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| Chinese New Year in Chinatown, Oahu PC:Melissa Chang via Facebook |
Hawaii Legislature already testing Gov. Josh Green’s agenda. The relationship between the state Legislature and new Gov. Josh Green’s administration is off to a bumpy start even before the 32nd legislative session begins Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.
Hawaii housing woes top agenda as lawmakers return next week. Affordable housing, expanding pre-K education and addressing corruption are top of the agenda as Hawaii lawmakers return to the state Capitol for opening session Wednesday. Associated Press. Maui Now.
Hawai‘i Sen. Gabbard to push for Green Amendment. State Sen. Mike Gabbard announced plans to introduce a proposed constitutional amendment that would add environmental rights to the state’s Bill of Rights this legislative session beginning Wednesday. Garden Island.
Planned bill would ban TikTok app on state-issued devices. State Rep. Gene Ward plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session to prohibit the wildly popular TikTok app from state-issued devices, part of a national push intended to prevent breaches of sensitive information to China. Star-Advertiser.
Commentary: More Transparency In The Hawaii Legislature? It Won't Be Easy. A review of candidates answers to Civil Beat's Q&As this past election show lawmakers weren't all that enthused about changing the way business is done at the Legislature. Civil Beat.
Rocks Or Glass? Hawaii Weighs Alternatives To Water In Capitol Pools. The state Department of Accounting and General Services is asking lawmakers for $33.5 million for the pool rehabilitation project. Civil Beat.
Bounty offered for derelict fishing gear. Under a new program launched by Hawaii Pacific University, eligible commercial fishers can be paid for removing this derelict fishing gear Opens in a new tab — basically, some of the most harmful litter of the seas — from the ocean. Star-Advertiser.
What’s open, closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this Monday and various places will be closed. Here is everything you need to know about the departments and services that will be affected. KHON2.
Oahu
Chinese New Year festivities return to Chinatown, boosting culture and commerce. It’s not just a celebration for Chinese New Year, it’s a long-awaited restart in Chinatown. Fireworks, the beat of the drums and lion dances are what many Chinatown businesses have been waiting to hear and see for the last three years. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. KITV4.
New Safe and Sound Waikiki program has over 450 arrests so far. Safe and Sound Waikiki has referred 456 arrests to city prosecutors in its first four months — progress that has been overshadowed by a recent series of violent crimes. Star-Advertiser.
City Council considers tougher ‘sit-lie’ enforcement near Oahu schools. A story told of parents dropping their children off at Waipahu Elementary School only to be threatened by a knife-wielding couple living at a homeless encampment next to the campus has prompted one elected official to seek even greater enforcement of the city’s controversial “sit-lie” ordinances. Star-Advertiser.
Department of Health no longer wants 2 Oahu hospitals. An effort to transfer two Oahu hospitals to the state Department of Health to help fill the island’s desperate need for treatment options for residents suffering from mental health and substance abuse problems is on the brink of failing, with DOH officials now saying it would be cumbersome and cost too much. Star-Advertiser.
2 high-profile attorneys for alleged crime boss Mike Miske could be disqualified from murder case. A high-profile attorney representing alleged crime boss Mike Miske has asked to withdraw from the case that accuses the Honolulu businessman of murder, kidnapping, racketeering and other crimes. Hawaii News Now.
New central Oʻahu solar and battery farm said to benefit 7,600 homes. The state’s latest solar farm has been completed in Central Oʻahu. Clearway Energy Group announced Thursday that its 36-megawatt solar farm in Waiawa is ready for commercial operations. Hawaii Public Radio. Star-Advertiser.
Hawaii Island
Lawmakers share priorities: Next session of the state Legislature convenes this week. State lawmakers who represent the Big Island plan to address affordable housing, Hilo Medical Center’s expansion, a Banyan Drive revitalization, the General Excise Tax, marijuana and other topics during the legislative session that starts Wednesday. Tribune-Herald.
Name change raises eyebrows: Captain Cook Fire Station will be renamed the Kealakekua Fire Station without public input. The official change of the station’s name, which also appears on the fire trucks and ambulances it houses, comes without public input, a move that elected and other county officials say is permitted, but has raised eyebrows among some community members, including a former councilwoman and two lawyers familiar with council and government procedure. West Hawaii Today.
Input sought on zoning codes: Four open houses scheduled this week. Big Island residents are encouraged to attend a pair of public meetings this week to discuss updates to Hawaii County’s zoning and subdivision codes. Tribune-Herald.
‘Shared solar’ program could benefit 1,500 households. As many as 1,500 Big Island households could receive credits to lower their energy bills through an effort to develop solar installations in Naalehu and North Kona. Tribune-Herald.
BLNR loosens pig hunting restrictions in 3 Puna forests. Hunters will be able to take more feral pigs more frequently in certain Puna forest reserves under new regulations passed Friday by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources. Tribune-Herald.
Maui
As session nears, Maui lawmakers mixed over Gov. Green’s proposals. As Maui County’s state lawmakers head into the new legislative session on Wednesday, some already have mixed feelings about the governor’s proposals for a possible tax rebate for middle- and low-income families along with eliminating the general excise tax on food and some medicine. Maui News.
Opening of Kulanihako‘i High School delayed; no date given. The opening of Kulanihako’i High School has been pushed back from its tentatively scheduled date of Jan. 18, the state Department of Education announced Friday afternoon. Maui News. Hawaii News Now.
State looking into toxic chemicals in soil at Maui airport. A group of toxic chemicals found in firefighting foam has been detected in soil at Kahului Airport and in the groundwater below, according to the state Department of Transportation, with testing for the substances underway at other airports across the state. Star-Advertiser.
US military returns land on Molokai to Hawaii. The U.S. military and Hawaii officials said Friday the Air Force has returned 363 acres it leased on Molokai Island to the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, opening the possibility Native Hawaiians could move onto the land. West Hawaii Today. Maui News.
Rally speaks out against proposed mosquito release on Maui to battle avian malaria. A sign waving rally was held Saturday in Kahului, asking the state to complete a full Environmental Impact Statement for their planned “Mosquito Control Research Using Wolbachia-based Incompatible Insect Technique” project. Maui Now.
Kauai
Land Board is sued over permits for former Coco Palms site. A civil complaint recently filed by a community group against the state Land Board claims the board failed to comply with environmental review law and violated public-trust duties when it recently granted annual revocable permits to a defunct company to build a new hotel at the former Coco Palms Resort property on Kauai. Star-Advertiser.
Brue Baukol lays out plans for 18,000 acres of newly acquired Kaua‘i land. With the exchange of more than $250 million, Colorado-based investment firm Brue Baukol Capital Group became Kaua‘i’s third-largest private landowner in June 2022. Garden Island.
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