Bill restricting public beach access stalls, state Senate passes 'no secret police' bill, measure would allow feral chicken killings, Skyline rail approved to extend to UH-Manoa, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Effort to restrict beach access to the public stalls. Public lands — including beaches in front of hotels and resorts — will remain open to the public after a Senate committee on Wednesday deferred a bill that drew near universal condemnation. SB 3148 — which is supported by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources — would allow private interests to restrict access to Hawaii’s beaches. Star-Advertiser.

Landfill siting ban could be repealed under new bill at Legislature. A measure going through the state Legislature this year seeks to strengthen last year’s ban on building landfills too close to water sources — but now the bill could undo that ban altogether. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaiʻi Senate sends 'no secret police' bill to the House. The state Senate passed a measure that would ban local and federal law enforcement from covering their faces, with some exceptions. Hawaii Public Radio.

Bills to require stronger buildings against hurricanes moving forward in Legislature. The measures are being acted on just days after strong winds with gusts near 70 miles per hour, less than hurricane strength, caused damage around the state. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii residents sick of early crowing and aggressive pecking could be allowed to kill wild chickens. Lawmakers are considering possible solutions — including measures that would let residents kill feral chickens, deem them a “controllable pest” on public land in Honolulu, and fine people for feeding them or releasing them in parks. Associated Press.

Mistaken ID Case At Hawaiʻi State Hospital May Cost State $200K. A man with a history of mental illness was held at the Oʻahu jail and Hawaiʻi State Hospital for nearly three years after police mistook him for a wanted felon. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Higher food prices elevate inflation in Honolulu. Honolulu consumers are finding it more expensive to both eat out and to prepare food at home. Higher food prices contributed to the county’s inflation rising 1.1% over the two-month period that ended in January, and increasing 2.4% over the previous 12 months, according to a report issued Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Star-Advertiser.

EPA says Navy does not have to engage with community over Red Hill crisis. The Navy is no longer required to meet with a group of concerned community members regarding the fallout from the Red Hill water crisis, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared last week. Star-Advertiser.

Council OKs HART rail planning to UH Manoa. The Honolulu City Council voted 8-1, with Council member Augie Tulba dissenting, to finalize adoption of Bill 60, which authorizes the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to conduct preliminary engineering plans to construct the city’s rail line to branch beyond its current terminus in Kakaako, on to UH Manoa’s campus as well as to locations near the Leeward Coast. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.  KHON2.  KITV4.

New way to get rid of food waste coming to Oahu. The Department of Environmental Services is aunching the Green Recycling Organic Waste (GROW) program where residents will be able to dispose of their leftover or spoiled food in their green collection bin to cut back. KHON2.

Deadly force justified to end 2024 standoff in Waikiki. Four Honolulu police officers who shot and killed a 56-year-old man who was a suspect in a trio of bank robberies in July 2024 were justified to use deadly force, Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said Wednesday. Star-Advertiser. KITV4. 

Water Main Break Adds Up And Down Ride To Travel On Kamehameha Highway. There’s no ETA for repairs to a buckled spot of road on Oʻahu’s Windward side. Civil Beat.

Ban on Hawaiian flag in Ewa community spurs proposal for protections. Senate Bill 2795 would require residential associations to allow homeowners to display the Hawaiian flag on their property. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Proposed new Hawaiʻi County tax rate for luxury second homes passes first reading. The Hawai‘i County Council passed on first reading Wednesday a proposed new tax code that would create a Tier 3 tax rate for luxury second homes worth more than $4 million. Big Island Now.

Is it getting hotter? Hawaiʻi Island adopts data-driven approach to tracking heat. Measurements taken near Hilo International Airport show that the number of days per year with temperatures exceeding 80 degrees Fahrenheit has increased significantly in the last decade. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hilo’s Beloved Banyan Drive Is In Ruins. Could A New Agency Save It? Lawmakers want a hotel built at Hilo’s airport to meet the housing needs of the Merrie Monarch festival while longer-term efforts to revitalize the once-thriving tourist district continue. Civil Beat.

Maui

Who should get first crack at water licenses in Hawaiʻi? This bill wants it to be the counties. Maui County’s recently created water authority for East Maui could have a more direct shot at securing water licenses under a bill proposed in the Hawai‘i State Legislature. Maui Now.

Hale Makua plans $160M health care complex, housing project on Maui. The major non-profit announces state-of-the-art “CarePlex” and workforce housing. Hale Makua Health Services announced plans for a major expansion that includes a new innovative health care complex and workforce housing project. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai

Failed development on Kauaʻi’s south shore leads to bankruptcy auction of 25-acre property. California-based Kupono Resort LLC had big plans to develop a luxury resort and wellness center on Kauaʻi’s south shore. But the $227 million project called The Ohia, with an 84-room boutique hotel, a spa and 115 residential units, never broke ground. Kauai Now.

Community input sought on additional protection of Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve on Kauaʻi. Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife seeks community feedback on a proposed fencing project to protect an additional 2,400 acres of the Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve on Kauaʻi. Kauai Now. Hawaii News Now. 

Hawaii Senate passes gay marriage bill 20-4, lawmaker sues to stop special session, religious exemption at issue for House, big pay raises for Hawaii County officials, Kauai mayor to decide GMO bill today, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii Senate passes gay marriage courtesy Senate majority

The Hawaii Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve a gay marriage bill, casting the decision as an important leg in the long march toward equality for gays and lesbians. The 20-4 vote sent the bill to the state House, where the House Judiciary and Finance committees will hold a public hearing today. If the committees amend the bill, which is likely in order to win over some House lawmakers worried about the scope of a religious exemption, then the bill would return to the Senate for another review. Star-Advertiser.

The state Senate passed a bill Wednesday legalizing gay marriage, sending the measure to more uncertain prospects in the House. After nearly two hours of discussion on the Senate floor on the merits of allowing same-sex couples to marry, the bill passed easily, 20-4, with one senator abstaining. The Hawaii Senate is dominated by Democrats, with only one Republican. Associated Press.

The tide of history flowed smoothly through the Hawaii Senate chamber Wednesday, where same-sex marriage legislation passed 20-4. Democrats Donna Mercado Kim, Ron Kouchi and Mike Gabbard voted "no," as did lone Republican Sam Slom. Democrat Glenn Wakai was excused because of a death in the family. Senate Bill 1 now heads to the House of Representatives, where the gay-marriage wave is sure to encounter rougher waters. Civil Beat.

Senators passed SB 1, the "Hawaii Marriage Equality Act of 2013", on their third reading Wednesday afternoon and sent it over the House where it passed its first reading, but not without a fight and a lot of political posturing.  Hawaii News Now.

The Hawaii Senate voted Wednesday to pass a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, moving the issue over to the House, where two committees are expecting hundreds of people to testify at a Thursday hearing. Pacific Business News.

The Hawaii State Senate today passed a measure to legalize same-sex marriage in the State of Hawaii. Hawaii Reporter.

Some House lawmakers want an exemption in the same-sex marriage bill that gives small businesses, especially those in the wedding industry, an "opt out" option. Hawaii News Now.

I was there the day the battle for same-sex marriages began in Hawaii. It was December 17, 1990. A KITV cameraman and I followed three homosexual couples as they marched ceremoniously down Beretania Street to the State Health Department to file for marriage licenses. Civil Beat.

In 1998, Hawaii voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that supporters said was against same-sex marriage. Today, supporters of gay marriage say the same amendment supporters their side. State Rep. Bob McDermott (R-Ewa, Ewa Beach, Iroquois Point) filed a lawsuit in state Circuit Court Wednesday to try to settle the question. Hawaii News Now.

At least one lawmaker is taking his fight against same-sex marriage to court. Rep. Bob McDermott filed a lawsuit to try and stop the special session. KHON2.

A number of people on both sides of the gay marriage debate say the current draft of Senate Bill 1, which would legalize same-sex ceremonies, infringes on religious liberty. Hawaii Reporter.

The Hawaii Department of Education announced today that it’s had to revise 37 high schools’ Strive HI scores after finding flaws in graduation rate data used in part to evaluate how well schools are closing the achievement gap. Civil Beat.

A national report praises Hawaii for being one of only a few states with a teacher evaluation system that ties teachers’ compensation to their performance. Associated Press.

An eyeless shrimp and 14 other Hawaii creatures and plants have been added to the endangered species list, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. Associated Press.

Oahu

A civilian procurement official for the Navy is facing criminal charges for allegedly steering federal work to government contractors that hired his wife. Federal prosecutors have charged 56-year-old William Nesmith of Ewa Beach with two counts of conflict of financial interest involving the awards of more than $15 million in naval contracts. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii's Department of Health will use a $2.1 million federal grant to run a three-year program expected to serve at least 120 people who are considered chronically homeless. Associated Press.

Oahu residents will have to fend off wild chickens on their own and gripe directly to police about noisy roosters because of a cost-cutting measure by the Caldwell administration. In a move to reduce spending, Managing Director Ember Shinn decided in late August or early September to not award an $80,000 contract for crowing rooster and feral chicken control services, city Customer Services Director Sheri Kajiwara told the City Council Budget Committee on Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

The city insisted Wednesday that its sewage system in Kakaako can handle new condominium tower projects in the area, but acknowledged that foul odors escaping the system are a problem that needs to be fixed. Star-Advertiser.

Architecture firm Perkins+Will said Wednesday that it opened its 24th worldwide office in Honolulu, to focus on work related to the city’s planned $5.16 billion rail transit project. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii

Double-digit raises are coming to 12 county officials Friday under a pay plan unanimously approved Wednesday by the Hawaii County Salary Commission. The salary plan, designed to make Hawaii County officials’ salaries more on par with those on other islands and to make sure no department head is making less money than his or her subordinates, adds from $10,218 to $17,598 to salaries of the 12 officials. West Hawaii Today.

Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have created a thermal image video of the lava lake in Halemaumau Crater that shows lava upwelling in the lake and spreading out like sheets of ice on the ocean. Star-Advertiser.

Ocean View Food Pantry reopens after short hiatus. West Hawaii Today.

Maui
Halloween in Lahaina will go on this year Thursday - without the legal protests of the past couple of years - as preparations are made for more than 30,000 revelers along Front Street. Maui News.

Maui County water officials called on Upcountry residents Wednesday to double their voluntary water conservation, reducing normal use by 20 percent, due to the dry weather conditions. Maui News.

A Maui County Council committee Tuesday recommended a new independent appraisal for Launiupoko lands the county administration wants to purchase for open space and park use, with the committee chairman calling the current appraisal "fundamentally flawed." Maui News.

To encourage Central Maui residents to exercise more every day, Maui County has teamed up with local groups to come up with a 20-year master plan that identifies areas in Kahului, Wailuku and Waikapu that could be made more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly. Maui News.

Kauai

Gov. Neil Abercrombie abruptly withdrew the name of his nominee to the state Land Board after his pick for the Kauai seat said for personal reasons he no longer wanted to be considered, a development that was welcomed by critics who said a land developer shouldn't have been selected. Star-Advertiser.

Shawn Smith, general manager of land investment company Falko Partners, LLC, withdrew his nomination to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources Wednesday, state officials said. Garden Island.

The corporation overseeing Kauai’s two public hospitals will seek $7.3 million in emergency funding at a public hearing today before the state Legislature to keep the state-funded public health system afloat. Garden Island.

The Kauai County Council, as well as many members of the public, are waiting anxiously to see whether Mayor Bernard Carvalho will veto the bill which requires biotech companies to disclose pesticide use and farmers to report any genetically engineered crops they are growing. The mayor has until Thursday (Oct. 31) to decide what he’s going to do with the bill. Civil Beat.