Hawaii to make crop pesticide information public, Honolulu council tackles ethical legal cloud over rail project, Kakaako homeless sweep, police chief sues Ethics Commission, Stryker Brigade on its last legs, Kaʻu coffee land being sold, Kauai historic one-lane bridges to get upgrades, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hilo Farmer's Market produce © 2015 All Hawaii News

Hawaii residents can expect to have more information soon about what pesticides large agricultural companies are applying to crops statewide. The state Department of Agriculture is planning to expand the Good Neighbor Program, a voluntary effort on Kauai in which large agricultural companies — Dow AgroSciences, Pioneer, Syngenta, BASF and Kauai Coffee Company — voluntarily report the types and amounts of restricted-use pesticides that are sprayed each month. Civil Beat.

The state Health Department last month halted the delivery of Thai basil from a farm in Waianae and ordered crops destroyed after finding unacceptable levels of pesticide residue. The health department said 5,000 pounds of Thai basil grown at Wong Hon Hin, Inc.’s farm was destroyed on Sept. 30. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Department of Health ordered approximately 5,000 pounds of Thai basil grown at an Oahu farm to be destroyed after inspectors found dangerous insecticide levels on the crops during routine testing last month. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Chair Suzanne Case has chosen Curt Cottrell to serve as the next administrator of the State Parks Division. Civil Beat.

Kamehameha Schools trustee Janeen-Ann Olds has stepped down from the board, just hours after a state judge rejected her bid for a second term. Hawaii News Now.

NextEra Energy and Hawaiian Electric Industries still support their proposed $4.3 billion merger agreement despite continued opposition from Gov. David Ige’s administration. Civil Beat.

Oahu

A legal cloud hanging over a vote taken by the Honolulu City Council in 2012 is pushing current Council members to rush through a new measure to ensure the rail project doesn’t incur millions of dollars in late payments and debt. City officials say Bill 73, essentially a revote of a bond OK given in 2012, needs to be given final approval by January to avoid late payment or interest that could cost taxpayers about $3 million a month. Star-Advertiser.

It was the end of an era Thursday for the sometimes contentious Stryker Brigade in Hawaii, with the speedy eight-wheeled vehicles blasting away, likely for the last time, at targets at a big Schofield Barracks range ahead of an Army plan to move the vehicles out of the state to cut costs, officials said. Star-Advertiser.

After spending the day picking up tons of discarded debris, a cleanup crew will return today for what the city hopes will be the last of the Kakaako homeless encampment. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu city crews on Thursday began clearing the final section of one of the nation’s largest homeless encampments, once home to hundreds of people. Associated Press.

Many of Kakaako’s Homeless Are Not Shelter-Bound. The city says there’s sufficient space in shelters for everyone, but critics point out a lot of people don’t qualify for admission, and others just don’t want to go. Civil Beat.

Stanford Carr Development’s planned Keauhou Lane Kakaako mixed-use residential project held a blessing on Thursday, with plans to break ground soon. Pacific Business News.

In an unusual if not unprecedented move, Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha has sued the city Ethics Commission, trying to get a court to stop an ethics probe targeting him and his wife. Hawaii News Now.

When people talk about political campaigns, the focus these days is usually on the presidential primary elections.  But locally, among the races coming up is the one for Honolulu Mayor.  There are less than four months remaining until candidates can file to run - and there’s already a bit of tension between two potential rivals. Hawaii Public Radio.

More taxicab drivers are headed to court to face substantial fines and/or jail time for violations since the city Customer Services Department resumed group field inspections of taxicabs — a practice that had ceased in 2013 due to staff constraints. Star-Advertiser.

A plan to build a luxury condominium-hotel tower on the site of King’s Village in Waikiki received a largely favorable response at a city public hearing Thursday, though some objections were raised over the tower exceeding standard height, density and setback rules. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii News Now's Investigation into deplorable conditions at one of the University of Hawaii's College of Education buildings has uncovered another example of neglect -- millions in insurance money that was left unspent for years. Hawaii News Now.

People whose homes are near the trailhead to Maunawili Falls are asking a state judge to order the state, city and the private landowner of the popular hiking trail into mediation with them to address their complaints over how hikers are negatively affecting their neighborhood. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

A 6,000-acre swath of Ka‘u land has a likely buyer, but the farmers who have coaxed world-class coffee from the soil are still haggling for licenses to continue their work. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

The Maui County Liquor Control Commission defined dancing Wednesday after years of pressure from Maui dance advocates, who now hope the ruling will allow customers to bob their heads or tap their toes outside a designated dance floor. Maui News.

Kauai

Federal highway officials and the state Department of Transportation are in the process of designing a permanent replacement for Wainiha’s trio of historic one-lane bridges. Garden Island.

The Kauai County Council approved a resolution Wednesday night supporting raising the minimum wage in Hawaii. The resolution says the council encourages the Legislature to consider increasing the minimum wage in 2020 following the increases that are already currently scheduled through 2018. Garden Island.

Elections chief gets big raise, Stryker to leave islands, Kauai mulls ending term limits, emergency Mauna Kea rules to be decided today, $16.7M for East-West Center, Maui windpower unused, Ige signs domestic violence bills, scientists seek sea mining balance, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii Elections Chief Scott Nago © 2015 All Hawaii News

The state Elections Commission voted Thursday to give a $10,000 pay raise to Chief Election Officer Scott Nago, who has come under fire from the public following the last two elections. Nago will now be paid $90,000 annually, up from $80,000. Star-Advertiser.

The $1.5 billion 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, one of the biggest Army projects in Hawaii since World War II and one that required land purchases and roads and new ranges to be built, is now going away. Star-Advertiser.

The Army plans to pull Stryker combat vehicles out of Hawaii and convert the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Schofield into an infantry brigade combat team, U.S. Army Pacific said in a statement. Civil Beat.

Gov. David Ige has given final approval to a package of bills designed to help victims and the authorities cope with problems related to domestic abuse and sexual assault. Star-Advertiser.

University of Hawaii oceanography professor Craig Smith and a team of scientists from around the world have proposed a strategy to balance the battle between deep-sea mining interests and ecosystem sustainability. Civil Beat.

A stretch of sea floor beginning 500 miles southeast of Hawaii is ground zero for an emerging deep sea mining industry — and the debate over how such extractions should be managed. West Hawaii Today.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority’s board of directors on Thursday elected L. Richard Fried, a founding member of the Honolulu law firm Cronin, Fried, Sekiya, Kekina & Fairbanks, to serve the state tourism agency's new chairman. Pacific Business News.

Oahu

A U.S. Senate committee has approved a $16.7 million appropriation for the East-West Center in Hawaii, which would continue the Honolulu-based center's level of support for the third year in a row. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii still has a long way to go in curbing homelessness among veterans. While places like New Orleans have practically eliminated veteran homelessness as part of a five-year national goal set by President Barack Obama in 2010, Hawaii has yet to gain a firm foothold in finding homes for hundreds of veterans. Civil Beat.

The city Emergency Services Department credits a switch to 12-hour shifts for its paramedics and emergency service technicians for a $700,000 drop in overtime costs last fiscal year, Emergency Services Director Mark Rigg said. But staff shortages continue to be a problem. Star-Advertiser.

The rail project is getting into more congested residential and business areas, but to get the train going, some property owners will have to sell. That’s getting more and more expensive and complicated. KHON2.

The Hawaii agency charged with overseeing the redevelopment of the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako has shelved a proposal that would have created an economic accelerator in the former World Gym building on Queen Street. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii

Emails obtained by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reveal details about the state’s strategy — and its struggles — to deal with months-long protest atop Mauna Kea by those opposed to construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope.

Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin plans to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Friday to provide more information about the need for the administration’s proposed emergency rule for Mauna Kea. The Board of Land and Natural Resources is set to consider the rule, drafted by DLNR Chair Suzanne Case and Chin, sometime after 1 p.m. Friday. Civil Beat.

A Federal District Court judge declined to issue a Temporary Restraining Order against the State of Hawai’i Thursday after holding a hearing on a suit alleging that cultural and religious access to Mauna Kea was being restricted through rules enforced by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Office of Mauna Kea Management. Big Island Now.

State officials released Thursday a long list of issues and problems linked to Thirty Meter Telescope protesters ahead of Friday’s state Board of Land and Natural Resources meeting to consider restricting nonvehicular nighttime access to the Mauna Kea summit region. Star-Advertiser.

The University of Hawaii has released logs kept by Mauna Kea rangers and employees at the visitors center. The documents come ahead of today's Board of Land and Natural Resources meeting. On the agenda is an emergency rule that would prohibit camping and restrict nighttime access on the mountain. Hawaii Public Radio.

Both the rangers from the office of Mauna Kea Management and the visitor information station staff have been documenting their daily activities on the mountain. Many of those describe what's been called a "hostile" environment. KITV4.

Big Island hunters are bristling at a proposed rule being considered by the state land board Friday that they say needlessly restricts their own activities while mixing Mauna Kea protests with unrelated hunting activity. West Hawaii Today.

Another chapter closed this week on former South Kona/Ka‘u Councilwoman Brenda Ford’s challenge of Environmental Management Director Bobby Jean Leithead Todd’s qualifications to hold that office. West Hawaii Today.

A pristine stretch of the North Kona coast has become home to what is likely the largest residential micro-grid project of its kind in the world. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Maui Electric Co. dumped 7 percent of wind power produced in 2014, a significant improvement from 2013 when 17 percent of electricity generated from the three Maui wind farms went unused. Maui News.

Maui Electric Co. is working to reduce the amount of wind power that goes unused each year. Associated Press.

The county Department of Water Supply's capital improvement projects manager has been nominated to become the chief executive officer of the state Commission on Water Resource Management and deputy director to the chairwoman of the panel. Maui News.

Little fire ants are living up to their reputation as a tough-to-beat invasive species, but those working to eradicate them haven't given up hope, even as crews hack their way into Nahiku's dense rain forest to cut paths to get to infested areas. Maui News.

Kauai

Voters could soon be asked to decide whether to keep or eliminate term limits for County Council members. On Wednesday, Kauai County Council Vice-Chair Ross Kagawa will introduce a resolution that, if approved, would put the option to repeal term limits on the 2016 ballot. Garden Island.

The military’s plan to shrink the size of the Army — which will reduce spending by several billion dollars — will not affect the island of Kauai, Army officials said Thursday. Garden Island.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority is trying to bring the PGA Grand Slam of Golf back to the Islands after the PGA announced it would not hold the October event at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles following owner Donald Trump’s controversial comments on immigration and the subsequent business fallout. Pacific Business News.

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz spoke to The Garden Island Thursday on a number of Hawaii topics around Washington, D.C. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Schatz is heavily involved in spending decisions, and he is in position to help steer some of those funds back to the state and to the island of Kauai. Garden Island.