Hawaii reaches 76% vaccinated against COVID, Green targeted by anti-Semitic hate group, Maui council passes pesticide bill, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

87.6% of Hawaii state workers fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As of last week, 87.6% of state workers were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 92.4% had received at least one shot. The vaccination rates are significantly higher than Hawaii’s overall population, in which 76% of adults are fully vaccinated. Star-Advertiser. West Hawaii Today. Big Island Now. Maui Now. KHON2.

Lt. Gov. Josh Green target of hate campaign. Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green was the target of an anti-Semitic campaign by an unknown group aligned with protesters demonstrating outside of his condominium in opposition to COVID-19 vaccines and mask mandates. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii governor considering more restrictions, says COVID surge was ‘preventable’. Gov. David Ige said he is frustrated because he believes Hawaii’s surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations could have been avoided. KHON2. KITV4.

Governor says Hawaii’s digital ‘vaccine pass’ could be ready by Labor Day. Gov. David Ige said Wednesday that he hopes to have a “vaccine pass” system up and running for entrance to restaurants, bars, gyms and other venues by Labor Day. But he added that he has no immediate plans to mandate vaccinations for entry to businesses. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Senate Committee Considers A New Nominee For Appeals Court. Sonja McCullen, a Honolulu deputy prosecuting attorney, sailed smoothly through a Senate hearing on her appointment to the Intermediate Court of Appeals on Wednesday. Civil Beat. KHON2.

Final EIS published for dolphin swimming ban. Approaching and swimming with Hawaiian spinner dolphins is one step closer to being prohibited in Hawaii’s coastal waters. West Hawaii Today.

Lowen to continue pushing producer responsibility. State Rep. Nicole Lowen said she’ll continue pursuing increased producer responsibility for the waste their products produce, despite the failure to get her colleagues’ support of a bill she sponsored this year. West Hawaii Today.

Health officials look to field hospitals as potential relief amid surging COVID hospitalizations. COVID-19 hospitalizations hit another record high in Hawaii on Wednesday, Aug. 25, with 413 patients admitted to facilities statewide. KHON2.

Ventilators from Hawaii’s emergency stockpile now in use as more relief nurses are on their way. COVID hospitalizations in Hawaii hit another all-time high Wednesday with 413 patients admitted to facilities across the state. Records shows 87% are unvaccinated. Hawaii News Now.

COVID deaths are rising in Hawaii, and history shows it’s likely to get worse. Health officials said that the current death toll is the highest it has been since vaccines have become widely available, with more than 19 deaths over the past seven days. Hawaii News Now.

Char: COVID surge hasn’t peaked. Hawaii’s COVID-19 case numbers have not yet reached their peak, Hawaii Health Director Libby Char said Wednesday. Despite 625 new COVID cases being reported statewide Wednesday, with 100 on the Big Island, Char said during a livestreamed interview that case numbers are continuing to rise while hospitals’ resources are being strained to the breaking point. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii records 8 new coronavirus-related deaths, 625 additional infections. The new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 376 new cases on Oahu, 96 on Maui, 100 on Hawaii Island, 39 on Kauai, two on Molokai, two on Lanai and 10 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Honolulu Fire Commission Still Stalled On Hiring New Chief. The two finalists were scheduled to address the panel but instead commissioners went into executive session. Civil Beat. KITV4.

$270 million Honolulu airport concourse set to open. The opening of the new $270 million Mauka Concourse at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Friday marks the first gate expansion in nearly three decades. Star-Advertiser.

Newly reopened Waialua bridge needs replacement within 10 years, city says. Bridge 605 that crosses over Kiikii Stream at Waialua Beach Road must be replaced in the next five to seven years due to extensive damage in its 69 years of use, the Honolulu Department of Design and Construction said in a recent news release. Star-Advertiser.

Covid-19 Is Surging Again At Hawaii Prisons. The Oahu Jail Is Especially Hard Hit. The Oahu Community Correctional Center is once again the epicenter of Covid-19 cases within state correctional facilities, and some staff at the jail complain the Department of Public Safety has done little since the last major outbreak there to modify its procedures to prevent the new surge now underway. Civil Beat.

Punahou school and former students settle sex abuse lawsuit. Punahou School and former students who filed lawsuits against the school and a former coach alleging sexual assault and abuse jointly announced Wednesday that all the cases have been settled. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Parents sue Hawaii County after police kill their son in shooting. The parents of a 31-year-old man, shot multiple times and killed by police inside a vacant Hilo house, sued the County of Hawaii Wednesday. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Tribune-Herald. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Mandate for HMC: Vaccinations or testing for Hawaii Health Systems Corp. facility employees. Employees at Hilo Medical Center and other Hawaii Health Systems Corp. facilities in East Hawaii have until early September to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face weekly testing. Tribune-Herald.

Record number of COVID patients in HMC. Three dozen COVID-positive patients were hospitalized as of Wednesday at Hilo Medical Center, an all-time high. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Pesticides and fertilizers to be reduced and managed. A bill that would reduce and manage pesticides and fertilizers used on county property, including parks used for youth sports, was approved on second and final reading Tuesday by the Maui County Council. Maui News.

Maui Senator: The County’s State Health Director Should Be Fired. Dr. Lorrin Pang is being widely criticized for acknowledging that he has promoted controversial alternative drugs to treat Covid-19. Civil Beat.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino condemns off-label use of drugs to treat COVID-19. Maui Mayor Michael Victorino strongly condemned the off-label use of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and the veterinary dewormer ivermectin as treatments for COVID-19 on Wednesday, following a story in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that reported a local doctor and health official had been promoting their use. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now. KHON2. KITV4.

Forecast models predict COVID-19 case surge will hit Maui County next. Based on the latest forecast model issued Sunday, the number of daily new infections on Maui County is expected to grow by more than 30% in the next seven days, and peak at 175 cases on Sept. 1. Star-Advertiser.

Kauai

County to draw $475K for rare special election. The county is moving to allocate $475,000 for a special election prompted by the retirement of Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar. Garden Island.

Councilmembers hear concerns from For Our Rights members. It’s been nearly a year and a half since the Kaua‘i County Council held meetings open to the physical public, but following Wednesday’s special council meeting, around 60 residents met representatives outside. Garden Island.

COVID cases climb, Ige taps McCullen for appellate judge, reinstates open government laws, state highways need work, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Roadwork in Hawaii ©2021 All Hawaii News

Hawaii highways need protection from natural hazards. Nearly 60% of Hawaii’s roads and over 75% of its bridges are threatened by possible landslides, coastal erosion, sea level rise, storm surges, tsunamis, wildfires or other natural hazards, according to a state Department of Transportation report that identifies vulnerable areas along state highways and recommends actions to make them more resilient to climate-related effects. Star-Advertiser.

Here’s How Hawaii Schools Plan To Spend $412 Million In New Aid. The Hawaii Department of Education plans to offer individual tutoring, academic coaching and summer school counseling to help struggling students amid the coronavirus crisis with the latest round of federal funding received through the American Rescue Plan. Civil Beat.

Ige Appoints Honolulu Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Sonja McCullen To Intermediate Court Of Appeals. The new appointment comes a week after the governor’s last pick, Dan Gluck, was rejected by the Senate. Civil Beat.

Hawaii bankruptcies continue decreasing. Statewide bankruptcies remained near historic lows as they plunged 30.7% in July to their lowest point for that month in 15 years.  Star-Advertiser.

Ige Lifts Suspension Of Hawaii’s Open Government Laws. Gov. David Ige’s latest emergency proclamation takes a major step toward reopening the doors to government transparency, more than 16 months after the governor used his emergency powers to suspend open government laws at the start of the pandemic. Civil Beat.

Ige: Federal Eviction Freeze Applies To All Major Hawaii Counties. There had initially been confusion over who in Hawaii might qualify for the 60-day federal extension of protection from eviction. Hawaii’s eviction moratorium expires on Friday, but state leaders said tenants in nearly every county across the state who are behind on their rent due to pandemic-related financial strife now qualify for protection under a new federal freeze on evictions. Civil Beat.

Return of cruise ships still up in the air. Exactly 33,400 trans-Pacific passengers arrived Thursday by air at Hawaii’s major airports, but the question of when the Aloha State will once again welcome cruise ship passengers at its ports remains unanswered. Tribune-Herald.

DOE reports 105 COVID-19 cases in first week of in-person learning. In the first week since public school students and teachers returned to full in-person learning, the Hawaii Department of Education reports 105 new COVID-19 cases. Confirmed cases are reported every Friday. KITV4.

Hawaii Logs 4th Straight Day Of More Than 600 New COVID-19 Cases. Hawaii reported 643 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, marking the fourth consecutive day of cases over 600. Of the new cases Sunday, 431 were on Oahu, 118 on Hawaii Island,  22 on Kauai, 54 on Maui and 7 on Molokai. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Oahu

Honolulu still deciding how to spend $386 million in federal funds. The city’s first federal deadline to disclose its plans for the $386 million it was awarded through the American Rescue Plan Act is approaching at the end of the month. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu Mulls Bill To Get Communities And Developers ‘On The Same Page’. Neighborhood frustrations over not getting advance notice about past projects prompted the measure. Developers may soon need to present project proposals to neighborhood boards in Honolulu before submitting a permit application for coastline development following frustration from North Shore residents and others seeking more public input in the process. Civil Beat.

For Cost Overruns, Honolulu Rail Is In A League Of Its Own, New Data Shows. A former FTA planning director says it’s time to pause and study the best path forward for the troubled transit project. Civil Beat.

Ward Village developer sells out third condominium tower. It took nearly eight years, but the final unit in the Anaha luxury condominium tower at Ward Village in Kakaako has been sold. Star-Advertiser.

New Kapolei facility opens to train millwrights, others. A local construction industry organization has built itself a new facility to train more workers amid a Hawaii building boom that has been going for several years. Star-Advertiser.

Bringing attention to ‘honu harassment,’ dozens rallied in Laniakea. Dozens of North Shore residents and community activists turned out for a rally at Laniakea Beach Sunday, protesting tourists harassment of honu. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

5 from ‘Love Island’ TV program test positive for virus. Five positive cases of COVID-­19 were reported among members of the production of “Love Island U.S.A.,” a CBS reality TV show currently filming in Hilo. Star-Advertiser.

Four Found Not Guilty Of Obstructing Mauna Kea Access Road. Four Native Hawaiians accused of obstructing the Mauna Kea Access Road in opposition to the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope were found not guilty in court on Friday. Hilo District Judge Kanani Laubach ruled in favor of Marie Alohalani Brown, Maxine Kahaulelio, Ranette Robinson and Keliʻi W. Ioane; the first of 38 to go to trial in over the arrests that occurred back in July 2019. Big Island Video News.

Hawaii County to receive $8 million to replace buses. The Hawaii County Council approved a resolution on Wednesday allowing the funds to be used to continue operations and to purchase additional buses. West Hawaii Today.

284 have applied for lava buyouts, but some remain frustrated by the process. Nearly everyone who was eligible to have their eruption-damaged homes bought out by Hawaii County has applied for the program. Tribune-Herald.

Residents demonstrate against youth vaccination requirements. The sign-waving events held in Waimea and Kailua-Kona, with another planned today in Hilo, follow the state Department of Education mandating vaccinations for student-athletes, and Parker School announcing it will require all eligible students and staff on campus be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by Oct. 1. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Council lets hotel moratorium veto stand. Override fails to get enough votes on bill aimed at mitigating high visitor volumes. Two Maui County Council members dramatically switched stances on a hotly contested measure to temporarily halt visitor accommodation growth in West and South Maui, ultimately allowing Mayor Michael Victorino’s veto of the bill to stand. Maui News.

MEO Outreach Schedule Features Rental, Mortgage, and Utility Help. Renters and mortgage holders facing difficulties making their payments may qualify for assistance – including with back rent – and could receive information and help in applying for relief at Maui Economic Opportunity in-person outreach events and offices. Maui Now.

Kauai

Waimea 400 plan focuses on housing, ag. How will climate change and sea-level rise affect the 417 acres of the Waimea 400 site? That’s what the county is trying to figure out through an adaptation planning method, said Waimea 400 Project Manager Lea Kai‘aokamalie of the county Planning Department. Garden Island.

New Kukui Grove shop has lines at grand opening. There was a line of people waiting patiently Sunday outside the doors to Rose’s Pinoy Favorites at Kukui Grove Center for the shop’s grand opening. Garden Island.