Hawaii remembers fallen soldiers, whistleblower claims retaliation in USS Arizona ticket scheme, Camp Smith officer tangled in corruption probe, Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz rises in state Legislature, state unloading affordable housing complexes, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

courtesy James Horton, Director of National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

A sea of American flags fluttered across 38,000 graves on the green grass of Punchbowl cemetery Monday as the nation’s war dead were remembered and an overdue debt of gratitude was paid to Vietnam veterans decades after the contentious Southeast Asian war was fought and debated back home. Star-Advertiser.

About 2,000 people gathered at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Punchbowl on Monday to commemorate those who serve -- and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in their service. Hawaii News Now.

James Horton, Director of National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, reflects on changing public perception of today’s military. Hawaii Public Radio.

After blowing the whistle on a ticketing scheme at the USS Arizona memorial four years ago, a disabled veteran is speaking out for the first time about the retaliation he faced. Hawaii News Now.

A high-ranking civilian defense employee at Camp Smith is the latest former Navy officer caught in the ongoing investigation into the corruption scandal centered around Singaporean-­based defense contractor Leonard Glenn “Fat Leonard” Francis. Star-Advertiser.

How Did Donovan Dela Cruz Just Become Hawaii’s Most Powerful Senator? The longtime pro-business, pro-rail lawmaker has a history of ethics concerns, backroom dealing and a volatile temperament. Civil Beat.

The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation is moving forward with plans to sell six state-owned affordable housing properties on three different islands to a private buyer. West Hawaii Today.

Despite months of negotiation and meetings, the Every Student Succeeds Act hasn’t undergone the changes that the Hawaii State Teachers Association wants to see. Garden Island.

Applications are still being accepted for a limited number of prekindergarten spots in 13 public charter schools for next school year. Star-Advertiser.

Most Of The Imported Seafood We Eat Isn’t Inspected. Hawaii experienced a hepatitis outbreak last year due to tainted scallops and may be on the verge of another due to bad ahi. Civil Beat.

Oahu

The City Council will consider a proposal to allow a Waikiki nonprofit group to set parking fees, oversee freight and passenger deliveries, and make other transportation rules in the state’s No. 1 tourist destination. Star-Advertiser.

Beachgoers and surfers are the latest groups to object to a city plan to raise an additional $4 million by doubling parking prices and increasing parking enforcement hours in Waikiki and downtown. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu’s new “homeless court” so far has cleared a backlog of 268 cases since it began in January and — perhaps more important — has gotten four homeless defendants housed, including a chronically homeless man who now has an apartment after nearly 30 years on the street. Star-Advertiser.

A ship carrying a giant concrete-and-steel cradle built to hold ships out of the water so they can be worked on will be an unusual nautical sight to see off Honolulu International Airport today. Star-Advertiser.

The moving and visually stunning Lantern Floating Hawaii ceremony remained hugely popular this year as tens of thousands of people descended on Ala Moana Beach Park on Monday. Star-Advertiser.

As the sun set Monday, tens of thousands lined the calm shores of Ala Moana Beach Park’s Magic Island to place illuminated lanterns on the water, watching them drift away into the horizon. Hawaii News Now.

A moving ceremony at Magic Island Monday evening as thousands of lanterns were released into the water at the Memorial Day Lantern Floating Ceremony. KITV.

The 19th annual Lantern Floating Hawaii ceremony has once again brought tens of thousands of people together to honor loved ones who have died. KHON2.

Hawaii Island

Feature film producers want the Big Island to ramp up its film-making gravitas with a state-of-the-art studio for indoor production. Tribune-Herald.

Mainland filmmakers spent an average of more than $17 on the Big Island for every Hawaii County resident in the past year. Tribune-Herald.

More than 100 pay respects at Memorial Day ceremony. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

A memorial for World War II veterans of Maui County was unveiled Monday at the Maui Veterans Cemetery, where a couple hundred people showed up to pay their respects on Memorial Day. Maui News.

Maui to Get $1M in Federal Funds for Head Start. Maui Now.

It's been a little more than five months since the last haul of a commercial sugar crop on Maui. The precise plans are still evolving for alternative crops on the land that was once used to plant sugar cane. But that's not the only question relating to big sugar-there's also a matter of hardware. Hawaii Public Radio.

Kauai

Memorial Day speakers emphasize the high cost of war and the need to remember and honor the fallen. Garden Island.

Hirono battling stage 4 kidney cancer, Honolulu vehicle tax, parking fees advance, Kim defends Big Island property tax hikes, rail authority condemns Blood Bank land, Maui sugar lands going to cattle, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono © 2017 All Hawaii News

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono has been diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer and is scheduled to undergo surgery today to remove one of her kidneys. Hirono, 69, says she expects to make a full recovery and plans “without question” to run for re-election in 2018. Star-Advertiser.

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono on Tuesday announced that she has kidney cancer. Civil Beat.

U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, said on Tuesday that she will undergo treatment for kidney cancer. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono is undergoing treatment for kidney cancer and says she has a favorable prognosis from her doctor in Washington. Associated Press.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, has been diagnosed with kidney cancer, according to a statement she released Tuesday morning. Garden Island.

Hawaii U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono announced plans to undergo treatment for kidney cancer. Big Island Video News.

Recently diagnosed with renal cell cancer, Senator Mazie Hirono will have her kidney removed Wednesday. KITV.

US Senator Mazie Hirono today announced plans to undergo treatment for kidney cancer.  Maui Now.

The incidence of kidney cancer in Hawaii has been rising steadily since the 1970s, and today more than 200 people are diagnosed with the disease annually in Hawaii, according to the National Cancer Institute. Hawaii News Now.

How House Leaders Scuttled Better Pay For Foster Parents. House Speaker Scott Saiki said attorney fees were too high in a multi-million-dollar settlement of a lawsuit challenging foster care payment rates. Civil Beat.

The agency in charge of the Honolulu rail project has filed a lawsuit to take property where the state’s non-profit blood bank manufactures, stores and distributes Hawaii’s blood supply. Civil Beat.

Delta Air Lines had an on-time arrival rate of 86.9 percent in March, besting Hawaiian Airlines by 2.2 percentage points, according to the Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report. Pacific Business News.

Oahu

The City Council Budget Committee on Wednesday restored funding for seven staff positions in the new Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, and agreed to do away with two of three planned rate increases for TheBus and TheHandi-Van riders. But in order to balance the city’s $2.45 billion operating budget, the committee also agreed to raise the city’s motor vehicle weight tax as well as metered parking rates. Star-Advertiser.

Proposed increases in parking meter fees, bus fares and the vehicle weight tax were moved ahead Tuesday by the Honolulu City Council Budget Committee. Civil Beat.

Higher downtown parking fees, increased vehicle weight taxes and a fare hike for Handi-Van users were among the proposals approved by the Honolulu City Council's budget committee Tuesday. Hawaii News Now.

In a City Council meeting held Tuesday, one of the topics on the table was whether or not to raise Hawaii's vehicle weight tax. KITV.

A new gate blocking a path to the beach at Portlock has renewed a decades-old dispute over access to the ocean. Star-Advertiser.

Aloha Green Holdings is the first medical marijuana dispensary in Hawaii to harvest its first crop. Pacific Business News.

Who’s on furlough? New decision favors public’s right to know. On Tuesday, years after our initial filing and back-and-forth, submitting additional points and requests for review, the OIP instructed public safety to release the list of furloughed inmates. KHON2.

The state’s chief executive addressed Rotary Club of Honolulu members today during their weekly meeting in Waikiki. Hawaii Public Radio.

West Oahu residents are calling for solutions to curb speeding and reckless driving following recent accidents on the Leeward Coast. Hawaii News Now.

Howard Hughes’ Ward Village was recently named the "Best Master Planned Community in the Nation” by Architectural Digest, which applauded the Kakaako community for its design, materials and location. Pacific Business News.

After selling food at the 2017 Waikiki Spam Jam without a Temporary Food Establishment permit, Kona Grill operated under Kona Macadamia Inc. is facing a fine from the Department of Health. Hawaii News Now.

A Hawaii company gained ground in the first quarter selling what it promotes as a new synthetic remedy for inflammation after years of research and development that has consumed $56 million of investment capital. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Mayor Harry Kim, a self-described fiscal conservative, spent the afternoon in Kona explaining reasons behind tax hikes set to accompany Hawaii County’s budget for next fiscal year. West Hawaii Today.

Last June, at a mayoral campaign event in Kailua-Kona, then-candidate Harry Kim criticized property tax increases by his predecessor. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii County Council members slammed a resolution claiming discrimination against Puna and Ka‘u, saying Tuesday they found it unnecessarily divisive. Tribune-Herald.

The chief financial officer of an international nondenominational Christian school in Kona admitted Monday in U.S. District Court to stealing more than $3 million from the school. Star-Advertiser.

The state Department of Transportation now expects a road improvement project at Shower/Pohaku Drive and Highway 130 in Puna to resume in late June after a storm water discharge permit expired. Tribune-Herald.

Schofield Barracks officials have identified the soldier who was killed in a training incident on the Big Island. The soldier was identified as Sgt. Terrence Hinton of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team in the 25th Infantry Division. KITV.

Maui

Alexander &Baldwin Inc. announced Tuesday that it is moving ahead with a long-range plan to establish a cattle ranch on Maui after shutting down Hawaii’s last sugar cane plantation there in December. Star-Advertiser.

Alexander &Baldwin Inc. has established a grass-fed cattle pasturing operation on the 36,000-acre Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Co. plantation on Maui, which closed in December of last year. Pacific Business News.

Alexander &Baldwin Inc. today announced the establishment of Kūlōlio Ranch, a grass-fed cattle pasturing operation that is situated on approximately 4,000 acres of former sugar lands in Central Maui. Maui Now.

A grease blockage in a sewer lateral caused a 1,237-gallon wastewater overflow in Kahului on Sunday morning, the county Department of Environmental Management reported. Maui News.

Maui veterans are hoping the World War II Veterans Memorial will be up at the Maui Veterans Cemetery in Makawao by next week. Maui News.

Kauai

A $500,000 project to add electricity and infrastructure to the island’s drag racing strip is on the agenda for a May 23 Planning Commission meeting. Garden Island.

Taps played in the background while flags flew at half mast and people bowed their heads to honor police officers around the nation who died on the job. Garden Island.

Kauai police on Tuesday recognized the retirement of K-9 Simon, a 10-year-old Belgian malinois who has been a part of the K-9 unit since 2008. Garden Island.