Trump plans Hawaii stopover today, FEMA assesses homeowners' volcano damage, super PAC forms to support candidates as Elections 2018 kicks off, Waikiki beach boys fight simmers, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un PC:The White House

President Donald Trump planned to make a brief stopover in Hawaii after leaving Singapore following nuclear negotiations with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Star-Advertiser.

President Donald Trump will stop in Hawaii after returning from his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the White House announced Monday. Hawaii News Now.

President Donald Trump plans to visit Andersen Air Force Base on Guam and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii on his return trip from a historic summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Singapore, the Associated Press is reporting, citing the White House. Pacific Daily News.

Carpenters council supports super PAC. The Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters — which previously backed the political action committee that mounted a multimillion-dollar campaign against former Gov. Ben Cayetano’s bid for Honolulu mayor against the rail project — is funding a new super PAC in hopes of influencing voters in the 2018 primary election. Star-Advertiser.

A Republican Governor Would Bring New Uncertainty To Rail Project. Some GOP candidates have called for radical changes in how the transit project moves forward, but they’ve also been light on specifics. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Politics Has Never Been For Sissies. Rough political attacks are nothing new. In 1874, supporters of Queen Emma physically assaulted backers of David Kalakaua in the aftermath of a royal election. Civil Beat.

Ohana Nui Concept To Address Sources of Poverty in Hawaii. The Ohana Nui program was adopted by the State Department of Human Services two years ago to address the root causes of poverty in Hawaii. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

Tensions high as beach boys challenge decision to give concessions to Dive Oahu. It’s been two weeks since Dive Oahu has taken over the Kuhio Beach concessions and tensions continue to rise. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii's Whole Foods Markets locations will start offering discounts to Amazon Prime members starting on Wednesday. KHON2.

Amazon Prime members will be able to take advantage of special savings at Whole Foods stores in Hawaii starting this week. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Island

FEMA assesses damage; Kim estimates up to 700 homes were destroyed by lava. Tribune-Herald.

FEMA officials assessing damage from Kilauea eruption. Star-Advertiser.

The number of homes claimed by lava is now believed to be as high as 700 as vigorous eruptions on the Big Island continue. Hawaii News Now.

FEMA getting ready to offer grants up to $34,000. A federal agency is beginning on-the-ground assessments this week on Hawaii island to determine which residents may be eligible for grant money because they lost their homes to lava. Star-Advertiser.

FEMA assessing damage and lava impacts on residents. Right now efforts are underway to help residents who lost their homes get back on their feet. KITV.

Kilauea Unleashes More Small Blasts, Snaking Lava. Scientists warn against venturing too close to lava hitting water, saying it could expose people to dangers from flying debris. Associated Press.

VIDEO: USGS Kilauea volcano update, June 11, 2018. Tribune-Herald.

FEMA regional administrator Robert Fenton joined Mayor Harry Kim for a media conference in Hilo on Monday. Big Island Video News.

Hawaiian Airlines is trimming its Big Island schedule for Hilo and Kona by a total of three daily round-trip flights beginning next month. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiian Airlines is reducing the number of flights between Honolulu and the Big Island starting next month. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaiian Airlines cuts daily flights to Big Island in July due to volcanic activity. KHON2.

Trial has been set in the case of the first individual accused of burglary in Leilani Estates during the current state of emergency because of Kilauea volcano lava. Tribune-Herald.

UH Hilo has been lending a hand to USGS scientists by providing real time chemistry analysis of lava samples. KHON2.

Vog From Kilauea Increases The Need For Classroom Air Conditioning. The last weeks of the school year were hard on some Big Island schools, and there’s concern about what’ll happen when they reopen Aug. 6. Civil Beat.

A GoFundMe account established in May by St. Louis Cardinals second baseman and Hilo native Kolten Wong has raised nearly $75,000 toward its $200,000 disaster relief goal in the month since eruption activity began in lower Puna. Tribune-Herald.

Prospective governors, lieutenant governors in Kailua-Kona Friday. Candidates for the Hawaii’s highest office are headed to Kailua-Kona this week for a forum in advance of the gubernatorial primary scheduled for Aug. 11. West Hawaii Today.

Waimea Candidate Forum for Governor and Lt. Governor. Big Island Now.

Two Hawaii County Council members and two Big Island statehouse incumbents cruised to early victory this week when no candidates filed to oppose them. West Hawaii Today.

Procedural changes were made after case evidence from police storage lockers was compromised by animals, according to Hawaii island police. Associated Press.

Maui

Six doctors have joined Kaiser Permanente on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island–this includes three new physicians on Maui. Maui Now.

The Holua backcountry camping area of Haleakala National Park will be closed to campers the night of June 13, 2018 to allow staff to control non-native Argentine ants. Maui Now.

Hawaii Governor David Ige stopped by Maui’s Kokua Puna donation drive over the weekend, sharing donations of his own and words of appreciation for volunteers. Maui Now.

Kauai

Flood recovery efforts push ahead. It’s been nearly three months since the historic flooding wreaked havoc on Kauai and there’s still much work to be done. Garden Island.

The office of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard will host a workshop on U.S. Department of Agriculture and Economic Development Administration federal grants on Thursday, June 28, from 9 a.m. to noon at Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall. Garden Island.

Hawaii churches mull gay marriage rules, Honolulu state lawmaker takes sledgehammer to homeless shopping carts, Waikiki beachboys fight new fees, health exchange under fire, Kauai farmers prepare to sue to stop GMO and pesticide bill, Hawaii mayor wants $61M bonds, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii, with love

In just about two week from now, same sex couples will be able to get marriage licenses here in Hawaii. But because of the religious exemption in the new law, some churches will decide not to perform those ceremonies. KHON2.

The special session to legalize gay marriage in Hawaii cost more than triple the estimate, but state lawmakers generally agree it was money well spent. The session, which opened Oct. 28 and ended Nov. 12, cost $76,800 on the legislative side, according to the House and Senate chief clerks. Civil Beat.

Winning Arguments: Hawaii Lawmakers' Speeches on Gay Marriage.Word clouds reveal the most frequently spoken words — and the least used.  Civil Beat.

Only 257 individuals in Hawaii have enrolled in health-insurance plans through the Hawaii Health Connector as of Friday, a spokesman confirmed to Pacific Business News.

State Insurance Commissioner Gordon Ito is requesting that Hawaii’s insurance carriers continue health plans that faced non-renewal by the end of the year. Hawaii Reporter.

Hawaii state senators are criticizing CGI Group Inc., the company that developed Hawaii’s troubled Obamacare portal, for the construction and management of a tax-collection website. Hawaii Reporter.

Hawaii's first big shipment of Christmas trees from the Pacific Northwest arrived right on time over the weekend. Matson Navigation Co.'s first shipment of Christmas trees for consumers docked in Hono­lulu on Saturday, and the trees will be available for purchase at retailers' discretion as soon as agricultural inspections are completed, a company spokesman said. Star-Advertiser.

State roundup for November 18. Associated Press

Oahu

In July 2012 state officials publicly launched an $82 million "PM Contraflow" project, with plans to include a 7.2-mile zipper lane on the H-1 freeway between Pearl Harbor and Waikele to help ease Ewa-bound rush-hour traffic. But months later, they now acknowledge, state Department of Transportation officials began to privately reconsider whether a zipper lane was the best use of taxpayer dollars to ease congestion along one of the most notorious commutes on Oahu. Star-Advertiser.

A typically busy Sunday on Oahu roads produced a typically high number of traffic collisions across the island. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., there were 87 traffic collisions on Oahu, according to the Honolulu Police Department traffic log. Star-Advertiser.

A state lawmaker, fed up with the lack of progress in solving Waikiki's chronic homeless problem and disgusted by the mess that comes with it, has taken matters into his own hands. And those hands are wielding a sledgehammer. Star-Advertiser.

Ocean recreation companies in Waikiki are protesting proposed new state fees and other rule changes they say threaten longtime beachboy concessions and other businesses. Hawaii News Now.

A memo from the executive director of the Honolulu Ethics Commission accuses the Caldwell administration of stonewalling investigations about possible corruption and employee misconduct at city hall. Civil Beat.

From fierce, life-sized bronze lion sculptures to dainty porcelain figurines, the art collection of Japanese real estate tycoon Genshiro Kawamoto is vast and varied. More than 500 pieces of Kawamoto's global art collection, furnishings and decor will go up for bid Saturday at one of his former Kahala properties. Star-Advertiser.

More than 80 percent of the buildings on the 101-year-old Manoa campus — or 209 buildings — have lingering repair and maintenance needs that will cost $407 million to fix. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii
On the heels of recent penny-pinching years that included budget cuts and property tax increases, Mayor Billy Kenoi is ready for the county to take on more debt. Kenoi, in a letter Thursday, asked the County Council to authorize $61 million in new bonds for 23 projects islandwide. West Hawaii Today.

A former Hawaii County Councilman has yet to serve a five-day jail sentence handed down in 2010 following his no contest plea to resisting arrest after a traffic stop in North Kona. West Hawaii Today.

Civil Beat is profiling Na Wai Ola and several other charter schools in and around the Hilo area as part of a five-part education series. Learning Hilo explores four of Hawaii's charter school "innovation laboratories" and how leaders offer less-than-traditional models, techniques and even challenging ideas to the rest of the public school system.

After years in development, Hilo Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency Program is set to begin interviewing next week its first crop of applicants. Tribune-Herald.

With 3-D printing, and other computer-aided-design technologies, it’s not only possible but feasible for anyone with the desire to learn, according to Neil Scott, who works for the College of Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. On Dec. 6, Scott is launching the state’s first commercial “makery” right in downtown Hilo, where some of the technology that is already changing the way manufacturing is done would be available for anyone to rent. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

The Maui County Council today approved of a resolution authorizing a new independent appraisal of 186 acres of land at Launiupoko being considered for use as future park space. Maui Now.

With one council member calling the appraisal "significantly flawed," the Maui County Council on Friday approved a new appraisal for 186 acres in Launiupoko that Mayor Alan Arakawa's administration has negotiated to purchase for $13 million. Maui News.

For the first time since its inception 90 years ago, the state Department of Hawaiian Homelands is developing a policy plan that solely addresses its water kuleana rights and responsibilities. Maui News.

Kauai

Supporters of tighter reins on agribusiness expressed satisfaction Saturday at the Kauai County Council's decision to override Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.'s veto of a measure regulating pesticides and genetically modified crops. But representatives of Kauai's big farms vowed to challenge the law in court. Star-Advertiser.

Pesticide disclosure Bill 2491 is set to become law after the Kauai County Council voted Saturday to override Mayor Bernard Carvalho’s veto of the bill. Civil Beat.

Bill 2491 is headed for the Kauai County law books. The controversial bill’s five-month legislative saga closed a major chapter Saturday, when the Kauai Council voted 5 to 2 to override the mayor’s veto. Garden Island.

The Kauai County Council has voted to override the mayor's veto of legislation that would require large farms to disclose the use of pesticides and genetically modified crops. The council's 5-2 vote Saturday means the bill vetoed by Mayor Bernard Carvalho becomes law and goes into effect in nine months. Associated Press.

Mason Chock is the newest member of the Kauai County Council. He will finish out the term of Nadine Nakamura, who left to work as the mayor's top aide. Hawaii Independent.

A hands-on project in a charter school on Kauai’s Westside may not feed the world, but it is aiming to grow an abundance of food by the end of the school year. Garden Island.