Hawaiian Island of Lanai could be sold quickly, recycling audits secret, rail transit funds slashed, pension funds go unfunded, FBI increases Hilo presence, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaiian Island of Lanai

Los Angeles billionaire David Murdock is trying to sell the island of Lanai. The price is about $500 million. Pacific Business News.

Billionaire David Murdock and his company, Castle & Cooke Inc., are in discussions to sell Lanai in a deal that could alter the future of the former Pineapple Island and dramatically reduce Murdock's land ownership in Hawaii. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Auditor's Office is not releasing several audits of the state's so-called bottle-bill program, reports that are key to tracking where millions of dollars in state money is going. Civil Beat.

Hawaii has funded just 61 percent of its $18.5 billion pension obligation for public sector workers — the 10th worst in the nation. Hawaii also has a $14 billion retiree health care liability that is unfunded. Star-Advertiser.

While independent candidates have had little electoral success in the islands, a handful have been elected to office. They are also part of a larger trend nationally away from traditional left and right divisions. Civil Beat.

A settlement will ensure the continued cleanup of lead-based paint that has killed thousands of Laysan albatross chicks at Midway Atoll, the Center for Biological Diversity said. Associated Press.

Hawaii's governor has signed a bill banning the sale of products containing bear bile or gallbladders. Associated Press.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Monday signed into law a measure to help Hawai‘i fight pests that have been impacting the state’s bee populations. Garden Island.

There are fewer than 55 days remaining until Hawai’i’s Primary Election Day showdown … in which all 76 state legislative seats are up for consideration by voters. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

U.S. House Subcommittee Slices Money for Rail. Civil Beat.

A federal judge sentenced a former Honolulu city driver's licensing clerk Monday to four months in jail for fraudulently producing a Hawaii license for an illegal immigrant. Star-Advertiser.

As the city of Honolulu plans to start building a $200 million, 3.2-mile wastewater tunnel between Kaneohe and Kailua this year, some residents living near the project are worried about the potential impact on their properties. Star-Advertiser.

Much controversy has surfaced over UH Manoa Chancellor-Designate, Tom Apple's large salary and the flagship campus' top executive, Virginia Hinshaw's sabbatical pay, and it all came to a head during our interview with the executives today. Hawaii News Now.

Doctor Tom Apple comes from the University of Delaware where he was provost. KHON2.

Can a White Federal Agent Who Killed a Hawaii Local Get a Fair Trial? Civil Beat.

Hawaii

Politicians and officials from around Hawaii, Western states and even some national-level representatives are coming to Hawaii at the end of this week for an annual state government conference. West Hawaii Today.

The FBI could soon have its own digs at the Hilo police station. Tribune-Herald.

Funding has been approved for permanent facilities to house the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES).KPUA.

A study of vog and wind patterns shows communities most impacted by the volcanic emissions can predict when the air is likely to be cleaner, a researcher told a County Council committee Monday. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Maui's boating community has mixed reactions to a proposed state rule that would require recreational boaters operating motorized vessels to complete a one-time safety course, or face fines of up to $1,000. Maui News.

The bankrupt Days Inn Maui Oceanfront Inn in Kihei has been sold to a Chinese investor for $7.5 million, according to court documents. Maui News.

Kauai

The Kaua‘i Fire Department held a brush fire mitigation meeting Friday morning, reminding large landowners, lessees and other stakeholders of their responsibility in maintaining firebreaks for open fields adjacent to structure. Garden Island.

Molokai

“Solar is the strongest renewable energy resource for Molokai,” concludes the just-released Life of the Land report, “Wayfinding: Navigating Hawaii’s Energy Future,” by Henry Curtis. Molokai Dispatch.

Arizona comes looking for Obama birth certificate, Hirono ducks debates, Honolulu parking meters accept credit cards, EPA to cap utility emissions in shadow of Kilauea, wetter weather next winter, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Obama birth certificate White House courtesy photo

Two men who identified themselves as being from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Phoenix arrived at the state Department of Health on Monday, requesting verification of President Barack Obama's birth certificate, a state spokeswoman said. Star-Advertiser.

The so-called "birther" movement did not die off completely when President Barack Obama placed his "long-form" birth certificate on the White House website in April 2011. Civil Beat.

U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono on Monday declined an offer from Hawaii Pacific University to participate in a forum on Thursday with former congressman Ed Case in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Star-Advertiser.

Ed Case has accepted an invitation by Hawaii Pacific University to debate Mazie Hirono this Thursday (May 24), with time and place yet to be determined. Civil Beat.

Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann has picked up the endorsement of some Maui County executives, past and present. KHON2.

Honolulu City Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard is officially seeking higher office. KHON2.

The deadline for the next round of campaign spending reports could move up a couple of weeks from the existing July 31 due date. Civil Beat.

The National Weather Service says Kauai and Oahu are more likely to recover from drought during the upcoming rainy season from October through April. Associated Press.

Rainfall during Hawaii's wet season was definitely wet for the western part of the state, but most areas of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and the Big Island of Hawaii had below normal rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. Hawaii News Now.

Drought lingered in West Hawaii through another dry winter and is returning this summer to more deeply ravaged, already water-stressed places. These next five months aren’t expected to bring any real reprieve, especially for leeward areas, said Kevin Kodama, senior hydrologist for the National Weather Service. West Hawaii Today.

Oahu

A state judge is scheduled to hear a request today by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and other news organizations to argue for the release of defense documents and surveillance tapes filed by a State Department special agent charged in a fatal shooting at a McDonald's restaurant in Waikiki. Star-Advertiser.

New parking meters that accept credit and debit cards along with coins will be installed next month around the Civic Center, part of a pilot project to replace all meters on Oahu with the technology. Star-Advertiser.

No one can put up a tent in City parks on Oahu without a permit, under a law that went into effect last year. But a Honolulu City Council member is pushing for an exemption at Hanauma Bay. KHON2.

The developer of a proposed 12,000-home master-planned community in Ewa has asked state officials to delay Tuesday’s final decision on whether its project can move forward by a month. Civil Beat.

Schuler Homes LLC will ask the Hawaii Land Use Commission    for more time on its Hoopili project case. The LUC is expected to make a decision on Tuesday on the planned 11,750-home subdivision on 1,554 acres of land in Ewa. Pacific Business News.

More than 500 hotel workers at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki are in their second year of working without a contract. Hawaii Public Radio.

Charles Alan Pflueger, head of Pflueger Auto, one of the state’s largest auto dealerships, pleaded guilty on Friday in federal court to tax fraud after he cut a deal with prosecutors. Hawaii Reporter.

The Missile Defense Agency's 280-foot-tall Sea-Based X-Band Radar returned to Ford Island on Monday after being at sea during North Korea's failed April 13 rocket test. Star-Advertiser.

A state work crew on Monday began picking up large and tiny remnants of a floating dock system that washed ashore at Kalaeloa last weekend and turned a leaf blower into a vacuum cleaner to collect the smallest bits of Styrofoam from endangered plants and tide pools. Star-Advertiser.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources mobilized quickly Monday to remove large amounts of Styrofoam that washed ashore on Feedlot Beach at Campbell Industrial Park about a week ago. KITV4.

Hawaii has known of Genshiro Kawamoto for nearly a quarter century now, but still little is known about the famously reclusive real estate mogul. Civil Beat.

Hawaii

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposes to cap emissions at three Hawaii Island electrical plants to improve visibility at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, even as Kilauea continues to be the largest contributor to haze on the island. West Hawaii Today.

A renewable energy company that plans to burn locally grown eucalyptus trees to generate 10 percent of th Big Island's electricity needs signed an agreement Monday to sell the power to Hawaii Electric Light Co. Star-Advertiser.

Hu Honua Bioenergy took another big step toward the start of operations with the announcement Monday that it has signed a power purchase agreement with Hawaii Electric Light Co. Tribune-Herald.

Big Island and State briefs. Associated Press.

Maui

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals plans to return to Maui for its annual conference in August, but unlike its 2010 meeting this one is raising eyebrows on the heels of the General Services Administration scandal over a lavish 2010 conference in Las Vegas. Star-Advertiser.

An upcoming conference on Maui involving federal judges from throughout the western U.S. and its island territories has two Republican senators trying to disrobe the event as being too lavish for taxpayers. Civil Beat.

On average, Maui residents can expect to pay about 4 percent more for water under a proposed rate increase for the county Department of Water Supply, department Director Dave Taylor said Friday. Maui News.

Mokulele Airlines is expanding its interisland operations by returning service between Honolulu and Kapalua Airport in West Maui for the first time in three years. Star-Advertiser.

A $26 million project to widen Piilani Highway from two to four lanes between Kilohana and Wailea Iki drives is moving ahead as a collaboration between the state Department of Transportation and developers of the Makena Resort and Honua'ula projects in South Maui. Maui News.

Kauai and Maui will receive $400,000 to create 20 temporary positions dedicated to the cleanup and repair of public structures, homes and land damaged by the heavy rains that inundated Hawaii in March, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Senator Daniel K. Akaka, U.S. Representative Mazie K. Hirono and U.S. Representative Colleen Hanabusa announced today. Hawaii Reporter.

Kauai
Agriculture is alive and well on the Garden Isle. Pacific Business News.

Officials announced on Monday that Kaua‘i and Maui will get a combined $400,000 to clean up damage from heavy storms that hit Hawai‘i in March. Garden Island.

United States Coast Guard Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate Buddy Gilbert never realized how fast four years would pass. Garden Island.

27 years of vog, Legislature enters home stretch, wildlife returns to Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve, farm housing coming to Kauai, more top Hawaii news

It has been 27 years since Kilauea started erupting and two since a new vent at Halema'uma'u Crater opened, doubling the amount of emissions and changing life for the thousands who live in Pahala and other rural communities downwind from the volcano.

Gov. Linda Lingle last night asked all public school teachers and principals to volunteer to return to the classrooms without pay for the remaining three furlough days of the school year as a "gesture to heal our community."

Budget battles. School furloughs and hotel tax money.

With less than a month to go and the contest apparently as tight as a drum, the three major candidates for Hawaii's vacant congressional seat and their allies are sharpening their attacks on each other.

As the election season heats up, Hawaii News Now along with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is proud to present the first live, televised debate of campaign 2010: "Race for Congress - the Special Election."

The first amphibious insects ever found are rare Hawaii caterpillars that can live under two feet of rushing water or on a hot dry rock and commute back and forth.

Fish, turtles and birds have returned to Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve since it was closed to people two years ago, but the shutdown is set to expire at the end of July.

Hawaii County Department of Water Supply customers will soon have their chance to weigh in on whether agricultural water users should continue to get a water subsidy.

Two and a half years in the making, a bill that would allow farmers to build additional dwellings for their  workers is two steps away from becoming law.

Heavy fog precipitated a series of multiple-vehicle wrecks along the same stretch of Highway 19 in Waimea on Saturday.