Money flowing in to Kauai as Legislature, Zuckerberg, Omidyar send relief funds, 'rescuers' in boats extort evacuees, sunscreen ban advances, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke and Senate Ways and Means Chairman Donovan Dela Cruz announce relief funds, courtesy photo

House and Senate lawmakers on Wednesday agreed to set aside $100 million to help finance the Kauai flood recovery effort and $25 million to speed the Oahu recovery, money that can be made available quickly until federal relief funding is available. The appropriation could be signed into law by Gov. David Ige as early as this week. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii legislators are rushing to send $100 million to rain-soaked Kauai and make $25 million available statewide for damage caused by last weekend’s deluge. Civil Beat.

Hawaii lawmakers are appropriating $125 million to help with flood relief efforts on Kauai and elsewhere in the state. Associated Press.

Legislators proposing $100M aid package for storm-ravaged Kauai. Hawaii News Now.

The state Legislature Wednesday funneled $125 million for road, bridge and other infrastructure repairs for the stricken communities in the wake of devastating flooding on Kauai. Garden Island.

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House and Senate conferees began negotiations on a final version of HB1900 HD1 SD1, the state budget bill. Early agreement on a number of budget items included: $7.1 million to increase payments supporting foster children and resource caregivers; $1.7 million for services at Aging and Disability Resource Centers; $3.4 million for rescue and fire fighting staff and vehicles at Lihue Airport; and $500,000 for books and materials for public libraries statewide. Maui Now.

Hawaii Seems Poised To Ban Coral-Damaging Sunscreen. It would be the first state to prohibit the use of sunscreen containing ingredients that scientists say harm sea life. Civil Beat.

Bill seeks to ban 2 sunscreen chemicals suspected of damaging coral. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii lawmakers are discussing versions of two bills that would tighten the state’s already strict gun regulations. Associated Press.

Few Hawaii Students Have Access To After-School Meals. A new report by the Food Research & Action Center shows Hawaii near the bottom in terms of serving an after-school supper to low-income students. Civil Beat.

The American Lung Association's State of the Air 2018 report shows that Hawaii continues to have some of the best air quality in the nation. KHON2.

State seeking to improve how it regulates HECO. State regulators are seeking public participation in an effort to better align the interests of Hawaii’s biggest electric utility and its customers. Star-Advertiser.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has fined Hawaiian Airlines $125,000 for violating the agency’s airline consumer protection rules. Star-Advertiser.

Home Depot is gearing up for spring season by hiring 150 associates in Hawaii, with hiring events taking place at several of its stores across the state on Wednesday. Pacific Business News.

Oahu

Efforts to clean and restore damaged areas began coalescing Wednesday, with Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell issuing an emergency declaration for Oahu while Gov. David Ige announced that the island was joining Kauai on his state-of-emergency proclamation. Star-Advertiser.

East Honolulu residents still bogged down by mud ask: Where's the government? Hawaii News Now.

Red Hill Underground Storage Fuel Tank Legislation Fails. Local efforts to mandate more timely upgrades for the Navy’s Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility on O’ahu failed in the Legislature this session. Hawaii Public Radio.

Ige announces program to divert Honolulu homeless from jail. Under a new program announced Wednesday by Gov. David Ige, homeless people who commit minor crimes could receive social services instead of going to jail. Star-Advertiser.

The state Wednesday launched a collaborative pilot project called Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, or LEAD, to help Oahu's homeless and reduce criminal activity. KITV.

Waikiki lifeguards frustrated as homeless fights, obscene acts distract from job duties. Hawaii News Now.

The Board of Water Supply has completed repair of the 24” water main which ruptured Tuesday near the entrance to the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill on Farrington Hwy. above Ko Olina in Leeward Oahu. This main feeds water to the entire Waianae Coast. KHON2.

The state held a ceremony Wednesday for starting construction on a $7.3 million technology business incubator building in Kakaako. Star-Advertiser.

Funding for the construction of a 120-bed extended-care veterans’ facility on Oahu has been accelerated due to $685 million in increased funding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs received from Congress for the VA State Veterans Home Construction Grant Program. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Island

Juvenile crime is down 58.5 percent over the past five years, despite heavy caseloads and limited budgets in the Office of the County Prosecutor. Crimes in other categories have also been dropping. West Hawaii Today.

Planning director Micheal Yee gave the Hawaii County Council Finance Committee an overview of his department’s operations during a special budget review meeting in Hilo on Tuesday. Big Island Video News.

Big Island Police and the military are investigating a reported sexual assault at the Hawaii Youth Challenge Academy in Hilo. KITV.

Solar contractor sues former customer to remove blog. A Big Island solar contractor is suing a former customer, seeking a court to order the Pahoa man to remove a blog from the internet that the contractor claims was “maliciously created … with the intent to cause financial harm.” Tribune-Herald.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is reporting that the magma system beneath Kilauea’s Puu Oo cone has become increasingly pressurized, leading scientists to believe a new vent and lava flow may be imminent. Star-Advertiser.

Maui

Mayor has at least $2M in land and farm holdings. Arakawa, other county officials financial reports released. Maui News.

South Maui residents object to bridge project. Residents say Kulanihakoi Bridge Replacement project won’t stop flooding, offer alternative idea. Maui News.

Repairs Continue at Site of West Maui Waterline Break. Maui Now.

Kauai

Zuckerberg, Chan pledge $1 million. In response to severe flooding on Kauai, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg have pledged to donate $1 million to organizations working tirelessly to assist the community’s storm relief efforts as well long-term recovery. Garden Island.

Facebook founder and part-time Kauai resident Mark Zuckerberg is donating $1 million to flood relief efforts on the Garden Isle. Hawaii News Now.

The Hawaii Community Foundation said it is partnering with eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, his wife Pam and two anonymous donors to establish the Kauai Relief and Recovery Fund to assist with recovery efforts from the recent floodingthat has devastated the island’s North Shore. Pacific Business News.

Zuckerberg, Omidyar among donors supporting flood relief, recovery on Kauai. KHON2.

Kauai Braces For More Rain: 340 Airlifted, 12 Landslides, Thousands of Pounds of Debris. Maui Now.

Here’s Why The Weather Experts Didn’t See The Kauai Storm Coming. The rain-laden system was hard to track because it wasn’t large-scale, like a tropical storm. Civil Beat.

Survey finds flood damage in parts of Kauai worse than formerly thought. Hawaii News Now.

Relief efforts will continue for stranded residents and visitors in Haena and Wainiha on Kauai today despite a flash flood watch that is set to go into effect Thursday through Friday for the entire state. Star-Advertiser.

U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Colleen Hanabusa spoke of the destruction caused by severe flooding on Kauai and East Oahu on the House floor this morning, calling attention to victims while thanking first responders for their hard work. Star-Advertiser.

The Kauai Police Department and Kauai County prosecutors said Wednesday that they were investigating multiple extortion cases involving would-be rescuers during the island’s historic rain and flood event over the weekend. Hawaii News Now.

A female bison frightened by the on-going, helicopter storm relief efforts in Hanalei bolted into the ocean Wednesday and was roped and brought back to shore: First by boat, then with the help of personal watercraft and —finally — four paniolo from the bison’s Hanalei ranch who patiently nudged it out of the surf. Star-Advertiser.

Reality Sets In For Kauai’s Flooded-Out Residents. Civil Beat.

Hanalei Elementary School on Kauai will remain closed for all students for the rest of the week as the campus is cleaned after suffering flood damage this weekend, state Department of Education officials said Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Lenny Rapozo, director of the county Department of Parks and Recreation, has officially filed his papers for the upcoming mayoral race. Garden Island.

Waikiki International Marketplace shutting down, German tourist loses arm in Maui shark attack, federal agent murder trial goes to jury today, state plans juvenile justice reform, Hawaii council to mull ag tourism bill, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Waikiki International Marketplace (c) 2013 All Hawaii News

Hundreds of tenants at the soon-to-be redeveloped International Market Place in Waikiki recently received lease termination notices from landowner Queen Emma Land Co., which say that they must vacate the property by New Year’s Eve at 8 p.m., Pacific Business News has learned.

The State launched a bi-partisan, multi-departmental effort today to analyze and develop legislation to curb juvenile crime and reduce cost for taxpayers. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, and state lawmakers Sen. President Donna Mercado Kim and Rep. Mele Carroll Wednesday announced the launch of a bipartisan probe of the state’s flawed juvenile justice system. Star-Advertiser.

Innovative justice can create surprising bedfellows. On Wednesday, the Hawaii chief justice, Mark Recktenwald — a Republican appointee to the court — praised the Democratic governor, Neil Abercrombie, for supporting the state's 2-year-old justice reinvestment initiative. Civil Beat.

The goal of a new initiative launched today is to improve Hawaii's troubled juvenile justice system by reducing crime while cutting costs. Roughly 5,000 youth are currently incarcerated in Hawaii. According to experts, about 80% of them have a substance abuse problem. Hawaii News Now.

The nonprofit assigned to establishing Hawaii’s new health insurance marketplace expects to enroll as many as 300,000 island residents, including 100,000 who are uninsured, by the end of next year. Hawaii is one of 15 states setting up its own health insurance exchange to match qualified individuals to subsidized health plans. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Supreme Court, in a ruling that was thorough and reasoned, opted against invalidating a Maui zoning decision but ultimately sent a message that county and state officials should heed: The Sunshine Law means that the public must have access to government when key decisions are made. Star-Advertiser.

It is a challenge that farmers around the islands are very familiar with. The dramatic rise in electricity costs in Hawaii has been cutting into their profits — or adding to their losses — and increasing local food prices. This makes it difficult for them to compete with large, mainland and foreign farm operations. Civil Beat.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has named two people to the Hawaiian Homes Commission, filling two of three vacancies on the nine-member panel that oversees the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Abercrombie appointed Wallace A. Ishibashi Jr. to represent East Hawaii County and Patricia W. Sheehan to the Kauai seat. Star-Advertiser.

State roundup for August 15. Associated Press.

Oahu

Tens of thousands of native sea urchins have been marshaled in the fight against invasive seaweeds threatening patches of reef in Kaneohe Bay. The sea urchins, Tripneustes gratilla or hawa‘e, serve as a biological control after most of the invasive seaweed is removed by a suction machine. Star-Advertiser.

Attorneys are expected to deliver closing arguments to jurors who will decide whether a federal agent is guilty of murder in a 2011 Waikiki shooting. Associated Press.

A jury of eight men and four women who heard 20 days of testimony through  more than a month will listen to closing arguments today before deliberating the fate of State Department special agent Christopher Deedy in the death of a Kailua man. Star-Advertiser.

After taking about a week off, the murder trial of Christopher Deedy is about to wrap up. Closing arguments are set for Thursday. KHON2.

The U.S. Army has finalized its plan to study marine resources at Makua Beach and surrounding areas. Hawaii Reporter.

Campbell High School teacher Corey Rosenlee encourages his students to break the rules. A social studies teacher, Rosenlee has his 11th and 12th graders playing "crazy robot." Civil Beat.

Hawaii
The U.S. Supreme Court could decide whether Hawaii Island gets to keep its fourth state Senate seat, after opponents of how the state redrew its legislative boundaries filed an appeal Friday with the nation’s highest court. West Hawaii Today.

A bill that would relax regulations for tourism operations on farm land is coming back before the Hawaii County Council’s Planning Committee. West Hawaii Today.

An effluent pump malfunction led to the discharge Tuesday afternoon of about 7,600 gallons of wastewater into the ocean from the Papaikou Wastewater Treatment Plant. Dora Beck, the county’s Wastewater Division chief, said the shoreline area near the facility’s outfall was closed “as a precaution” between Kekiwi Point and Waipahi Point. Tribune-Herald.

VIDEO: HI-SEAS crew emerges from isolated habitat dome. Big Island Video News.

Six researchers have spent the past four months living in a small dome on a barren Hawaii lava field at an elevation of 8,000 feet, trying to figure out what foods astronauts might eat on Mars and during deep-space missions. Associated Press.

Researchers have been living inside a remote habitat 8,000 feet atop Mauna Loa. They’re part of a NASA-funded study to simulate what it’s like to live on Mars. Hawaii Public Radio.

Maui

A visitor from Germany was critically injured and lost her right arm in an apparent shark attack Wednesday afternoon at a Makena beach in South Maui. It was the fifth shark attack so far this year in Maui waters, where a jump in attacks was seen. Star-Advertiser.

A woman visiting from Germany lost her right arm in a shark attack at Palauea Beach in Wailea and was in critical condition at Maui Memorial Medical Center on Wednesday night after the second shark incident in two days off Maui. Maui News.

A 20-year-old woman from Germany remains hospitalized in critical condition, after her right arm was severed in a shark attack at Palauea Beach, also known as White Rock in Mākena, on Wednesday afternoon, county officials confirmed. Maui Now.

Officials have closed two miles of beaches in Makena following a shark attack on a snorkeler at Palauea Beach, also known as "White Rock." Hawaii News Now.

An arbitration award for Maui County police officers will cost $2.75 million more this fiscal year and a grand total of $26.6 million more over four years, according to Budget Director Sandy Baz. Maui News.

Maui County and the Maui Police Department have reached a monetary settlement with a woman, who was the victim of false arrest and imprisonment and extorted for sex by police officers in 2008, attorneys involved in the case said in a joint statement Tuesday. Maui News.

The state Board of Land and Natural Resources waived a $1,000 fine last month that the department had initially imposed on Maui Ocean Activities for "unauthorized commercial activities" conducted at Wailea Beach, according to a department spokeswoman. Maui News.

Kauai

More than 900 Kauai businesses and homeowners — especially oceanfront property owners — who benefit from federal flood insurance subsidies could see rate increases because of a law signed by President Barack Obama in 2012. Garden Island.

There was a time when Hanamaulu Beach Park was the crown jewel of Hanamaulu, a mostly residential community built to house sugar plantation workers from the Lihue Plantation decades ago. Not anymore, according to some area residents. In response to rampant crime and vandalism, the county will close the park from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily, starting Monday. Garden Island.

Kauai County's Liquor Control Commission has named acting director Gerald T. Rapozo as the permanent replacement for former director Eric Honma, who retired in April. Star-Advertiser.

Lanai

Silicon Valley tycoon Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle, defended the National Security Agency’s controversial domestic surveillance on Tuesday, saying it was needed to protect the public from terrorism. “It’s great. It’s essential,” said Ellison during an interview with CBS News. Civil Beat.