Hawaii 2nd in nation for drownings, labor force shrinks, 2 Navy employees indicted for lying about size of Red Hill spill, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

It’s Not Just Tourists: Hawaiʻi Residents Drown At Alarming Rates. The number of residents who die each year is surprising, even to lifeguards. And the danger is not limited to inexperienced swimmers or surfers chasing Hawaiʻi’s notorious big waves.  Civil Beat.

Burden For Preventing Drownings In Hawaiʻi Falls On Counties — And Residents. Hawaiʻi has the second highest rate of resident drownings in the nation, but there’s been no serious statewide effort to address the problem. Ocean safety efforts are left up to individual counties, leading to big disparities in drowning prevention across the islands. The state does little to help them.  Civil Beat.

Hawaii labor force is shrinking as population ages, workers leave. In July, Hawaii had 650,800 jobs led by employees in government (126,000), leisure and hospitality (124,400) and trade, transportation and utilities (118,700), according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Star-Advertiser.

Operation Hire Hawaii initiative fills less than 3% of state job vacancies. An effort to expeditiously fill chronically high state job vacancies with displaced federal workers in Hawaii since February is being touted as a success, though program use has been selective. Star-Advertiser.

New De Minimis rules to bring higher prices, shipping delays. The de minimis exemption, which previously allowed packages valued under $800 to bypass duties and taxes, has now been scaled back, which means higher costs and potential shipping delays for consumers across the islands. KHON2.

Hirono, Tokuda, Case introduce resolution recognizing history, contributions, and significance of Maunaloa Observatory.  US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and US Reps. Jill Tokuda (D-HI) and Ed Case (D-HI) introduced a resolution after the Trump Administration announced its plans to cancel the lease for several National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) facilities earlier this year, including an office needed to support the observatory. Maui News.

Federal funding cuts to University of Hawai‘i threaten work on sea level, climate research. A recent round of federal funding cuts is expected to impact the University of Hawai‘i’s modeling of sea level rise impacts, which could result in the loss of accurate climate projections, university officials fear. Maui Now.

State’s EV perks, federal tax credits nearing an end. These changes come at a time when Hawaii is being held accountable for its ambitious, state-mandated goals of achieving 100% clean energy and net-zero emissions by 2045, and are expected to hamper efforts to get more residents to drive electric in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Star-Advertiser.

State Fund Aims To Get More Kids Walking To School. Over a dozen engineering projects designed to make it safer for students to walk or bike to and from Hawaiʻi schools will receive an $8 million boost from a special fund as the state seeks to reverse a heavy dependence on vehicles for school travel. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Two Navy employees indicted for lying about size of Red Hill fuel spill. John Floyd, 63, of Mililani, who worked as Fuels Department Deputy Director for the Navy , and Nelson Wu, 38, of Waipahu who was Fuels Department Supervisory Engineer were indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday. Star-Advertiser. Associated Press. 

Nimitz lane closures intensify evacuation gridlock worries. The lane closures on Nimitz Highway through 2030 for Honolulu rail construction are raising concerns not only about daily traffic but also about how the city will move people in the next evacuation emergency in the aftermath of last month’s tsunami-scare gridlock. Star-Advertiser.

‘Deeply affordable’ Halawa rental tower nearly full. The 25-story project, Naulu Apartments, features 302 units that rent for as little as $704 a month and are near fully leased. Star-Advertiser.

Homeless youth will find support at new drop-in center. Leeward Coast youth who are living on the street will finally have a nearby resource hub when Residential Youth Services &Empowerment opens its first youth-focused drop-in center in the region. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Big Island Buildingʻs Solar Panel System Is On The Blink — Again. It costs taxpayers $4,000 every month that system isn’t producing electricity. Civil Beat.

Honolulu Landing in Puna eyed for preservation. The Hawaii County Council is renewing its push to acquire a historic stretch of coastal land in Puna, urging the Department of Finance to proceed with the purchase of a 364-acre property in Pahoa using dedicated conservation funds. Tribune-Herald.

Work starts to restore 4.5-mile section of Pohoiki Road. The Hawaii County Department of Public Works has issued a notice to proceed to Nan Inc. for the restoration of Pohoiki Road, which was inundated by lava during the 2018 Kilauea eruption. Tribune-Herald.

Work to replace Waiaka Bridge in Waimea could start next summer. The Hawaii Department of Transportation plans to seek bids soon for a replacement bridge and roundabout for the 93-year-old Waiaka Bridge at the intersection of Kawaihae Road and Kohala Mountain Road in Waimea. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Ghost guns tough to regulate in Hawaiʻi, police and legislators agree after one used in fatal shooting of Maui officer. The weapon was a “ghost gun” that was untraceable until the suspected killer — a convicted felon who police say should never have had a gun — allegedly used it to fire at O as she responded to a call at the Pā‘ia Sugar Mill. Maui Now.

Honoring a hero: With heavy hearts, community celebrates the life of Officer Suzanne O. Hundreds of officers from agencies across Maui County joined members of the community Friday inside the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater to pay their respect to Officer Suzanne O. Maui News.

Kauai

Department of Public Works announces lane closures in Kōloa. The Department of Public Works, in partnership with contractor Maui Kupono Builders, reported that lane closures will be in effect on portions of Hailima Road, Iuka Place, and Aka Road in Kōloa starting Tuesday. Kauai Now.

Gubernatorial, congressional debates in full swing, shark-feeding tours denied, Education Board fattens budget, Maui bag ban implemented, Hilton Hawaiian Village strike continues, more Hawaii news

A debate that has churned in waters off Oahu's North Shore headed to court today. KHON2.

A state judge denied a request to dismiss charges of illegal shark-feeding against a North Shore ocean excursion employee yesterday as protesters rallied at the courthouse. Star-Advertiser.

Mainland money is pouring into the Hawaii governor's race with two new TV ads out this week. KITV4.

The gloves came off in the race for governor Thursday night in a scrappy, live televised forum between Duke Aiona and Neil Abercrombie. KITV4.

The top candidates for governor and the 1st Congressional District got cozy — and heated — with Dan Boylan on PBS. Civil Beat.

The candidates for governor are going after attack ads that are coming from outside of each campaign. KHON2.

On Friday night, KITV4 and KITV.com will feature a political debate between Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Djou and Democrat Colleen Hanabusa. KITV4.

A candidate for state office is two years behind on property taxes on two West Hawaii properties. West Hawaii Today.

The county Board of Ethics unanimously voted Wednesday to investigate a complaint filed against Puna Councilwoman Emily Naeole-Beason by a former campaign volunteer. West Hawaii Today.

Mayor issues guides for ban on bags. Maui News.

Seeing an economy on the mend, a Board of Education committee approved a $1.4 billion proposed general fund budget yesterday for the upcoming fiscal year that would restore about $129 million in cuts and seek an additional $28 million for student bus transportation, nursing services and athletics. Star-Advertiser.

A national company that tracks foreclosures reports Hawaii had one of the highest foreclosure rates in the third quarter. Associated Press.

Distressed properties account for 24% of all Kaua‘i land sales. Garden Island.

Picket lines went up at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki on Thursday as union workers at the largest resort in Hawaii went on a five-day strike over a contract dispute. Associated Press.

A five-day strike by union workers that began yesterday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village has the potential to cause near-term damage to the state's leading industry. Star-Advertiser.

Workers at Hilton's largest hotel worldwide went on strike Thursday morning, claiming the company isn't using the taxpayer bailout money it received to create jobs and improve working conditions. Hawaii News Now.

Senator Akaka: Akaka Bill is Alive and We Work Everyday to Get it Passed. Hawaii Reporter.

The state appeals court has rejected two of three challenges by Windward farmers and environmentalists who want a state commission to direct more water to flow from the Waiahole Ditch to Windward streams. Star-Advertiser.

Thousands of small nonprofits across America, including hundreds in Hawaii, faced a Friday deadline to fill out an online form for the Internal Revenue Service or lose their tax-exempt status. Hawaii News Now.

For decades the island of Kaho'olawe was used by the military for target practice, using every type of weapon that could be shot, launched or dropped. KHON2.

'Goldilocks planet' questioned. Tribune-Herald.

The state Department of Transportation is working to fill firefighter staffing vacancies at the Maui District airports, a process that a state official said has been going on for several years. Maui News.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

Hawaii drivers soon will be paying the highest taxes on gas in the country, about 62 cents a gallon.

Two weeks before the price of fuel is expected to jump by about a dime in extra taxes, the statewide average for a gallon of gasoline hit the $3 mark.

Gov. Linda Lingle told state workers yesterday to expect massive layoffs as early as July 1 if they don't accept furloughs. But the public worker unions went to Circuit Court to fight the threatened furloughs.

Three public-sector labor unions filed legal challenges yesterday against Gov. Linda Lingle's plans to furlough state workers, while the governor said she has instructed state department directors to draft layoff options as an alternative if furloughs are blocked in court.

Hawai'i's elementary and middle school students not only lag behind their national counterparts but are also outperformed by their peers in many Asian countries and parts of Europe, according to a new international grading index.

Taxes and a little confusion led the debate as the Maui County Council's Budget and Finance Committee on Tuesday began the heated and tricky process of potentially raising property taxes for bed-and-breakfast and transient vacation rental owners.

A Kona woman who killed one woman and injured two men in a drunken driving collision in 2006 will be released from prison after serving only 18 months of a 10-year sentence in prison

The state Legislature chose not to enact the Department of Land and Natural Resources' proposed Recreational Renaissance plan, but department chairwoman Laura Thielen is working on a backup approach that may accomplish some of the same maintenance and improvement goals.

The public is invited to weigh in this week and next on the environmental impacts of the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope.

Hawaii County's main office building is going high-tech.