Hawaii poll mixed on Trump immigration enforcement, Tulsi Gabbard says Hawaii in North Korea 'crosshairs,' Oahu poll shows airport authority opposition, resistance to pay more for rail, Green mulls lieutenant governor post, Kauai police chief seeks Honolulu job, Maui mayoral candidate in car crash, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard in Windward Oahu, courtesy Gabbard congressional office

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard faced a rowdy crowd in Kailua on Saturday night for one of seven town hall meetings that she’s holding throughout the islands. Star-Advertiser.

Gabbard Focuses On North Korea Amid Questions About Syria. At her most contentious of three town hall meetings so far, the congresswoman tells her Kailua audience that Hawaii is in the “crosshairs.” Civil Beat.

Despite assertions of widespread consensus, Hawaii appears to be divided over whether the state should be spending money challenging President Donald Trump’s revised ban on travel to the United States by individuals from certain countries. Star-Advertiser.

Should Hawaii Defy Trump On Immigration Enforcement? Lawmakers are debating whether Hawaii should join communities balking at cooperating with the crackdown on criminal immigrants. Civil Beat.

The chairmen of Hawaii’s House and Senate tourism committees expect to meet in the upcoming week to resolve differences over vacation rental tax bills that have passed their respective chambers. Associated Press.

When compared with four international vacation destinations, Hawaii hotels were more expensive and less occupied during the month of March. Pacific Business News.

State lawmakers are hoping to alleviate the cost of college for some students with House Bill 1594. The proposed legislation would set up a new scholarship program called "Hawaii Promise." KITV.

State Sen. Josh Green has already laid out an ambitious project he’d take on as lieutenant governor. The only thing he hasn’t quite done yet is announce he’s running. West Hawaii Today.

The Fight Over Papahanaumokuakea Just Escalated. It’s not just Wespac that’s lobbying President Trump to undo marine monument protections in the Pacific. Civil Beat.

The solar industry continues to contract on the neighbor islands. Star-Advertiser.

Four Marine Corps Ospreys are expected to fly nearly 6,000 miles from Hawaii to Australia this week, refueling in midair and stopping a couple of times — while demonstrating again the long range, speed and versatility of the unique tilt-rotor aircraft, the Corps said. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

The latest Hawaii Poll by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser suggests a majority of likely Oahu voters want the city’s rail project to reach Ala Moana Center but are reluctant to pay more taxes to do so. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu residents are not particularly pleased with the condition of Honolulu International Airport, but a majority of them oppose the plan to create a new airport authority to try to better manage and maintain the state’s airport system. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu residents generally think homeowners should be able to rent part or all of their homes to visitors, but results of the latest Hawaii Poll were evenly split on whether online travel booking sites like Airbnb should collect taxes for clients. Star-Advertiser.

A bill introduced by two Honolulu City Council members would eliminate the city’s controversial Residential A tax category. Star-Advertiser.

A deadline has passed, but Gov. David Ige still could fill two upcoming vacancies on a state board regulating development in Kakaako using a controversial list of candidates from the Honolulu City Council. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Gas Co. said recently it expects to act on plans to integrate biogas from the city’s Honouliuli Wastewater Treatment Plant into its pipeline. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii State Department of Education will receive a $70 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment to make major improvements to Solomon Elementary School at Schofield Barracks in Central Oahu. Pacific Business News.

Many beachgoers in Lanikai returned to their vehicles on Easter Sunday with tickets left on their windshields. Hawaii News Now.

Commentary: Rail-financing controversy sure to take politicians’ futures for a ride. Star-Advertiser.

Commentary: As the Legislature nears its crunch, key lawmakers are showing signs they finally mean what they say about holding Honolulu rail accountable for incessant mismanagement and budget deficits. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Tests find no depleted uranium threat: But critics file petitions challenging Pohakuloa Training Area radiation monitoring. Tribune-Herald.

Major Kahaluu development draws concerns. West Hawaii Today.

A Hilo-based aerospace agency is on the chopping block as lawmakers sort out the state’s budget. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii County collaborators are working on several fronts — making sure at least half of all police patrol vehicles per shift carry an automated external defibrillator, or AED, which can shock a heart back into normal rhythm — and teaching high school students hands-only CPR. Tribune-Herald.

VIDEO: Merrie Monarch Festival Begins In Hilo. Big Island Video News.

Merrie Monarch Festival schedule. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Mayor Alan Arakawa took 34 county-funded trips costing about $33,800 in 2016. Maui News.

A $28 million Maui estate that hosted celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Prince and Mel Gibson has been listed by Hawaii Life. Pacific Business News.

The median price of a single-family home in Maui County soared to $769,000 in March, the highest monthly benchmark in more than a decade, the Realtors Association of Maui reported this week. Maui News.

Former Maui County Councilman and mayoral candidate Mike Victorino was involved in a collision Thursday night in Kahului that sent two teenagers to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. Garden Island.

Lettuce and kale sales have dipped in recent weeks in response to an unusual number of rat lungworm cases on Maui that have left many visitors and residents questioning where produce is grown. Maui News.

Kauai

Kauai Police Chief Darryl Perry wants to return to Oahu to run a department that he believes is in need of competent leadership after years of scandal. Civil Beat.

The federal government and the state have taken a step back on the regulation of the restricted-use pesticide chlorpyrifos, but activists on Kauai aren’t giving up. Garden Island.

Vehicles are now using the new steel bridge over Keahua Stream on “Loop Road” — and a few people have found it creates an advantage for them. Garden Island.

The state’s planned 4-foot-wide aluminum pedestrian bridge over Hanakapiai Stream on Kauai’s North Shore is up for discussion — a community meeting will be held Tuesday in Hanalei. Garden Island.

A young green sea turtle was reportedly attacked and injured by a man Thursday at Nawiliwili Harbor. Garden Island.

Hawaii teachers rally for more pay - here's how much they make, gas tax could jump 62%, more money for Wahiawa General Hospital, depleted uranium plan approved, Maui development controversial, teenage alleged rape victim scrutinized in DLNR agent trial, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii teacher rally at Capitol, courtesy Hawaii State Teachers Association

Several thousand public school teachers packed the grounds of the state Capitol on Monday as part of a rally calling on the governor and lawmakers to increase funding for public schools and raise teacher salaries. With a starting salary of $46,601 and highest salary of $85,488, the average teacher here is earning $58,959 this school year, according to the Department of Education. Star-Advertiser.

About 6,000 Hawaii teachers marched to the state Capitol to call for better pay. KITV.

Hawaii teachers marched to the state Capitol to call for better pay. They rallied today while the union is in the midst of contract negotiations with the state. Associated Press.

A state Senate committee on Monday voted to raise the gasoline tax in Hawaii by 10 cents per gallon, from 16 to 26 cents. Hawaii News Now.

Gov. David Ige’s proposal to increase the state’s vehicle weight tax, gasoline tax and registration fees won tentative approval from a Senate committee Monday after a key lawmaker announced she will amend the bill to increase the state gas tax by more than 62 percent. Star-Advertiser.

Drivers May Face Higher Taxes, Fees To Maintain Highways. A bill to hike Hawaii’s fuel and vehicle weight taxes and registration fee stays afloat at the Legislature. Civil Beat.

Hawaii’s public employees pension fund dug a little deeper hole for itself last quarter as it tried to climb out of a $12.44 billion shortfall. Star-Advertiser.

A bill that would have prohibited county mayors and the governor from holding additional work was deferred last week at the Hawaii State Capitol, meaning that it’s almost certainly dead for the 2017 session. Civil Beat.

A group of local doctors fears that proposed legislation to allow the terminally ill to end their own lives will endanger the public’s health and safety. Star-Advertiser.

Change in school lunch policy urged after kids denied meals. KHON2.

A federal judge is allowing Hawaii to file an amended lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's travel ban on people from seven mostly Muslim countries. Associated Press.

Oahu

The Navy opposes proposed state legislation that would require the military’s Red Hill fuel tanks to have secondary, or double-­walled, containment by 2027 — and so does the state Department of Health. Star-Advertiser.

Lawmakers are considering pumping more money into the struggling Wahiawa General Hospital to keep it afloat, provided it discontinues acute-care services and focuses solely on emergency, geriatric and long-term care. Star-Advertiser.

Man hit with hepatitis A sues Genki Sushi, food suppliers. Star-Advertiser.

Manoa Valley pool and gym to close for at least six months because of safety reasons. KITV.

Why Aren’t We Changing Waianae’s Culture Of Fistfights? “Nobody seems to care,” says a man who lives near where schoolkids regularly congregate to watch two or more students duke it out. Civil Beat.

A California developer broke ground Friday on its 14-story, 191-unit student housing project that will replace the iconic University Square retail center near the University of Hawaii Manoa campus in Honolulu. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii

Money to battle rapid ohia death fungus, subsidies for rural schools, personnel costs at Hawaii Community Correctional Center and agriculture and water programs are facing new cuts as Gov. David Ige adjusts his proposed budget to account for an unexpectedly bleak economic picture. West Hawaii Today.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week approved a radiation monitoring plan for Pohakuloa Training Area and other U.S. Army installations that previously used depleted uranium. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii taxpayers are on the hook to pay a Hawaii island developer $1 million after a state agency scuttled plans that had languished for more than two decades for a sprawling subdivision equipped with luxury homes, a golf course and shops. Star-Advertiser.

A teenager who claims she was raped by a state law enforcement officer on New Year’s Day 2016 on a Hilo beach testified Monday that she didn’t tell her stepmother about the alleged incident because the teen “didn’t know how to deal with it.” Tribune-Herald.

Ongoing trouble in regards to a special stone placed on Mauna Kea by one of the original petitioners in the Thirty Meter Telescope contested case hearing took center stage on Monday. Big Island Video News.

Maui

A controversial development proposed for Maui's North Shore drew hundreds to a community meeting on Monday. Hawaii News Now.

Home inventory on Maui has increased for the high season as prices continue to trend upward, according to a monthly real estate report by Realtors Association of Maui Chief Staff Executive Terry Tolman. Pacific Business News.

The median price of a single-family home in Maui County fell 6.5 percent to $655,000 in January, compared with December when median prices reached $700,500, according to Realtors Association of Maui statistics. Maui News.

Kauai

An instructor in early education will be available to speak with people interested in acquiring a bachelor’s degree in early education on Tuesday from 9 to 10 a.m. in Room 204 at the One Stop Center at Kauai Community College. Garden Island.

Hawaii economy down, but not out; Army gets permission for depleted uranium; Maui movie to employ hundreds; students favor gay marriage rights; Abercrombie opens immigration center, new species found in Kilauea Caldera; more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Waikiki shoppers (c) 2013 All Hawaii News

Tighter federal spending, a weaker yen and higher hotel room rates are combining to take a bite out of Hawaii's economic recovery this year, says a team of University of Hawaii economists. In a report released today, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization cut its forecasts for growth in both 2013 visitor arrivals and gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the state's economic activity. Star-Advertiser.

The recent federal government shutdown didn’t shut down Hawaii’s economy, and the future looks particularly bright for the neighbor islands, where job growth is expected to outpace that of Oahu over the rest of the decade. That’s according to reports released this week by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization and the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. West Hawaii Today.

With the launch of the Obamacare health care exchange Hawaii Health Connector, expect to see more state and  federal dollars flowing to Hawaii’s needy. Hawaii’s Legislature appropriated $2.75 billion for fiscal year 2013 and $2.83 billion for FY 2014 — or about 20 percent of the state general fund budget — for “social services” operating expenses. Hawaii Reporter.

Students aligned with Hawaii United for Marriage have collected more than 400 signatures on a petition favoring marriage equality as the state Legislature convenes in special session next week to consider a gay marriage bill. Jeremy Divinagracia, a UH sophomore, said at a news conference Thursday at the UH Campus Center that a vote against equality would be "a terrible message" for a state that prides itself on diversity and the aloha spirit. Star-Advertiser.

A growing number of University of Hawaii at Manoa students are signing a petition urging lawmakers to pass a same-sex marriage bill that’s up for debate in next week’s special session. As of of Thursday afternoon, more than 400 students have signed on. The petition drive, students said, was inspired by recent student government debates on campus about the pros and cons of same-sex marriage. Civil Beat.

Two local advocacy groups are sponsoring Hawaii legislation next session that would ban a type of mental-health counseling that aims to change the sexuality of children who identify as gay, bisexual or transgender. "Conversion therapy," as it’s known, is typically nonconsensual counseling imposed on children by parents or other adult figures and is widely seen as ineffective and intolerant. It’s already banned in California and New Jersey. Civil Beat.

With four legislators on hand to field questions at the Lihue Business Association, it took just a few minutes for the conversation to get to what was on many minds: the upcoming special session on the marriage equality bill. Garden Island.

In an increasingly crowded special session, Abercrombie's nomination for Director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control may be cause for concern. The agenda for next week’s special session is becoming increasingly crowded. On Tuesday the governor asked legislators to add three additional measures to the session agenda. Along with these measures, 31 additional gubernatorial nominations will be heard in the senate on Tuesday, October 29th beginning at 10am. Hawaii Independent.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a license for the possession of depleted uranium at the Army’s Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island and Schofield Barracks on Oahu. The license, granted Wednesday, is in response to the revelation about six years ago that spotting rounds used as part of the Davy Crockett program were fired at both locations in the 1960s. Tribune-Herald.

Oahu

Ripple effects from rule changes that Hawaiian Electric Co. abruptly implemented last month are leaving solar customers especially vulnerable to unscrupulous salespeople who are desperate to close deals amid a tightening market. HECO put new controls on customers who want to hook up solar systems to protect the reliability of the utility's electric grid. The new policies have confused solar companies, left hundreds of customers who were in the middle of the installation process in limbo and cut deeply into solar sales at what is normally the busiest time of year. Civil Beat.

One of the companies responsible for disposing of sludge dredged from the Hawaii Kai Marina is apparently again looking at dumping the material on the site of a controversial and long-stalled cemetery in the back of nearby Kamilo Nui Valley. The marina's dredging project angered the public when sludge from there was spilled on the H-1 freeway Aug. 31 and was found on a private lot in Waianae in violation of city and possibly state and federal permits or regulations. Star-Advertiser.

Major decisions about new skyrises in Honolulu loom, but Hawaii’s state development agency may have to make them at a time when it is understaffed in a way that critics say favors developers. The Hawaii Community Development Authority has been missing two members of its Kakaako board since May, prompting lawmakers to urge Gov. Neil Abercrombie to fill the seats in time for the Legislature’s special session next week. Civil Beat.

It isn't exactly the majestic image often thought of with whales. There is believed to be a 30 to 40 foot dead sperm whale floating off the coast of Windward Oahu. It appears to have been dead for a while. Hawaii News Now.

The Marine Corps is warning windward Oahu residents to expect more aircraft noise for a short period. The Marines say people can expect to see multiple helicopters conducting maintenance and readiness flights from 10:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday. Residents may also hear more noise. Associated Press.

Six years ago, the city removed the playground equipment at Waimanalo Beach Park because of safety concerns. But the new equipment that's there is raising those same concerns. KHON2.

Hawaii

Governor on hand as state’s first immigration resource center opens. Tribune-Herald.

The Hawaii Judiciary said Thursday that it has selected a 10-acre parcel of land in North Kona owned by the Queen Liliuokalani Trust for the site of the new $9 million Kona Judiciary Complex. Pacific Business News.

Puna Community Medical Center is moving forward with plans to construct a comprehensive medical center to help meet the needs of the increasing population in the Puna District, according to a draft Environmental Assessment released Wednesday by the state Office of Environmental Quality Control. West Hawaii Today.

Kona home, condo and land sales will top last year’s numbers easily, even as sales slowed in September, a West Hawaii real estate agent says. West Hawaii Today.

A new species has been found – so far in only one cave in Kilauea Caldera on Hawaii Island – and scientists at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa say it has not been found anywhere else in the world. “We cultivated a new cyanobacterium from an almost 100-year-old lava cave in volcanically active Kilauea Caldera,” said Associate Professor Stuart Donachie in the Department of Microbiology at the College of Natural Sciences. Big Island Video News.

Maui

By early next year, Maui Film Studios will be home to the next "Lord of the Rings"-style movie, with hundreds of positions from extras to makeup artists open to Maui County residents, studio officials said. Maui News.

Maui County will enjoy a 15.1 percent growth in jobs during the current decade, with annual openings of more than 3,000 jobs during the period, according to projections in a state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations report released Wednesday. Maui News.

The neighbor islands are forecast to lead job growth in the state through 2020, according to new data released by the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Maui County is forecast to have the second fastest growth in the state, with a projected 15.1% increase in industry growth over the 10 year period from 2010-2020. Maui Now.

Plans for resurfacing Kahului Airport's main runway would lead to late-night jet takeoffs from the airport's secondary runway and cause "serious and substantial" noise impacts on Spreckelsville residents, according to their attorney. Maui News.

A team from the University of Hawaii just launched a new study to track the movement of tiger sharks in Maui waters. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai

The state is projecting big things for the County of Kauai. Specifically, it thinks The Garden Isle will outpace neighboring islands when it comes to industry and occupational growth by 2020. The Hawaii State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said in a report Wednesday that Kauai’s forecasted expansion rate of 15.4 percent in both sectors will be tops in the state. Garden Island.

Repealing an ordinance that expedites the permit process to rebuild structures destroyed by Hurricane Iniki will put an end to restoration plans for the Coco Palms Resort, the iconic Kauai hotel where Elvis Presley filmed "Blue Hawaii," argues Bob Jasper, who holds guided tours at the property. The Kauai County Council held a public hearing Wednesday on Bill 2502, which would repeal the so-called "Iniki Ordinance," which offers an expedited permit process to rebuild structures and buildings destroyed by the Category 4 storm that devastated the Garden Isle on Sept. 11, 1992. Star-Advertiser.

Library opens new chapter. $1.9M renovation unveiled. Garden Island.

Casting call for surfer movie on, islands settle into normal trade-wind weather, no Magic in Obama name, residents call for DU cleanup, more news

Gentle winds and big waves are in the forecast for the weekend.

Have you ever dreamed of being in a surf movie? Now's your chance and you don't even have to surf. There's a casting call for extras this Saturday for a movie about Kauai surfing champion, Bethany Hamilton.

Four people urged a panel of judges to force the Army to clean up its depleted uranium-contaminated lands Wednesday.

Four Hawaii residents charged the U.S. Army with trying to cover up its discovery of depleted uranium and then taking a cavalier attitude about cleaning it up during a five-hour hearing Wednesday before a panel of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

There was little support at a City Council meeting yesterday for a plan to name what's popularly known as Magic Island after President Obama anytime soon, and the plan now appears to be in limbo.

While Councilman Tim Bynum pointed to a “non-starter” 50-cent fuel tax proposal to undermine other recommendations in the final draft of the Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan Wednesday, his colleagues offered much harsher criticisms of the fuel tax a day later.

Two Hawaiian Electric Co. employees were injured yesterday by an underground explosion that shook the ground and knocked out power to downtown Honolulu.

"Ambiguous" wording in Hawaii County's so-called "Peaceful Sky" law needs rectifying because it's hampering the Police Commission's work, says the panel's chairman.

Think pulling off the road when you use your cell phone will get you off the hook for a ticket? Think again.

Maui County Council members took a step Wednesday toward altering the county's residential work force housing policy in an effort to coax more development of affordable housing - and any housing - in these troubled economic times.

Even as it closed a door, the Kaua‘i County Council opened a window