Native Hawaiian claims county land, Aloha Run today, Honolulu bus ridership down, homeless up, state hospital troubled, more top Hawaii news

After months negotiating with a landowner, Hawaii County has almost finalized the paperwork to buy a property labeled the top priority for preservation by the county's Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission. The problem is, the man who lives there says it's not for sale.

Despite stepped-up efforts, the state cannot keep pace with swelling numbers of homeless

Rising unemployment and gasoline prices below $4 a gallon are taking a toll on public transit ridership in Honolulu and nationally.

Legislators, Kane'ohe residents and the union for Hawai'i State Hospital employees are raising concerns about a cost-cutting decision in December to lay off state security guards at the psychiatric facility, dramatically decreasing the hospital's security force.

It's Hollywood in Hawaii, as the Black Pearl arrives.  That's the ship featured in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.

More than 20,000 people are scheduled to hit the streets Monday morning as part of the 26th annual Great Aloha Run.

A helicopter tour company reported seeing an "SOS" written on Kalalau Beach at about 2:30 p.m. while flying over the area.

The streets were filled with the din of firecrackers, gongs and cymbals as Ed Yap's Big Island Shaolin Arts troupe helped Hiloans celebrate the advent of Chinese New Year.

One of the state's biggest defense contractors has won the bid for the first phase of Ane Keohokalole Highway, also known as the midlevel road.

Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge Manager Glynnis Nakai said, yes, she knows what people will say.

A nearly $90,000 grant from the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs will support efforts by a group working to protect a Lanai forest and watershed and its native plants and animals - including a colony of endangered uau, or petrel seabirds, discovered in 2006.

It was Kaua‘i Police Assistant Chief Roy Asher’s idea to mark the beginning of Chief Darryl Perry’s tenure with new badges for all officers.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife announces an opportunity for interested individuals to participate in the control of feral goats on Kaua‘i in an area known as Hunting Unit F in Waimea Canyon.

ACLU: State discriminates against unmarried couples, more than 5k medical marijuana users, tourism is king, green building code costing, meth addict guilty of throwing baby off overpass, more

Hawaii’s sandalwood industry is long gone. Even sugar operations are a distant memory. For now, tourism is the industry in Hawaii.

Ten years after Hawaii became one of the first medical marijuana states, lawmakers are planning to make more marijuana available to patients. However, law enforcement agencies are objecting, saying the current law is not working the way it was intended.

So far the state has granted more than five-thousand medical marijuana permits, majority of those on the Big Island.

State general fund tax collections for the first seven months of the fiscal year decreased by 5.4 percent compared with the same period last year, but the decline wasn't as severe as the drop in revenues reported in the first half of the year.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a complaint alleging that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is discriminating against unmarried couples who want to live together on boats in state-run harbors.

A state judge found an admitted methamphetamine addict guilty yesterday in the death of a toddler thrown from an H-1 pedestrian overpass.

Former Mayor Frank Fasi's body will lie in state at Honolulu Hale all day on March 3 to give the public an opportunity to pay its respects.

Surfers need to say thank you to El Nino. The weather phenomenon is bringing in great surf conditions today and all winter long.

Big Island business leaders argue that a state House of Representatives bill to lower unemployment insurance tax rates doesn't provide enough relief for overburdened entrepreneurs.

Laupahoehoe High and Elementary School may now apply to the state for public charter school status following Wednesday's supportive 145-35 vote by parents and teachers.

A new "green" building code that goes into effect this spring could cost a bit more green as well.

Maui County Council members who appoint another person to represent them on the board of a nonprofit could still face a conflict of interest in voting on matters that affect the organization, the Board of Ethics stated.

After hearing nearly four hours of emotional testimony, the Kaua‘i/Ni‘ihau Island Burial Council on Thursday unanimously rejected the 16th draft of the burial treatment for Naue landowner Joseph Brescia’s controversial single-family home.

State e-waste plan not working, tent, shopping cart park ban moving forward, lawmakers debate Furlough Friday, Hamakua land to go on block, Lanai councilman could be forced out, other state news

The Big Island's e-waste recycling centers are becoming graveyards for illegally dumped computers, televisions, microwaves and printers.

Bills restricting tents and banning shopping carts at city parks moved out of a key Honolulu City Council committee yesterday.

Incoming public housing tenants could be subject to credit checks and visits to their current home under proposals meant to better screen applicants and cut down on delinquent renters.

The Hawaii Supreme Court has ordered a circuit judge to decide whether Lanai Councilman Sol Kahoohalahala should keep his job depending on where he lives

Maui County Council Member Sol Kaho'ohalahala could be forced to vacate his office by a judge, under a ruling of the Hawaii Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann took his message across the street yesterday, staging a forum at the state Capitol to update the public on the status of the city's rail transit project and again urge Gov. Linda Lingle to expeditiously sign off on the project.

Attorneys for seven autistic students asked a federal appeals court yesterday to let them go back to school on Furlough Fridays, arguing that Hawaii's decision to shut down campuses has illegally disrupted their education.

Public school students could spend a minimum of 190 days and 36 hours a week in class, based on a bill passed out of the Senate's Committee on Education and Housing yesterday.

As students face another furlough Friday in two days parents are more and more frustrated and so are their elected representatives.

The Kaua‘i County Council will lend its voice to the chorus of Hawai‘i counties pleading to Gov. Linda Lingle and state lawmakers to keep their hands off the counties’ portion of the hotel tax.

There are flight frustrations with the bone chilling blizzard blanketing the East Coast. It's causing travel delays, which is having a domino effect in Hawaii.

Hawaii County will attempt to sell the first of its Paauilo mauka parcels March 31, finance administrators said Tuesday in outlining the liquidation plan expected to raise millions

A group of Maui residents calling themselves the DIRE Coalition said this week that while they support Mayor Charmaine Tavares' goal of eliminating the county's injection wells, she is just not doing enough to achieve results - or as soon as is possible.

Kilauea sends lava through subdivision, surf's up, lawmakers advance casinos, fireworks and legal marijuana, but snuff out cigarettes, more state news

Fires are burning on the Big Island of Hawaii as a surge of lava pulses down slope through as many as six tubes, threatening the last remaining home in a neighborhood scorched by lava flows.

Lava from Kílauea volcano once again has oozed through the mostly abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision, covering portions of the small open areas untouched by previous flows.

A high surf warning is in effect for north and west facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu and Molokai as well as north facing shores of Maui and west facing shores of the island of Hawaii. The warning is posted through 6:00 PM Thursday.

Marijuana could be sold legally and have its own tax under a proposal approved Tuesday by a state Senate committee.

Two state House committees on Tuesday killed a bill to allow customers to smoke in certain bars.

A bill that could lead to casinos on Hawaiian Home Lands passed out of the state House Judiciary Committee, while a separate measure that would allow a single casino on O'ahu also advanced yesterday.

Prospects for a statewide ban on fireworks dimmed yesterday after a state Senate committee chose to give counties the ability to opt out.

Natural disasters were considered "low-probability events" four years ago when planning began here on a hazard preparedness training program, observed University of Hawaii professor Karl Kim.

Spending and visitor arrivals for the Honolulu Marathon have remained at a good pace, with participants spending more than $100 million for the fifth year in a row, despite the tourism industry languishing in a cool-down period.

Residents hoping to visit the incredible natural wonders around the Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay will soon need to apply for a free permit from the state to land their kayaks.

Statistics about infant health and mortality can be a weathervane when it comes to predicting future trends in the health of the general population, a state health official says.

Honolulu real estate developer and broker Chris Lau has been appointed commissioner to sell the Makena Beach and Golf Resort, which was foreclosed last year. The auction probably will be scheduled for April.

A trio of bills that could go a long way toward curtailing unintended land uses and promoting agriculture on the Garden Isle have piled up on the Kaua‘i County Council’s to-do list.

Superferry may return, more government jobs may be lost, bar owners want smoking back, more news

If you thought the Hawaii Superferry issue was gone, you may be wrong.

The House Transportation Committee approved a bill yesterday to study a state-sponsored ferry system that would be able to buy at least one high-speed vessel to carry passengers and vehicles between the islands

The Army said it plans to look at the environmental impact of basing up to three "joint high-speed vessels" in Pearl Harbor — speedy craft capable of carrying large loads, similar to the defunct Hawaii Superferry's ships.

More than 200 state workers who process applications for government assistance programs could lose their jobs, their union said, and at least 50 eligibility offices statewide could close under a cost-cutting proposal that advocates are worried will make it harder for the poor to access key social services.

Hawaii's largest government worker union says up to 400 people could be on the chopping block and 60 offices may shut down.

State legislators are reviewing bills that would require a minimum of instructional hours or days in Hawaii public schools as they look to restore school days lost because of budget cuts.

A group of bar owners is asking for an exemption from the state's three-year-old workplace smoking ban.

In another sign of hard times, residents have been without a place to swim in Lanai City since landowner Castle and Cooke Resorts closed the island's only public pool nine months ago.

Construction has begun at the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands near Kekaha on an Advanced Radar Detection Laboratory facility

Lawmakers target taxes, hospitals, restaurants and drunk drivers, Census seeks better representation, Chinatown and cherry blossoms celebrated, more

The state Senate is set to discuss a bill Monday to privatize Hawaii Health Systems Corp. as a nonprofit organization.

For some legislative observers, the very idea that lawmakers will raise your taxes had become more of a "fait accompli" even before the starting gun had been shot.

Impounding a drunk driver's car for a year and furthering the education of bartenders and servers at the core of two new bills being introduced to the state Legislature this year.

The ingredients in entrees served at restaurants across the state are the target of new legislation at Hawaii's Capitol.

Local census officials estimate Hawai'i lost out on $310 million in federal funding over the past 10 years because of "undercounting" in the 2000 census.

Maui's commercial real estate industry sure isn't as bad as on the Mainland, said veteran local leasing broker Ed Bello of Bello Realty Inc., who on a recent business trip to Colorado saw a bankrupt big-box store converted into a charter school and a former Blockbuster Video into a veterinary clinic.

The state is driving the adoption of electric and alternate vehicles through a variety of mandates and grants, but the push could add to costs at government agencies and businesses already grappling with the worst economy in decades.

The Year of the Golden Tiger will be celebrated this year in conjunction with Valentine's Day, an occurrence that happened only a few times during the past century. But don't let the added romanticism fool you.

Hawaiian Holdings Inc., the parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, has posted a profit for the fourth quarter and for full year 2009.

An idea to keep Waimea from falling off the map as the Big Island grew has become a full-fledged explosion of color and fun for Big Island residents.

Parents and school officials have long questioned whether Hawaii students are prepared for life beyond high school.

Consumers are changing the way they use energy, said Brad Parsons of Kauaians for a Bright Future.

The Chinatown art renaissance continues.

Drought extreme, Kauai bulldozes Native Hawaiian homes, state credit rating down, Fasi remembered, command center a white elephant, Big Island stores on Target, roll call on civil unions, more state news

The rainy season here is falling so far short of normal this year that Hawaii is the only state with a National Weather Service assessment of "extreme drought" status.

Several Native Hawaiian families had their dwellings bulldozed Thursday after county officials determined they were illegally erected on county park land along Wainiha Bay and Wainiha River.

Tapping into reserves and special funds such as the state's hurricane relief or rainy-day funds to help balance the state budget could contribute to a lowering of Hawai'i's bond rating, Moody's Investors Services said.

Moody's Investors Service lowered its outlook for $4.7 billion in Hawaii general-obligation bonds, saying the state is depleting budget reserves as a tourism slump reduces tax revenue.

Friends and foes of Frank F. Fasi yesterday remembered Honolulu's longest-serving mayor as a savvy politician who fought for the little guy and got things done, often with little regard for conventional practices.

Even as Mayor Hannemann pushes forward with rail transit today he's following in Frank Fasi's steps. Fasi was one of the first supporters of rail more than 40 years ago.

A high-tech, state-of-the-art emergency mobile command unit that cost $700,000 has sat idle for 2 1/2 years after it arrived in Hawaii.

State Rep. Joe Bertram III has declared bankruptcy for a second time, saying he is unable to cover medical expenses from an illness that hospitalized him last year.

The Kenoi Administration wants to sell another Hamakua parcel of land.

Target and Safeway were welcomed with a mixture of gratitude and relief Wednesday as representatives broke ground on the $60 million Makaala Center in Hilo.

The Kaloko Housing Program took incremental steps forward Wednesday, but county officials seem confident the affordable housing project will be serving residents by early 2011.

The Weekly asked each representative: How did you vote in the voice vote on Speaker Say’s motion to postpone House Bill 444? Here’s what they told us.

Casinos coming to Hawaii? Frank Fasi dies, education in a muddle, plastic bag ban bagged, biodiesel for the Big island, more news

Casino operations could take place on Hawaiian Home Lands under a bill that advanced out of the House Hawaiian Affairs Committee yesterday.

Former Honolulu Mayor Frank F. Fasi died last night in his Makiki home at the age of 90.

Two bills that advanced in the state House yesterday would let voters decide if the state Board of Education should be appointed by the governor.

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie appears to be the favored son of attorneys, while Mayor Mufi Hannemann is the big winner among engineers and heads of companies.

How the University of Hawaii budget fares at the state Capitol is one of several factors that will determine how much tuition could go up at the 10 UH campuses, UH President M.R.C. Greenwood said yesterday after giving a first-ever State of the University speech before a joint session of the Legislature.

Grab those extra blankets - it's cold thanks to those north winds blowing in a big dry air mass after Tuesday's rain.

Too often in Hawaii's history, and today, people building on previously undeveloped land have damaged or destroyed archaeological sites, artifacts and iwi, or bones, said state Rep. Mele Carroll.

By a vote of 24 to 1, the state Senate confirmed former US Attorney Ed Kubo's appointment to be a Circuit Court judge.

Plastic bags don't litter the landscape; people do.

A new biodiesel plant that will produce 2.6 million gallons a year is planned for Keaau.

With one eye firmly trained on public safety, another on protecting local businesses and both hands firmly grasping the steering wheel, the Kaua‘i County Council on Wednesday passed an ordinance that will bar drivers from using handheld electronic devices.

The Hawaii County Council is considering impact fees on building permits as an alternative to the county's current reliance on "Fair Share" contributions from developers.

A Hawaii County Council committee heard from about two dozen people Tuesday night who testified that police are ignoring the voter-passed initiative making adult personal use of marijuana the lowest law-enforcement priority.

A Wailuku Elementary School teacher was arrested Tuesday morning after police reported finding crystal methamphetamine in a search of her Kahului residence.

A first grade teacher at Wailuku Elementary School teacher is facing serious drug charges.

State seeks to tax cash sales and the bag you take it home in, home sales up a bit, cell phone driving bans ineffective, federal money coming for rail, more news

Special state agents are scrutinizing businesses' cash sales in hopes of taxing some of the $2 billion in unreported transactions estimated to occur in Hawaii every year.

Hawaii state lawmakers are considering a proposal that would force customers to pay more at the grocery store.

Hawaii parents want school furloughs to end right now, but two state Senate committees are looking to the future to make sure Hawaii's public school children are never again robbed of any classroom time.

O'ahu's housing market started the year on a positive note, as the median price of previously owned single-family homes sold in January jumped 10.8 percent to $597,500 from $539,500 a year earlier.

Former U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo's chances of being confirmed by the state Senate as a Circuit Court judge improved yesterday when an influential senator who had opposed Kubo said he would likely vote for his confirmation.

The Federal Transit Administration has included funding for the Honolulu rail system in President Barack Obama's fiscal 2011 budget, in anticipation of the rail plan's clearing environmental review

A high surf advisory is in effect for north and west facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and north facing shores of Maui.

Blocked wells have left Puna Geothermal Ventures falling behind on its contract with Hawaii Electric Light Co., plant manager Mike Kaleikini said Monday.

Maui Land and Pineapple Co. will cease paying for life insurance and medical coverage for all its noncontractual retirees.

While the Kauai County Council continues to tweak a proposed ban on handheld electronics for Kaua‘i drivers, a leading institute on highway safety reported last week that similar laws across the country have not resulted in a lower incidence of traffic accidents.

UH spring enrollment highest ever, lawmakers eyeing Hurricane Relief Fund for schools, political season kicks off and other top Hawaii news

The recession and a lousy job market continue to fuel enrollment at the University of Hawai'i, which yesterday reported its highest-ever student count for a spring semester.

The University of Hawaii reports opening enrollment for the 10-campus system for the spring 2010 semester was 55,761 students.

A Board of Regents subcommittee is recommending that the University of Hawaii take in more out-of-state students as a way to increase revenue and enhance UH's reputation.

In a first pass at resolving teacher furloughs, the Legislature yesterday moved ahead on bills that would divert money from the Hawai'i Hurricane Relief Fund but delayed action on a proposal to increase taxes or take money from the rainy day fund.

A state Senate committee on Monday approved taking millions of dollars from the state's hurricane relief fund to reduce the number of public school furlough days.

Three state Senate committees passed two bills to end budget-cutting closures at public schools and restore instructional days by taking money from the Hurricane Relief Fund.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann has declined to formally announce whether he is running for governor, but his exploratory committee has raised $2.3 million and already spent $300,000.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann is still not an official candidate for governor, but his unofficial campaign treasury is the richest of the potential candidates.

Election officials report brisk business across the state with potential candidates taking out nomination papers to run in the 2010 election.

The 2010 election season is officially underway as Monday marked the first day candidates can start filing for office.

The last time Kohala Councilman Pete Hoffmann introduced a measure limiting plastic bags, the administration vetoed it as being too broad.

A mobile medical van could be serving South Kona and Ka'u residents within months, following 10 years of effort by state Rep. Bob Herkes.


Organizers are calling it Waikapu's "Field of Dreams."

Monk seals in peril, NOAA grant to aid marine research, PUC in dispute, honked horn sets off deadly McDonald's drive-through crash, more news

The 2009 Hawaiian monk seal breeding season produced the fewest pups in at least 10 years as the highly endangered marine mammal species continued its slide toward possible extinction.

A $1 million-a-year grant has been awarded to the University of Hawaii Kewalo Marine Laboratory for five years by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to work with Pacific islanders on land-sea interactions and damage to coral reefs, recreational and fishery resources.

High-ranking military officials opened a gate separating Hickam Air Force Base and Naval Station Pearl Harbor yesterday, starting the process of combining management support at their installations.

A dispute within the three-member Hawai'i Public Utilities Commission threatens to compound problems at the agency, which is already slow at making decisions because of staff and budget cuts.

A honked horn appears to be what set people off in a McDonald's drive-thru, leading to a crash that killed a young woman Sunday.

Water tanks are running dry, lawns are turning brown and the scant rain that has fallen this month is doing little to help.

A mobile medical van could be serving South Kona and Ka'u residents within months, following 10 years of effort by state Rep. Bob Herkes.

With a high cost of living and a tiny economy of limited job prospects, survival on Lanai has never been easy.

Dog owners have only one option when it comes to a place where they can throw Frisbees with their best friends.

Gay photo display in Capitol draws controversy, train off to slow start, Kaloko Dam costs county big, Kubo's confirmation in jeopardy, other state news

The civil unions bill could live or die Friday after the state house meets behind closed doors to decide if they'll hold a vote on the issue. In the meantime, photographs featuring gay and lesbian couples are on display inside the state capitol creating its own controversy.

The governor's appointment of former federal prosecutor Ed Kubo to an Oahu Circuit Court judgeship is uncertain after a Senate committee deadlocked on approving his nomination.

The start of construction on Honolulu's planned $5.3 billion commuter rail project could be delayed several months as Gov. Linda Lingle examines details of the city's financial plan which she said appear "shaky at best."

Some lawmakers are betting that Hawaii residents heading to Las Vegas or other gambling meccas might be willing to pay $10 now to avoid paying state taxes if they win big later.

Kaua'i County will pay $7.5 million as its portion of a $25 million out-of-court settlement following the 2006 Kaloko dam disaster that killed seven people and caused widespread damage, the county announced yesterday.

Home sales are coming back, but other real estate indicators are still in the tank.

The Department of Environmental Management plans no new fees or fee increases in the 2010-111 budget it will submit to the Hawaii County Council this spring.

The much-discussed and long-desired five-year update to the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan got one step closer to becoming official county policy Wednesday — but not without some controversy.

It is a sad fact that the Kalaupapa Hansen's disease settlement is losing patients every year, down to less than 20 today, said state Sen. J. Kalani English, whose district includes the island of Molokai.

Navigating Hilo's Bayfront may soon become easier and more fun than ever.

State reacts to Obama's speech, teachers' union seeks higher taxes, UPW pickets itself, eBay founder Omidyar addresses students, North Shore businesses riding a wave of prosperity, more news

There was lots of reaction to the President's speech from leaders of both parties, and grassroots supporters who gathered for the big show.

President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union Address to both houses of Congress was met with support from Hawai‘i’s Democratic federal representatives.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association is proposing to increase taxes on upper-income residents to eliminate Furlough Fridays and provide support for public education.

A state Senate committee on Monday will hear two bills that seek to reduce or eliminate public school teacher furloughs, one that would take money from the state's hurricane relief fund and another that would increase the general excise tax by 1 percentage point.

Chief Justice Ronald Moon said that if the judiciary's budget is cut again, there could be "increased concerns regarding public safety and delayed access to justice."

Claiming their labor union has abandoned them by refusing to pursue an alleged contract violation, Hilo correctional officers took the unusual step of picketing the United Public Workers' Hilo office Tuesday.

This week the Alexander Baldwin board of directors is expected to meet and consider the question: Does it make sense to continue growing sugar on Maui?


An unusual season of giant waves on the North Shore has resulted in a healthy — if not epic — boost for businesses from Sunset Beach to Haleiwa.

Founder of eBay Pierre Omidyar drew quite a crowd at the Shidler School of Business at University of Hawaii on Wednesday.

W.H. Shipman Ltd. is going to court to close an adult store that has opened across the street from Keaau Middle School.

Water rates could begin rising for both residential and agricultural users as early as July 1, thanks to a study that shows the Hawaii County Department of Water Supply is collecting only about 90 percent of its costs.

Maui County just barely entertained 2 million visitors in 2009, which was a drop of 8.8 percent from 2008.

Gas prices higher, UH faculty ratifies contract, tourism rebound slow, surf's up, more Hawaii news

Hawai'i drivers are probably paying more at the pump than they would have been if the state's controversial gasoline price cap had not been suspended in 2006.

A recovery in Hawaii's visitor industry, the state's top economic engine, is at least two years out despite improved performance in December and a respectable year-end finish.

A high-surf warning is in effect for most north- and west-facing shores of the state.

After months of contentious negotiations, UH professors overwhelmingly ratified a six-year contract yesterday that cuts costs for the university in the short term to tackle mounting fiscal woes, but also restores a 6.7 percent pay reduction after 18 months, promises lump-sum payments to reimburse money lost in the pay cuts and includes something in the last two years of the agreement that workers don't hear a lot these days — a pay increase.

Unionized faculty at the 10 University of Hawaii campuses have ratified a new contract that cuts their pay by about 6.7 percent over the next 18 months but returns the money lost over the course of the six-year agreement.

The votes are in, and the University of Hawaii's Professional Assembly has overwhelming voted to ratify a new contract with UH.

W.H. Shipman Ltd. has gone to court to stop an adult video and lingerie store from operating in a shopping center across from Keaau Middle School on the Big Island.

Hawaii will soon see a lot of red, in its blue territory. On Wednesday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) kicks off its winter meeting in Waikiki.

A state House committee on Tuesday gave first-round approval to two proposals to try to reduce a tax hike many businesses said will either force them to close or to lay off more employees.

The Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce has weighed in on a bill that seeks to address a drastic increase in unemployment insurance tax rates, as well as drafted its own legislation that it hopes will gain support.

Ten percent of Hawaii County's workforce was unemployed in November, the most recent month for which the numbers are available, according to the county's Research and Development Department.

It took some getting used to recycling, but now the Big Island is the No. 1 county user of the Hawaii Deposit Beverage Container Program, said officials from Hawaii County's Department of Environmental Management.

For a while, Maui's weather has been going through warm-and-cool, hazy-and-clear cycles characteristic of El Nino conditions, according to Glenn James, senior weather analyst with the Pacific Disaster Center in Kihei.

The Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative Board of Directors on Tuesday approved three resolutions necessary for the co-op’s application for a $168 million loan to fund numerous projects in coming years.

Gov. Lingle delivers final State of the State address, civil unions bill lingering, dry spell persists, don't blame it on Kona and some lucky dogs

 Lingle's speech: video. transcript.
 
Looking for a bridge between recession and recovery, Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday proposed several short-term tax incentives to encourage the private sector to hire workers and invest in construction projects to stimulate the economy.

After seven years at the helm, Gov. Linda Lingle is still trying to steer a twitchy economy to safety, rebuild an education system that its supporters say is just fine and pump some life into a tourism industry that continues to need government help.

With a focus on improving the quality of life for residents, stimulating the economy, creating jobs, improving education and building a stronger future for Hawaii, Governor Lingle delivered her eighth and final State of the State Address to the people of Hawaii on Monday morning.

In her speech she talked about the financial crisis and dealing with a $1.2 billion shortfall.

During her final State of the State Address, Gov. Linda Lingle on Monday took aim at Hawaii education system toward the end of her speech, angering some education officials.

Among those listening to Gov. Linda Lingle's final State of the State speech yesterday at the state Capitol was an old political buddy from Maryland, Michael Steele, the controversial chairman of the Republican National Committee.

State House Speaker Calvin Say said yesterday that he will announce by Friday whether the House will vote on a civil-unions bill and suggested he may not have the two-thirds' majority to override a potential veto.

Even the wettest spot in Hawai'i — Mount Wai'ale'ale — wasn't so wet last year as the state experienced below-normal rainfall in all but a few spots.

A local researcher said what Hawaii residents often call vog is a mix of volcanic ash and pollution.

North Kona Councilman Kelly Greenwell is still considering whether he will run for a second term, while other lawmakers are preparing their re-election bids.

Jim Donahue doesn't know how many dogs he and his business, Lucky D Kennels, have been able to save through a dog fostering program.

Last summer’s restructuring of the fee schedule for the Wailua Golf Course has moved it further from self-sufficiency, not closer, and the Carvalho administration is working on a proposal that would walk back some of the changes.

Good time for renters, buyers, GOP on the way, Lingle's last State of the State, more Hawaii news

After riding out the housing boom, when rents skyrocketed, Hawai'i renters are finally seeing things turn in their favor.

Sales of previously occupied homes took the largest monthly drop in more than 40 years last month, sinking more dramatically than expected after lawmakers gave buyers additional time to use a tax credit.

Gov. Linda Lingle gives her final State of the State speech today, one of her last chances to try to shape public policy before her time as Hawai'i's chief executive fades into history.

A Democratic bastion for five decades and President Barack Obama's birthplace, Hawaii would seem a curious place for the Republican National Committee to hold its winter meeting.

A lawmaker says he has an idea to restore some Furlough Fridays beginning this week.

It's another step forward in Hawaii's initiative to reduce its imported energy from 90% to 30% within 20 years.

A massive wind farm proposed for Lanai has been anticipated as a major potential source of green power for Honolulu, but it remains a controversial project on the Pineapple Isle.

The Hawaii County Council talked drugs and money Friday, but decided to lobby the state Legislature only for the latter.

Jim Donahue doesn't know how many dogs he and his business, Lucky D Kennels, have been able to save through a dog fostering program.

The Important Agricultural Lands advisory committee kicked off its inaugural meeting Thursday at the Lihu‘e Civic Center.

GOP seeks more school days, Mufi honored, big spenders could influence state congressional race, garbage still piling up, more top Hawaii news

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann on Thursday received the 2010 National Award for Local Arts Leadership from the Americans for the Arts and U.S. Conference of Mayors.


A U.S. Supreme Court decision yesterday opened a new path for corporations and unions to influence federal elections in Hawaii.

Public school bus routes, which were cut back in November, will be reduced further next school year and the fare may climb to $1 from 75 cents.

The war of words is escalating over private bus service for public school students. Caught in the middle are parents, students and school administrators. 


Mandating a minimum number of instructional days for public school students would take furloughs off the table in contract negotiations and get students back in school, Republican House members contend.

Late February to early March, that is the new deadline for shipping thousands of tons of Hawaii's trash to the mainland. But that also means the stacks of bales of rubbish will sit in Campbell Industrial Park more than month before the trash sets sail.

More than 400 East Hawaii medical workers may be affected by a series of workday furloughs OK'd by a state arbitration panel last week.

Despite the sour economy, commercial garbage haulers are chipping away at their past-due bills to Hawaii County government.

The state Campaign Spending Commission has fined Don Couch $375 for exceeding the cap on nonresident campaign contributions in his 2008 Maui County Council campaign

State Senate Democrats have the votes to pass a civil-unions bill as soon as today, but are not certain they have the two-thirds' majority necessary to override a potential veto or whether they should amend the bill to correct a technical flaw.

Kevin Rebelo and Frank Miholer own a wedding company, and they say they've married more than 4,000 heterosexual couples since 1994

Civilian contractors assigned to U.S. Navy vessels at Port Allen sprung into action recently when they observed a 30-foot fishing boat sunk at its moorings at Port Allen Small Boat Harbor.

Akaka Bill in peril, legislative session begins, House Speaker says no sales tax increase and other news

U.S. Sens. Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye plan to press forward with the Akaka Bill even though a Republican's upset victory in Massachusetts puts an end to the Democrats' filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

On an opening day drained of traditional pageantry, state House and Senate leaders yesterday challenged their colleagues to tune out special interests and regain public confidence by dealing squarely with the state's $1.2 billion budget deficit.

Speaker of the House Calvin Say is rejecting calls to allow the counties to charge a sales tax to make up for lost revenue.

The state Legislature will consider bills to decriminalize marijuana possession and legalize medical marijuana dispensaries

The military is seeking contractors to install more solar power systems at most of its major installations in the state in what ultimately would be a leap in photovoltaic power generation capability in Hawai'i, officials said.

A mistake by construction workers knocked out phone service to about 17,000 Hawaiian Telcom customers on Kauai Wednesday.

What can $2.69 million in federal stimulus money buy?

Reversing a lower court's ruling, a federal appeals court said a woman's constitutional rights weren't violated when a Taser was used on her after Maui police officers entered her home and arrested her and her husband.

They have already weather decades of intolerance, so what’s a little wind and rain?

With Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann in Washington, D.C. for a round of talks with federal transportation officials about Honolulu’s proposed $5.3 billion, 20-mile elevated-rail project, Gov. Linda Lingle hosted a public forum for a panel of architects to again detail their opposition to the plan.

Legislative session opens today, Furlough Fridays and other top news from around the islands

Hawaii lawmakers are returning to the state Capitol for the start of the annual legislative session this morning.

A resolution asking the state Legislature to let the county keep its transient accommodations tax revenues will be up for discussion Friday by the Hawaii County Council.

Central Maui lawmakers are echoing an emerging theme for legislators faced with the state's $1.2 billion budget shortfall - work to protect already-funded capital improvement projects in their districts.

Maui's state lawmakers are looking at ways to get public school students back into classrooms instead of using Furlough Fridays to help balance the state budget.

It was the most dramatic vote of last year's Legislature, and it resolved nothing: The impassioned debate at the Capitol over civil unions and gay marriage is back this week.

Drawn-out consternation over furloughs of public school teachers could add fuel to a proposal by Gov. Linda Lingle to make the schools superintendent a governor-appointed post.

Despite a reduction in instructional days for students via Furlough Fridays, interim schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said she is hopeful that the state will receive $78 million in the federal Race to the Top education competition.

There's a bill aiming to punish certain criminals if the crime they committed was near a school, public park or child care center. It's not only to be tough on crime but also to help students feel safe.

The Hawaii County Charter Commission will decide Thursday whether to put the land fund question back on the ballot.

A state judge on Tuesday granted a motion that will publicly disclose the amount the county has agreed to pay in the settlement for the civil cases of wrongful death and property damage surrounding the Ka Loko Reservoir failure nearly four years ago.

Trains, planes and Superferries, legislative budgets, dead whale and other top Hawaii news of the day

The M/V Huakai, the high-speed ferry that never fulfilled its purpose as part of Hawaii Superferry operations last year, will be mobilized for relief duty in Haiti.

One of two high-speed catamarans built for Hawaii Superferry is being sent to Haiti to help with relief efforts following the devastating earthquake.

A pilot with a Coast Guard C-130 airplane out of Hawai'i who flew into Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Sunday said the airport was like "the wild, wild west."

Reconsidering a street-level alternative for Honolulu's planned elevated commuter rail line would delay the start of the project by only six months, the American Institute of Architects' Hawai'i chapter said yesterday.

Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday she is worried whether Honolulu will be able to afford to pay for and operate a proposed elevated rail system and that she has heard similar views expressed by the Federal Transit Administration.

Air pollution in Punaluu - it's been four days now since a dead whale's been rotting off a Windward Oahu beach.

Preparations are under way for a one-day walkout at Kaiser's Honolulu clinic, where a strike line is expected to form at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

When the Hawaii Legislature opens Wednesday, state lawmakers will have their minds on money and money on their minds

For South and West Maui legislators, 2010 will be all about hanging on to what they thought they already had.

With a new member sworn in, a new chair elected and a new year underway, the Kaua‘i Board of Ethics last week made dramatic strides toward resolving long-standing conflict-of-interest issues.

Thousands rally against gay marriage, poll gives Abercrombie, Case the edge, legislative session gearing up, and much more top Hawaii news

Thousands of people filled the state Capitol yesterday with prayer and song, a celebration of traditional values laced with an explicit warning to state lawmakers to preserve marriage as between a man and a woman.


Thousands opposed to same-sex marriage rallied at the state Capitol to send a message to lawmakers who support a civil-unions bill in this election year.


While many believe stimulating the economy and ending school furloughs should be at the forefront for the state Legislature, extending benefits for same-sex partners is also expected to be a hot-button issue.


A sea of people in white flooded the State Capitol Rotunda and spilled onto Beretania Street, hoping to convince lawmakers to kill an upcoming bill that would establish civil unions in Hawaii.


A proposed civil unions bill in the state Legislature has again drawn the attention of opponents and proponents on Kaua‘i.


While consumers in most major cities on the Mainland have the choice of several television providers, local residents have few options when it comes to video programming.


U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie is slightly ahead of Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann in the race for governor, according to a new survey of registered voters.


If an election was held now, KITV4's poll of 403 voters, with a 5 percent margin of error, shows former U.S. Rep. Ed Case would win at 37 percent of likely voters.


State Sen. J. Kalani English will probably grab a few headlines when he introduces two bills in the legislative session this week: one to legalize medical marijuana dispensaries and the other to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.


Exactly 117 years ago, Queen Liliuokalani was forced to give up her throne, making her Hawaii's last monarch.


The newly appointed interim superintendent of Hawaii schools says her strong ties to Hilo and the lessons she learned here will factor into her decision-making as she tries to guide the school system through rocky waters.

It is nearly impossible to pinpoint the exact date or time Hualalai may rumble to life again, but the 8,271-foot volcano will erupt, said Jim Kauahikaua, scientist-in-charge of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

As the Legislature readies to begin grappling Wednesday with an anticipated $1.2 billion deficit - and a state constitutional requirement to balance the budget in 60 work days - Maui County's nine-person contingent is looking at wide-ranging solutions from raising the general excise tax by 1 percent to raiding emergency funds.

Casting call for surfer movie on, islands settle into normal trade-wind weather, no Magic in Obama name, residents call for DU cleanup, more news

Gentle winds and big waves are in the forecast for the weekend.

Have you ever dreamed of being in a surf movie? Now's your chance and you don't even have to surf. There's a casting call for extras this Saturday for a movie about Kauai surfing champion, Bethany Hamilton.

Four people urged a panel of judges to force the Army to clean up its depleted uranium-contaminated lands Wednesday.

Four Hawaii residents charged the U.S. Army with trying to cover up its discovery of depleted uranium and then taking a cavalier attitude about cleaning it up during a five-hour hearing Wednesday before a panel of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

There was little support at a City Council meeting yesterday for a plan to name what's popularly known as Magic Island after President Obama anytime soon, and the plan now appears to be in limbo.

While Councilman Tim Bynum pointed to a “non-starter” 50-cent fuel tax proposal to undermine other recommendations in the final draft of the Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan Wednesday, his colleagues offered much harsher criticisms of the fuel tax a day later.

Two Hawaiian Electric Co. employees were injured yesterday by an underground explosion that shook the ground and knocked out power to downtown Honolulu.

"Ambiguous" wording in Hawaii County's so-called "Peaceful Sky" law needs rectifying because it's hampering the Police Commission's work, says the panel's chairman.

Think pulling off the road when you use your cell phone will get you off the hook for a ticket? Think again.

Maui County Council members took a step Wednesday toward altering the county's residential work force housing policy in an effort to coax more development of affordable housing - and any housing - in these troubled economic times.

Even as it closed a door, the Kaua‘i County Council opened a window

Lawmakers: Help homeless, congressional candidates face off, Haiti in islanders' thoughts, more

Lawmakers yesterday said more needs to be done to move the chronically homeless out of parks and off the streets and said opening a "homeless campground" could be one solution, especially for those who don't want to move into shelters.

Former Congressman Ed Case, state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou, the three candidates in a special election for Congress, began to differentiate themselves for voters yesterday in the first public event of the campaign.

Former Rep. Ed Case says Senate President Colleen Hanabusa cannot run for Congress while she is leading the state Senate. He called on her to pick one or the other.

Forty-four agricultural workers from Thailand were forced to work on Aloun Farm for wages lower than what they were promised and required by law, said Kevonne Small, trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.

A triple-digit increase in December foreclosures transformed Hawaii into a top 10 state for foreclosure activity and pushed monthly and year-end totals to their highest level since 2005

Collective bargaining, civil service contracts and unions provided the theme that united a number of the priorities set out by three Big Island legislators for the upcoming session.

The devastation in Haiti is causing Secretary of State to cancel her Asia-Pacific tour. She made the announcement Wednesday, while still in Hawaii. Secretary Clinton says she will return to Washington to coordinate the relief efforts.

The pictures are hard to take for Patrick Elie and Mark Benoit -- who are still waiting to hear from loved ones in Haiti.

State Attorney General Mark Bennett was three for four in state court Wednesday, prevailing on all but one defense pre-trial motion in the James Pflueger manslaughter case.

Limiting hiring and equipment purchases has generated a $7.4 million windfall for Hawaii County, which still needs to sell land and possibly raise taxes to avoid a looming shortfall, Mayor Billy Kenoi said.

Driving through a blackened landscape on a 35-foot-wide path dug up by bulldozers, Bill Bergin pointed out koa trees and ohia trees. Some were charred to a crisp, others remained, tall and proud.

At the last minute, Archie Kalepa decided to go right on a wave instead of left at the Jaws surf spot in Peahi. Then, he knew he was in trouble with "the Big Kahuna."

Clinton stresses East-West ties in Hawaii, Big Island residents challenge DU, zoo booed, more news

Video Link to Clinton's speech.


Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking yesterday at the East-West Center, said the 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Meeting in Honolulu will give Hawai'i a chance to showcase its unique diversity, its "aloha spirit," and its prime location as a hub between East and West.

Hawaii has a chance to showcase its diversity and act as a model for the region when it hosts the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum next year, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday at the East-West Center in Manoa.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton took a barge tour of Pearl Harbor yesterday, stopping briefly to lay a wreath in the shrine room of the USS Arizona Memorial.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a major policy speech in Honolulu on Tuesday at the East-West Center in Manoa about America's future relationship with Asia.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is here in Hawaii, but she's not kicking back she's kicking off a 10 day trip aimed at strengthening and mending relations with countries in the Asia Pacific region.

A group of architects who have worked on Honolulu 's planned rail project yesterday said they support plans to build the $5.3 billion train on an elevated guideway.

The two largest land animals in all of Hawaii are at the center of a lifestyle dispute.

Hawaii legislators are working to change state law before business owners are slapped with a 1,000 percent increase in unemployment insurance taxes.

Four Hawaii residents, including three from the Big Island, are challenging the U.S. Army's application to possess depleted uranium.

Neil Abercrombie struck back against critics of his decision to resign his seat representing the state's 1st Congressional district and creating the need for a special election this spring in front of a friendly crowd of campaign supporters Monday morning.

Hawaii County developers have pledged $108.5 million for infrastructure to accommodate population increases caused by their developments, but so far, only $8.1 million has found its way into county coffers and only $3.6 million has been spent.

On the heels of legislative and public calls for a ban on fireworks statewide, Maui County law enforcement officials and lawmakers offered an assortment of views on regulating the popular and traditional practice of ringing in the new year with a bang.

Following a tsunami, Maui will get a glimpse of "Hereafter" this week - all thanks to movie magic.

For the second time in as many months, the Kaua‘i Planning Commission on Tuesday rejected a petition arguing North Shore landowner Joseph Brescia has not complied with permits in building his single-family residence on top of multiple known burials at Naue.