Showing posts with label tenure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tenure. Show all posts

Friday, October 22, 2021

Jobless rate falls, health officials to authorize booster shots, Land Board to rule on Thirty Meter Telescope permit, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

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Hawaii’s jobless rate falls to 6.6%. Hawaii’s labor force has been shrinking even as the unemployment rate has been declining. The drop in the labor force has been mainly caused by people either moving out of state, being discouraged and not looking for jobs, or unwilling to return to the workforce in the midst of the pandemic. Star-Advertiser. KITV4.

University of Hawaii regents defer controversial tenure proposal.
The University of Hawaii Board of Regents on Thursday deferred a controversial proposal to modify the tenure system following a morning session in which dozens of faculty members criticized the effort as detrimental to the university. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii residents will need to press more buttons to make phone calls soon. Many are used to dialing seven digits to make local calls, but they will need to include the 8-0-8 area code before those seven digits when calling local numbers starting Sunday, Oct. 24. KHON2.

New Subpoenas From Panel Looking At State Auditor Raise Concerns. Rep. Belatti wants to hear from former city auditor Edwin Young and to look at Les Kondo’s rail audit. Civil Beat.

New task force to shine spotlight on missing and murdered Native Hawaiian women. It’s co-chaired by the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. There’s was no additional money attached to the task force, but they are looking for funds. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii health officials to authorize booster doses for Moderna, J&J vaccines.
The Hawaii Department of Health today said it will authorize booster doses for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the state according to federal guidelines. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now. KITV4. KHON2.

About 119,000 people in Hawaii who chose a two-shot COVID-19 vaccine did not return for their second shot. Healthcare professionals say being fully-vaccinated is important because that maximizes the body's ability to receive full immunity. KITV4.

Hawaii reports 4 new coronavirus-related deaths, 156 additional infections. The new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 96 new cases on Oahu, 22 on Maui, 17 on Hawaii Island, seven on Kauai, and 14 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Attorney General OKs Honolulu’s Process To Designate Important Ag Lands. The state attorney general’s office has ruled that Honolulu officials complied with state law in proposing to designate nearly one-eighth of Oahu as “important agricultural land,” tossing the final decision back to the Hawaii Land Use Commission. Civil Beat.

Plans to dramatically expand West Oahu, Downtown hospitals advance at City Council. The City Council’s Coning Committee on Thursday voted to advance plans to expand Queen’s Medical Center West Oahu and Straub Medical Center’s Downtown campus. Hawaii News Now.

Temporary fix planned for Honolulu rail’s too-narrow wheels
. The current long-range plan is for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation and contractor Hitachi Rail Honolulu to retrofit each car with wider wheels, which could take a year to manufacture, ship to Honolulu and install because of a global supply issue. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu Officers In Two Fatal Shootings Did Not Break The Law, Board Says. The Hawaii Law Enforcement Officer Independent Review Board ruled that the shootings of Kyle Thomas and Siatuu Tauai were justified. Civil Beat.

Hawaii’s Congressional Delegation Stops Short Of Demanding Closure Of Red Hill Fuel Facility. As the Hawaii Department of Health weighs whether to grant the U.S. Navy a permit for its Red Hill fuel facility, some community members are demanding the facility’s closure. Civil Beat.

Miske Attorneys Ask For Trial To Be Delayed Another Six Months. Attorneys representing Michael Miske, the former Honolulu businessman alleged to have controlled a sprawling racketeering conspiracy that prosecutors say extended over two decades, have asked for his trial to be extended for another six months, to September 2022. Civil Beat.

City to discuss bike lanes, other ‘complete streets’ plans for Kalihi thoroughfares. The city will host a virtual meeting Tuesday to discuss a “complete streets” initiative for Kalihi. At the meeting, a city team will discuss plans for North King, North School, Middle, and Houghtailing streets and Waiakamilo Road. Hawaii News Now.

Honolulu police target gambling in residential areas. Honolulu police Wednesday shut down an illegal game room near a school in Manoa, seizing a firearm, drugs and cash in the latest example of gambling operations disrupting the routines of residential neighborhoods. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island


Council seeks Sunshine Law changes. All nine members of the County Council on Wednesday embraced a resolution seeking changes to the state Sunshine Law, even though most of the details remain unclear. West Hawaii Today.

State Board to Rule on Whether UH Missed Deadline to Break Ground on TMT. The Board of Land and Natural Resources entered orders today indicating it will rule on a petition for declaratory orders from parties from the 2016-17 Thirty-Meter Telescope permit contested case. Maui Now.

Funds released to improve Waimea charter school. Construction of electrical and telecommunication system upgrades are set to begin at Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School following the release Monday of $1.2 million in Capital Improvement Project funds by Gov. David Ige. Tribune-Herald.

1,363 Acres In Kaʻū Acquired For Preservation. The County and State of Hawaiʻi, in partnership with various other non-profit associations, announced the voluntary sale, acquisition, and protection of 1,363 acres in Kaʻū known as Kaunāmano. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now.

Hotel occupancy down in September after governor’s request to not travel. Hotel occupancy down in September after governor’s request to not travel. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

West Maui group settles with renewable energy company. Agreement includes about $1.3 million for organizations, plans for hiring local. A West Maui Preservation Association settlement with a Canadian-based renewable energy company will net around $1.3 million in “community benefit” funds for West Maui. Maui News.

Hale Makua Submits Grant Application to Address Challenges with Aging Population. Hale Makua has submitted a Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant application to the US Department of Commerce. This is a federal grant opportunity as part of the country’s economic recovery from COVID-19. Maui Now.

Renters left scrambling as more homeowners take advantage of hot market. Maui County’s median sales price hit $998,000 last month. That’s a 25% increase from the previous year. Hawaii News Now.

Maui Hotels’ Average Daily Rate at $488, Up 54% from Pre-Pandemic September 2019. Despite lower occupancy, Maui County hotels earned $289 per available room in September 2021, which is 25.2% higher than pre-pandemic revenue in September 2019, according to the latest Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. Maui Now.

Kauai

Driver license, registration fees may rise.
Three bills were passed by the Kaua‘i County Council this week, two of which will increase fees for drivers on Kaua‘i and one of which will fund an upcoming special election. Garden Island.

County considering acquiring land. Signs indicating access being closed to the sole trail down to Hideaways Beach on Kenomene Bay have been in place since April, and now an easement to get down to the water is currently being reviewed for possible county acquisition and maintenance. Garden Island.

County has state’s highest jobless rate. The county’s rate this September, 8.5%, was down 0.4% from August, more than halving last year’s September unemployment rate of 20.4%. Garden Island.

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Coronavirus vaccinations for children, union complaints from teachers, health-care and hotel workers, Honolulu, Kauai advance hotel tax, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Photo by Kristine Wook on Unsplash
PC:Kristine Wook on Unsplash

Elementary age kids in Hawaii weeks away from being eligible for vaccine. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 are just weeks away from being eligible for the Pfizer vaccine. In Hawaii, 119,000 keiki fall into that age group. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Teachers union files complaint to force Hawaii officials to bargain over COVID-19 safety protocols.
The union representing Hawaii’s public school teachers has filed a complaint with the Hawaii Labor Relations Board in an effort to force state officials to engage in bargaining over COVID-19 safety protocols. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

‘Extremely Alarming’ Test Scores Show Challenges Ahead For Hawaii Schools. Hawaii’s public school students suffered dramatic drops in proficiency in core subjects in the nearly two years since the Covid-19 pandemic began, reflecting severe setbacks in academic progress ahead of the resumption of full in-person learning in August. Civil Beat.

Hawaiian language immersion students get distance learning option 2 months into the school year. The Department of Education is recruiting Hawaiian language speakers to help stand up the state’s first-ever Hawaiian Immersion Distance Learning Program. Hawaii Public Radio.

Proposal seeks to modify University of Hawaii tenure system
. The recommendations, crafted by a special committee of the board over seven months this year, gives deans and other administrators a say in the five-year review of tenured faculty members. It also reserves tenure for faculty who actively engage with students in the classroom and eliminates tenure tracks for support faculty and extension agents. Star-Advertiser.

Kaiser healthcare workers vote in favor of strike after failed contract negotiations. Following stalled contract negotiations, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii workers represented by Unite Here Local 5 voted in favor of striking. The union said 93% of healthcare workers, which included nearly 2,000 employees, voted to authorize a strike. Hawaii News Now.

As Hawaii welcomes visitors back, a battle brews between union and hotels. The union is accusing the hotels of violating their contract by not bringing back enough workers. KHON2.

Biden’s Spending Bill Could Be A ‘Game Changer’ For Housing in Hawaii.
The infrastructure bill that the U.S. Senate is debating has the potential to make a huge dent in Hawaii’s housing needs, according to affordable housing advocates who have analyzed the version of the measure that passed the U.S. House. Civil Beat.

Investigation of Hawaii Auditor Les Kondo focuses on forged document. A special state House committee’s investigation of state Auditor Les Kondo and his handling of two critical audits of state land management on Wednesday focused on why Kondo did not pursue a document forged by a Kauai land agent or further research whether a land lessee who lost nonprofit status was being charged rates below market value. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

More than 1M Hawaii residents have completed COVID-19 vaccinations. This milestone has been reached as the number of daily coronavirus cases in Hawaii continues on a downward trend. The 7-day average of new cases is at 119, and the average positivity rate is at 1.7%. Star-Advertiser. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now. Maui Now. KITV4.

Green favors no restrictions on outdoor gatherings for vaccinated. Lt. Gov. Josh Green said with current vaccination rates, there should be no restrictions on outdoor gatherings if events can confirm COVID-19 inoculations. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii sees 139 new coronavirus cases, bringing statewide total to 82,730. The new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 71 new cases on Oahu, 20 on Maui, 32 on Hawaii Island, 10 on Kauai, one on Molokai and five Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Legislative proposal carrying a city hotel tax advances.
A measure that would implement a city hotel tax, with a portion of revenue slated to flow to rail transit, advanced during a City Council committee meeting Wednesday. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

More restrictions loosen up on Oahu. Managed indoor events can resume on Oct. 20 at 50% capacity or a maximum of 500 attendees, or whichever is smaller. KITV4.

Legal Opinion Affecting 1,800 Oahu Landowners Is Secret For Now. The Land Use Commission on Thursday will discuss in private a Hawaii Attorney General’s analysis on Important Agricultural Lands. Civil Beat.

Key City Council committee advances funding for expanded lifeguard hours. A key City Council committee approved a plan Wednesday to provide more than $500,000 for the city’s dawn to dusk lifeguard hours. The city needs Council approval to transfer money it saved from vacant positions to hire 15 Ocean Safety contract workers. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Red Hill Decision Delayed For Probe Of Navy’s Alleged Lack of Disclosure. The Hawaii Department of Health is delaying a decision on the U.S. Navy’s Red Hill fuel facility permit application as health officials investigate allegations that the Navy failed to disclose the full extent of its fuel pipeline network and the facility’s “corrosion history.”  Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Council eyes state support for wastewater issues. A resolution discussed at Wednesday’s council meeting would urge the state legislature to set funding for wastewater management projects around the state as one of its legislative goals next year. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Final Community Budget Meeting for FY 2023 Set for Thursday, Oct. 21. The final Community Budget Meeting for Fiscal Year 2023, hosted by Mayor Michael Victorino and his administration, will be held on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, starting at 5:30 p.m. Maui Now.

Hawai‘i Senators Visit Mahi Pono on Maui, Explore Strategies to Stabilize Economy. The Senate Committee on Ways and Means conducted a site visit today of Mahi Pono’s farming operations in Central Maui. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now.

Planning and Possibly Police the Focus of Next Maui Charter Commission Meeting. The Maui Charter Commission will hear testimony and discuss Theme G – Planning and, if time allows, Theme H – Police, at its next meeting on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 9 am. Maui Now.

Maui Police Plan New ‘Citizen’s Academy’
. The department’s community relations section has plans to set up a Citizen’s Academy starting in January that gives people ages 18-years and older a window into the life of a police cadet. Civil Beat.

Kauai

Kaua‘i setting aside TAT funds for vehicles, wages.
A bill that would appropriate $9 million in county Transient Accommodation Tax revenues passed first reading at the meeting of the Kaua‘i County Council yesterday. Garden Island.

Kaua‘i Target opens early in Lihu‘e. The newest Target, its eighth in Hawai‘i since 2009, will be open seven days a week. Garden Island.