Condo owners seek to curb over-reaching boards, rainbow license plate being phased out, Big Island investigates officer-involved death as Maui police release video, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Condo Owners Want More Power To Fight Their Homeowners Boards. A new effort is afoot to get the Legislature to create an ombudsman for condos and homeowners’ associations. There were 1,535 condo associations representing 157,614 units in Hawaii in 2021, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Civil Beat.

The Hawaii rainbow license plate will soon be retired.  It’s the end of the line for Hawaii’s familiar rainbow license plate design: A sequence of letters and numbers used to make each plate unique to its owner has run its course. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Group looks to speed up $2B-plus effort to cut Hawaii’s cesspools. The Cesspool Conversion Working Group, formed in 2018, recommends that a 2050 deadline to eliminate all homeowner cesspools in the state be advanced to 2030 and 2035 for 26,188 cesspools that pose higher pollution risks. Star-Advertiser.

Hawai’i State House Committee on Finance to hold first informational briefings this week. The Hawai’i State House Committee on Finance will hold its first informational briefings of 2023, during which various state department representatives will provide updates and requests on their budget proposals. Big Island Now.

State Capitol Reopens With Public Parking Options. New pay stations will collect fees starting at $2 an hour. The Capitol’s parking lot, located in its vast, dark and dank basement, is notorious for being unaccommodating to the public.  Civil Beat.

Nomination for new state Office of Wellness and Resilience to focus on 'trauma-informed care' .  Tia Roberts Hartsock, with more than 20 years of mental health and criminal justice experience and currently a project director at the state Department of Health’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division, said trauma-informed care is a prevailing thread to tackle these issues. Hawaii Public Radio.

GOP Infighting Puts Jill Tokuda’s Swearing-In Ceremony On Hold. The first-term Hawaii congresswoman hopes that Tuesday’s disarray will show Republicans that working with Democrats will be in their best interest moving forward. Civil Beat.

US Sen. Schatz sworn in for new term. US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) was sworn in to a new term in the US Senate today. Schatz won reelection to a second full term last November, garnering more than 71% of the vote – the largest margin of victory by any Senate candidate in 2022.  Maui Now.

Diversified ulu zone can boost profits, report finds. Growing ulu, also known as breadfruit, in a diversified plot can be more profitable than monocrops, according to a report by the Hawaii Ulu Cooperative and Propagate, an agronomy software company.  Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

3 new members sworn in at year’s first City Council meeting. Amid a festive gathering to swear in new council members, the Honolulu City Council also transacted two pieces of business quickly and with unanimous approval. One action will potentially make it harder for the public to influence government actions, share their thoughts with legislators or track testimony about pending legislation. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Report on toxic Red Hill spill delayed. The military says it’s pushed the deadline to the end of this week for an officer to complete his investigation into what caused an estimated 1,300 gallons of toxic fire suppressant to spill from a pipe at Red Hill on Nov. 29, though won’t say when that report might be released to the public. Star-Advertiser.

Oʻahu rooftop battery initiative reaches new tier after positive response.  Early adopters received a one-time payment of $850 per kilowatt of installed battery capacity, along with monthly bill credits for the amount of energy exporting. Hawaii Public Radio.

Eternal flame for Hawaii’s veterans and fallen snuffed out. The state Department of Accounting and General Services, which is responsible for maintaining the memorial, said the propane-­fueled burner is in need of repairs. Star-Advertiser.

Corrections officer suspected after major illegal aerial fireworks bust at Oahu jail. An investigation is underway after nearly 100 pounds of illegal aerial fireworks were confiscated from the mailroom at Oahu Community Correctional Center. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Puna man dead after incident with police: Officers were trying to prevent an apparent suicide attempt. Police say three officers are on administrative leave with pay as the Hawaii Police Department investigates an incident Monday evening that left a 38-year-old Puna man dead. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News.  Big Island Now.

Back in play: West Hawaii golf subsidy program returns.  The Village Course at Waikoloa in South Kohala and Makalei Golf Course in North Kona will each offer reduced rates for residents of Hawaii County for six months. West Hawaii Today. KHON2.

Maui

Maui police release camera footage of officer-involved shooting. The Maui Police Department has identified Reynaldo Ricarde, 29, as the Kahului man shot and killed by an officer last week. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.  Maui Now. Maui News.  Hawaii News Now.  KITV4.

Maui Hotel & Lodging Association announces first Communications Director. The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association has appointed Naomi Cooper to its newly created position as Communications Director. Maui Now.

Kauai

Dozens of concealed carry permits issued on Kaua‘i.  Over the past two months, the Kaua‘i Police Department has issued dozens of concealed carry permits to gun owners throughout the island. Garden Island.

Kaua‘i jobless rate drops to 4.4 percent. The County of Kaua‘i’s labor market was in a hiring mood in the penultimate month of the year, as key sectors rang up big gains to continue a post-pandemic rebound. Garden Island.