Top Hawaii Headlines: Friday morning edition

Hawaiian royal societies paid tribute to King Kamehameha yesterday in a ceremony steeped in tradition and which served as a reminder of the man who united the Hawaiian Islands.

Congress began deliberations yesterday on the "Akaka bill," which would create a process for Native Hawaiian self-governance, as Hawai'i's congressional delegation sought to confront arguments that the legislation is "race-based."

Granting native Hawaiians the chance to form their own government, like those established by many of the nation's 562 American Indian tribes and Alaska natives, would break new ground and eventually be ruled unconstitutional, critics of the proposal said yesterday.

Flu and furloughs will further weaken Hawaii's struggling economy and cause income and jobs in 2009 to take their biggest plunge in 40 years and push recovery into 2011 or 2012, according to the latest quarterly update released today by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.

Federal officials are planning to expand the critical habitat for an endangered native seal to Johnston Island and the main Hawaiian Islands, in light of the marine mammal's decline in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

The Honolulu City Council set the day for a special election to fill the late Councilman Duke Bainum's seat.

Hawaii County's acquisition of 3 acres from a private landowner for the new Makalei Fire Station is complete and "everything is ready to go," Mayor Billy Kenoi said Wednesday.

A new greenwaste company protesting a county decision to extend a contract with the county's current vendor may have prompted government officials to rethink the renewal.

One of county government's most prolific Web surfers worked for the councilman who requested an investigation into employees' Internet abuse.

Fourteen Big Island schools are providing free lunches to all children under age 19 this summer.

Three Maui County teen-agers and the anti-tobacco movement they're leading in Hawaii were tapped for a national award recognizing their campaign against cigarettes and tobacco advertising aimed at them and their peers.

Two Kaua‘i County Council members want to know why the chair of the seven-member legislative body, Kaipo Asing, and the county clerk, Peter Nakamura, continue to stifle their requests.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Thursday morning edition

HHonolulu City Councilman Duke Bainum was remembered yesterday as a political moderate who reached out to help those most in need.

Though his chair sat empty -- draped with leis -- fellow Honolulu City Council members acknowledged the presence of Duke Bainum as they conducted perhaps their most important meeting of the year.

The Honolulu City Council is once again forced to seek out a ninth member after the sudden death of Councilmember Duke Bainum.

City Council will have to prepare for a special election to fill the seat of Councilman Duke Bainum, who died Tuesday of a heart aneurysm.

Honolulu residents will see higher property taxes, vehicle registration fees, bus fares and Waikiki parking rates under the budget package passed by the City Council yesterday.

Although he stopped short of saying he would veto it, Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann had serious concerns about the budget bill approved by the City Council yesterday that includes an increase in real property taxes but no tax credit for homeowners.

M.R.C. Greenwood, the incoming president of the University of Hawai'i, said her top priority will be navigating the 10-campus system through an estimated $148 million budget shortfall over the next two years.

A potential primary clash between Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann and U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie would give Democrats two brand-name choices for governor in 2010 but could also test resources during a recession.

Foreclosures in Hawaii soared 397.6 percent last month to a record high and pushed the state to its highest national ranking since 2005.

Last year was difficult for North Hawaii Community Hospital and the region's residents, with layoffs and leadership turnover, but the hospital's new chief executive officer thinks community relations have begun to mend.

A company trying to harvest eucalyptus and operate a veneer plant in Ookala is asking the state for a break on its penalty payments, following another postponement of its starting date.

Hawaii County pays dozens of employees to drive their personal cars for work purposes despite having its own vehicle fleet

CARE Hawaii, which provides an array of mental health services, will shut down its operations on Maui and Kauai, state health officials confirmed.

Maui Land & Pineapple has been granted an exemption to the county's "Show Me the Water" ordinance for a large-lot subdivision below the Kapalua-West Maui Airport in Mahinahina.

First swine flu cases confirmed on Kaua‘i

Tobacco bucks fill campaign coffers, drain from the Tobacco Settlement Fund

Hawaii fire inspections to be few and far between

Gov. Linda Lingle today signed SB 564, requested by the State Fire Council, decreasing the frequency from once every two years to once every five years for county fire departments to inspect all public buildings other than schools and airports. Fire chiefs can, however, use their discretion and inspect more often.

Public schools will continue to be inspected annually by county fire departments. Airports are the responsibility of the state.

“This bill would allow a county fire department to inspect buildings according to its fire and life safety risk,” said Kenneth G. Silva, Chair of the State Fire Council and Fire Chief of the Honolulu Fire Department, in March 31 testimony to the House Finance Committee. “As our state community and population continue to grow, fire department personnel have not increased proportionately, thus making it difficult, if not impossible, to inspect all buildings in two years.”

No one testified against the measure, and it received unanimous support on every legislative vote.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann told his Cabinet and staff yesterday afternoon that he has authorized a committee to explore a potential run for governor in 2010, setting up a possible challenge to U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie in the Democratic primary.

At an after-work meeting with Cabinet members and supporters last night, Mayor Mufi Hannemann authorized supporters to form an exploratory committee for a run for governor in 2010.

Another ominous sign for the state budget: Revenue collections are coming in even lower than the state Council on Revenues predicted.

Honolulu City Council members meet today to take up the city's operating budget along with a host of fee increases and tax hike proposals, all aimed at making up a $50 million shortfall in the coming fiscal year.

A 22-year-old woman was sentenced yesterday to a year in prison for illegally accessing another woman's medical records and posting on a MySpace page that she had HIV

Expert: Hawaii drivers will pay more for gas this summer

Gov. Linda Lingle signed a new law on Tuesday that makes it illegal to electronically harass or stalk someone using text messages or social networking Web sites.

A discovery of skeletal human remains in the proposed midlevel road corridor likely won't stop the project from proceeding, a Hawaii County official says.

One of Hawaii County Councilwoman Emily Naeole's Keaau constituents didn't like it when she called him "whacky" in a West Hawaii Today article last year and he's filed an ethics complaint.

Three Maui artists and a father-son slack key duo from Waiehu captured the coveted Na Hoku Hanohano award, Hawaii's version of the Grammy, for their recording artistry Tuesday night.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Tuesday morning edition

The USS Greeneville, the fast-attack submarine involved in a deadly collision with the fishing vessel Ehime Maru in 2001, is headed back to Pearl Harbor.

Dozens of Navy divers and SEALs hauled tires, a commercial kitchen sink and other junk out of Honolulu Harbor yesterday in celebration of World Ocean Day.

State Board of Education members appeared ready yesterday to pass a 76 percent increase in the price of public school lunches.

Public school students may have to shell out $2.20 for a hot lunch beginning in January under a proposal currently making its way through the state Board of Education.

Some Hawaii public schools are aggressively competing for students in the geographic exception program to help gain funding.

State education officials are disputing methodology used in new research that places Hawai'i's public schools in the bottom third in the country when comparing graduation rates state-by-state.

Under a federal program, 57 public schools will be offering free meals to students over the summer, the state Department of Education said.

Experts at the Lincoln presidential library confirmed yesterday that an important document tied to President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation is in the Hawai'i State Archives, but they don't know for sure how it got there.

Even during the Civil War, the greatest calamity to befall the nation, the wheels of bureaucracy ground slowly but surely. It required President Abraham Lincoln to write hundreds of letters and sign thousands of official statements.

The proposed addition of the Thirty Meter Telescope Project atop Mauna Kea is moving closer to reality.

The state of Hawai'i spent more than $112,000 to provide office space for Hawai'i companies at a Beijing technology park for nearly three years — but no businesses used the space.

Maui residential real estate sales were better in May than in April, although still not much more than half as much as in May 2008.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Monday morning edition

Madam Pele's cooking up quite a show, with a cauldron of molten lava, churning within Kilauea's summit.

President Barack Obama singled out a veteran from Hawaii for special mention in his D-Day remarks at the American cemetery at Normandy's Omaha Beach.

The Surfrider Foundation's Kauai chapter is offering a reward -- as yet unspecified -- for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the shooting death of two Hawaiian monk seals on Kauai

Kamehameha Schools will begin experimenting this fall with a merit-based pay program with hopes of eventually phasing in the system throughout its campuses.

Calls to domestic violence help lines are increasing as financial pressures brought on by the recession take a toll on Hawai'i families.

Some of Hawaii's largest nonprofit human services organizations are cutting programs, laying off staff and taking other actions to cope with significant state funding losses, raising concerns about the impact on the needy.

The Office of the Public Defender, which includes a dozen attorneys on Maui, will be shut down three Fridays each month to comply with state worker furloughs required by Gov. Linda Lingle.

Despite calls for motorcyclists and drivers of four-wheeled vehicles to safely share the road, the number of motorcycle-related fatalities in Hawai'i continues to climb.

Many Hawaii County officials pay less than the rest of us in property taxes, but it's primarily a function of how long they've lived in one spot, not preferential treatment.

A man apparently drowned and his 13-year-old daughter was injured last night when their Zodiac capsized off Keauhou in rough seas, the Hawai'i County Fire Department said.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Friday morning edition

A bill attempting to hold goods labeled as "Made in Hawaii" more accountable was signed by Gov. Linda Lingle on Monday and goes into effect on July 1.

Hawaii had the highest-priced gasoline in the country this week, with prices on Maui already over $3 a gallon and the statewide average creeping closer to that mark.

State Rep. Joe Bertram III is resting and recovering from toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease, that he apparently caught from cleaning out his cat's litter box, a family member said.

The University of Hawaii Board of Regents is likely to approve hiring of M.R.C. "Marcy" Greenwood as the first female president of the 10-campus UH system at a meeting Wednesday, board Chairman Allan Landon said yesterday.

University of Hawai'i Board of Regents Chairman Al Landon said the lone candidate for UH president has "substantial support" from regents as they prepare to vote on her candidacy on Wednesday.

Our islands could get connected by cable underwater. The high-voltage cable, 30 miles long and 9 inches in diameter would be placed on the ocean floor to link up Oahu, Maui, Molokai and Lanai's electrical systems.

Gov. Linda Lingle said the state will announce within about 10 days how state departments and agencies will be affected by state employee furloughs.

Like plastic bags before them, Hawaii's ubiquitous Styrofoam food containers are now in the sights of the Maui County Council for a potential ban.

Don't expect Honolulu to have a new police chief for another four to five months, Police Commission chairwoman Christine H.H. Camp said yesterday

Honolulu police plan to ticket drivers who disobey a new law that bans mobile electronic devices immediately after it goes into effect July 1 — a change that may take many drivers by surprise.

The Hamakua Sports Bar, part-owned by a legislative aide to Hamakua Councilman Dominic Yagong, is facing an uphill battle as community members challenge the opening of what would be Honokaa's only bar.

A total of 29 Big Island stores have been cited for selling tobacco to minors in a statewide sting operation that started last September.

Members of the Kaua‘i-Ni‘ihau Islands Burial Council on Thursday unanimously voted to defer action on a controversial burial treatment plan for Joseph Brescia’s Ha‘ena property.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Thursday morning edition

Tom Gill, who led the progressive wing of the Hawai'i Democratic Party at the birth of the state, contributed to the shift in Hawai'i's political landscape in the 1960s and later became a thorn in the sides of two governors from his own party, died yesterday. He was 87.

KGMB9's Political Analyst Peter Boylan talks about former Lieutenant Gov. Tom Gill, who died today.

Hawaii has one of the nation's highest rates of alcohol addiction but ranks as the state with the least drug dependence, according to a federal government survey released yesterday.

Seventy-one percent of Hawai'i residents lived in a household with Internet access in 2007, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Disputes over state worker furloughs were no closer to being resolved yesterday as the major players took public swipes at each other.

Gov. Linda Lingle's plan to furlough public workers is a good approach, former Gov. Ben Cayetano told KITV on Wednesday

The science-versus-sacrilege debate over the proposed solar telescope near Haleakala's summit received a jump-start Wednesday night back into Maui's public discourse for the first time in nearly three years.

Students at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa may have fewer courses and degree programs to choose from as campus officials anticipate some $50 million in budget cuts per year over the next two years.

The Hawaii County Council on Tuesday rebuffed a series of amendments from its Finance Committee chairman and passed a $386.9 million operating budget that funds vacant positions and overtime, suspends the land fund and relies on the sale of Hamakua property to make ends meet.

The Hawaii County Council Tuesday moved nearly $1 million of money set aside for retirement health benefits, but never used, to a fund to pay damages in a court case related to a South Kona bypass highway

Fish coughs up golden watch

Lifeguards are recognized for saving surfer with heart condition

Honolulu Police need your help looking for a man wanted for murder in Los Angeles.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

The skipper of the $1 billion guided-missile cruiser that ran aground near Honolulu Airport's reef runway Feb. 5 has avoided a military court-martial.

The captain of the Navy guided-missile cruiser that ran aground off the Honolulu International Airport Feb. 5 was cited for dereliction of duty and received an undisclosed punishment yesterday, the Navy announced.

Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday signed a bill into law that reduces pay for the governor, lieutenant governor, department directors, judges and state lawmakers by 5 percent and freezes their salaries through June 2011.

Labor attorneys and public officials are questioning whether Gov. Linda Lingle has the authority to furlough state employees without first negotiating the cuts with their unions.

A state senator is worried that the governor's furlough plan may put people in danger.

While Maui County's leaders said they understood the need for Gov. Linda Lingle to take action because of falling state revenue projections, they questioned Monday her decision to order three-days-per-month furloughs for state workers and reductions of free health insurance benefits for low-income adults.

A turf war between a county councilman and Mayor Billy Kenoi's administration could cost taxpayers thousands at a time when every dollar counts

A proposal authorizing Hawaii County to negotiate buying the Pahoa steam vents sailed through the County Council's Finance Committee with unanimous support Monday.

Of the 197 adults ages 21 and older who have been arrested for 291 marijuana-related offenses in Hawaii County, 106 are Caucasian, while Hawaiians were the second-most arrested ethnicity, with 45.

A Nevada-based developer is asking the state Land Use Commission for another chance to comply with reclassification requirements.

As summertime descends upon Kauai, road repairs will begin to flourish.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Tuesday morning edition

Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday she would order state workers to take three days a month in furloughs for the next two years and would scale back state health-care benefits for low-income adults to close what she described as a $730 million budget deficit.

Public worker unions contend that Gov. Linda Lingle cannot furlough state workers without union agreement, indicating they are willing to try to block the governor's plan.

VIDEO: Gov. Lingle's Full Speech

State education officials balked at the level of cuts suggested yesterday by Gov. Linda Lingle if it means shrinking the school year for students.

Advocates for the poor and disadvantaged say they are troubled by Gov. Linda Lingle's plan to cut $42 million from a state program that provides health insurance for low-income adults, insisting that the move may ultimately hurt the pocketbooks of all Hawai'i residents.

While Maui County's leaders said they understood the need for Gov. Linda Lingle to take action because of falling state revenue projections, they questioned Monday her decision to order three-days-per-month furloughs for state workers and reductions of free health insurance benefits for low-income adults.

Three members of the state Environmental Council have quietly resigned in recent weeks, alleging the governor ignored their work.

Honolulu remains the nation's safest major city after FBI crime statistics released yesterday indicate a 15 percent decline in crime last year, according to the FBI's annual report "Crime in the United States."

Hana High and Elementary School's new bamboo pavilion will be blessed and featured on national television this week.

Certain Hawaii County employees have used taxpayer-financed computers to access on-line classifieds, shop for children's clothes and check sports scores, the county's investigation into possible Internet abuse has found.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Monday morning edition

Hawai'i hotels continued to struggle in April, with occupancy dropping for the 14th month in a row.

Recovery is still a long way out for Hawaii's struggling hotel industry, which sustained its third month of record revenue losses in April, according to a Hawaii hotel report released today.

Education officials fear that the projected drop in state tax revenues could have a "dramatic impact" on the public school system, both in the current school year that ends in just over a week and the upcoming school year.

Gov. Linda Lingle will discuss her administration's plan to close the state budget shortfall via a live broadcast on television, radio and the Internet starting at 1 p.m. today

Global warming threatens to push endangered native Hawaiian honeycreepers closer to extinction unless the likely resulting increase in mosquitos that carry avian malaria and the pox virus is curtailed, federal scientists warn.

Futuristic aircraft may land in Hawaii

Advocates Hope Lingle Will Retain Program. Healthy Start Program Screens New Mothers

Hawaii's Department of Health will stop providing daily updates of new swine flu cases this week.

Work on the West Hawaii Civic Center is on schedule, with walls for the largest building to be erected by the end of June, Maryl Group Chief Executive Officer Mark Richards said.

Completion of the installation of the permanent bridge at Paihi is nearly finished and the County of Maui Department of Public Works is expected to reopen it on Monday.

Residents of two Kapoho subdivisions are slowly killing the pristine environment where they've chosen to live.

While the Maui Planning Commission moves forward with some of the big-picture questions in the county's general plan, residents of Waihee are looking at what the plan would mean for their small town.

Residents are urging the state to scrap its plans to develop a popular Westside Kauai state park and implement entrance fees for visitors.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Friday morning edition

The Department of Land and Natural Resources will close the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve June 2 and 3 to conduct animal control activities, specifically aerial shooting from helicopters of feral goats, feral sheep, mouflon and mouflon/feral sheep hybrids.

Chasing a slumping economy to the bottom, the state Council on Revenues yesterday whacked the state's revenue forecast, forcing new state spending cuts and throwing the state's two-year budget out of balance.

The state attorney general's office has questioned the Kawaiaha'o Church about its fundraising for a new $17.5 million multipurpose center.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs presented a $3 million check to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands yesterday to help finance construction of more affordable homes for native Hawaiians.

It would cost $20 million to $30 million to refurbish the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium, according to a rough estimate prepared for a 17-member, city-convened task force that met for the first time yesterday to discuss the future of the historic site

The public is invited to participate in meetings concerning a National Park Service special use permit for the proposed Advanced Technology Solar Telescope on Haleakala on Maui.

Police have arrested 21 people in connection of what they've described as "a recent spike in crimes associated with drug use and distribution in Puna."

Hawaii Island needs cheaper health care, more doctors and a system that places greater emphasis on prevention, industry experts told U.S. Congresswoman Mazie Hirono on Wednesday.

Maui Economic Concerns of the Community did intend to pay back county loans, but defaulted when plans for financing and future projects were dropped after a change in the county administration, said former Executive Director Charlie Ridings.

Federal officials are “doing anything and everything we possibly can to find who did this horrible thing” — the killing of two endangered Hawaiian monk seals in or near Kaua‘i waters in the last two months.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Thursday morning edition

State programs to repopulate Hawaiian Waters with fish and create more artificial reefs are on the budget chopping block

Lawmakers are expecting that the state Council on Revenues will forecast today an additional $90 million drop in state revenues.

Visitor arrivals last month dipped a modest 1.3 percent from April 2008, a major improvement over the double-digit declines that have dominated the past 12 months.

State union leaders say Gov. Linda Lingle has switched from calling for furloughs to demanding that state workers take pay cuts.

Army pilots whose unit is preparing for deployment to Iraq died yesterday after their helicopter crashed during a training flight at Wheeler Army Airfield, officials said.

Beset with costly contracts and the appearance of conflicts of interest, Mayor Billy Kenoi vowed Tuesday to strengthen the county ethics code to prevent more of the same during his administration.

The first of many applications under the new bed-and-breakfast ordinance had an easy time winning approval at the Maui Planning Commission Tuesday.

Putting a “fascinating” budget process behind them, the Kaua‘i County Council on Wednesday approved a $213 million budget in the form of two bills, which will be sent today to Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. for his approval.

Two school-age children became the first Big Island residents to be diagnosed with swine flu, the state Department of Health said Tuesday.

If the Board of Regents approves a proposal to offer a second bachelor's degree at Maui Community College, it will likely mean a name change for the Kahului campus to the University of Hawaii-Maui, UH President David McClain said in a memo to the regents.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

When DLNR Director Laura Thielen asked the state Legis-lature for $240 million in bond money to fix Hawai'i's aging state parks and harbors, she said some parks would have to close without the new money.

The state Board of Education last night postponed a decision on controversial amendments to the public school system's disciplinary rules — including changes that would allow for student locker searches and drug-sniffing dogs.

Curbside recycling will likely be restored for Waipahu and the Waianae Coast

The first two Big Island cases of swine flu were among 14 new cases reported yesterday by the state Department of Health.

A Maui man, who's accused of flying to Oahu to have sex with a child, made his first court appearance in the case Tuesday.

It's a tell tale sign of the recession - a drop in book sales has library use up.

Experienced horseman Edward "Eddie" Wilson was identified Tuesday as the man who fell to his death while riding his horse in Haleakala Crater on Monday afternoon.

A 9-year-old child was rescued Monday after he accidentally slid down a 100-foot embankment in Laupahoehoe

If Stephen “Dr. Beach” Leatherman went to Po‘ipu Beach Park today, just eight years after naming it the nation’s top beach, he might not recognize the place.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Tuesday morning edition

A long-awaited environmental report on the world's largest optical/infrared telescope, planned for the summit of Mauna Kea, says the overall public benefits of the project outweigh any "unavoidable adverse impacts."

If everyone agrees the state budget is balanced, why is there such an unending controversy about it?

Money from the federal economic stimulus package has started to flow into the islands, with the Navy putting out nearly $42 million in construction contracts and the Hawaii congressional delegation announcing about $64 million in Army projects.

More than 500 people stood and cheered L. Tammy Duckworth, a former helicopter pilot wounded in Iraq and U.S. assistant secretary of veteran affairs, who returned home to speak at a Memorial Day ceremony yesterday at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe.

A Purple Heart war veteran from West Maui has given his medal to a local businessman he believes is worthy of recognition

An increase in the number of unsheltered homeless people in the urban core has state officials rethinking their efforts for the area and trying to figure out how to deal with people who have been on the streets for months or years and have mental-health or substance-abuse problems.

Every Year something magical takes place in Hawaii on Memorial Day. As the sun sets, thousands of paper lanterns are released into the sea in memory of our lost loved ones.

Yesterday afternoon's stifling heat gave way to the slightest of breezes as the sun dipped below the horizon and some 2,200 wooden, rubber and paper floating lanterns set sail off Ala Moana Beach Park.

The Big Island may soon have the first officially designated scenic byway in the state.

Native Americans, Native Hawaiians together

Wailoa River State Park in Hilo was the scene this weekend for the 4th annual Inter-Tribal Pow Wow. On bright green grass beneath swaying palm trees, under a warm sun caressed by cooling ocean breezes, the event rang with drums, pipes, dances and pageantry, as peoples from across the nation joined their Native Hawaiian brethren for three days of togetherness and remembrance.

Although Native Americans account for fewer than 6,000 of Hawaii’s 1.3 million people, their ties to the Native Hawaiian and Native Alaskan peoples is enduring. Memorial Day is an apt time for their togetherness – like many of their Caucasian comrades in arms, Native peoples came to Hawaii as part of their military service, fell in love with the peaceful paradise, and chose to stay.





The Presen-
tation of the colors and the opening ceremonies began the day of workshops, chanting, singing and events for children

and adults alike.

The powwow was sponsored by the Federation of American Natives, in partnership with Big Island Resource Con-
servation and Dev-
elopment Council Inc. Support also came from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii County Council-
woman Emily Naeole, Angel Pilago, Connections Public Charter School, Big Island Weekly and the Big island Chapter of Alii’s of Hawaii Motorcycle Club.



Fried bread, Indian tacos and shave ice were among the offerings from the food vendors. All kinds of Native American jewelry, animal skins, sun catchers and carvings were also available in the vendor area behind the arena.

Prominent participants: Head Man Dancer Joe Hacker, a Rosebud Lakota; Head Woman Dancer Shelly Hill, a Mohawk; Master of Ceremonies Chip Begay, a Navajo; and Arena Directors Dan McDaniel, a Choctaw, and Tom Rowland, an Oglala. The Host Drum is 808NDNZ, an intertribal drum from Oahu, with guest drum Wild Horse from Southern California.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Monday morning edition

Big Island losing coqui frog war. War on invasive species pau as money dries up, frog numbers explode.

The Marine Option Program and degrees and certificates in classics, music composition and dance are among 33 programs under review for possible elimination as part of a long-term strategy to streamline the budget at the University of Hawaii at Manoa

President Barack Obama will name a new judge to Hawaii's federal courts in June as U.S. District Chief Judge Helen Gillmor retires.

Despite the economic downturn, Hawai'i travel agents say sales of tours to Rome for the canonization of Father Damien in October are brisk, with hundreds of Hawai'i residents already signed up to make the 8,000-mile trip.

Despite concerns about cost and the complexity of the law, the publicly funded campaigns of Hawaii County Council candidates will go forward next year.

Like museums across the country, Bishop Museum — Hawai'i's premier historic and cultural institution — is struggling to find ways to cope with the lingering economic recession. Dwindling grants, plummeting visitor arrivals, and poor investment returns have made that process especially painful.

Crystal methamphetamine and other narcotics are showing signs of a resurgence on Maui, due to the dismal economy, according to a Maui Police Department vice officer.

April was another cruel month for real estate, but some places have weathered the storm better than others.

Roz Savage knows her biggest challenge to completing a 2,600-mile solo row from Honolulu to Tuvalu in the South Pacific will be crossing the equator.

125 fighting cocks were taken into protective custody by the Kaua‘i Humane Society after being confiscated from a cockfight in Kapa‘a by the Kaua‘i Police Department’s specialized unit. Of the total, 71 remain alive.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Friday morning edition

If life is a beach, Hanalei Bay must be heaven. This remote, two-mile crescent-shaped beach on Kauai where the emerald mountains meet the sparkling sea was selected No. 1 on "Dr. Beach" Stephen P. Leatherman's 2009 list of top 10 beaches, which was released Friday.

As the total number of swine flu cases in the Islands climbed to 40 yesterday, state officials reiterated calls for residents to stay home when they're sick, while reassuring travelers that measures are being taken to contain the virus.

Swine flu concerns have cost the state millions of dollars in Japanese visitor spending this month.

Soon we may be able to listen to a recorded message left by King David Kalakaua in the late 1800s

After several hours of haggling, the Hawaii County Council on Wednesday managed to save the auditor's budget and help elderly transportation, too.

The Hawaii County Council voted 6-3 Wednesday to withhold an estimated $9 million from a land-purchase fund Big Island voters created in 2006.

After numerous starts and stops, mistakes, a do over and even a flood, the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge boardwalk could, finally, open in the next month or so, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officials said Thursday.

Whether or not some animosity exists between stand-up paddleboarders, surfers and swimmers, it’s evident that the popular sport is helping to boost the local economy.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Thursday morning edition

Hawai'i drivers are third-worst in the nation when it comes to their know-ledg
e of basic road rules, according to a survey.

Federal weather officials said they plan to give more advance notice to the public the next time a hurricane approaches the state

State lawmakers have agreed to give public hospitals more money to help them climb out of a financial crisis and greater flexibility to meet community healthcare needs, but have weakened corporate control over the system in favor of more power for regional administrators.

Gas guzzlers and imported vegetables may one day be a thing of the past, according to three energy-related bills awaiting Gov. Linda Lingle’s final approval.

A Maui judge issued an injunction yesterday preventing the state Office of Elections from using new voting machines or procedures in the 2010 elections without first adopting administrative rules.

Honolulu is looking for its 10th police chief after the Honolulu Police Commission voted unanimously yesterday to end Boisse P. Correa's contract when it expires in August.

Come New Year's Day, Big Island motorists will have to hang up their cell phones while driving, according to an amended bill a County Council committee advanced Tuesday by an 8-1 vote.

The Hawaii County Council is set Wednesday to knock the teeth out of its government watchdog, just months after voters put the office into the county charter.

Opponents and supporters of the U.S. Forest Service releasing a Brazilian scale insect to combat the invasive strawberry guava were optimistic Monday that their side would prevail and the facts would be revealed.

Thousands of people went to the Neal S. Blaisdell Exhibition Hall on Wednesday with the hope of finding a job.

Island Chevrolet has reached the end of the road, closing both its Hilo and Kona locations.

Maui Land & Pineapple Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Webber will receive $150,000 and 30,000 shares of stock as part of his resignation agreement, according to a report filed Tuesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

A warning about asian eyelid surgery - new research from a University of Hawaii professor reveals a misperception that could lead to undesirable results.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

The state appears to be making progress in its push to address the homeless crisis, according to a new homeless point-in-time count, which estimates the number of unsheltered homeless in the Islands is down about 25 percent compared with 2007.

The state Legislature quietly let expire a tax exemption on the sale of gasoline in Hawaii, meaning that drivers will pay an extra $40 million a year in state taxes starting July 1.

The price of public school lunches is expected to go up by about 85 cents after the governor signed a law to allow the Department of Education to increase the cost of school meals.

When the Honolulu City Council Budget Committee on Monday voted to raise property taxes, council members also hiked a number of other city fees twice.

Six state senators are asking the University of Hawaii Board of Regents to delay the selection of a new UH president and include "a native son or daughter of Hawaii" on the list of possible candidates.

Honolulu prosecutors are trying to decide if there is enough evidence to bring misdemeanor criminal charges for the beating death of a peacock.

With his contract set to expire in August, the Honolulu Police Commission will discuss the future of Police Chief Boisse P. Correa today and may decide to extend his contract or start looking for a new chief.

Honolulu Harbor is Hawaii's busiest harbor. But along with all the ships in the water, trash and unwanted items have been dumped beneath the surface for decades.

The growth in Hawaii County employees continues to outpace population growth in Hawaii County, despite the fact that 17 percent of budgeted positions aren't filled.

All you had to do was ask. Turns out Hawaii County employees have lots of ideas about how to increase revenues or cut expenses in their government.

The future of Old Kona Aiport Park is here -- at least, in draft form.

With no signs of significant rainfall coming any time soon, Maui County water officials are concerned about more dry weather and falling water levels in Upcountry reservoirs.

A 300-pound female green sea turtle found injured and bleeding in waist-deep water off the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands was rescued by humans.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Tuesday morning edition

A peacock was viciously beaten to death this weekend in Makaha. The accused animal killer said the bird's constant squawking drove her to do it

The number of Japanese visitors arriving in Hawai'i plunged over the last two weeks amid swine-flu fears — even though Hawai'i cases have remained few and mild — and cancellations over the next few months are likely to cost the state millions more in lost revenue.

The Lingle administration is ordering $36.3 million in cuts that essentially requires state agencies to stop all discretionary spending.

The latest budget proposal from the Honolulu City Council's Budget Committee would give homeowners a $175 tax credit to help offset an expected increase in the property tax rate

Oahu communities that have waited years for curbside recycling might have to wait even longer now that the Honolulu City Council's Budget Committee has cut $6 million in funding for the roll-out scheduled to begin next May.

With no signs of significant rainfall coming any time soon, Maui County water officials are concerned about more dry weather and falling water levels in Upcountry reservoirs.

Community members continued to dream big Sunday as three proposed plans for Old Kona Airport Park were discussed in greater detail.

A new health clinic quietly opened its doors in Hilo and is now accepting patients.

A tripped generator caused short-term power outages at “various pockets” around Kaua‘i on Monday afternoon, according to multiple witnesses and the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Monday morning edition

In addition to marketing cam-
paigns supporting local ag-
riculture, the Depart-
ment of Agri-
culture is beginning to designate the long-awaited Important Agricultural Lands across the state.

Gov. Linda Lingle told Hawaii Republicans that it's time for younger members of the state GOP to move into leadership positions.

A 66 cent fee on local monthly cell phone bills intended to pay for 911 emergency location technology is now a windfall for the cash-strapped state.

The recession has lifted the state's bottle deposit redemption rate to an all-time high of 77 percent.

By the time the Hawaii Superferry auction was over Saturday morning, everything from the tent over the bidders' heads to benches under their bottoms was sold.

A long overdue cleanup of Honolulu Harbor is not the end of an environmental effort.

The Maui Police Commission has picked Deputy Chief Gary Yabuta to be the county's new police chief.

Driving while talking or texting on a hand-held cell phone is dangerous and should be outlawed, says the Hawaii County Council's vice chairman.

Some Makawao merchants and their customers are alarmed by changes being prepared for Baldwin Avenue by the Makawao Main Street Association.

Yesterday was a deadly day on Oahu as two men died and several others were hurt in four separate accidents.

The four senior centers on O'ahu, which provide services aimed at keeping seniors active and out of nursing homes, are cutting back programs and staff and grappling with how to keep their doors open after failing to secure rainy-day funds from legislators.

A Honolulu City Council committee has delayed action on a proposal to allow bed-and-breakfasts to operate in residential areas under certain conditions

It's the newest addition to the Hawaii Air Ambulance fleet.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Friday morning edition

The Health Department may increase the Hawaii beverage container deposit by a half cent, which could result in retailers rounding up a whole cent for consumers.

A proposed tax of $1.05 on each barrel of oil sold in Hawai‘i, which would inevitably be passed on to drivers at the pump, would go to fund energy and food self-sufficiency in the state.

Oahu's neighborhood board election is making history because it is the world's first election being conducted entirely on the Internet and by telephone.

Maui's Island Dodge on Hana Highway in Kahului is among the 789 dealerships nationwide Chrysler LLC wants to eliminate by early next month, according to a bankruptcy court filing today.

A former Kaua'i mortgage broker who admitted to defrauding more than 50 people out of $30 million drove his truck off a cliff into a ravine in Washington state, killing himself yesterday, the day he was due in federal court in Honolulu for sentencing, according to law enforcement officials

State Sen. Fred Hemmings' wife, Lydia, pleaded not guilty to felony theft charges yesterday and is free on $5,000 bail pending trial in July.

A scientific study of shark-cage dive tours in Hawai'i indicates they pose little risk to public safety, largely because they operate at least three miles offshore and are frequented by Galapagos and sandbar sharks, two species rarely involved in attacks on humans.

The Army Reserve in the Pacific will get its first female leader: Brig. Gen. Michele Gillen Compton, who has been a reservist for more than two decades.

Derelict fishing nets are turned into electricity

While local officials cast about for ways to plug a growing budget hole, at least $10 million in salaries and benefits for vacant positions sits idle in Hawaii County coffers.

Kaua‘i’s Board of Ethics took significant steps toward a more transparent government Thursday morning.

After selling one of its bulldozers as surplus for $52,083, Hawaii County will have spent $427,025 renting it back by the time its recently extended contract expires June 31.

The Maui County Council on Wednesday approved keeping property tax rates at existing levels for the next year.

School officials are investigating how a Keaau Middle student managed to pull up an Internet pornography site on a school computer.

A Keaau couple accused of commercial promotion of marijuana claims their arrest was unlawful because both are medical marijuana patients.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Thursday morning edition

The state Supreme Court yesterday denied a request by the Lingle administration and state House and Senate leaders to reconsider a March ruling that led to the shutdown of Hawai'i Superferry.

An effort to balance the state budget could keep visitors from heading to Hawaii. A small change in Hawaii's room tax will make big waves, not only in Waikiki, but across the state - with the island's tourism industry.

The University of Hawaii announced on Wednesday that it will not have the traditional handshake at the Manoa campus graduation.

A Maui resident who became sick in Washington state is among four more cases of swine flu reported for Hawaii, bringing the state's total to 10, according to the state Department of Health.

The Honolulu City Council is pushing a 3-cent-a-gallon fuel tax increase and plans to discuss raising property taxes next week.

Honolulu on Wednesday suspended the commuter ferry service known as TheBoat, a spokesman said.

The $2.5 billion attack submarine USS Hawaii left the East Coast yesterday en route to its new home port at Pearl Harbor.

Hawaii County has fired its contractors and taken back the Kamakoa at Waikoloa Workforce Housing project.

Seeking to subdivide his Glenwood property to create homesites for his children, Mayor Billy Kenoi wants one of his Cabinet appointees to exempt the parcels from minimum water requirements.

In typical and traditional Native Hawaiian fashion, Kaua‘i Police Chief Darryl Perry is not just administering his huge department for the present.

Officials yesterday recovered the body of a woman in a ravine off Waimano Trail, in a renewed search effort prompted by the reappearance just hours before of a missing woman's pet dog.

Lawmakers to be schooled on sharks

Shark experts will be schooling lawmakers Thursday about shark feeding in relation to commercial tours.

The information briefing, conducted by the Senate committees on Energy and Environment and Water, Land, Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs, will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Capitol auditorium.

• On the agenda:
• Presentation by the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology about shark behavior and human interactions.
• Presentation by Hawaii Shark Encounters about their shark tour operations.
• Presentation by Surfrider Foundation from the perspective of ocean recreation users.
• Presentation by Save Our Surf from the perspective of ocean recreation users.
• Presentation by the Royal Order of Kamehameha concerning the Native Hawaiian perspective of sharks.
• Presentation by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Aquatic Resources Division regarding the state's jurisdiction over near shore waters.
• Presentation by the U.S. Coast Guard regarding enforcement activities in federal waters.
• Presentation by the NOAA Fisheries Service regarding federal jurisdiction.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

Pipe and cigar smokers along with those who buy snuff and chewing tobacco in Hawaii are getting a four-month, $400,000 state tobacco tax holiday because of an error in a tax law written by the state Legislature.

The state's Employees' Retirement System investment portfolio sank by more than a half-billion dollars during the first three months of the year as stock markets tumbled.

State legislators surprised hospital officials with a $12.3 million appropriation to help offset rising costs of health care for the unemployed and uninsured.

An article posted on the Tax Foundation's Web site said Hawai'i is leap-frogging seven other states to move into the No. 1 spot for income tax rates.

The National Science Foundation says the summit of Haleakala is the best site in the world for its proposed Advanced Technology Solar Telescope.

About 25 people on Tuesday protested at the Honolulu federal court demanding the impeachment and prosecution of federal Judge James S. Bybee.

West Hawaii's own planning commission will meet for the first time on Friday.

Just 75 marijuana plants, ranging in size from seedlings to four-footers, were taken by law enforcement officers during last week’s Green Harvest operations across the island, according to Kaua‘i Police Department officials.

Officers seized 113 plants from indoor pot operation. Two people accused of operating an indoor pot farm have been indicted by a Hilo grand jury.

Imagine getting liposuction during your lunch, then going to work the next day. New technology makes that possible. It's a laser procedure, now available in Honolulu, and it's a first in Hawaii.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Tuesday morning edition

The newest member of the Hawaii Supreme Court said he had been determined to follow a career in public service ever since he took a post-college job as a U.S. Senate committee clerk. More than 200 people crowded the court chambers yesterday to watch Mark E. Recktenwald take the oath as an associate justice.

Homeowners now have a little more help in keeping their property safe, from hazards on neighboring land, as a bill passes this legislative session

Just days after the state Legislature approved tax increases to help meet its budget deficit, the Honolulu City Council is looking at a potential hike in property taxes.

Former Honolulu police officer Kevin Brunn and his wife, Micha Terragna, have been sentenced to between two and three years in prison for their roles in protecting and profiting from an illegal cockfighting operation in the Waialua area.

One of Hawaii's first Internet sex cases ended Monday with a one-year prison sentence.

A ruptured propane gas line prompted Hawaii County safety personnel to cordon off much of downtown Hilo on Sunday afternoon.

Descendants of Eva Cabral Medeiros celebrated her 100th birthday Sunday by underlining the Portuguese woman's motherly virtues.

Birds present obstacles for wind turbine permits at Kilauea farm