Another COVID-19 death, Ige's 6th emergency proclamation extends lockdown, takes away county authority, prohibits florist deliveries, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii florist at farmers market ©2020 All Hawaii News

Ige’s reversal halts delivery of Mother’s Day flowers. Hawaii florists are the latest group to be swept into confusion by Gov. David Ige’s administration in response to the new coronavirus. Star-Advertiser.

Ige rescinds exemption for florists, saying he wasn’t aware permission was given. Days after giving florists the green light to open up for Mother’s Day, the state is backtracking, leaving many confused ahead of Mother’s Day. Hawaii News Now.

Flower shops cannot deliver during quarantine. Much confusion over whether florists can or cannot operate, even on a limited basis, has many frustrated - especially in the lead up to Mother's Day. KITV4.

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Hawaii’s COVID-19 stay-at-home order and traveler quarantines extended to May 31. Ige also said all county mayors must now obtain my approval, or the approval of the director of Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, prior to issuing any emergency order, rule, or proclamation. Star-Advertiser.

Governor extends stay-at-home order, quarantine for travelers through May 31. In a decision that was largely expected but nonetheless will be a major blow to thousands of shuttered Hawaii businesses struggling to stay afloat, the governor has extended the statewide stay-at-home order along with the mandatory quarantine for travelers through May 31. Hawaii News Now.

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Ige limits independent power of county mayors in latest proclamation. Part of Gov. Ige’s sixth supplementary proclamation changes the ability of the counties to independently form emergency response policies going forward. Hawaii News Now.

Counties Now Need Approval of Governor or HIEMA Before Issuing Emergency Rules, Order or Proclamations. As the state and counties issue their own emergency rules, discrepancies have surfaced over the course of the pandemic, resulting in confusion over beach use, temporary curfews and stay-at-home orders to name a few. Maui Now.

Counties will need approval from Governor or HIEMA before implementing new rules. On Saturday, Governor David Ige said his latest supplemental proclamation requires the counties to provide the state copies of future rules and they require his approval. KHON2.

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Ige Extends Stay-At-Home Order, Quarantines To May 31. The governor said some restrictions could be eased earlier in May, depending on factors such as hospital resources. Civil Beat.

Gov Extends Orders To May 31; Cases At 604, Up 3; DOT Arrivals Process Tightens. Hawaii Gov. David Ige today extended his mandatory 14-day quarantine and stay-at-home orders through May 31, saying the state is not out of the woods yet. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii Stay-At-Home Order Extended To End Of May. A new proclamation also extends the 14-day quarantine for air travelers, while allowing exercise on state beaches. Big Island Video News.

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Visitors To Hawaii To Undergo New Verification Process. An airport representative "will call their mobile phone number to confirm it rings right in front of them," among other new procedures for visitors. Big Island Video News.

Here’s how the state is beefing up traveler quarantine measures. The state announced new measures it’ll be taking to make sure visitors to Hawaii are abiding by the mandatory 14-day quarantine. One of those measures is enhanced screening to be done when visitors get off the plane at airports. Hawaii News Now.

Read full text of Gov. David Ige's 6th supplementary proclamation HERE.

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Oahu man with COVID-19 dies, raising Hawaii’s coronavirus death toll to 15. An Oahu man infected with COVID-19 died Sunday evening, raising Hawaii’s coronavirus death toll to 15, state Department of Health officials announced. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu man hospitalized for COVID-19 dies, bringing death toll from virus in Hawaii to 15. An Oahu man who has been hospitalized since early March after apparently contracting COVID-19 through community spread died Sunday, the state Health Department said. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu man dies Sunday night of COVID-19, state death toll rises to 15. The Hawaii Department of Health reported the 15th death associated with COVID-19 Sunday night, April 26. KHON2.

COVID-19 kills a 15th person in Hawaii, DOH confirms. The 15th death associated with the coronavirus in the state was reported by the Hawai‘i Dept. of Health Sunday night. KITV4.

Hawai‘i Coronavirus Total Now 606: 2 New Cases, Maui Total is 112. As of noon on Sunday, April 26, 2020, there are 606 cases of COVID-19 identified in Hawaiʻi with 2 new cases, including one additional case each on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island.  Both new cases are minors below the age of 18. Maui Now.

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Inside Hawaii’s Ambitious Mobile Virus-Testing Operation. Dozens of health care workers, many of them volunteers, have been traveling all over the state to test as many people as possible. Next up: homeless camps. Civil Beat.

COVID-19 pause gives Hawaii a chance to restore tourism balance. The COVID-19-related collapse of Hawaii’s tourism could lead to greater public appreciation for an industry that supported more than 200,000 jobs last year. But that’s going to take time. Star-Advertiser.

Mai Hele Mai campaign urges tourists to stay away from Hawaii. More than 1,500 visitors have come to the Aloha state in the last two weeks, according to numbers from the Hawaii Tourism Authority. A new campaign called Mai Hele Mai is urging visitors to stay away from Hawaii to help reduce the spreed of COVID-19. KITV4.

Visitor arrivals near 4,000 since quarantine order in place. As of Saturday, 3,897 trans-Pacific visitors arrived in Hawaii since the quarantine order took effect March 26. That’s an average of 125 visitors arriving in the islands over the past 31 days. Star-Advertiser.

State Discusses ‘Soft Reopening’ as Unemployment Funds Dwindle. Hawai‘i may not begin reopening in May as initially planned, but discussions on what a reopening would look like are well underway. Big Island Now.

Some fear liberties will be lost in Hawaii’s COVID-19 pandemic orders. Government officials appear to be doing a good job of limiting the damage of the coronavirus pandemic in Hawaii, recording among the lowest COVID-19 infection and death rates in the country. But at what price. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Supreme Court order mandates quicker release of non-violent inmates. An order issued late Friday by the Hawaii Supreme Court suggests that justices are unhappy with how lower court judges, prosecutors and the state Department of Public Safety have been carrying out the high court’s edict to release more inmates quickly in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Star-Advertiser.

Safety checks for registration renewals waived temporarily. Oahu motorists who renew their annual vehicle registration can now do so electronically without a valid safety check at least through May 31. Star-Advertiser.

Immigrants And Others Struggle Applying For Hawaii Jobless Benefits. Those who don’t speak English, don’t have computers or lack bank accounts hit barriers using the swamped system. Civil Beat.

Losing party in Meadow Gold sale alleges misdeeds.  former owner of Foremost Dairies-Hawaii has emerged as the tentative buyer for a portion of Meadow Gold Hawaii, the state’s largest dairy processor. Star-Advertiser.

2 more Hawaii newspapers announce one less day of traditional print. Both the Hawaii Tribune Herald on Hawaii Island, and the Garden Island Newspaper on Kauai informed their readers that they would only produce digital editions on Saturdays. Regular papers will still be produced throughout the other days of the week. The change begins on May 9. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

The Trash That Fuels Oahu’s Power Plant Is Vanishing As Fast As The Tourists. That could prove costly for the city, which must send tons of trash to the H-Power facility or face financial penalties. Civil Beat.

4 more Punahou alumnae accuse teachers of sex abuse. Punahou School acknowledged the four new sexual misconduct allegations against former teachers and coaches in a mass email distributed Sunday afternoon to the “Punahou community.” Star-Advertiser.

Decision to be made today on fate of ‘Stairway to Heaven’. The future of the Haiku Stairs is expected to be decided by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply today, and the public is being asked to weigh in. Star-Advertiser.

National Heritage designation is proposed for Kaena Point. Hawaii U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Tulsi Gabbard have proposed a study of Kaena Point for potential designation as the state’s first National Heritage Area. Star-Advertiser.

Well-Known Monk Seal Found Dead On Oahu’s Windward Side. COVID-19 restrictions prevented a post-mortem exam to determine the cause of death for R5AY, or Honey Girl. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Despite pandemic, some continue camping on Maunakea. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down businesses and gatherings worldwide, a few holdouts are still camping alongside the Maunakea Access Road. Tribune-Herald.

UH mulls changes to Maunakea management structure. The University of Hawaii is investigating possible new management structures for governing Maunakea lands in an effort to improve its stewardship of the mountain. Tribune-Herald.

A shot in the arm: Council members push programs to help beleaguered businesses. Two Hawaii County Council members are working on programs to bring fast relief to small businesses and farmers reeling from the economic downturn brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. West Hawaii Today.

$61 million slated for Puna roads. The county is receiving $61 million in federal funding to repair lava-inundated roads in lower Puna, but a timeline for when the next road can be restored has yet to be established. Tribune-Herald.

2018 Eruption Caused By Inflation, Not Rain, HVO Says. Was the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano caused by heavy rainfall? Scientists on the island say there was another, more likely cause. Big Island Video News.

Maui

Restaurant: ‘It was a public service to come forward’ after outbreak. Merriman’s had three workers test positive. A well-known Maui restaurant typically at the forefront of fine dining is now leading the way when it comes to public disclosure in the era of coronavirus. Maui News.

Nearly 50-year-old Maui firm is closing. Distributor Tanikai hit by economic impacts of novel coronavirus. Maui News.

With tourism on furlough, Hawaii’s whales are enjoying some needed rest from constant scrutiny. Hotel occupancy on Maui, the most popular island for whale watching, declined 40% from March 2019. Star-Advertiser.


Kauai

Mayor a national celebrity. Mayor Derek Kawakami earlier this month introduces his latest “Stay Home, Kaua‘i” video aimed at keeping his county informed and entertained after implementing a curfew to help curb the spread of coronavirus. Garden Island.

New taxes looming, whale entangled, mayors want more, marijuana bill defeated, plastic bag ban debated, Hillary coming, union squabbling, more Hawaii news

Marine experts are searching the waters off the Kona Coast for a humpback whale entangled in polypropylene line, deflated buoys and other fishing gear.

 Two key state senators suggested the counties could impose a sales tax of up to 5 percent to recoup revenue lost if the state holds on to the counties' share of the hotel tax.

County mayors said they were open to all proposals for closing sizable gaps in their upcoming budgets, but stopped short of saying property tax hikes were inevitable.

A new proposal under consideration could force customers to pay a sales tax to help take care of soaring budget shortfalls in Hawaii.

Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi laced his request for state funds with humor. But he and his mayoral colleagues know there's nothing funny about the state's budget crisis.

Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. underscored the importance of Kaua‘i keeping its share of hotel tax revenue from the state in his testimony Wednesday morning during a joint hearing of the House Finance and Senate Ways and Means committees.

Gov. Linda Lingle's administration rejected, again, a tentative agreement between education officials and the Hawaii State Teachers Association that would have ended "furlough Fridays" for the remainder of the current school year.

The Lingle administration again rejected a $35 million proposal by the teachers union and state Board of Education to increase instruction time at public schools by seven days ending in June.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be in Hawaii next week, where she will speak about Asia-Pacific relations and consult with U.S. military commanders in the Pacific, the State Department said yesterday.

A Hawaiian Airlines passenger plane made a belated landing on Maui last night after turning back to Portland, Ore., under the escort of armed fighter jets.

Home at last, after a fighter jet escort - a Hawaiian air flight at the center of a security scare has finally arrived on Maui.

The state Legislature is cutting five recess days from its 2010 calendar to both trim expenses and encourage members to focus on the state budget.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has picked up the pace in federally registering 48 endangered Kaua‘i species in light of a lawsuit filed earlier this week in federal court by environmental activists.

Kaua‘i drivers would be forced to pay an additional 50 cents for every gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel they purchase if the County Council goes along with measures recommended in the final draft of the Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan released this week.

Hawaii County may join Maui and Kauai counties in banning plastic shopping bags if a bill by Kohala Councilman Pete Hoffmann continues along its current path.

Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. underscored the importance of Kaua‘i keeping its share of hotel tax revenue from the state in his testimony Wednesday morning during a joint hearing of the House Finance and Senate Ways and Means committees.

Defying Kelly Greenwell's threat to resign, a County Council committee voted against a resolution asking the state Legislature to decriminalize marijuana

About 35 business owners and community leaders gathered Tuesday in Hilo to forge a message to President Barack Obama on how the government can best aid the economic recovery on the Big Island.


A preliminary report on a Dec. 16 helicopter crash in Hana says the copter actually lost all power and crashed in what was intended as a simulated loss of engine power exercise.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Thursday morning edition

State programs to repopulate Hawaiian Waters with fish and create more artificial reefs are on the budget chopping block

Lawmakers are expecting that the state Council on Revenues will forecast today an additional $90 million drop in state revenues.

Visitor arrivals last month dipped a modest 1.3 percent from April 2008, a major improvement over the double-digit declines that have dominated the past 12 months.

State union leaders say Gov. Linda Lingle has switched from calling for furloughs to demanding that state workers take pay cuts.

Army pilots whose unit is preparing for deployment to Iraq died yesterday after their helicopter crashed during a training flight at Wheeler Army Airfield, officials said.

Beset with costly contracts and the appearance of conflicts of interest, Mayor Billy Kenoi vowed Tuesday to strengthen the county ethics code to prevent more of the same during his administration.

The first of many applications under the new bed-and-breakfast ordinance had an easy time winning approval at the Maui Planning Commission Tuesday.

Putting a “fascinating” budget process behind them, the Kaua‘i County Council on Wednesday approved a $213 million budget in the form of two bills, which will be sent today to Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. for his approval.

Two school-age children became the first Big Island residents to be diagnosed with swine flu, the state Department of Health said Tuesday.

If the Board of Regents approves a proposal to offer a second bachelor's degree at Maui Community College, it will likely mean a name change for the Kahului campus to the University of Hawaii-Maui, UH President David McClain said in a memo to the regents.

Mayors want more

HONOLULU – Hawaii’s four mayors knew better than to pass the hat around the Capitol this year, but they still had plenty of other requests during a joint session today of the House Finance Committee and Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The money committees also heard more details about the dismal economic forecast from members of the Hawaii Council on Revenues,. The council last week settled on a prediction of a 3-percent drop in revenues for the 2009 fiscal year ending June 30 and a one-percent increase for FY10, starting July 1. That’s about $125 million less to spend in 2009 and about the same the following year over the past spending pattern.

The numerous charts were bright, but their message certainly wasn’t.

Instead of a lot of money, the mayors of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and the City and County of Honolulu are seeking changes to current statutes to allow them to do their jobs easier. The mayors several years ago formed the Hawaii Council of Mayors to present more of a unified message to the Legislature.

This year, the Council of Mayors endorsed seven priorities:

• Making permanent the government liability laws enacted in 2007 – the “Sacred Falls law,” to keep public lands open by lowering the risk of lawsuits.

• Representation on the boards of the Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund and the Employees’ Retirement System.

• Exclusion of teachers from the counties' contributions to the ERS.
  

• Clarifying when a county will provide legal representation to a police officer

• Help preventing homelessness

• Protecting and encouraging farming.

• Stimulating the economy

The Hawaii State Association of Counties, a nonprofit group formed by the county councils of the four counties, identified four priorities:

• Extending the 45-day window for a legislative body to approve, approve with modification, or disapprove an affordable housing project to 90 days.

• Exempting local governments from state procurement laws and give local governments discretion to use cooperative contracts.

• Allowing counties to conduct criminal background checks on taxi drivers and applicants for taxi driver’s certificates.

• Requiring the state to transfer a portion of the fines and forfeitures collected for uncontested traffic infractions to the county in which the violations occurred.