., the world’s largest seed company and the target of protests against genetically modified organisms, will start running a series of television advertisements in Hawaii next week to improve its image. Star-Advertiser.

Les Kondo will remain in his post as executive director of the state Ethics Commission after a job performance evaluation resulted in no action taken against him stemming from recent criticism that his office has overstepped its bounds in enforcing ethics rules. Star-Advertiser.

The sale of Hawaiian Electric to the Florida-based company NextEra Energy passed a key vote Wednesday. Shareholders approved the deal with 76% of outstanding shares voting ‘yes.’ Hawaii Public Radio.

Now that Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. shareholders have approved Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc.’s proposed $4.3 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Electric Co., the deal still requires regulatory approvals, including by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. Pacific Business News.

Oahu

Rail officials have issued the contract to build the Honolulu transit project’s first three stations to Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co., more than three months after the firm submitted the lowest bid for that work. Star-Advertiser.

Rail Operating Costs: A Looming Financial Crisis That Will Cost Taxpayers Billions HART’s best guess is that running the trains will cost at least $1.7 billion for just the first 12 years. City financial documents suggest officials likely will raise property taxes to pay for operations and maintenance. Civil Beat.

The Navy announced this week that recent tests show that the drinking water supply in the Red Hill area around its aviation fuel tank facility is safe, just as the Honolulu Board of Water Supply sent out letters to its 170,000 customers expressing leeriness in the aftermath of a leak that released roughly 27,000 gallons of fuel into the ground. Star-Advertiser.

Sheldon Haleck’s family still doesn’t know what caused his death after a nighttime run-in with Honolulu police officers near Iolani Palace on March 16. Months have passed, yet officials at the Honolulu Police Department have refused to release any details to the Halecks or the public to help explain what happened. Civil Beat.

The O’ahu Island Burial Council was briefed and updated on two Kaka’ako condominium projects today. Human remains are being uncovered and one developer is being warned to notify community stakeholders. Hawaii Public Radio.

The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing to fine two federal contractors $46,000 for safety violations after a 7-ton buoy struck and killed two workers at Pearl Harbor last year. Associated Press.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted out a photo of Honolulu and Diamond Head taken during the International Space Station’s last pass over Hawaii in May. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

Next month marks four years since there has been an audit report from the county’s legislative auditor. A transition to a new auditor about a year ago contributed to the long wait. But the County Council and the public will have to wait a little longer for Auditor Bonnie Nims’ much-anticipated first report, covering county officials’ use of the purchasing cards known as pCards. West Hawaii Today.

A leader in the fight to stop the Thirty Meter Telescope from being built atop Mauna Kea was served with a trespass notice Monday by security guards stationed at the construction site. Tribune-Herald.

A rare group of false killer whales has been located and tagged off the Kohala coast. Scientists with the Cascadia Research Collective spotted the elusive group of about 20 animals on Saturday, the first sighting since 2011. The whales were spread over miles of deep water at the north leeward end of the island, said researcher Robin Baird. West Hawaii Today.

The Hawaii County Council will take up a nonbinding resolution Tuesday asking the state Legislature to declare July 31 “La Hoihi Ea,” or Restoration Day, in recognition of the day in 1843 that independence was restored to the Kingdom of Hawaii. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Acknowledging that more work lies ahead, Gov. David Ige signed a historic bill Wednesday that will allow Maui County's public hospitals to enter into a partnership with a private nonprofit health care provider. Maui News.

A group that seeks to stop cane burning on Maui announced an upcoming forum and meeting scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kīhei Community Center. Maui Now.

A $7,000 settlement payment to the state is being proposed for Maalaea reef damage that happened when the Ocean Odyssey went aground a quarter-mile northeast of McGregor Point in 2013. Maui News.

Kauai

A pair of scientists who over the last two decades have self-funded numerous studies of Hanalei Bay’s coral reef say the North Shore destination appears to have what it takes to withstand new and persistent threats to the coastal ecosystem. Garden Island.

Grove Farm plans to donate land to Kauai County for a proposed treatment and healing center for adolescents battling alcohol and drug addiction. Star-Advertiser.

Demolition work at the shuttered legendary Coco Palms Resort on Kauai will start later this month, according to Coco Palms Hui LLC. Star-Advertiser.

Hotels on Kauai saw both occupancy and room rates rise significantly last week compared to the same time a year before as statewide hotel numbers also improved, according to Hospitality Advisors LLC and STR, Inc. Pacific Business News.

Molokai

For the past 28 years, the Molokai ferry has taken passengers from Lahaina to Kaunakakai. But the ferry's very existence is being threatened if the Public Utilities Commission doesn't allow Sea Link to cut service in half. KITV4.

Thirty Meter Telescope to be the last on Mauna Kea, Hanabusa joins Honolulu rail board, windmills posed for Oahu coastal waters, Hawaiian Telcom to double Internet speeds, EPA, and Navy reach deal on Red Hill storage tanks, Kauai buses could be powered by landfill gas, mayor's entertainment spared in Big Island budget, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Telescopes on Mauna Kea, courtesy photo

University of Hawaii officials affirmed Monday that the controversial Thirty Meter Telescope project will be the last new observatory developed on Mauna Kea and pledged to decommission one-quarter of existing telescopes atop the Hawaii island mountain as requested by Gov. David Ige. Star-Advertiser.

Following Gov. David Ige’s lead, the University of Hawaii on Monday outlined its plan for improving stewardship of Mauna Kea that includes a commitment to reduce the number of observatories by the time the controversial Thirty Meter Telescope is complete. Tribune-Herald.

The University of Hawaii announced a plan Monday that will lead to the removal of several large telescopes on Mauna Kea. School officials will meet with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources this week to discuss the decommissioning process. Associated Press.

On Monday, June 1st, the University of Hawaii issued its promised written response to Governor David Ige’s requests concerning stewardship of Mauna Kea, which were announced at a news conference on May 26. The governor’s intervention comes as construction of the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea has been delayed due to strong opposition. Big Island Video News.

It’s been one week since Governor David Ige told the University to do a better job of managing land atop Mauna Kea. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaiian Telcom will double its fastest Internet speeds to 1 gigabit-per-second, starting next week, the Honolulu-based company said Tuesday. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii’s energy future could hinge on a June 10 vote by Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. shareholders. During a special meeting last month, a majority of the company’s shareholders voted in favor of the $4.3 billion sale of Hawaiian Electric Co. to Florida-based NextEra Energy. However, the 75 percent super-majority required by Hawaii law was not secured. Tribune-Herald.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is seeking to fill seven alternate and one primary seat on its advisory council. The sanctuary is accepting applications for the following seats: commercial shipping (primary), commercial shipping (alternate), Hawaii County (alternate), Lanai Island (alternate), citizen-at-large (alternate), education (alternate), tourism (alternate), and whale watching (alternate). MauiTime.

Oahu

State and federal regulators will meet Wednesday to discuss a Danish company's plan to build 102 floating wind turbines off Oahu's shores and generate about 30 percent of the island's electric power needs. Star-Advertiser.

Former U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa was appointed to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Board of Directors by Mayor Kirk Caldwell on Monday. Civil Beat.

Colleen Hanabusa is taking on a new challenge outside of the political arena: Honolulu's public rail transit project. Starting later this month, the former congresswoman from Waianae will replace Carrie Okinaga on the Hono­lulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board of directors, which oversees the cash-strapped rail project that's currently under construction. Star-Advertiser.

When Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced his preliminary affordable housing strategy last September, housing advocates praised it as aggressive, even revolutionary. Nine months later, little has changed. Civil Beat.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell is now looking at putting up modular or container-style transitional shelter units at Sand Island for between 75 and 100 of Honolulu's chronically homeless. Star-Advertiser.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Hawaii state Department of Health on Monday announced a tentative deal with the military to better prevent and detect leaks from 20 giant fuel storage tanks near Pearl Harbor. Associated Press.

The Navy has reached an agreement with federal and state regulatory agencies to improve technology aimed at better preventing and detecting fuel leaks at its Red Hill Bulk Storage Facility following last year's spill of an estimated 27,000 gallons of aviation fuel from one of its World War II-era tanks. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

Teed-off golfers were able Monday to persuade the County Council not to dip into Hilo Municipal Golf Course accounts to beef up recycling programs during a long day of tweaking the county’s $438.8 million annual budget. West Hawaii Today.

Four tsunami warning sirens on Hawaii Island failed Monday’s test, according to Hawaii County Civil Defense. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Before serving as a hearings officer in the Haleakala Telescope contested case, attorney Lane Ishida had never done any legal work for the University of Hawaii. But two years after he issued an order giving the controversial, $300 million project the green light, the university awarded him with four contracts for legal work, budgeting $110,000 for the work. Three of those contracts were issued during a two-day period in October 2014. Hawaii News Now.

The economic downturn in 2007 sparked a series of delays for a proposed 103-unit condominium project in Kahului, but Alexander & Baldwin Properties executives said they're optimistic that the project will come to fruition now that the Maui County Council has relaxed workforce housing requirements. Maui News.

East Maui County Councilman Robert Carroll is hosting a community meeting tomorrow, June 2, at 5 p.m. at the Hāna Community Center cafeteria to address community concerns regarding the proposed operation of Skydive Hawaiʻi out of the Hāna Airport. Maui Now.

Kauai

A NASA flying saucer is set to take to the skies offshore of the Pacific Missile Range Facility as early as Wednesday, a test flight designed to land heavier payloads on Mars during future human and robotic missions. Garden Island.

The launch window for the low density supersonic decelerator officially begins Tuesday. Late Monday, Scientists decided ocean conditions were not right and would have made recovery operations unsafe.  They have postponed any testing until Wednesday, no earlier than 7:30 a.m. KHON2.

Methane gas generated by the decay of organic matter in the Kekaha landfill could one day be used to power Kauai County’s public bus fleet. The plan is part of a long-range strategy to reduce the island’s dependence on fossil fuels and move toward a more sustainable system. Garden Island.

If you’re looking for a home on Kauai — and have an extra $18 million handy — your search could be over. Garden Island.