Cocaine missing from evidence prompts indictment of two veteran police officers, 4 others; rural broadband coming to Hawaii; Honolulu council overrides property tax veto; bird poop threatens rail workers, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii police on parade ©2019 All Hawaii News

Two retired police officers charged with drugs, conspiracy offenses. Two separate indictments were filed Monday against two retired police officers, each with more than 20 years of service. West Hawaii Today.

A grand jury has indicted two retired Hawaii Police Department officers in a case involving stolen drug evidence, according to court records. Associated Press.

Two retired Big Island police officers indicted for gambling, drug-related crimes. KITV.

Two retired police officers have been indicted. KHON2.

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FCC grants Hawaii counties $18.1M to expand rural broadband services. The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday authorized more than $18.1 million in funding to expand broadband services to over 3,900 unserved rural homes and businesses in Hawaii’s four counties over the next decade. Star-Advertiser.

High speed internet coming to rural Hawaii. The Federal Communications Commission wants to expand services to areas like Hawaiian Acres on the Big Island, Hana, Maui, Hanapepe, Kauai, and Kahuku on Oahu. KITV.

The Navy has awarded the University of Hawaii a contract worth up to $77 million over five years for its defense-related Applied Research Laboratory. The Hawaii lab’s focus includes ocean environmental effects of natural and man-made underwater noise sources on littoral, or nearshore, anti-submarine warfare, as well as marine life. Star-Advertiser.

UH Wants To Cut Tuition For Some Grad Students — Especially Out-Of-Staters. Proposed new tuition rates being considered by the Board of Regents seek to reverse declines in graduate student enrollment. Civil Beat.

Bank of Hawaii is finally exiting American Samoa — 6-1/2 years after putting its plans on hold following a plea by the U.S. territory’s governor. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

City Council overrides mayor’s veto of a bill that will lower property taxes. Hawaii News Now.

How Honolulu Property Tax Decisions Could Affect Owners. The Honolulu City Council on Tuesday overrode Mayor Kirk Caldwell's veto of a bill that increases the standard home exemption on property taxes while advancing his proposal to hike the tax rate on hotels and resorts. Hawaii Public Radio.

Council committee again tosses out trash pickup fee. The Honolulu City Council Budget Committee on Tuesday again rejected Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s plan for a trash pickup fee, but approved proposals to raise rates in the hotel-resort and nonowner occupant property tax categories. Star-Advertiser.

City Council Overrides Caldwell Veto On Tax Break. The Honolulu mayor prefers a bill providing targeted property tax exemptions. Civil Beat.

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HART Poised To Approve $1.4 Million To Combat Bird Droppings. Rail officials say so many pigeons and other birds are nesting inside the transit line’s cavernous concrete guideway that it’s become a health hazard to workers. Civil Beat.

Turf war brewing in Waikiki as beachboys spar over contract obligations. A year after it awarded lucrative Waikiki beachboy concessions to Dive Oahu, the city said its revenues have nearly doubled. Hawaii News Now.

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With jury selection for Kealoha trial underway, attorneys now look to get an advantage. KHON2.

Hawaii News Now: Kealohas Are Retaliating Against Our Reporter. Lynn Kawano of Hawaii News Now says in court records that the Kealohas are trying to stop her from covering the trial because of her investigative reports. Civil Beat.

Commentary: Stories of misdeeds and corruption have helped shape Hawaii’s history, going back to a royal opium scandal that contributed to efforts to overthrow the monarchy. Civil Beat.

Commentary: How I Became A Witness In The Kealoha Corruption Trial. Civil Beat.

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First-time homeowners handed the keys to new affordable housing towers in Kakaako. A two-bedroom affordable unit in Ke Kilohana measures about 750 square feet and prices start at around $473,000. Hawaii News Now.

Howard Hughes opens Ke Kilohana workforce tower: Slideshow. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Island

Hawaii Electric Light Co.’s agreement with Puna Geothermal Venture to rebuild power transmission lines and related infrastructure will require state Public Utilities Commission approval and a public hearing. Hawaii Electric Light Co.’s agreement with Puna Geothermal Venture to rebuild power transmission lines and related infrastructure will require state Public Utilities Commission approval and a public hearing. Tribune-Herald.

The controversial geothermal power plant in Pohoiki must hold a public hearing and win the approval of the state Public Utilities Commission before it can rebuild transmission lines that were wiped out by last year’s Kilauea eruption. Star-Advertiser.

Puna Geothermal, HELCO Agreement Pushes Rebuild Forward. Big Island Video News.

Polystyrene ban coming. The convergence of two unrelated events has food vendors crying foul and may lead to changes in the county’s polystyrene ban. West Hawaii Today.

County steps up action against Hilo encampment’s landowner. The owners of a downtown Hilo property on which a homeless commune has been established owe the county nearly $6,000 in fines. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Maui Residents Push Back On Loosening Liquor Laws. Allowing restaurants to sell take-out booze is the latest in a series of controversial proposals. “We don’t want Maui to turn into Las Vegas,” says one critic. Civil Beat.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino toured the old University of Hawaii Maui College dormitory site on Tuesday afternoon with Lt. Gov. Josh Green and Maui County Council Member Tasha Kama, chairwoman of the council’s Affordable Housing Committee. Maui Now.

Kauai

Waiting is the hardest part. According to the Hawaii Department of Transportation, the Lihue-bound lane of Kuhio Highway will remain closed for the duration of the slope stabilization, which is expected to take between four to five months to complete. Garden Island.

Grand jury indicts Hawaii County mayor, millions in federal aid for displaced sugar workers, Legislature kill gas tax hike, charter amendment could strengthen Honolulu Police Commission, Kauai council nixes county employee raises, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi in happier times © 2016 All Hawaii News

An attorney for Mayor Billy Kenoi said the county’s embattled chief executive won’t resign. A Hilo grand jury on Wednesday indicted Kenoi with two counts of second-degree theft, two counts of third-degree theft, three counts of tampering with a government record, plus making a false statement under oath. Tribune-Herald.

Mayor Billy Kenoi gave a half hour speech to the local business community in Hilo, as a grand jury indicted him for his alleged misuse of a government issued purchase card between 2011 and 2015. Big Island Video News.

A Hawai‘i County grand jury has indicted Mayor Billy Kenoi on seven different counts stemming from the misuse of his county issued purchasing card. Hawaii Public Radio.

A grand jury indicted Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi on theft charges Wednesday in connection with misuse of his county-issued purchasing card. Star-Advertiser.

After months of investigation, a 16-member grand jury indicted Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi on theft charges Wednesday in connection with his alleged misuse of a government credit card. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island Mayor Billy Kenoi has been indicted by a grand jury. The charges come after a nearly-year-long criminal investigation by the attorney general’s office over Kenoi’s improper use of a county-issued credit card, or pCard. KHON2.

The state Attorney General’s office said Wednesday that a Big Island  grand jury has indicted Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi. Civil Beat.

A grand injury has indicted Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi on two counts of felony theft and other charges, the state attorney general's office said Wednesday. Associated Press.

Hawaii island’s homegrown mayor from Kalapana and Hilo seemed on an unlikely path to a bright future in island politics. Instead, two-term Mayor Billy Kenoi — a former Honolulu deputy public defender and disciple of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye — must answer to felony, misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor charges from his time in office from 2011 to 2015. Star-Advertiser.

Many political insiders thought one day Billy Kenoi's career would take him to the governor's mansion. That future is still up in the air as some say his political career is over, but others say he could make a comeback. Hawaii News Now.

Following months of controversy hanging over Mayor Billy Kenoi, Hawaii island officials expressed shock and dismay that the hammer finally came down Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

The mood on the Big Island on Wednesday is one of shock and sadness. KHON2.

Those who worked with Mayor Billy Kenoi are trying to understand how it all came to this. KHON2.

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Despite a full-court press lobbying effort by Gov. David Ige’s administration, the proposed gas tax, weight tax and vehicle registration fee increases it proposed may be dead for the year. Star-Advertiser.

The House Transportation Committee on Wednesday indefinitely deferred a bill that would have increased taxes and fees on motor vehicles and fuel. Civil Beat.

Hawaii may soon implement what’s become standard practice elsewhere in the country — mandatory unannounced inspections of state-licensed care facilities for the elderly and disabled. Civil Beat.

A measure that would have required drivers working for transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft to carry a certain level of insurance was killed by the House Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee on Wednesday. Civil Beat.

A bill that would ensure enforcement of crime victims’ rights as an amendment to the state Constitution remains alive at the Legislature. Star-Advertiser.

A Hawaii Senate panel deadlocked 3-to-3 Wednesday over a controversial bill that sought to trim retirement benefits for judges, effectively killing the measure. Civil Beat.

Despite the fact that Hawaii has two official languages, only one of them is offered on voters’ ballots. English and Hawaiian are the state’s official languages, and lawmakers are pushing a bill to offer both on ballots. Right now, English, Japanese, Cantonese and Ilocano must be offered on ballots in some counties. Associated Press.

Union membership has declined nearly 10 percent in Hawaii since 1989, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But despite this downward trend, the BLS reports that Hawaii still has the second-highest percentage of union membership in the nation behind New York. Civil Beat.

Ryan Kalei Tsuji Leaves Government. The aide to Gov. Ige will leave his post at the end of the month to focus on his new video production company. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Oahu voters will have the chance to toughen up the Honolulu Police Commission in light of numerous scandals gripping the Police Department, including a federal investigation of Chief Louis Kealoha. Civil Beat.

Supporters and staff of Wahiawa General Hospital turned out in force Wednesday to ask lawmakers to fund a $3 million bailout of the private, nonprofit facility, which has been struggling to stay afloat during the past nine years of increasing financial strains. Star-Advertiser.

Supporters turned out in force at the state Capitol Wednesday to ask lawmakers to approve of a resolution requesting the governor and the Legislature to provide emergency financial assistance to Wahiawa General Hospital. Civil Beat.

Dozens rallied at the State Capitol Wednesday in support of Wahiawa General Hospital as financial troubles threaten to shut it down. KHON2.

Hawaiian Electric Co. President and CEO Alan Oshima said the electric utility will meet with the company looking to buy three canceled solar farms on Oahu. Star-Advertiser.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply has struck a $33 million deal with NORESCO, one of the largest energy services companies in the United States, that allows the water agency to implement energy efficiency, renewable energy and operational improvements while guaranteeing enough savings over the next 20 years to pay for the contract, the agency said Wednesday. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii

It will be business as usual at Sheraton Kona Resort Spa at Keauhou Bay amid a proposed merger between the hotel’s owner, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and Marriott International. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Hundreds of Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. workers will receive millions of dollars in federal funding as the sugar plantation ends its operations, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday. Hawaii News Now.

The latest vision to alleviate Wailuku Town's parking problem is a multipurpose layout akin to San Francisco's Union Square, members of the Maui Redevelopment Agency said Wednesday. Maui News.

Kaanapali resort managers spoke out against proposed water rate increases, calling them "excessive" and "out of line" during a public hearing held by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday night at Lahaina Intermediate School. Maui News.

Kauai

Citing bad timing and an uncertainty in the ability to make good on its promises, the Kauai County Council Wednesday voted 5-2 against proposed salary increases for county administers. Garden Island.

Kauai County Councilmember JoAnn Yukimura will host a public workshop titled “How to Have a Voice in County Government” 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 31 at Ha Coffee Bar in Lihue. Garden Island.

When an after-hours medical emergency arises on the rapidly growing North Shore of Kauai, critical minutes can be lost before treatment can be provided. That will soon change. Garden Island.