Hawaiian Telcom takeover, special session set, Bruno Mars seeks to save Waikiki Natatorium, Kona coffee farmer deported, defending Hawaii from missile strikes, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Courtesy Hawaiian Telcom

Hawaiian Telcom, the state’s largest telecommunications company, and Cincinnati Bell are merging in a cash-and-stock deal worth $650 million. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiian Telcom shareholders have voted to merge with a telecoms firm on the mainland, but the company says there will be “no material change” to local jobs. Hawaii News Now.

Cincinnati Bell Inc. agreed to buy Hawaiian Telcom Holdco Inc. for $650 million and OnX Enterprise Solutions for $201 million as the Midwestern landline carrier joins the race to build bigger fiber networks to handle soaring internet traffic. Bloomberg.

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Congressional delegation at odds with experts on defending isles from missiles. Star-Advertiser.

Legislators announce special session to hash out rail funding. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Legislature has scheduled a special session Aug. 28-Sept. 1 to try again to reach a deal on funding the remainder of Honolulu’s 20-mile rail project, now estimated to cost $10 billion. Civil Beat.

Gov. David Ige signed a bill Thursday that's aimed at assuring elderly couples will be able to stay together in community care homes. Hawaii News Now.

A proposal would ban new permits for commercial aquarium fishing and it’s sitting on the governor’s desk awaiting his decision. KHON2.

Gov. David Ige has reappointed three members of the Hawaii Land Use Commission, the governor's office said Friday. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii’s marijuana dispensaries received another set-back this week when a key insurer pulled out of their market. Hawaii Public Radio.

A year-round career guidance and college-preparatory program that Kamehameha Schools runs for high school students outside of its three campuses is being recognized today with a national counseling award. Star-Advertiser.

Water catchment systems need to be properly maintained. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Growing homeless encampments prompt proposal for armed park rangers. Star-Advertiser.

Is This Kahala Man’s Pitch To Help The Homeless For Real? Some people are skeptical of a man with a criminal past who says he wants to sell his multimillion-dollar Kahala home and give $200,000 to a foundation to help working homeless families. Civil Beat.

The state Land and Natural Resource’s Division of Boating and Ocean Resources division will be hosting a public meeting Monday night to gather input on the community's vision for the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor. Hawaii News Now.

Bruno Mars wants his fans to give him their attention for one of Hawaii’s landmarks, the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu restaurants and other food-related businesses won’t be required to donate leftover or surplus food to the needy — at least not for the time being. Star-Advertiser.

A proposed plan could either require or recommend restaurants to donate leftovers to families who struggle to get food on the table. KITV.

The state has opened up a public comment period for a solar project set to be built in Kalaeloa near Hawaiian cultural sites. Star-Advertiser.

The Friday night fireworks show that the Hilton Hawaiian Village has been putting on for the public for more than two decades is now subject to rent closer to that imposed on all other fireworks shows for the portion of the public beach designated as a safety zone around the launch area. Civil Beat.

An online petition urging New York University administrators to expel a student from Hawaii recently convicted for his part in the destruction of more than a dozen federally protected Laysan albatross and their nests at the Kaena Point Natural Reserve has garnered more than 28,000 signatures since it was posted on Thursday. Star-Advertiser.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa has been selected, along with 21 universities across the country, to receive grants from NASA for research and technology development projects in areas critical to the agency's mission. Pacific Business News.

Residents in Lanikai are banding together following a violent dog attack in the neighborhood earlier this week. KHON2.

Hawaii Island

A respected Kona coffee farmer who lived illegally in the United States for nearly 30 years said goodbye to his wife and three children Friday night before boarding flights he paid for to San Francisco, Houston and finally, Morelia, Mexico, ahead of an immigration deportation order, his daughter said. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii County’s updated flood zone maps are now available after a yearslong revision effort by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Tribune-Herald.

More than 60 hikers were either cited or warned Saturday for trespass into the closed Kohala Forest Reserve on Hawaii, the Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a press release Saturday. West Hawaii Today.

The Division of Conservation & Resources Enforcement cited or warned over 60 hikers for trespass, and the state recorded video. Big Island Video News.

Bolstered by the passage of a similar measure on Maui, the Hawaii County Council on Friday moved an amended version of a bill banning polystyrene foam food containers to the Environmental Management Commission. West Hawaii Today.

A serious and lingering water shortage in North Kona came to a new head earlier this month with the failure of a fifth county well — leaving residents in the west side’s population center confused, angry and wondering when the problem is going to get a real fix. Civil Beat.

Are Puna and Kau being discriminated against? Jen Ruggles thinks so, especially when it comes to basic human services. Civil Beat.

Changes to Kealakekua Public Library schedule add hours, end Saturday access. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

While saying he’s open to “all options” to raise more money needed for Oahu’s troubled 20-mile rail mass transit project, Gov. David Ige expressed support for raising the state’s transient accommodations tax by 1 percentage point while maintaining the counties’ share of hotel room taxes at $93 million. Maui News.

Water quality staff members still aren’t sure what caused E. coli in Ualapue well samples in December and June, but county Department of Water Supply Director Dave Taylor assured residents that the water is “absolutely” safe to drink. Maui News.

More than 100 trees will be removed from the county right of way on Piʻiholo Road due to hazardous conditions. Maui Now.

Motorists can expect intermittent road closures along Piiholo Road beginning Monday morning while crews remove 20 hazardous eucalyptus trees, according to a Maui County announcement. Maui News.

Roadwork will start today in an area near the intersection of Haleakala and Hana highways, according to an announcement. Maui News.

Kauai

The Community Coalition Kauai will hold a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at King Kaumualii Elementary School on the county’s General Plan update. Garden Island.

Plan aims to strengthen relations between tourism, community. Garden Island.

Saturday afternoon’s La Hoi Hoi Ea (Sovereignty Restoration Day) at Kauai Community College wasn’t just a day of remembrance and celebration of Hawaiian culture and tradition. Garden Island.

Jeff Stone’s project to revamp the Princeville entry on Kauai’s North Shore is almost to its final phase, according to representatives from The Resort Group. Garden Island.

Farmers boost profits by offering tours. Garden Island.

Kahoolawe

After years of speculation, wildlife officials have confirmed the presence of an endangered bat subspecies on Kahoolawe Island, located about 7 miles southwest of Maui. Associated Press.

NOAA begins survey of marine life, Hawaii first state in nation to pay family caregivers, federal judge knocks down travel ban challenge, taxes at issue in rail special session, Maui audits pCards, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette off Maui in 2004, NOAA Photo by Ray Boland

A research ship was launched Thursday on the first leg of a six-month mission to survey whales, dolphins and seabirds across the Hawaiian archipelago, a vast expanse of 1.8 million square nautical miles. Star-Advertiser.

Scientists and researchers kicked off the Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey on Thursday. Garden Island.

Using high-powered binoculars, hydrophones and, for the first time, drones, researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will spend the next six months documenting whales, dolphins and other marine life around the main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Maui News.

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A federal judge in Honolulu on Thursday denied an emergency motion by the state of Hawaii to clarify what constitutes a close family relationship in the rules of President Donald Trump’s partial travel ban. Star-Advertiser.

A federal judge in Honolulu declined Thursday to second-guess how the Trump administration is implementing the scaled-back version of the travel ban. Civil Beat.

With the Hawaii Legislature poised to hold a special session in July or August to address paying for the over-budget, $10 billion rail project, the question of which tax is best to pay for rail will take center stage. Civil Beat.

Supreme Court hears arguments on constitutionality of city, state rail tax issue. Hawaii News Now.

Free or low cost legal services for residents in need is in jeopardy as funding for civil legal services has been cut from the Hawaii State Judiciary’s budget for at least the next year. Civil Beat.

The Kupuna Caregivers Act passed Thursday, making Hawaii the first state in the nation to offer money to caregivers who also work full-time. Hawaii News Now.

United Airlines has apologized to a Hawaii teacher who was forced to hold her 2-year-old son on her lap for three-and-a-half hours after an employee gave the toddler’s purchased seat to a standby passenger. Associated Press.

Hawaii State Attorney General Doug Chin was among the Democratic attorneys general from 18 states and the District of Columbia who sued U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos today over her decision to suspend rules that were meant to protect students from abuse by for-profit colleges. Associated Press.

The state Health Department announced Thursday that 10 more people in Hawaii have been diagnosed with mumps, including four on Kauai, raising the statewide total to 143 cases. Star-Advertiser.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is awarding more than $4 million in federal to three community health centers in Hawaii. They include the Community Clinic of Maui ($1.3 million); Bay Clinic on Hawaii Island ($1 million); and the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center on Oahu ($1.7 million). Pacific Business News.

Oahu

Christian Gutierrez is serving a 45-day state jail term for killing Laysan albatrosses in the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve during his 2015 winter school break from New York University. Star-Advertiser.

Christian Gutierrez, 19, has been sentenced to 45 days in jail and must perform 200 hours of community service and pay $1,000 in restitution for his part in the killing of Laysan albatrosses at Kaena Point. Civil Beat.

A man accused of killing federally protected Laysan albatross birds on Oahu has been sentenced. KHON2.

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State fires execs at OCCC as jail's care for mentally ill inmates declines. Hawaii News Now.

The City and County of Honolulu is reviving a plan to build a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Ala Wai Canal. Hawaii Public Radio.

As of Thursday morning, Bikeshare Hawaii has reported more than 11,000 total rides. KITV.

Honolulu police dispatchers, beset with a bedbug infestation, have left their offices after bedbugs were discovered earlier this week. Star-Advertiser.

Workers at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport say dust from construction is causing a health hazard, and we’ve learned some people have gone to the hospital because of it. KHON2.

Single-family houses on Oahu soared to a median price of nearly $800,000 last month, prompting local real estate experts to forecast that the $1 million threshold could be breached within the next five years. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu was the only city among major U.S. metropolitan areas to see a decline in construction costs in April, but costs to build in Hawaii's largest city are still among the highest in the nation, according to a comparative cost index compiles by Rider Levett Bucknall. Pacific Business News.

The Hawaii Symphony Orchestra celebrated the conclusion of its fifth season, and current fiscal year, by meeting a $150,000 matching challenge by the family of its board chairman, the owner of Hawaii's ABC Stores, with the help of donors. Pacific Business News.

At Hawaiian Hope's tech center in Kakaako, tall stacks of computers wait to be cleaned, tested then repaired. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Residents planning to build in flood-prone areas will be required to take an additional step to get an exemption, under a bill advanced Thursday by a County Council committee. West Hawaii Today.

The owners of a biomass facility and Hawaii Electric Light Co. have a lot riding on a state Public Utilities Commission decision expected to come at month’s end. Star-Advertiser.

Responding to increased community complaints, the Hawaii County Council Committee on Public Works and Parks and Recreation voted Thursday to ban consumption of alcoholic beverages at James Kealoha Beach Park. Tribune-Herald.

Drinking alcohol at James Kealoha Beach Park in Keaukaha could soon be a thing of the past, legally speaking. Big Island Video News.

A farmers market at Hakalau Veterans Park will be allowed to resume its activities. Tribune-Herald.

The entire upper floor of the Lyman Museum is closed until late next year as the museum reconstructs its popular Island Heritage Gallery. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Maui County Auditor Lance Taguchi will examine county vehicle use and county employee travel as part of a planned list of audits for the current fiscal year. Maui News.

For the first time in more than a century, land titles held by Hawaii’s former sugar companies are being opened to challenge. At their peak in the 1930s, sugar plantations cultivated approximately 250,000 acres across the island chain. Hawaii Public Radio.

Former HC&S equipment being moved. Maui News.

The Community Clinic of Maui will receive $1,350,479 in federal funds as part of a larger $4,069,396 appropriation for three community health centers in Hawaii. Maui Now.

Kauai

The Department of Water has scheduled a water shutdown for select Hanamaulu customers on Hipa Road, Hehi Road and on a portion of Kuhio Highway; mauka side, near Laukona Street. Water will be turned off on Tuesday, July 11 from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday July 12; weather permitting. Garden Island.

A Kalaheo woman happily paid $10,000 when she was reunited Wednesday with her dogs that were missing for almost two weeks. Garden Island.

Abercrombie prison plan failing, more teachers staying, Maui to put lobbyist list online, Big Island flood zone maps changing, homelessness isn't child neglect, liquor in Chinatown, Coco Palms gets extension, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Oahu Community Correctional, courtesy Hawaii Department of Public Safety

Measures aimed at overhauling Hawaii’s troubled criminal justice system by making it more efficient and shifting resources to efforts that promote rehabilitation and reduce recidivism — under a program called the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, was projected to help reduce the state’s inmate population by more than 900 by the end of fiscal year 2015 — and eventually lead to a reduction of 1,010 inmates by fiscal year 2018. But, as of May 31, Hawaii’s inmate population stood at 5,998 — merely 62 fewer inmates than in June 2012. Civil Beat.

A growing number of beginning teachers in Hawaii public schools are staying on the job longer, past the critical five-year mark experts say most likely determines whether a teacher will stick with or part with the profession. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Board of Education will be broadcasting live audio of its Tuesday meeting, a new initiative aimed at increasing the accessibility and transparency of meetings. Civil Beat.

The Federal Communications Commission has interrupted the monthly subsidy payments it has provided to Hawaii telecommunications company Sandwich Isles Communications Inc. for more than a decade in the wake of federal criminal convictions of company founder Albert Hee, according to federal records. Star-Advertiser.

Tom Yamachika Commentary: A Classic Example of Procurement Run Amok. The Hawaii Department of Health doesn’t seem too worked up over a finding that it allowed an original bid of $76,400 to balloon into a $525,000 final bill. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Those overseeing Honolulu’s rail project worked on multiple occasions — and with various advocates — to sharpen their message for an eventual rail-tax extension well before it was publicly announced that the transit project faced a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall, documents show. Star-Advertiser.

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit (HART) trumpets a reduction in traffic congestion on Honolulu’s crowded streets and clogged freeways as the primary benefit to the multi-billion dollar rail project. But, while the project is still years away from completion, statistics on the contributing factors show that congestion will only get worse in the mean time. Hawaii Independent.

Noise levels would determine whether a bird owner in a residential zone should be penalized for creating a public nuisance under a new proposal being offered by City Councilwoman Carol Fukunaga. Star-Advertiser.

Some merchants in Chinatown want to increase business by serving alcohol in public places.   But a number of residents strongly opposed the measure and it appears the Honolulu City Council is on their side. Hawaii Public Radio.

Children growing up on the street is unfortunately becoming a common sight across our island.  An issue that has many wondering why these kids are allowed to live this way. Hawaii News Now.

While the homeless situation in Kakaako is getting much attention, there is a business off Nimitz Highway that’s faced the problem for years. KHON2.

The Honolulu City Council is urging the Hawaii Community Development Authority to uphold its "glass rule" for projects in Kakaako with regard to San Diego-based developer OliverMcMillan's Symphony Honolulu mixed-use condominium tower, according to public documents. Pacific Business News.

A ban on smoking at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus is in effect starting Monday, according to school officials. Hawaii News Now.

Movie Theaters Inspecting Bags, Packages. The policy appears to have been prompted by recent attacks on the mainland over a two-week period in July and August. Civil Beat.

A Hawaii agency is moving ahead with its plan to go entirely off the electrical grid by developing its own microgrid system, according to public documents. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii

Big changes are coming to Hawaii County’s flood zone maps following a multi-year effort by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency to update the maps to better reflect flood risk. West Hawaii Today.

In an unusual confrontation between established island Democrats, two-term County Councilman Greggor Ilagan from Puna is running for the state Senate seat now held by Russell Ruderman, setting up a potentially fierce primary contest that would be a study in political contrasts. Star-Advertiser.

Demand for dental services at the new West Hawaii Community Health Center in Kealakehe has been so brisk in a single month that Kevin Nietzer, the facility’s dental director, said it’s time to look into hiring more staff. West Hawaii Today.

When it reopens sometime this fall as the “Market at Kalani,” customers will be able to find everything from locally grown produce to home and health products, with the retreat leveraging its buying power with vendors to make it an affordable and abundant shopping center. Tribune-Herald.

Maui
The public can soon expect to have a much easier time finding out who is a registered lobbyist in Maui County. The Board of Ethics voted unanimously last week to post the list on its website. It’s unclear when that will start. Civil Beat.

Another wide-load convoy carrying telescope equipment is expected to head to Haleakala next week, with protesters apparently planning some kind of "action" again after 20 people were arrested two weeks ago during another wide-load transport. Maui News.

The Maui County Liquor Control Commission has until Oct. 1 to define dancing at establishments that serve alcohol, providing hope for dance enthusiasts who have been fighting restrictions for nearly a decade. Maui News.

Maui County is seeking $160,000 from condo, vacation rental and timeshare owners to help fund a study into ways to keep their beachfront property from washing away. Star-Advertiser.

The leaky Old Wailuku Pool is showing its age and may require an expensive repair job, the county Department of Parks and Recreation director said Friday. Maui News.

Kauai

The Kauai Planning Commission has voted unanimously to approve a request from an investment group for a time extension to submit demolition permits to rebuild the shuttered Coco Palms Hotel on Kauai. Star-Advertiser.

Environmental regulators will solicit public input in Hanalei this week about a new management plan for Haena State Park that calls for controlled entry, a 900-person daily visitor cap and beach access by way of an elevated boardwalk. Garden Island.

Kauai Community College’s newest satellite location stands among the taro fields below the green, waterfall-covered mountains of Hanalei. Garden Island.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is the featured speaker at the next Kauai Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Garden Island.