Spinner dolphins need protection, Obama on Hawaii holiday, lava diversion mulled, crackdown on Chinatown homeless, Maui relaxes affordable housing rules, snow coming to Big Island mountains, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Spinner dolphins, courtesy NOAA

A combination of federal regulations and community-based conservation measures is needed to protect popular wild spinner dolphins in Hawaii, according to scientists from Duke University. Star-Advertiser.

President Barack Obama soaked up some sun on the second day in a row Sunday on his two-week-long vacation on Oahu. Obama ventured from his vacation rental home in Kai­lua to spend the day at the beach and the golf course before ending the evening at Mori­moto in Wai­kiki for dinner with friends.Star-Advertiser.

President Barack Obama and his family have arrived on Oahu for the Christmas holidays. Hawaii News Now.

With its strategic location in the Pacific and substantial military assets, Hawaii has been a prime target of foreign governments seeking U.S. intelligence, something FBI Director James Comey acknowledged on a recent trip to the state. Hawaii Reporter.

The debate over whether the Hawaii State Ethics Commission must release the financial disclosure statements of certain state board members is heading to the Hawaii Supreme Court. Civil Beat.

Energy Companies Jockey for Position in Hawaii Natural Gas Rush. NextEra's plan to buy Hawaii Electric Co. could jeopardize the Hawaii Gas plan to control the natural gas market. Ultimately, it's up to the PUC. Civil Beat.

Fourteen years after Hawaii legalized medical marijuana, there is still no legal way for patients to obtain pot without growing it themselves. The 2000 law also is silent on how the state’s 13,000 patients can get the seeds for plants they are allowed to grow. Associated Press.

A federal judge says a California-based labor contracting company and a Maui pineapple farm are responsible for paying $8.7 million in a discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of 82 Thai workers who were brought to Hawaii as farm laborers. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Mayor Kirk Caldwell is supporting the Honolulu Police Commission's decision to wait until a possible FBI investigation concludes before looking into allegations of police misconduct in a federal case involving the police chief's stolen mailbox. Star-Advertiser.

Opinion: City Response to Police Chief Case Doesn’t Work, on So Many Levels. The police commission. The police union. The mayor. Why is everybody averting their eyes from serious allegations against Louis Keahola? Civil Beat.

Honolulu police officers have been telling merchants in Chinatown they will begin enforcing the new controversial ban which prohibits people from sitting or lying on sidewalks on Monday. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii

The June 27 lava flow’s slowdown continued Sunday with its front advancing sluggishly toward Pahoa Marketplace. The flow front was about 0.45 miles from the shopping center Sunday morning after advancing 85 yards in 24 hours. Tribune-Herald.

Opinion: Lava diversion: Can it work? Should it be considered? Tribune-Herald.

Up to 6 inches of snow could fall on the Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea summits between Monday evening and Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Honolulu. West Hawaii Today.

Optical turbulence, frozen precipitation and strong subtropical highs — all playthings of the scientists who forecast what’s going on in the sky above Hawaii Island. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

The Maui County Council voted Friday to relax its workforce housing rules to require between 20 and 25 percent affordable housing in projects from developers - down from a 50 percent requirement. Maui News.

Little fire ants are a problem usually associated with Hawaii Island. But in September, an established colony of fire ants was discovered on 20 acres of heavily forested land on Maui. Hawaii Public Radio.

A mechanical failure at the Kīhei Pump Station #5 resulted in the overflow of an estimated 500 gallons of wastewater along South Kīhei Road today. Maui Now.

Kauai

It may be years in the making, but developers seeking to build a nearly 769-home residential subdivision next to Kapaa Middle School are laying their cards on the table by taking the first steps needed to get it off the ground. Garden Island.

Some Kauai residents may have wondered recently whether the ban on plastic checkout bags had been lifted. It hasn’t. Garden Island.

The Kauai Board of Water Supply appointed Kirk Saiki as the manager and chief engineer of the Department of Water. Garden Island.

Hawaii pitches Obama library, Honolulu mulls 300-sq-ft micro-apartments, whale freed from fishing line, Hawaiians sue over Pohakuloa munitions, Omidyar dairy spurs Kauai community opposition, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Allied Works Architecture conceptual design of Obama presidential library

Hawaii's formal pitch to win the Barack Obama presidential library was submitted Thursday in a bid that projects between $25 million and $40 million in tax revenue and more than $2 billion in economic activity over its first 10 years. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii hopes it has an offer Honolulu-born President Barack Obama won't be able to turn down. It hopes to build him a presidential library on the ocean, with a dramatic view of his hometown's famed Diamond Head volcanic crater. The state's abundant sunshine would generate solar power and support vegetable gardens on site. Associated Press.

On Thursday, Hawaii officials submitted a written proposal to host the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Honolulu. The effort was coordinated by the University of Hawaii with the full backing of the State of Hawaii, the City and Council of Honolulu and numerous community partners, including the nonprofit group, Hawaii Presidential Center. KHON2.

A Journey Into the Basement With Hawaii Tech Chief Keone Kali. The chief information officer talks about the precarious state of information locked in outdated equipment in the bowels of downtown Honolulu. Civil Beat.

Hawaii wildlife officials freed a young humpback whale from fishing line that was wrapped around its tail. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary said Thursday the line had cut deep wounds into the 30-foot whale. The weakened animal also had parasites and shark bites. Associated Press.

The Land Use Research Foundation convened its 2014 Housing Summit today. The goal is to develop policies and strategies to build more affordable rental and for sale units throughout the state. Star-Advertiser.

Allowing Aloha United Way to solicit donations from state workers gives the charity an unfair advantage over other nonprofits and violates the state ethics code, Hawaii's state Ethics Commission has concluded. Associated Press.

If Ben Jay had known the depth of the task confronting him at the University of Hawaii, he said Thursday, he might not have taken the job as its athletic director. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Micro units, or small efficiency apartments, are seen as one part of a solution to Hawaii's housing shortage, and the state agency regulating development in Kakaako is looking to build more of them. Star-Advertiser.

Park Lane Ala Moana, the $300 million luxury condominium project being built on what was once a parking area at Ala Moana Center by a trio of Honolulu firms — Kobayashi Group, The MacNaughton Group, BlackSand Capital — and landowner General Growth Properties Inc., plans to price the units between at least $1 million and at least $20 million. Pacific Business News.

The City Council postpones a vote on Bill 62, which would ban sitting and lying on sidewalks and planters in five downtown Honolulu and Chinatown malls. Civil Beat.

Federal, state and city officials on a task force asked to evaluate the effects of the January fuel leak at the Navy's Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility recommended Thursday that the giant tanks be double-lined to prevent groundwater contamination. But the Navy continues to have serious objections to that approach. Star-Advertiser.

The Honolulu City Council has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a man police pulled out of a car window and kicked in the torso, and $165,000 to the mother of a boy who cut his leg on an irrigation valve at a Liliha park. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

Two Native Hawaiians are suing the Department of Land and Natural Resources, saying the state has breached its duty to protect ceded lands at the Pohakuloa Training Area. West Hawaii Today.

University of Hawaii President David Lassner and John Morton, vice president for community colleges, sketched their vision for the new Hawaii Community College — Palamanui at a forum Thursday evening in Kealakehe. The forum was attended by about 170 people. West Hawaii Today.

Lava flow T-shirts a hit for Pahoa merchant. Tribune-Herald.

The June 27 lava flow was continuing to follow a path of steepest descent Thursday morning that could take it through Pahoa Marketplace. Hawaii County Civil Defense said the flow front was 1.9 miles from the intersection of Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road after advancing 340 yards within 24 hours. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Former Maui County mayoral candidate Beau Hawkes, who was Tasered as he ran from a police officer in a viral video, was found guilty as charged Wednesday for disregarding the officer's orders and driving away from a traffic stop. Maui News.

The Westin Maui Resort & Spa is seeking a special management area permit and a shoreline setback variance as part of an estimated $55 million in master plan improvements that call for, among other things, a new four-level parking garage and more ballroom and spa space, according to a final environmental assessment. - Maui News.

AAA Hawaiʻi Weekend Gas Watch metro area report for Wailuku showed the price of a gallon of regular gas at $4.05 today, down six cents from last week, 20 cents from last month, 12 cents from last year, and down 93 cents from the high of $4.98 reported on May 9, 2011. Maui Now.

On Tuesday, Dec. 9, Ka‘ala Buenconsejo became the new County of Maui Parks Department Director, according to an inter-office email sent out by the department’s interim director. Maui Time.


Kauai

A set of annual audit reports found that Kauai County officials are still struggling to address longstanding financial and record-keeping deficiencies that were raised as red flags over the past several years. Garden Island.

The lush Mahaulepu Valley on Kauai's South Shore is the setting of a growing environmental battle pitting local residents against Hawaii's richest man. About 200 people packed the Koloa Neighborhood Center Thursday night to voice their concerns about billionaire eBay founder Pierre Omidyar's plans to build a high-tech dairy there. Hawaii News Now.

A promising outlook for attracting visitors to Hawaii was evoked by a host of speakers at the Kauai Visitors Bureau annual luncheon Thursday. Garden Island.

Real property owners that believe their properties were given the wrong tax classifications for the 2014 tax year can apply for reclassification if the application is received no later than Dec. 31. Garden Island.