Governorʻs water board candidate withdraws, school food programs in jeopardy, Honolulu police seek $400M budget, HECO sells Hamakua power plant, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Governor’s Pick Withdraws From Consideration For Hawai‘i Water Rights Board. The move by Hinano Rodrigues follows months of criticism from Hawaiʻi’s conservation community plus a lawsuit over how the governor handled the process to select him for the Commission on Water Resource Management’s seat for a loea, or expert, in traditional stream rights and practices. Civil Beat.

Hawaii students face fallout from cuts to school food, education. President Donald Trump’s administration has abruptly canceled two federal programs that directly support local food purchases and school nutrition efforts in a budget-cutting move that is expected to hit Hawaii’s schools and families hard. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi residents have a new website to calculate state tax cut savings. The state has launched a new online resource to help residents calculate their estimated tax savings through 2031 and learn about the state’s income tax cut. Act 46 incrementally increased the standard deduction and adjusted tax brackets for tax years 2024 through 2031, eliminating the state’s lowest brackets and lowering the rates for all brackets. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaiʻi Tour Companies Losing Money To Chinese Social Media Scams. The scam involves tourists who buy what they think are discounted tickets to Hawaiʻi attractions, sold by scammers. In the end, the tourists take the tours but the companies don’t get paid. Civil Beat.

Disney didn’t copy ‘Moana’ from a man’s story of a surfer boy, a jury says. A  Los Angeles federal jury deliberated for only about 2 ½ hours before deciding that the creators of “Moana” never had access to writer and animator Buck Woodall’s outlines and script for “Bucky the Surfer Boy.”  Associated Press.

Oahu

HPD seeks nearly $400M budget. During the City Council’s Budget Committee hearing Tuesday, HPD Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan laid out budgetary changes his 2,100-person police force expects to face in the 2026 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The 6.5% jump — to a proposed budget of $390.46 million — is due in part to $11.86 million in IT upgrades for things like computers and similar hardware. Star-Advertiser.

Who’s going to pay for Oʻahu’s higher budget? City Council hopes it’s not residents. The Honolulu City Council is urging Mayor Rick Blangiardi's administration to find ways to generate funds without forcing residents to shoulder most of that burden. Hawaii Public Radio.

Honolulu’s new Ocean Safety Department plans to bring major upgrades to lifeguard services. Big changes are coming to Oahu’s beaches, which were unveiled at City Budget hearings on March 11. Honolulu’s brand new Ocean Safety Department shared their plans for faster response times and better resources for lifeguards across the island. KHON2.

UH Manoa students and faculty push for support facing Trump’s executive orders. The UH community is calling for more tangible support and an action plan in light of statements released by UH President Wendy Hensel regarding these presidential orders that will impact the UH system. KITV4.

Seen These Oʻahu Donation Sites? Gifts Don’t Go Where You Think. GreenDrop is not a charity. It’s actually an arm of a for-profit, publicly traded, multinational thrift store operator with $1.5 billion in net sales and a chief executive officer who made $10.1 million in 2023, the most recent year available. Civil Beat.

New online publication is part of Hawaiʻi's changing journalism landscape. There's a new addition to the media landscape in Hawaiʻi: Aloha State Daily. The news outlet is exclusively online and aims to cover a range of topics from politics and arts to sports and the economy. Hawaii Public Radio.

Lawsuit alleges state social worker dismissed abuse reports prior to 10-year-old’s death. The new civil lawsuit alleges that a state social worker dismissed reported warnings of abuse before the death of 10-year-old Geanna Bradley in 2024. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.
 
Hawaii Island

Trump cuts target Mauna Loa Observatory. The Trump administration is considering canceling the lease of the support office for a renowned Hawaii climate research station, sources said, raising fears for the future of key work tracking the impact of carbon emissions on global warming. Reuters.

Hamakua Energy Plant sold. The parent company of Hawaiian Electric Co., Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., has sold the 60-megawatt Hamakua Energy Plant to a subsidiary of Harbert Management Corp. Tribune-Herald.

Fence plan for Hilo Municipal Golf Course miffs some neighbors. Hawaii County is in the process of erecting a 6-foot-tall continuous chain-link fence along the boundary of Hilo Municipal Golf Course to prevent access by those seeking to play without paying or to use the course for unauthorized purposes. Tribune-Herald.

Hilo Singing Bridge Needs Emergency Repairs, Traffic Altered. Emergency repairs are needed on the Wailuku Bridge, also known as the Singing Bridge, on Highway 19 in Hilo. Big Island Video News.

Maui

MPD chief denies allegations he was enforcer for ‘Diddy’.  Maui’s police chief denies allegations made by an alleged sexual assault victim of Sean “Diddy” Combs that he worked as an enforcer and facilitator for the rap mogul’s sex parties while working as a captain for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in 2018. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.  KITV4.

$100M proposed for Central Maui School in House draft of State Budget. State Rep. Justin H. Woodson (District 9, Kahului, Puʻunēnē, portion of Wailuku) announced that the House draft of the State Budget (HB300 HD1) includes a proposed $100 million appropriation to cover the remaining funds needed for the construction of Central Maui Elementary and Middle School.  Maui Now.

Maui Planning Commission begins Kīhei public hearing for Honuaʻula project. There was standing-room-only this morning at the Malcom Center in Kīhei as the Maui Planning Commission began a much-anticipated public hearing on the hotly contested Honuaʻula master-planned community. Maui Now.

Kauai

Garden Isle sees little rain in the month of February. Rainfall totals for the month of February were below average at most of the gages on Kauaʻi. Kauai Now.

130k Hawaii veterans face VA cuts, state may raise capital gains tax, UH Manoa one of 60 campuses warned about antisemitism, Maui police chief named in Sean “Diddy” Combs rape lawsuit, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Scale of cuts to the VA in the Pacific unclear. With significant proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs by the administration of President Donald Trump, it’s not yet clear what that will mean for veterans in Hawaii and across the Pacific. Hawaii is home to an estimated 100,000 veterans on Oahu and 30,000 veterans on the neighbor islands. Star-Advertiser.

Tulsi Gabbard stops in Hawaii ahead of trip to Asia. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, is heading to Asia on a trip that will include an appearance at a security conference in India next week. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi could raise its capital gains tax to 9%. Lawmakers are considering increasing the capital gains tax from about 7% to 9%. Capital gains are the profits earned on investments or through the sale of a property. Hawaii Public Radio.

Double-digit raises considered for state officials. The Commission on Salaries on Thursday will consider finalizing recommendations that would give the governor a series of pay raises totaling 27% until mid-2030, in addition to 44% overall pay increases for state legislators over the next five years. Star-Advertiser.

Why Does UH’s New President Need A $250,000 Adviser? Before University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel took office, she already had plans to bring on a new senior adviser from her last job in New York. That adviser, Kim Siegenthaler, started work last week, earning $250,000 a year. In January, the university’s Board of Regents had created the new position just for her, opting to forgo formal recruitment. Civil Beat.

Resolution for potential state highway patrol and speed cameras passes. A senate committee on March 10 passed a resolution aimed at making roads safer. It would ask the Hawaii Department of Transportation and Department of Law Enforcement to look at the possibility of a highway patrol and speed cameras along major freeways and highways. KHON2.

Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Are Pushing For Car-Free Fun Zones — But Not On Oʻahu. To reduce carbon emissions, encourage sustainable transportation and promote community health, counties could be required to pilot a “Summer Streets” program, closing select roads to traffic and repurposing them for pedestrians and bicyclists.  Civil Beat.

UHERO study: reveals ‘debilitating impact’ of construction defect litigation on housing access in Hawaiʻi. The Hawaiʻi HomeOwnership Center (HHOC) collaborated with key stakeholders to release a new, independently-commissioned report Monday examining the effects of construction defect litigation on Hawaiʻi’s housing market—first-time homebuyers, current homeowners, builders, and the overall housing industry. Maui Now.

Hawaiʻi Farmers Want Protections For Poi. The Legislature is now weighing how best to safeguard local farmers and the culturally important starch they produce by adding poi to an expanding list of foods and crops the state has stepped in to help in recent years, māmaki tea and Kona coffee among them.  Civil Beat.

Hawaii a good spot to see total lunar eclipse. A total lunar eclipse that will take place Thursday will be perfectly timed for Hawaii viewing. According to NASA data, a partial eclipse will begin at about 6:30 p.m. HST. It will reach totality at 8:26 p.m. and will last until 9:32 p.m. Tribune-Herald.

Oahu

UH-Manoa among 60 colleges warned of antisemitism penalties by Trump officials. In January 2024 a group of Jewish students at UH filed a Title VI complaint with U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, claiming that words and acts of antisemitism had made the university’s Manoa campus an “unsafe and hostile environment” for them. New York Times. KITV4.

City’s proposed $5.14B budget under Honolulu Council review. The city’s new plan — which proposes a $3.93 billion operating budget and a $1.21 billion capital improvement program that, if adopted, begins July 1 — will cover its costs without raising real property taxes, according to officials. Star-Advertiser.

Pilot program in Kalihi helps residents cross the street safely. The city’s Department of Transportation Services recently installed a solar-powered rapid-flashing beacon on North School Street at Ahonui Street in Kalihi as part of a pilot improvement project to help pedestrians safely cross the street. Spectrum News.

Work begins to improve street lighting at McCully and Kapiolani Boulevard. Work to improve street lighting and enhance pedestrian safety begins Monday, March 10, on the mauka/ewa corner of McCully Street and Kapiolani Boulevard next to the McCully Shopping Center.  Spectrum News.

Waianae veterans garden plants seeds to reduce homelessness. On any given night there are more than 100 people finding shelter with U.S. VETS Waianae and roughly 10% of those people are veterans. KITV4.

Hawaii Island

2 unions finalize COVID hazard pay agreements with Hawaiʻi County. The County of Hawaiʻi has reached an agreement for COVID-19 hazard pay with the Hawaiʻi Government Employees Association and Hawaiʻi Fire Fighters Association. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaiʻi County Seeks Input On Homelessness, Housing Strategies. The County of Hawaiʻi is updating its Strategic Roadmap for Homelessness and Housing, and inviting residents to participate. Big Island Video News.

State Rep. Sue Lee Loy trying to finish what Nakashima started: bill to revitalize Hilo’s Waiākea Peninsula. The late Big Island state Rep. Mark Nakashima spent 15 years trying to pass legislation to revitalize the Waiākea Peninsula that features the once-thriving Banyan Drive in downtown Hilo. Big Island Now.

Crews survey Kona airport after finding 3 coconut rhinoceros beetles. It's the first time they have been detected on Hawaiʻi Island in about five months.  Hawaii Public Radio.

Maui

Maui Police Chief Pelletier named as co-conspirator in Diddy rape case lawsuit; mayor calls for leave, investigation. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen is asking the Police Commission to place Maui Police Department Chief John Pelletier on leave after the chief was named in a lawsuit alleging he posed as a sheriff to a woman who reported being raped by Sean “Diddy” Combs and took two people at gunpoint from Las Vegas to the California home where they witnessed the rape of the woman in 2018. Maui Now. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. KHON2.  KITV4.

Council takes action on Maui County Fair, public tax notices, traffic safety and more. A bill to appropriate $1.5 million to the nonprofit Festivals of Aloha for the 2025 Maui County Fair gained final approval Friday from the Maui County Council and advances to the desk of Mayor Richard Bissen. Maui Now.

Lahaina fire survivors await electrical infrastructure as HECO hits delays. As more homes are rebuilt in Lahaina, a new challenge is leaving residents powerless.That is because Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) is facing its own challenge. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai

Volunteers clean site more than 60 years after a missile’s crash landing. About 800 feet above sea level, two dozen volunteers embarked on a nearly 24-mile trek about to the top of Niu Valley Ridge by all-terrain vehicle to clear debris left behind from an inert testing missile that crashed more than 60 years ago. Kauai Now.

Kauai’s Corey Nakamura honored. Corey Nakamura, the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School principal, was honored on Saturday as one of the Department of Education’s Top 15 principals by the Island Insurance Foundation in Honolulu. Garden Island.