Showing posts with label coconut rhinoceros beetle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coconut rhinoceros beetle. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Navy asks to allow more whale kills during Pacific training, $16B for Maui survives congressional negotiations, battle on against coconut rhinoceros beetle, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Navy seeks revision allowing for more whale deaths. The Navy is asking the National Marine Fisheries Service to “modify” its regulations to allow for more injuries to marine mammals during Pacific training. Star-Advertiser.

Lack Of Money And Staff Is Hindering Wildfire Code Enforcement In Hawaii. Regulation is heavily focused on buildings when counties must decide where to put dwindling resources. Civil Beat.

DHHL says $600M isn't enough to complete housing for waitlisted Native Hawaiians. DHHL currently has 20 projects in the pipeline and plans to acquire additional properties to provide housing to approximately 5,300 Native Hawaiian beneficiaries. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii To Battle Invasive Beetle By Restricting Plant Material Shipments.
The Department of Agriculture is issuing a second emergency interim rule to address the persistent threat of coconut rhinoceros beetle to Hawaii.  Civil Beat. KHON2.

As fentanyl deaths mount in Hawaii, law enforcement targets source of drug pipeline. First responders are being called to overdoses daily in Hawaii as fentanyl takes hold across the state. And stopping the drug pipeline won’t be easy, experts say. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

City Council to mull anti-gaming room measure. Bills 57 and 58 are meant to aid enforcement efforts to close the 100 gambling parlors that the Honolulu Police Department says operate somewhere on the island each day. Star-Advertiser.

Former CoreCivic Lobbyist Is Helping To Plan A New Oahu Jail
. The state executive now tasked with devising a plan to finance a $900 million jail on Oahu worked for years as a registered lobbyist for CoreCivic, which is a prison developer that lobbied for years to try to get the state to move forward with the Oahu jail project. Civil Beat.

Oahu air quality stations raise concerns over defueling. Residents who live near Pearl Harbor might receive a letter that says the Navy will monitor air quality in their area for six months. KHON2.

Mike Miske’s Attorneys Go On Attack Over FBI Search Warrants. Attorneys representing former Honolulu business owner Michael J. Miske Jr. are locked in a legal battle with federal prosecutors over the admissibility of a wide swath of evidence that could link Miske to the sudden disappearance and alleged murder of 21-year old Jonathan Fraser in 2016.  Civil Beat.

Golf course ‘water fight’; Military’s plan to stop using drinking water for irrigation halted by Dept. of Health. After years of pressure from environmental groups, the military wants to stop using drinking water to irrigate a golf course in Kaneohe. Hawaii News Now.

A Small Honolulu Restaurant Will Pay A Huge Fine For Sexual Harassment In The Workplace
. Mexico Restaurant, located at 1247 N. School St. in Kalihi, agreed to pay $227,500 to settle a lawsuit filed last year by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of the servers, the commission announced Monday.  Civil Beat.

Lights out at Sandy Beach Park to protect 6 honu nests. Honolulu officials have temporarily turned off some lights at Sandy Beach Park to help ensure the safe passage of green sea turtle hatchlings toward the sea. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Two Hilo attorneys under investigation by state office. The state Office of Disciplinary Counsel is investigating two Hilo attorneys being prosecuted in federal court for allegedly receiving Hawaii County affordable housing credits and land conveyances worth at least $10.98 million, with no intention of developing affordable housing. Tribune-Herald.

Renovations of Hilo’s Central Fire Station behind schedule. There has been a delay in the Hawaii Fire Department’s plans to move operations from its Central Fire Station in downtown Hilo to a midtown warehouse on Kilauea Avenue so the 90-year-old station can undergo long-overdue repairs. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Budget compromise assures Maui wildfire relief funding. The $16 billion for disaster relief included in a stopgap plan to avoid a U.S. government shutdown is good news for Maui’s wildfire relief efforts. Star-Advertiser.

Maui residents advise visitor industry on Sunday’s reopening. Representatives from Maui told Hawaii’s visitor industry on Monday how to support them and educate visitors prior to the controversial phased return of tourism to West Maui on Sunday. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Maui fire survivors remain in limbo as officials confront long-term housing challenges
. A spokesperson from the Red Cross said the organization is working with about 7,800 people displaced by the fire, which is well over half of the town’s pre-disaster population. Hawaii Public Radio.

Routine emergency siren tests resume on Maui.
Hawaii emergency warning sirens were tested Monday for the first time since the deadly Aug. 8 Lahaina fire, on the same day disaster relief and recovery program changes took place on Maui as well. Star-Advertiser.

When Kula needed water to stop wildfire, it got a trickle. Hours before devastating fires scorched the historic town of Lahaina on Maui, Kyle Ellison labored to save his rental house in Kula, a rural mountain town 24 miles away, from a different blaze. Associated Press.

Kauai

U.S. Navy, State of Hawai’i sign cooperative agreement for West Kaua’i watershed restoration, more. The Department of the Navy has signed a $4.14 million Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Cooperative Agreement award with the State of Hawai‘i to fund conservation programs around the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands on Kaua’i. Kauai Now.

Drones to drop beetle pesticide on Kauai golf course palms. Parts of Wailua Municipal Golf Course in Lihue will be closed next week while drones are used to apply a pesticide to the tops of coconut palms in an effort to eradicate an infestation of coconut rhinoceros beetles. Star-Advertiser. Kauai Now.