Mayors battle bail reform bill, FBI nabs trio on gambling, drug charges, Taiwanese F-16 crash lands at Honolulu airport, more news from all he Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii jail cell ©2022 All Hawaii News

Mayors put more pressure on Gov. Ige to veto bail reform bill. There’s more pressure for the governor to veto the bail reform bill. Hawaii’s four county mayors will hold a rally that will include the police officers union as well as unions from other cities where bail reform laws have passed. KHON2.

Could Employer-Provided Rentals Help Solve Hawaii’s Housing Crisis?. While government and private employers in other locales are increasingly stepping up to build homes to address housing shortages, the idea has not caught on in Hawaii. Civil Beat.

A Progressive Super PAC Seeks To Change Hawaii Politics. Our Hawaii Action is creating a super PAC and 501(c)4 dark money group to influence voters in favor of progressive candidates. Civil Beat.

3 Men Indicted on Charges Related to Drug Trafficking Between Maui and Oʻahu. More than 50 special agents from the FBI and Maui Police Department arrested three individuals in Maui and Honolulu counties on Friday, June 3, for their alleged roles in an elaborate drug trafficking and illegal gambling operation. Big Island Now. Maui Now. Star-Advertiser. Maui News. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Oahu

Oahu water use up amid drought and brush fire worries. Despite a call for a voluntary 10% reduction in water use on Oahu, consumption is up slightly from a year ago amid concern about drought, brush fires and the potential for mandatory water rationing ahead of what’s expected to be a drier-than-average summer. Star-Advertiser.

Standoff In Waipahu: Hawaiian Rights ‘Army’ Has Illegally Occupied A Private Pot Farm. The owners of the 5-acre site intended to grow medical marijuana have a court order to remove the activists who are refusing to leave. Civil Beat.

Crackdown at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor nets illegal live-aboards. The state has fined the owner of a boat moored at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor $30,000 for allowing a family to live aboard the boat without the required permitting. Star-Advertiser.

Taiwanese F-16 jet crash lands at Honolulu airport with minor damage, no injuries. A fighter jet made a crash landing at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Monday afternoon, after its front landing gear did not deploy. KITV4. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Single-family home sales dip slightly, but that’s not stopping prices from hitting new highs. The median price for a single-family home on Oahu is now at $1,153,500, according to the latest figures released by the Honolulu Board of Realtors Monday. Median condo prices hit $516,500. Both figures are new record highs for Oahu’s real estate market. Hawaii News Now.

HFD welcomes 9 new fire trucks with Hawaiian names honoring aliʻi and the places they’ll serve. In an expansion of their fleet, the Honolulu Fire Department now has nine new trucks. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Inaba tries again on property tax cuts. It’s hana hou for county property tax relief efforts next week as North Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba gives it another shot. Inaba’s attempts to reduce taxes for homeowners and affordable rentals fell flat last week amid a rush by council members to distribute revenue windfalls to county projects and accounts. West Hawaii Today.

North Kona Water Restriction Issued After Well Failure. A 25% percent water restriction applies to certain areas of North Kona, following the failure of Hualālai Deepwell. Big Island Video News.

Public comment period closing for environmental study on Pōhakuloa training area. The U.S. Army has held a lease on lands at Pōhakuloa on the Big Island for decades. The public has one more day to comment on the Army’s draft environmental impact statement regarding its proposed plans to continue training at Pōhakuloa beyond 2029. Hawaii Public Radio.

No imminent construction for Thirty Meter Telescope planned after key permit is ended. On Friday, the state Health Department got a notice of cessation from TMT for its NPDES permit, which authorizes discharges of stormwater. That means TMT will not be allowed to do further construction unless a new permit is issued. Hawaii News Now.

Maunakea rangers inspect brakes on descending vehicles in effort to prevent accidents. The rangers, a program managed by the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Center for Maunakea Stewardship, began conducting brake checks earlier this year after a series of accidents on the road, including one in January that caused the death of a 9-year-old Kailua-Kona girl. Tribune-Herald.

Keauhou HOA Fines Condo Owner $26K (and Counting) for Feeding Cats. A Keauhou condo owner is facing upwards of $26,000 in fines from her homeowner’s association for feeding two wild cats who have lived in the condo complex for years. Big Island Now.

Maui

Maui’s native birds and bees getting protection money from the feds. The Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources will receive $1.7 million from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to protect native forest birds, waterbirds, seabirds and yellow-faced bees. The federal funding will support several conservation projects, including three on Maui. Maui Now.

Maui companies aim to grow through Mana Up’s program. Environmentalism, culture and conservation are what three Maui entrepreneurs have in common as they push to grow their businesses through Mana Up’s accelerator program. Maui News.

Kauai

Radar lab to survey Kauaʻi’s endangered seabirds, monitor declining population. Starting now until the middle of July, the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project mobile radar lab will be surveying island’s two endangered seabirds all around Kauaʻi. Maui Now. Garden Island.