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Although she expressed serious concerns and a lack of con- fidence in the state Office of Elections' ability to carry out next year's elections, the head of the Senate's money com- mittee stopped short of saying the agency's chief should be fired.A tentative agreement for public teacher furloughs could shorten the school year by as many as four weeks.A state Board of Education committee rejected a more than 100 percent increase in school bus fares yesterday, but Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto said she will have to look elsewhere for the money that would have been raised, and "that creates challenges."
Hawai'i's health insurance premiums grew an estimated 3.7 times faster than worker earnings during the past decade, according to a new report from a group advocating affordable health care.The state Health Department is seeking a $43,500 fine from the Chevron Hawaii Refinery for alleged water quality violations.Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. signaled his support for a stalled bill that would outlaw plastic checkout bags at retail stores across Kaua‘i, sending a letter to the Kaua‘i County Council that counters business community opposition that caused a deferral last week.
An alternative rail plan advanced by Kamehameha Schools could save money in the short-term but would create safety, traffic and other problems, according to the city.About 30 people spoke up Monday night at a special hearing on a proposed reorganization of the Hawaii County Council, with nearly as many in favor as opposed.Opponents of a County Council reorganization slightly outnumbered supporters Monday evening during a public hearing that brought several first-time testifiers to the microphone.
Maui Planning Commission members were unable to agree where to designate growth boundaries in South Maui, but they did make some progress in Kula.
Margaret Dupre says she is exercising her First Amendment right to express herself by holding psychic readings on the sidewalks of Waikiki.New figures released last week showed roughly one out of every 13 people in Hawai'i goes naked when it comes to health insurance, either not being able to afford the coverage or choosing to do without it.As the economy limps along, Hawai'i's museums are finding it tougher to meet their financial needs. They've slashed budgets by cutting hours, closing collections and laying off staff.With unemployment growing, soup kitchens statewide are overflowing with hungry residents.The Kauai Civil Defense Agency will host the annual, week-long Weapons of Mass Destruction exercise in conjunction with the Hawaii National Guard 93rd Civil Support Team.Hawaii inmates help themselves and the community by building playgroundsWith sunny skies, gentle winds and an ocean backdrop, Hilo was a good place Saturday to go swimming, have a picnic or even rail against the government.For economists, it's yet another number to add to their statistical models. But for 80 of Hokulia's 100 employees whose numbers are up, it's the loss of a paycheck and their livelihoods.Plans for a proposed Maui Regional Public Safety Complex - or jail - in Puunene are moving forward, leaders from the state Public Safety and Accounting and General Services departments said last week.“Keep out of water.” Chronically high levels of enterococcus bacteria — well above state and federally deemed safe levels — was what prompted water quality expert Dr. Carl Berg to organize efforts in permanently displaying those words on a sign near the Hanalei River at the county’s Black Pot Park.
The worst may not be over for Hawaii state workers. Governor Linda Lingle, in a videocast streamed live on the internet, delivered more grim news Thursday afternoon. She says a second round of layoffs is likely.Gov. Linda Lingle is planning another round of state worker layoffs, plus cuts to social service programs that will result in "a fundamental restructuring of state government."Gov. Linda Lingle cautioned yesterday that a second round of layoffs because of the budget deficit would require a fundamental restructuring of state government, but she would not discuss the number of state workers who could lose their jobs or other specifics.Transcript VideoThe state Board of Education last night failed to approve a proposal that would have reduced the public library system's budget by $5.7 million.State legislators have ordered Ted Liu, the embattled director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, to provide a written accounting of his decision to lay off nearly all workers in the Hawaii Film Office, which has brought about $1 billion to the state since 2001.A spike in enrollment, long-range planning and purging of low-demand courses have allowed the University of Hawaii at Hilo to avoid -- at least so far -- some of the draconian cuts happening at UH-Manoa.The state's war on invasive species may have to take a backseat to saving the struggling agriculture industry, as state officials scramble for funding in a down economyThe Bookmobile resumed service Tuesday after mechanical problems were addressed. But, because of budget cuts, service to West Maui was eliminated.
To demonstrate just how easy using wind as a clean, renewable energy source is, Smith, along with business partner Dane Eirhart, came up with an idea which they’ve been proudly parading around town in recent days.
A report by a national trans- portation research group released on Wed- nesday confirmed what most Hawaii drivers already know: roads and bridges in Hawaii are in bad shape and traffic is awful.The Lingle administration is renewing efforts to get lawmakers to approve a "holistic" and "aggressive" $4.2 billion program for highway and traffic modernization, safety and education, state Transportation Director Brennon Morioka said yesterday.U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono joined AARPHawai‘i for a health care town hall Wednesday, and “civility, aloha and dignity” prevailed in lieu of the division, fear and fighting that has plagued similar meetings across the country this summer.The head of the state agriculture department said Wednesday she's located funds to cut in half the number of agriculture inspectors who may be laid off because of the state's budget crisis.An attempt to give Hawaii County's auditor fiscal independence faltered Tuesday when a proposed Charter amendment was postponed at the request of its author.The county's plan to sell lands seized in Hamakua for back taxes is a fire sale, community members warned the County Council Tuesday.
Weary and hungry from a meeting that ran nearly 111/2 hours, Hawaii County Council members voted to postpone their discussion on a bill that would provide greater transparency to large land sales by the county.Five County Council members went on a lobbying expedition to Honolulu in April, assuring state lawmakers they would "quickly pass" a resolution asking for a reprieve from the state's new Clean Elections Law, according to an amended lawsuit filed Tuesday by West Hawaii Today.Two 13-year-old boys were arrested after a 12-year-old girl told police Monday she was held against her will on the grounds of the Kamehameha Schools Kapalama campus from early Friday to early Monday and repeatedly sexually assaulted.Tuesday marked the first day the Maui County Parks and Recreation Department - technically - put into place controversial rules meant to free up more space at Maui's most crowded beaches.
Tourists and workers were assured Tuesday that the Maui Prince Hotel will operate continuously through foreclosure, although there will be some loss of jobs.
When the state of Hawaii promotes its lush tropical beaches to the world, bathing in the buff is one attraction it turns a blind eye to. While some state beaches experienced a clothing crackdown in the past, officials pay less attention to naked beachgoers these days, let alone acknowledge they exist.The jaw-dropping views are still here, from grass-covered cinder cones to Mauna Loa in the distance, as motorists drive at high speed past the quonset huts of Pohakuloa Training Area.The bad news has been out there awhile, reinforced by the daily reminders on the roads: Hawaii Island's rate of traffic fatalities is three times that of Oahu, twice the rate of Maui and Kauai counties.Farmers said Hawaii biggest money makers could be seriously impacted if the state goes ahead with plans to layoff agriculture inspectors.Farming in North Hawaii faces new challenges daily.The Hawai'i Government Employees Association has filed a prohibited practices complaint against Gov. Linda Lingle and several of her department directors, claiming the state has not adequately consulted with the union on the layoffs of more than 1,100 state workers.Caught in a financial squeeze by the state's budget shortfall, the Hawaii Office of Elections has decided to pay its utility and other overhead costs for the rest of the fiscal year instead of filling four key positions as the 2010 elections approach.A Hawaii scuba instructor and underwater videographer takes a journey to the center of the ocean and finds it's covered in plastic trash. Drew Wheeler went in search of trash and he found it floating in the most remote part of the Pacific Ocean. It's often called, "the Pacific garbage patch".Mayor Billy Kenoi did not get authorization from the Hawaii County Council Finance committee Tuesday to move forward with the sale of land in Hamakua.
Maui County will post the names of delinquent taxpayers in an effort to recoup more than $8.6 million in unpaid real property taxes, the county Finance Department announced Tuesday.
The outer edges of the storm should bring locally heavy rainfall tonight on the Big Island and Maui County. If Felicia follows its projected track, it will be centered over Oahu by 8 tomorrow night.State and county Civil Defense officials said they will make many decisions on Monday morning about what to do about Tropical Storm Felicia when they get a clearer picture of where the storm is headed.Felicia weakens slightly as it continues to approach the Hawaiian islandsWhile Red Cross volunteers are on standby around the state as Tropical Storm Felicia approaches, the organization is calling for new help.Mayor Kenoi Surfs Felicia's Power Oahu could face gale-force winds and heavy rain as early as tomorrow as former Hurricane Felicia approaches the islands, the National Weather Service warns.Hurricane Hunters fly into FeliciaAt Hawaii County Civil Defense headquarters, Administrator Quince Mento scanned a satellite photo of a slowly weakening Hurricane Felicia showing on one of the six large plasma screens dominating one wall.In 1959, what opposition there was to Hawai'i statehood was based on a variety of factors, from fears that communists had infiltrated the territory's labor unions to concerns that statehood would further disenfranchise its Native Hawaiian population.The dreaded, anxiously-awaited layoff notices to 1,100 state workers were distributed last Tuesday.Former Honolulu City Councilmember Ann Kobayashi is back! She emerged the clear winner Friday night in a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the late Duke Bainum.A proposal that could cost West Hawaii homeowners, builders and developers thousands of dollars per new home goes before the Board of Education MondayOn Monday, the leaders of the American Farm Bureau Federation were on Maui, touring the brand spanking new inspection facility at Kahului Airport. And on Tuesday, layoff notices went out to many of the state inspectors who make the building useful.
The Obama administration came through on its promise to support Native Hawaiian self-governance yesterday with a powerful statement to a Senate panel, backing a bill that would give Native Hawaiians the same rights as Native Americans and AlaskansNext time you do a search on the Web, you could be selecting "Huli ia Google," the Hawaiian words for "search Google."As forecasters had predicted, Hurricane Felicia continues a slow but steady weakening as it gets closer to Hawaii.Preparation for Hurricane Felicia has boosted sales of emergency items this week at stores statewide, including tarps, flashlights and bottled water.U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie said Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann is attacking his campaign for governor.The Hawai'i Government Employees Association demanded yesterday that the Lingle administration stop its layoff of 1,100 state workers until there is meaningful consultation with the union over layoff guidelines.The Maui County Council Economic Development, Agriculture and Recreation Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to recommend passage of a bill banning shark tour businesses in Maui County.The Hawaii County Council will keep its original slate of officers and committee chairmen at least into next month, thanks to a parliamentary move that sets a Sept. 14 public hearing on the issue.
Lacking the votes to prevent the County Council from reorganizing Wednesday, minority members employed a delaying tactic that will preserve the current leadership for five more weeks.
Hurricane Felicia continues to maintain Category 4 storm status this morning as it follows its westward trek across the Pacific.From the Big Island to Kauai, residents are beginning to buy emergency items as Hurricane Felicia strengthens and moves northwest and closer to the Hawaiian Islands.While forecasters keep watch over Hurricane Felicia as it grows in strength, it has been nearly two decades since Hawaii has seen a hurricane that caused significant damage.Felicia maintaining strength but expected to weaken later today. The center of Felicia is located a little over 1,500 miles from Hilo. It is moving northwest at 9 mph.If Hurricane Felicia stays on course and remains predictable, it should arrive in Hawaii on Sunday night or Monday morning but as a much weaker tropical storm or depression, said Glenn James, senior weather analyst at the Pacific Disaster Center in Kihei.Senate President Colleen Hanabusa is expected to announce this month that she will run for the urban Honolulu congressional seat to be left vacant by U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, who is running for governor.It took the Hawaii County Council less than 20 minutes Tuesday to undo a reorganization that earlier this summer took almost an entire day to create and spurred a lawsuit on Sunshine Law violations.The County Council wrapped up a months-long discussion about the role of democratic principles in county policy by promising Wednesday to work together going forward, but two resolutions to change the body’s rules were rejected by 4-3 votes.Hawai'i's state and county workers who regularly order the same prescription drug are being required to get their refills from a Florida pharmacy, prompting complaints from workers and some of the pharmacies they previously used.Faced with Native Hawaiians claiming an interest in the land, Hawaii County Council members Tuesday unanimously postponed acting on county administration's plan to sell thousands of acres in Hamakua to help balance the budget.Separate measures supporting Hawaii County-owned dog parks and modifying the process of registering a mo-ped were advanced by County Council committees Tuesday.Charles Vidinha, a 78-year-old Kaua‘i resident, was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on charges that on May 21 he killed an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Planning and design work for a long-awaited, multimillion dollar improvement project for Diamond Head State Monument is finally expected to wrap up this fall, and work could start early next year.The number of people who have flu-like symptoms is so great, the Hawaii Department of Health has stopped testing for the H1N1 virus.Education officials have few explanations for what they consider to be a disturbing trend — year after year Hawai'i's high schools struggle to make "adequate yearly progress" under the federal No Child Left Behind law.The days of discount movie theaters on Oahu are gone, for now.Proposals for the county's general plan would add thousands of new housing units to West Maui, making it one of the top areas for growth on the island over the next 20 years.Retrofitting county facilities with photovoltaic systems and composing a monthly “green column” for The Garden Island are just two of the many projects the county is working on to “move forward” with sustainability, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said at the most recent Apollo Kaua‘i meeting.On June 26, 2000, state officials awarded a $1.5 million contract for a system to monitor taxi traffic at Honolulu International Airport. Nine years later, the state has spent $1.3 million and the system is still not finished.A memo dated July 8 from Police Chief Harry Kubojiri to County Council Chairman J Yoshimoto said that "Counter Cannabis" field operations were flown June 29 in East Hawaii and June 30 in West Hawaii. Voters in November passed a law making adult personal use of marijuana the lowest law enforcement priority, which said the council "shall not support the acceptance of any funds for the marijuana eradication program."
Remote, unimproved and isolated O'ahu beaches have become the newest homeless refuge for some of those forced to vacate Wai'anae Coast park encampments in recent months.Former Bishop Museum director Don Duckworth was fond of calling Hawaiian Hall a "museum of a museum." When it was constructed during the closing years of the 19th century, it was a grand example of Victorian design, a lofty poem in crafted basalt and carved koa, an intricate jewel case created solely to show off what still could be collected of Hawaiian prehistoric culture.
A proposal moving through the City Council makes it illegal to operate shark tours on O'ahu.
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