Dirty tricks in Hawaii Legislature, Democrats fight open primary, 2k acres of Maui farmland could go to bioenergy, state mental hospital under fire, safe harbor for child prostitutes, Obamacare health exchange seeks more money, Pfleuger trial delayed again, developer stymied by graves, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii state Capitol (c) 2014 All Hawaii News

A series of bills lawmakers passed in the Hawaii Senate were drafted without giving the public the proper chance to weigh in, following a “gut-and-replace” maneuver scorned by government watchdog groups. Associated Press.

The Democratic Party of Hawaii argues in a new legal filing that there is no important difference between Hawaii's open primary and a California blanket primary that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional in 2000. The Democratic Party of Hawaii has challenged the state's open primary as a violation of the First Amendment right to free association. The party wants to restrict primaries to party members and voters who publicly choose to affiliate with the party before the elections. Star-Advertiser.

The head of the Hawaii Health Connector told a panel of lawmakers Wednesday that the troubled health exchange will need $4.7 million to be financially sustainable next year. Associated Press.

The Hawaii Health Connector, which has struggled to enroll Hawaii residents in health insurance plans, is proposing to shift a key part of the application process to the state Department of Human Services. Star-Advertiser.

The state Senate has passed a measure that would allow some child prostitutes to go free, in the hopes of sending them to so-called "safe harbors," such as social service agencies. Hawaii News Now.

Sens. Josh Green and Clayton Hee are certain nepotism runs rampant at the Hawaii State Hospital, they’re just looking for more proof. During an investigative committee hearing Wednesday, the senators peppered the hospital’s acting administrator William Elliott with questions about hiring practices and employee relationships at the facility. Civil Beat.

The acting director of the troubled Hawaii State Hospital admitted Wednesday that he lacks the minimum educational qualifications to head the facility and was grilled about charges that managers manipulate the hiring process to unfairly hire some of their relatives. Hawaii News Now.

The state Senate Education Committee unanimously voted Wednesday to recommend retired bank executive Don Horner for a second term on the board overseeing Hawaii public schools, crediting his leadership as chairman for recent strides in student achievement and more accountability within the Department of Education. Star-Advertiser.

The Senate Education Committee got an earful Wednesday about why Don Horner should not be reappointed to a new three-year term as chairman of the Hawaii Board of Education. Civil Beat.

Civil Beat obtained Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s travel records for August, September and October in response to a Uniform Information Practices Act request.

Hawaii state government no longer is failing when it comes to spending transparency. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund’s new report “Following the Money 2014: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data” gives Hawaii a “C” this year. Hawaii Reporter.

On Tap at the Hawaii Legislature: April 10. A selective list of bills, resolutions, hearings, briefings and events for Thursday at the state Capitol. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Honolulu city and rail leaders are in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss the latest on the island's 20-mile transit project with lawmakers and transportation officials. Star-Advertiser.

Three bills designed to significantly increase penalties and stiffen other language against illegal dumping, stockpiling and grading have been introduced by West Oahu City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine to stem a growing environmental problem along the Leeward Coast. Star-Advertiser.

The Palolo Chinese Home has received a $750,000 capital improvement grant from the state of Hawaii on Wednesday to support the fourth phase of the nonprofit’s $25.5 million master plan to build a progressive care complex. Pacific Business News.

King's Village, a retail complex in Waikiki designed to resemble Honolulu around 1900, along with Prince Edward Apartments and Hale Waikiki would be razed to make way for a project's 256-unit condominium hotel, parking deck, retail and office center, and a small park. Star-Advertiser.

Veteran Honolulu editor A. Kam Napier has been named editor-in-chief of Pacific Business News, Publisher Bob Charlet announced Wednesday.

Hawaii

Maile David can keep her position as deputy county clerk while running for the County Council, the Board of Ethics voted Wednesday after hearing about certain “shields” that have been put into place to protect the integrity of the election. West Hawaii Today.

The head of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources visited Honokohau Harbor on Wednesday to make the case that the island is not getting the short end of the stick. West Hawaii Today.

Keauhou Bay isn’t too shallow to accommodate planned expanded use there, several proposed new moorings won’t prevent Keauhou Canoe Club from operating in the bay and the Department of Land and Natural Resources isn’t in violation of Chapter 343, the state statute that requires environmental assessments for state projects. Those were just some of the denials DLNR made in its response to Keauhou Canoe Club’s lawsuit, filed in December, about the department’s plan to add moorings to the bay. West Hawaii Today.

Developers of a proposed timeshare and single-family home development just above Alii Drive say they’re working with families concerned about graves on the site and preparing a revised cultural impact statement before proceeding with their plans. West Hawaii Today.

The state House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill that looks to further implement the University of Hawaii and Hawaii Community College’s aviation programs on Tuesday. Tribune-Herald.

Kona police officer delivers his own baby in squad car. Hawaii News Now.

Maui

A California-based renewable energy company hopes to revitalize about 2,000 acres of West Maui's fallow farm lands to grow a biocrop that could be used to generate electricity while using county wastewater for irrigation. Maui News.

The Maui County Council Budget and Finance Committee is considering deferring the mayor's proposed water service fee increases until it gets more input from the public. Maui News.

A grenade and 12-inch mortar shell, found by a man in his late father's belongings, were disposed of at the Ukumehame Firing Range on Tuesday night by a bomb disposal team in an incident that shutdown the Maui County Service Center, parking lots in the area and part of East Kamehameha Avenue for most of the afternoon and early evening. Maui News.

The public is invited to comment on the Maui Police Department's services and performance as a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies will be visiting Maui County Monday to April 17. Maui News.

Kauai

Big changes, Kauai County officials say, are in store for Hardy Street as contractors fine tune the last details needed to kick off a multi-million dollar project aimed at improving connectivity in the area. Garden Island.

Sentencing has once again been delayed for James Pflueger. The retired car dealer pleaded no contest in July to first-degree reckless endangerment for his role in the deadly 2006 Ka Loko dam disaster on Kauai’s North Shore. Garden Island.

Hawaii near bottom in election administration, ousted Honolulu judge won't work, Maui anti-GMO petition nears 10k names, battle over religious use of schools, big rate hike for HMSA, counties could get more transient tax, 120 Kauai hikers rescued, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Ousted ballot administrator Lori Tomcyzk and Chief Elections Officer Scott Nago (c) 2012 All Hawaii News file photo

Hawaii's troubled 2012 elections dropped the state closer to the bottom nationally in election administration, a new report contends. The Pew Charitable Trusts, in a report scheduled for release Tuesday, ranked Hawaii 41st in the nation in election administration in 2012, down from 25th in 2008. Georgia, Hawaii and Vermont had the largest decreases in election performance. Star-Advertiser.

State lawmakers are advancing a bill that would increase the portion of hotel taxes that go to Hawaii’s counties. The annual cap on the counties’ share is $93 million. They want a return to the 44.8 percent rate they received before the cap was imposed in 2011. Associated Press.

Chances are good that state lawmakers will OK  a bill allowing counties to collect a larger share of Hawaii's hotel room tax, although uncertainty remains. The mayors and Councils of all four counties are pushing hard for House Bill 1671, which eliminates a cap of $93 million on Transient Accommodations Tax revenues that counties divide among themselves. The ceiling has been in place since 2011.Star-Advertiser.

The state Senate Ways and Means Committee has recommended passage of a bill to give the counties a larger piece of pie from the state's hotel room tax revenue. But the measure was passed last week with a defective effective date of July 1, 2050, meaning that lawmakers want to cook up a final version in conference committee. Maui News.

What Laws Are Poised to Emerge From the 2014 Hawaii Legislature? Civil Beat.

Fewer than 1 in 6 Hawaii public school teachers say they fully understand how their performance rating is calculated under the state's controversial new evaluation system for teachers — which starting next school year will tie ratings to pay raises, tenure and termination — according to survey results released Monday. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Senate appears set to confirm Don Horner’s reappointment to the state Board of Education for another three-year term. But a vocal array of LGBT activists and advocacy groups is determined not to let that happen, citing the prominent school official’s volunteer affiliation with New Hope Church. Civil Beat.

A religious liberty group is fighting an amended lawsuit that claims churches owe millions of dollars for renting Hawaii public school buildings for services. Associated Press.

Japanese visitors, who account for about 20 percent of the tourists in Hawaii, are staying closer to home for the traditional Golden Week holiday period, which Hawaii's travel industry counts on to bolster spring lows. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Medical Service Association said costs related to Obama­care are responsible for the bulk of a 12.8 percent proposed rate hike for most of the 77,000 small-business workers covered by the insurer. If approved by the state, health insurance premiums are set to rise for roughly 8,100 employers renewing health plans July 1. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Gas has brought the first containerized shipment of liquefied natural gas to Hawaii, marking the start of a process that could eventually lead to lower energy costs for the state. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Oahu Circuit Judge Patrick Border has refused to preside over criminal cases in his courtroom in the three weeks since he found out he was not being re-appointed to a second ten-year term, so the state Judiciary brought in a substitute judge to handle his court calendar. Hawaii News Now.

During March, sales of single-family homes increased by 6.5 percent, while condominium sales fell by 5.8 percent from March 2013. KHON2.

Hawaii

The filing deadline to run for public office is still two months away, but that hasn’t stopped 23 candidates from pulling nomination papers or filing for County Council seats. West Hawaii Today.

More than 100 people gathered at the North Hawaii Education and Research Center in Honokaa on Sunday to discuss a Senate bill that would establish a temporary working group to assess the future of Waipio Valley. Tribune-Herald.

Makua Lani Christian Academy has submitted an offer for the Hualalai Academy campus, after Kamehameha Schools officials decided against purchasing the property. West Hawaii Today.

The median price of a single-family Big Island home rose 22 percent to $329,750 in March, up from $270,000 in March 2013, according to figures from Hawaii Information Service. Pacific Business News.

Maui
GMO opponents on Maui gathered nearly 10,000 signatures for a petition barring genetically modified crops. Hawaii News Now.

Rescue workers successfully freed a humpback whale from a life-threatening entanglement in waters off of Lahaina, Maui on Sunday. Maui Now.

Humpback whale rescues have increased to three so far in this November-May season in Hawaii, putting the number a little higher than normal. Star-Advertiser.

Kauai

The rescue of more than 120 hikers trapped by rapidly rising stream waters on Kauai's rugged Na Pali Coast on Sunday and Monday ranks among the largest rescues of stranded hikers on the island. Star-Advertiser.

More than 100 hikers were rescued by helicopter from Hanakapiai on Kauai’s North Shore after heavy rain and flash flooding left them stranded Sunday afternoon. Garden Island.

Development Sparks Effort to Designate Historic Coastal Trail on Kauai. Officials with the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Department of the Attorney General have said an historic, coastal trail, sometimes referred to as the Ala Loa, runs across those ahupuaa, and under the Highways Act of 1892, it is a public trail owned by the state. Civil Beat.

Molokai

Three wildlife biologists spent the weekend tagging one of the world’s rarest species of shorebirds on Molokai. Hawaii Public Radio.