Hawaii Gov. David Ige's State of the State address to a joint session of the Hawaii Legislature

Hawaii Gov. David Ige, courtesy Olelo community access television

Mister Speaker, Madame President, former governors, distinguished justices of the courts, representatives of our congressional delegation, members of the Hawaii State Legislature, other elected officials, honored guests, family and friends,

Aloha.

I am honored to be here today to deliver my first State of the State address. It is, of course, a homecoming of sorts with so many familiar faces and friends. Yet there is one major difference since I last sat among you:

I am a year older with a few more grey hairs.

To say that the last month has been an eye opener would be an understatement, as all the former governors here will understand. But it’s not so much about being overwhelmed as it is about being invigorated and challenged. And we have a mountain of challenges to climb.

And so I hope we can climb it together—because as I said at my inauguration: Alone, it is a daunting and overwhelming task.

But I have always been an optimist and a believer in people and the power they hold within them. That’s why I’ve always looked to others for help with answers; why I’ve always sought to harness the power of collaboration.

When I met with my cabinet during a retreat recently I asked them, what does Hawaii mean to them? What drove them? What directed their actions? While there were many different answers and perspectives, one word kept coming up over and over again:

Home. 

It’s a sentiment I intimately understand.

After I graduated from the University of Hawaii, I was fortunate enough to be offered a number of jobs. But only one was located in Hawaii and that’s the one I accepted. To this day, I know it was the right choice because this is my home.

For me, that one word brings everything into focus and gives purpose and direction to everything we do. And what is it we really do here at the Capitol?

It’s quite simple: We are building a home for our kupuna, ourselves and our children.

We build schools, hospitals, community centers, and places to work and play. And we safeguard the things that are important to us: our families, our freedoms, our environment and our future—because this is our home.


As any carpenter knows, building a good home takes time, money and skill. And he or she will also tell you no matter what kind of house you build, you begin at the beginning—with a strong foundation.

That’s what I find myself doing as your new governor: building a solid foundation for this administration, for the work ahead and for the people of Hawaii.


FINANCE
In addition, home building begins with sound and long-term financing. It means working both the income and spending sides of the ledger. I recently submitted a preliminary budget that maintains state programs at current spending levels based on two sobering realities: 

First, we have fully committed our current funds to existing programs and services, and

Second, we are spending more than we take in.

While we work to correct that imbalance, we need to focus our available resources on strategic investments that grow our economy and strengthen our social safety net. In other words, we need to use the funds we have more efficiently and leverage it whenever possible.

Income
For example, we can be more aggressive in seeking federal funds in a wide array of areas.

Federal officials tell me there is significant money—about $940 million—available to the state for the right projects, proposed for the right reasons and at the right time.

That’s why I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Kim as a Special Advisor to the Governor. Elizabeth’s impressive experience in Washington D.C. will help the state tremendously in securing more federal dollars. We all know Elizabeth’s story: a bright and talented person from Hawaii who wants to come home, but can’t find the opportunity to do so.

I am committed to creating more opportunities, not just for Elizabeth, but for all of our children   to return home to fulfill their dreams and contribute to Hawaii.

We also need to do a better job of collecting taxes already on the books.

The tax department, headed by Maria Zielinski, is preparing to implement a Tax System Modernization program this year. The upgrade will better secure tax information and increase tax revenues through its efficiencies.

While the project is expected to take several years, we should see a sizable increase in tax collections after the first two years. Moreover, the effort is projected to eventually pay for itself through these increased revenues.

Taxpayers will also benefit by being able to file their returns electronically, having access to online account information, and getting faster payments and refunds.
Spending
On the spending side, I believe we can do a number of things which center around a single change in mindset: Making government more efficient. I cannot stress how important I believe this one factor is.

I recently met with Mike Buskey, President of GameStop, a multimillion dollar, video-game retailer. The company operates almost 6,500 stores throughout the world and is a major player in the electronics sector.

He said, if the rate of change inside a company does not exceed the rate of change outside the company, it will result in devastating losses to its shareholders, even bankruptcy. It made me wonder about the number of people who would be affected, if change within our state government failed to exceed the rate of change in the world?

That truly would be devastating, resulting in government unable to meet the needs of its people.

But what about the opposite scenario?

I remember when I was in the Senate, we committed to going paperless and eliminating millions of unnecessary sheets of paper and its related costs. It was not an easy transition and it was tough to change the way we always did things for decades. But we did.

As a result, the Senate generated more than $1.2 million in savings over two years. In the process, we saved nearly 8 million sheets of paper or the equivalent of 800 trees each year.

Can you imagine what we could do, if all of state government looked for these kinds of opportunities?

For example, I am told that the state goes through about 1 million pages a month. That’s about 12 million pages a year. A little effort could go a long way to alter that. A change in mindset could take us so much further. We must reduce the amount of paper we use every day.

I am committed to transforming the culture of government to embrace and accelerate change. We need to invest in our employees and ask them what changes can be made to improve service and reduce costs. And we need to support them when we make those changes.

Leveraging our dollars and maximizing our investments also go a long way in creating savings.

I recently attended the ground breaking for Kapolei Lofts, a public-private partnership with the State, the City and a private developer. This rental housing project will provide nearly 500 much needed homes on Oahu, including 300 units that will remain affordable for the next 30 years.

The state provided an interim loan of $5 million and is a good example of how low-cost government investment tools can be used to create affordable homes for working families.


DIRECTING GROWTH
While we’re talking about building homes, let me bring up a related subject. Honolulu’s rail system is often viewed as a response to the growth of our suburban neighborhoods. While that is true today, it doesn’t have to be that way in the future.

Rail can be the driver to help us build future communities on Oahu—to sensibly direct growth, protect open space and agriculture, stimulate business, reinvigorate older neighborhoods, and build affordable homes. In fact, the state is the largest owner of parcels along the transit route.

Consequently, I will be filling a position in the Office of Planning to help us assess and evaluate those parcels specifically to build affordable homes.

Because that is one of this administration’s main goals.

We are also adding $100 million to the rental assistance revolving fund that can be leveraged with private money and state owned lands along the transit route to provide rental homes for working families. In addition, we are providing $25.3 million to construct a long-term care facility for veterans. Those funds will be matched with $37.4 million from the federal government.

We can also generate additional federal dollars by identifying defense interests along the transit route and seeing if our plans can mesh with the military’s to create a win-win situation. In these ways, federal funds can be tapped not just for our transportation needs but for community building.

And let me make one thing clear: This governor wants rail to succeed and I’m committed to it. Having said that, let’s also make sure we do things the right way for the right reasons, including cost containment, before we ask for more money.

HEALTH
Ask anyone who suffers from long-term illnesses. Nothing matters if you don’t have your health. Fully enjoying home and family presupposes good health. Lucky you live Hawaii for so many reasons, including one of the healthiest lifestyles and the longest life expectancies in the nation.

Hawaii’s Prepaid Healthcare Act has had a lot to do with those outcomes. In addition, it has brought us closest to achieving universal healthcare among all states. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act and the launching of Hawaii’s Health Connector, we can close that gap.  But we’ve got work to do.

I will not minimize the disappointments we’ve all felt with the Health Connector. But I will not dwell on them either.

That’s why we’re working closely with all stakeholders to ensure that we move toward a sustainable exchange, one that meets the requirements of the Affordable Care Act without endangering Hawaii’s Prepaid Healthcare.  


Despite the negative headlines, we are not that far away. Universal healthcare is within our grasp in Hawaii. And if we work together and focus on execution, I have every confidence we can achieve this.

Public Hospitals
We enjoy many benefits of being an island state cradled in the middle of the Pacific. But there are also disadvantages. Unlike other states, good healthcare is not easily distributed throughout the islands. Our families and doctors cannot simply drive to another hospital if one is busy or does not have the services they need.

We have some wonderful private hospitals, but not everyone has access to them. That’s why our public hospitals play such an important role in Hawaii—a greater one than in most other states. That’s especially true on our neighbor islands where they’re often the only provider of acute care.

Public-private partnerships offer great potential, but only if they are shaped in the right way. But no matter our direction, changing how we operate our hospitals to meet changing needs will be key to any long-term solution.


ENERGY
A home also needs a sustainable and reliable source of energy. Importing fossil fuel remains one of our greatest weaknesses and we simply must move to reduce our dependence on it. We have the locally generated resources that can allow us to be self-sufficient. We just need to move in concert toward that goal.

As our largest provider of energy, Hawaiian Electric will have a lot to do with our success or failure. That’s why, as discussions with NextEra proceed, I am asking Randy Iwase, the new head of the Public Utilities Commission, to be actively involved in those talks.

In addition, we will be restructuring and staffing the PUC to give it the expertise and resources needed to deal with its due diligence. I will also be assigning a special counsel to protect the public’s interest for the short and long term.


A STRONG SUPPORT NETWORK
The home we build in Hawaii needs a strong support network in so many areas.

Business
We need to support business and industry so that they can grow our economy and create jobs. That includes our visitor industry, which has had three straight record setting years in arrivals and spending, totaling about $15 billion and supporting 175,000 jobs statewide.

It also includes the thousands of small businesses that make up the core of our economic engine—those ma and pa stores whose predecessors include success stories like Foodland, City Mill and the ABC Stores.


We need to nurture an “innovation economy,” in which entrepreneurs use technology to develop new processes and products from existing ones, like smart phone makers who have taken their products far beyond the original concept of a mobile phone and created entire new markets.

It’s a whole new economic paradigm which we need to support with modern infrastructure, whether it’s expanding our broadband network or building innovation parks. That’s why we are providing $10 million for the HI Growth initiative to support innovation.

Agriculture
We need to support agriculture and help our local farmers dramatically increase the amount of food we grow locally. Hawaii grows about 10 to 15 percent of the total foods residents consume. If we are to become a sustainable society, we must increase those numbers.
The cost of importing foods adds up to more than $3 billion leaving the state annually. If we replace just 10 percent of imports with locally grown food, it would generate $188 million in total sales, $94 million for farmers, $47 million in wages, $6 million in new taxes and 2,300 jobs.

To do that, we need to preserve farm lands, develop agricultural parks, combat invasive species, and reassess the areas that determine whether a local farmer can survive.

We will be meeting with farmers from each island to hear what they need to make Hawaii more self-sufficient. And I’ve asked Agriculture Director Scott Enright to spearhead this effort.

In the meantime, we are adding $5 million to the agriculture loan program and expanding use of the fund to include biosecurity and food safety needs. 

Military
We need to support our military whose courage and commitment to our nation’s security keeps Hawaii and the rest of the country safe and strong. From our strategic location in the Pacific comes a responsibility that we cannot shirk.

Moreover, the military plays a significant part in our economy, spending more than $6.5 billion annually with a total economic impact of $14.7 billion. It is the second largest sector of our economy supporting more than 101,000 jobs.

Even with the Pentagon’s new focus on the Pacific, there is no guarantee that we can protect the military’s presence in the islands simply because of our geographic location. We will need to be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to support our troops here. And I am prepared to do just that.

Native Hawaiians
We need to fulfill our obligations to our host culture whose sense of aloha influences everything we do. As we speak, the Hōkūleʻa and its sister ship are sailing across the oceans to call for a more sustainable world.

Their voyage banner, Mālama Honua, means “to care for our earth.”  Living on an island, we know better than most that the limited resources of this planet must be protected if we are to thrive as a species. That is the lesson offered by our host culture. It is their gift to all of us.
I am pleased that Nainoa Thompson is with us today and would like recognize him for the many contributions he has made to the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the people of Hawaii.

University of Hawaii
We also need a strong university system to help educate our future leaders and citizens and create a place where innovation, original thinking and technology flourishes—a university system not just engaged in the community but leading it into the future.

In that regard its goals must be clear; its planning must be precise; its actions must be forthright. I challenge our university leaders to focus on execution, accountability and delivery in all that they do.


EDUCATION
We all know that education is the key that opens the door to success. It has the power to lift a family out of poverty and despair. It has the power to turn dreams into reality. And it has the potential to do so much more for our own children.

But before education can transform them, we must transform our school system.

Waipahu High School is a wonderful example of a high performance school with strong leadership from the principal who seeks to empower students, teachers and the community; high expectations for students; and hard-working teachers and staff committed to innovative and creative academies to help students learn.

Together, they’ve generated amazing results including: increasing reading and math performances, graduation rates, the number of students going to college and satisfaction levels from all stakeholders.

With us today is Waipahu principal Keith Hayashi. I would like Keith to stand and be recognized.

We have many excellent, high performing schools in our communities.  The question is how do we unleash them? I know that the best way to improve student learning is to empower schools and give those closest to our children the authority and resources to take action.

As Governor, I will appoint members to the Board of Education who embrace school empowerment of our principals and teachers as the key to ensure student success. I challenge the leaders of public education to stop issuing mandates from the state office and to focus on empowering schools and delivering resources to the school level.

In the current budget, we are requesting an increase for the Department of Education’s Weighted Student Formula. This will allow principals to decide how to spend this portion of the DOE's budget and how to best meet the needs of their students.

And it will give our children greater educational opportunities.


KO KA KOU HOME
My Mom grew up in Kahuku. At the time schools there only went to the eighth grade. And so her parents knew that if she was to have any kind of future she had to go away for high school. Somehow they scraped up enough money to send her to Denver Colorado to continue her schooling. After graduation she went on to become a nurse.

Eventually, she came back home to work and, with my father, raised six children, including a future grateful governor.

The point is my grandparents understood the value of education and were willing to sacrifice for it. So did my parents. When we became parents, ourselves, my wife and I did the same for our children. They are presently away at school pursuing their own hopes and dreams. But I know they too want to come home after college.

The story is the same for so many families in Hawaii. It’s repeated over and over again, generation after generation.

I know what it’s like to scrimp and save to buy a home and pay for tuition. I know what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet.

The sacrifices are the same, because the dreams are the same: to build a better life—and build it, not anywhere else, but here in the islands—because it is home.

And so, again, I ask all of you to remember why we’re here and why we do what we do:

Ko ka kou home. This is our home.

Let that be your focus. Let that direct your actions and drive your determination. Let the end, not justify the means, but allow us to work through them.

If we do that I think we will find ourselves in agreement more often than not.

And so I thank you—each and every one of you—for the sacrifices that you will make during this session and throughout the year.

And I look forward to working and collaborating with you.

Mahalo and aloha.

Hawaii unemployment rate drops to 4 percent, Shield Law back before Legislature, Ige DLNR developer nominee unpopular, Kaiser health workers plan strike, no preservation plan in Kunia development, Big Island incinerator plan snuffed, lawmaker seeks slot machines in airports, Maui telescopes not an economic engine, more news from all the Hawaiian islands

Hawaii bartender © 2015 All Hawaii News

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Hawaii last month dropped to 4 percent, from 4.7 percent in December 2013, the state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations said Friday. Pacific Business News.

Efforts to re-institute a law that once shielded news reporters and other journalists from revealing their anonymous sources and unpublished notes have been restarted in both the state House and Senate. Star-Advertiser.

House Majority Leader Scott Saiki has introduced a measure to bring back Shield Law protections for journalists in Hawaii. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige on Friday nominated Carleton Ching, an executive with developer Castle & Cooke, to be the chairman of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige on Friday announced the nominations of Carleton Ching to serve as chairperson of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Kekoa Kaluhiwa to the position of First Deputy. West Hawaii Today.

Only a few hours after Gov. David Ige had announced his nomination of Castle & Cooke lobbyist Carleton Ching to chair the Department of Land and Natural Resources, environmentalists were harshly criticizing the selection. Civil Beat.

Opinion: David Ige, one-term wonder? The new governor's selection of a development lobbyist to head the land-resource management branch of the state government is alienating many of his supporters. Hawaii Independent.

A group is pushing Hawaii to change a law that requires people to have gender reassignment surgery before they’re able to have their gender switched on a birth certificate. Associated Press.

Money to help doctors and health care workers repay their student loans is being proposed in a bill to lure physicians into working in areas with doctor shortages in Hawaii. Maui News.

Workers at Kaiser Permanente’s hospital and clinics in Hawaii plan to strike for six days beginning Feb. 2, the union representing them said Friday. United Here Local 5 said it’s been negotiating a contract for 2 ½ years. Associated Press.

Amid a worsening affordable housing crisis, the islands have thoroughly rejected one of the free market’s most effective solutions for creating affordable housing for middle-class and lower-middle class residents -- mobile homes. Civil Beat.

A Big Island lawmaker has introduced a bill to the state Legislature that would authorize slot machines at state airports for departing international passengers. West Hawaii Today.

Voters waiting in line and casting ballots on Election Day may become a thing of the past if bills introduced this week by Central Maui Sen. Gil Keith-Agaran and other senators become law. Maui News.

The University of Hawaii has hired Risa Dickson, the former associate provost at California State University-San Bernardino, as its vice president for academic affairs. Star-Advertiser.

New fees and permit requirements are now in effect for commercial recreational operations in state small boat harbors, facilities and near shore waters in the state of Hawaii. Any company or individual conducting commercial activity is required to contact the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation for a permit. Garden Island.

Opinion: How Progressive Is Hawaii’s Tax System? New report gives Hawaii poor marks for its tax system. The GET is bringing us down. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Kunia land developed without aid of historic safeguards. Agricultural acreage that contains many archaeological sites has buildings but no preservation plans. Star-Advertiser.

Thousands stand to lose their jobs at Hawai‘i’s military bases, if the Pentagon’s proposed cuts move forward. Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter are among 30 military installations across the country where similar scenarios are playing out. Army officials are gathering public input at a series of listening sessions, including one tomorrow night in Honolulu. Hawaii Public Radio.

Last month state officials started a gated permit system that requires visitors to register their vehicles before gaining access to the 853-acre Ka‘ena Point State Park Reserve. Visitors entering on foot or by bicycle do not require a permit. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

Citing uncertainty about oil prices and instability in the ownership of the state’s electric utility, Mayor Billy Kenoi on Friday yanked the plug on a proposed waste-to-energy incinerator. West Hawaii Today.

A program that allows neighbors of Puna Geothermal Venture to sell their homes to Hawaii County is on hold, a move that leaves 30 applications in limbo. The Planning Department, which administers the geothermal relocation program, placed a moratorium on new purchases and auctions of purchased properties in response to uncertainties surrounding the June 27 lava flow, said Joaquin Gamiao, planning administrative officer. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

A recent University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization study found that Maui County telescopes, research and astronomy programs accounted for only 3 percent of the total economic impact of astronomy in the state in 2012. Maui News.

An asteroid warning system - which includes a telescope atop Haleakala - aimed at preventing devastating destruction and loss of life around the world is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Maui News.

Kauai

County of Kauai officials said they have to tighten their belts if they want to find the money to pay for increased costs in the upcoming budget. Department heads are being tasked with finding a collective $8.2 million in cuts or reductions as they prepare for the fiscal year 2016 financial plan. Garden Island.

The county isn’t expecting an increase in revenue from the state in transient accommodations taxes that each county receives. So one proposal Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and three other county mayors are pitching to help balance their budgets is to temporarily enact an up to 1 percent surcharge on top of the state’s 4 percent general excise tax for counties to use. Garden Island.

Humans colonizing the Hawaiian Islands destroyed bird habitats and introduced many alien species resulting in several native forest bird species going extinct, and those which remain live only in the most pristine mountain areas. Garden Island.

Former Gov. Lingle takes job with Illinois governor, military in Hawaii: love it or lose it, marijuana decriminalization on legislative agenda, doc shortage worsens, broadband lagging, breathing life into Coco Palms, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Former Gov. Linda Lingle in 2012 campaign © 2015 All Hawaii News

n a move that could signal the end of her political career in Hawaii, former Gov. Linda Lingle on Thursday was tapped by the new Republican governor of Illinois to serve as a senior adviser working to help turn around that state's sinking finances. Star-Advertiser.

Former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle is headed for Illinois to serve as the chief operating officer for Gov. Bruce Rauner. Civil Beat.

Legislative leaders from the Hawaii House of Representatives say they plan to focus on fixing infrastructure, encouraging business and increasing participation in government in the new legislative session. Associated Press.

House Democrats held a news conference Thursday afternoon at the Capitol to announce the majority caucus legislative package but offered little in the way of details about any of the priorities they plan to focus on this session, which convened Wednesday. Civil Beat.

Lawmakers in Hawaii are beginning to introduce a series of bills that aim to make marijuana more freely available in the state. A bill to decriminalize marijuana is currently being drafted, said Sen. Will Espero, chairman of the Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committee. That bill would reduce punishment for using marijuana to a civil violation instead of a felony, he said. Associated Press.

Genetically Modified or Engineered crops will be a hot topic at the Legislature this session. And lawmakers could learn from a Hawai’i State Bar Association forum that looked at the issue from a purely legal standpoint. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii’s doctor shortage is getting worse, and it’s getting especially difficult to find a physician on neighboring islands. Associated Press.

Feverish and aching patients continue to inundate Hawaii's overstressed health care system during a flu season that has no end in sight. Star-Advertiser.

One boat sank, several beaches around the state were closed, and state facilities on Hawaii island sustained minor damage from high surf that is expected to stick around statewide until 6 p.m. Saturday. Star-Advertiser.

Opinion: The Army in Hawaii: Fight to Save It, Prepare to Lose It. Business leaders are right to pull out all the stops to preserve the Army's Hawaii presence at its current level, but we also need to start thinking about what comes next if major cuts are made. Civil Beat.

Opinion: A case for army downsizing in Hawaii. Why the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and our Congressional delegates have it wrong. Hawaii Independent.

Broadband internet access is both a luxury for modern entertainment and a necessity for business. But Hawaii is falling behind when it comes to fast connections. Hawaii Public Radio.

The University of Hawaii is studying the possibility of selling off investments in companies that produce fossil fuels. The university's Board of Regents on Thursday appointed a task group to examine the feasibility and desirability of such a move. Associated Press.

On Thursday, Yelp released its second annual list of Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S., and eight Hawaii eateries have made the cut. KHON2.

Oahu

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s desire to protect $210 million in federal bus funding means the city’s $6 billion rail project needs even more money than officials had recently announced. Civil Beat.

Honolulu police and prosecutors have gotten tough on suspected pimps — more than 45 times tougher than three years ago. Civil Beat.

Two high-profile employees at the Hawaii Theatre Center will lose their jobs Jan. 31 as part of a plan to reduce costs that have left the Chinatown venue in the red for the past five years. Star-Advertiser.

Paying around $3 a gallon for gas thrills most Honolulu drivers, but it's less of a joy when you learn the average cost should be $2.49 if our prices had dropped as much as they did on the mainland in the last year. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

The Hawaii County Council has entered a new era of accessibility to the public — starting today, council and committee meetings will be streamed live on the county’s website. West Hawaii Today.

A settlement is in the works between Hawaii County and the state Department of Health, which last year fined the county more than $350,000 for violations at two landfills. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii Island’s doctor shortage grew by 17 percent in the last year. The need for physicians in 2014 was estimated at 554, but only 327 were practicing on the island, according to the latest figures from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine’s Area Health Education Center. That puts the island’s shortage at 41 percent of its need, far ahead of the statewide shortage of 24 percent. Tribune-Herald.

More than a dozen West Hawaii beaches were closed Thursday because of warning-level surf aloha west-facing shores of the Big Island. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

The Maui Mayor's Office of Economic Development issued over $4.64 million in grant funds to local organizations over the last six months. Pacific Business News.

Homeless shelters have effectively become affordable housing on Maui, according to governmental and nonprofit agencies speaking at a panel discussion Wednesday night at the Maui Economic Opportunity Conference Room. Maui News.

After moving its monthly meeting Wednesday to the University of Hawaii Maui College, the Maui Police Commission had its biggest public turnout in more than a year. Maui News.

If Maui County residents think it's tough to get a doctor appointment now, then just wait - a statewide physician's shortage will worsen as nearly a third of Hawaii's practicing doctors have reached retirement age, according to a University of Hawaii study submitted to state lawmakers this week. Maui News.

Kauai

As a place that once served as the home of Kauai’s last reigning queen, Deborah Kapule Kekaiha‘akulou, and the backdrop for the 1961 film “Blue Hawaii” starring Elvis Presley, there is no dearth of historical features at Coco Palms Resort. Preserving that history while paving the way for a new Coco Palms Resort, however, is a question that several state and county agencies are still wrestling with. Garden Island.

A circuit court judge Tuesday ruled in favor of the County of Kauai and the Planning Commission in response to the county’s lawsuit against a Hanalei resident’s unpermitted boatyard operation. Garden Island.

A mariner’s union said a lawsuit filed against a tug operator for negligence is full of errors. Garden Island.

Hawaii Legislature convenes session with tight budget, Honolulu rail transit tax hike mulled, protestors seek GMO ban, pesticide limits, Native Hawaiian rights, Maui council wants exemption from Sunshine Law, Big Island mayor kills incinerator foe's contract, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii House opening session, courtesy Robert D. Harris

The Hawaii Legislature has begun its 2015 session with plans to tackle a tight budget and issues including providing affordable housing and improving patients’ access to medical marijuana. The Senate and House opened their sessions on Wednesday morning. Associated Press.

After all the hoopla, the fanfare, the public protests outside and political speeches inside the Capitol as the 2015 legislative session opened Wednesday morning, people retreated to their offices and homes and went on with their day. Except for a dozen lawmakers and a few of the state’s top economists and financial planners. They went to the Capitol’s basement auditorium to talk about the realities that the legislators face. Civil Beat.

Hawaii state legislators convened their 2015 session Wednesday with a modest agenda that might create more public accountability — both for themselves and for Oahu's pricy rail transit project. Star-Advertiser.

The State Legislature officially opened its 2015 session today. Common themes of restoring public confidence in government and no new taxes were emphasized in both chambers. Hawaii Public Radio.

The 2015 legislative session began with pomp, circumstance, and talks of a potential tax increase. Hawaii News Now.

Opening day fanfare and speeches set the tone of the legislative session It's been almost a decade since the rail tax issue spilled onto the floor of both houses. KITV4.

The state House and Senate celebrated the opening day of the 28th Hawaii State Legislature with fanfare Wednesday. KHON2.

Senate President Donna Mercado Kim’s 2015 Opening Day Speech

House Speaker Souki's Opening Day speech

Unsettling Moment During Senator Slom’s Minority Speech.

Opening Day Remarks for the 2015 Legislative Session by the House Minority Leader.

State Budget Director Wesley Machida warned lawmakers Wednesday the state budget could drop into a deficit if any new expenses crop up or revenues decline. Star-Advertiser.

On the first day of Hawaii's legislative session, lawmakers heard about a flurry of financial requests pouring into Gov. David Ige's office. State finance director Wes Machida said Wednesday at a finance committee hearing that requests for more than 1,000 new state government positions were made since Ige took office on Dec. 1. Associated Press.

Hawaii Senate President Donna Mercado Kim called for eliminating the state Land Use Commission during her remarks on the opening day of the 2015 legislative session. Civil Beat.

State senators and representatives convened the 2015 legislative session in their respective chambers Wednesday morning as groups advocating for Native Hawaiian rights and restrictions against genetically modified organisms protested in the Capitol rotunda outside. Civil Beat.

A potentially powerful coalition of groups demonstrated at the State Capitol Wednesday on opening day of the Legislature, hoping to pressure lawmakers to pass a law controlling use of pesticides near schools. Hawaii News Now.

Demonstrators and spectators made their voices heard at the state Capitol rotunda before the start of the legislative session on Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, shared a positive outlook for Hawaii's economy this year Tuesday during a luncheon in Honolulu hosted by the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. Pacific Business News.

Hawaii has the fourth-highest number of millionaires per-capita in the U.S., according to a new study. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

An unusual form of affordable housing on state land in Kakaako is one big step closer to getting built after a state agency approved the 84-unit rental project with lofts for artists Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

After KITV4 exposed the fact that the projected shortfall for the city’s $5.3 billion rail project is actually as much as $910 million, Mayor Kirk Caldwell said rail planners may have missed an opportunity to better explain the issue to the public.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will celebrate the completion of the first part of a project to modernize the Honolulu federal building and U.S District Courthouse. Gov. David Ige is among the officials who are expected to attend Thursday’s ceremony. Associated Press.

Katherine Kealoha said in state court Wednesday that the $23,976 she spent from a joint bank account she shared with her grandmother on the January 2010 inauguration breakfast for her husband, Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha, was money that was owed to her. She said her husband never asked her how much the breakfast cost because she handles all of the family's finances. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

A local nonprofit whose director opposes Mayor Billy Kenoi’s plans for a waste-to-energy incinerator has lost its longstanding contract to educate the community about recycling. West Hawaii Today.

Cultural practitioners, environmentalists deliver Mauna Kea demands to Governor No further build-up on Mauna Kea, refusal to accept new UH lease top the list. Hawaii Independent.

As the most recent lava flow from the Kilauea Volcano showed no advancement on Wednesday, two Hawaii island legislators were preparing to propose several bills that they hope will reduce the ill effects of the so-called June 27 lava flow. Star-Advertiser.

Longs Drugs plans to reopen its Pahoa store next week, making it the first major retailer to return since the June 27 lava flow prompted several to evacuate last month. Tribune-Herald.

“They will never forget” France honors Big Island nisei soldiers West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Pot legalization, medical measures on the horizon. Maui News.

The state Department of Health has scheduled a public hearing from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 3 in Wailuku on proposed administrative rules for the medical use of marijuana. Maui News.

Opinon: Maui County Council Celebrates Opening Of 28th Hawaii Legislature With New Bill Attacking Sunshine Law. MauiTime.

Doug McLeod, former energy commissioner for Maui County, and his wife, Kandi, have formed an energy consulting services firm called DKK Energy Services LLC. Pacific Business News.

Kauai

A circuit court judge Tuesday ruled in favor of the County of Kauai and the Planning Commission in response to the county’s lawsuit against a Hanalei resident’s unpermitted boatyard operation. Garden Island.

Emergency responders make up less than half of a percent of the Kauai population.  More are needed. Garden Island.

Legislative session opens, Rep. Carroll resigns, Rep. Say residency challenged, Ige withdraws labor chief nomination, Iwase to head PUC, Hawaiian Electric to cut solar rebates, police kill 36 people from 1994-2003, NASA starts Big Island plan, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii Capitol © 2015 All Hawaii News

A new Legislature officially gets down to business Wednesday, working alongside Hawaii's new governor, as state lawmakers kick off their 2015 legislative session. Star-Advertiser.

The Hawaii Legislature: A Guide to the 2015 Session. Civil Beat.

Gov. David Ige has withdrawn his nomination of Elizabeth Kim to serve as state labor director after learning that under the Hawaii Constitution any officer he picks must have resided in the state for the year preceding appointment, a key Ige adviser said Tuesday. Star-Advertiser.

Medical marijuana has been legal in Hawai’i since 2000.  But many patients cannot grow or legally obtain marijuana for their own use.  This could change this legislative session. Hawaii Public Radio.

While Hawaii rents have soared, a tax credit for low-income renters has stagnated for a quarter-century at $50 annually per dependent. The legislative session that begins Wednesday will see an effort to raise the credit and extend it to renters who earn up to $60,000. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Family Advocates has appointed two-time GOP gubernatorial candidate James Duke Aiona as its interim executive director, “a change that will strengthen the organization’s ability to speak for families across the state,” according to a news release from the group. Civil Beat.

If it survives the legislative session, a new measure would change Hawaii's Promoting Prostitution law into a Sex Trafficking law that would be tougher on pimps. Advocates believe it would generate accurate sex trafficking statistics and could save those coerced or forced into Hawaii's sex trade. Hawaii News Now.

Disproportionate victims: the māhū prostitute. Discrimination forces many transgender women into prostitution to survive. But once in the sex trade, they are disproportionately affected by both violence and criminalization. Hawaii Independent.

On the eve of the 2015 legislative session, Hawaii officials were reminded at the annual Red Mass of the plight of millions of people mired in crisis around the world. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii police officers killed at least 36 people between 1994 and 2013, most of those in Honolulu, according to data from the Hawaii Department of Health’s Injury and Prevention Control Section. Cops also sent thousands more to local emergency rooms — sometimes with serious injuries — where treatment cost citizens and their insurance companies millions of dollars.Civil Beat.

Gov. David Ige said Friday he has appointed Randy Iwase, a former state senator who ran for governor against then-incumbent Gov. Linda Lingle in 2006, to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission and to serve as the commission's chairman. Pacific Business News.

Hawaiian Electric Co. said Tuesday it wants to double rooftop solar capacity while lowering the rate it pays solar customers for excess power, and state lawmakers said they'd like a say in whether to approve that plan. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiian Electric Co. is lifting constraints on its electric grids on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island that will allow a lot more rooftop solar to come online, utility officials announced at a press conference Tuesday. But the news, cheered by Hawaii’s beleaguered solar industry, was tempered by another announcement by HECO that it hopes to slash the amount that it pays rooftop solar customers for their electricity. Civil Beat.

Board of Education members took an energy consultant to task Tuesday for what they called a disappointing start to a renewable energy and efficiency program touted last spring as a cost-cutting measure to reduce electricity expenses at public schools. Star-Advertiser.

All four of Hawaii's Congressional representatives are Democrats so it's not surprising that they praised President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday. Hawaii News Now.

Members of Hawaii's congressional delegation stood behind President Barack Obama on Tuesday in his call for bolstering the middle class through tax breaks for working families, paid family leave from work and free community college. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

A group of voters has renewed its request for an investigation into state Rep. Calvin Say's qualifications to serve. Star-Advertiser.

An attorney for six residents of House District 20 has renewed a request to have the Hawaii House of Representatives rule on Rep. Calvin Say’s residency qualifications. Civil Beat.

A confusing and potentially dangerous crosswalk on a busy Oahu street prompted KHON2 to seek answers from the city, and we found the incomplete crosswalk is part of a larger issue.

The lawyer for Katherine Kealoha, wife of Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha, in state court Tuesday attacked the character of her uncle, who filed a lawsuit against her. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

Marijuana dispensaries, an aquarium fishing ban, reforming the public hospital system, reapportionment, land use and hunting laws and creating pesticide buffer zones are among West Hawaii state legislators’ list of priorities. Capital improvement projects such as the Kona judiciary complex, updating Kona International Airport, the Hawaii Community College — Palamanui, North Hawaii irrigation systems and a Waikoloa library round out the wish list as lawmakers begin their regular legislative session today. West Hawaii Today.

Agriculture, elections reform and the first lava flow to threaten a town in more than two decades are among the major issues East Hawaii lawmakers will tackle during the session of the state Legislature that begins today. Tribune-Herald.

A community meeting on Puna Geothermal Venture’s plans to drill a new well ended with an arrest Monday evening. Roxanne “RJ” Hampton, 62, of Pahoa was charged with disorderly conduct after she began shouting at PGV representatives and others in the crowd at Pahoa High School cafeteria, witnesses said. Tribune-Herald.

Students from two Hawaii high schools are shooting for the moon, literally. The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems in Hilo announced Monday a partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center that will give the students an opportunity to develop a space experiment and send it to the moon’s surface. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Mele Carroll, state representative for East Maui, Molokai and Lanai, will resign from the state House on Feb. 1 due to health reasons. Maui News.

State Rep. Mele Carroll abruptly announced Tuesday, the day before the opening of the 2015 legislative session, she will resign from the House of Representatives because of health reasons. Star-Advertiser.

Representative Mele Carroll delivered today letters to Governor David Ige and House Speaker Joseph Souki announcing that, effective February 1, 2015, she is resigning from representing the 13th District in the Hawaii State House Representatives. Hawaii Independent.

Today Rep. Mele Carroll delivered letters to Gov. David Ige and House Speaker Souki announcing that on she is resigning as representative of the 13th District in the Hawai‘i State House Representatives on Feb. 1. Maui Now.

The state Department of Health began phone surveys of the public Monday for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Maui News.

Kauai

With the flu season in full swing, public health care officials are bracing for more cases over the next few months but are so far seeing normal numbers statewide. Garden Island.

ReStore celebrates 22 years. Anniversary party for Habitat locale Saturday. Garden Island.

Health care top Hawaii concern as doctors flee state, tight budgets ahead, HECO asks to cut customer rebates, Honolulu airport seeks free WiFi, Waikiki sand returns, property owners face tax, more politics and government news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Leahi Hospital, courtesy Hawaii Health Systems Corp.

Hawaii's doctor shortage jumped 20 percent over the past year as more physicians left the field amid a growing demand for medical services. New estimates on physician supply and demand peg the current shortage at 890, and that's expected to jump as high as 1,500 by 2020, according to the latest figures from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine's Area Health Education Center. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii lawmakers and the state’s newly elected governor are heading into the upcoming legislative session with a tight budget and a slew of looming priorities that include dealing with struggling hospitals, medical marijuana and a creeping lava flow. Associated Press.

With pronouncements already from Gov. David Ige that excessive government spending must stop and the state must live within its means, lawmakers are taking the cue and preparing for a low-key 2015 legislative session. Star-Advertiser.

2015 Legislature — Time To Stop the Financial Bleeding. Lawmakers are expected to focus on major fiscal problems facing the state with less attention to hot-button political issues. Civil Beat.

Officials from the state’s public health care provider, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, say they will likely need more than a quarter of a billion dollars in taxpayer money over the next two fiscal years to fully offset potentially crippling debts, ranging from new federal changes to collective bargaining raises. Some officials, however, say they are not convinced the request should be approved. Garden Island.

Time and the tenacity of Maui County's state lawmakers will tell if this year's legislative session will be the one that takes Maui Memorial Medical Center off life support. Maui News.

The new chairmen of the House and Senate agriculture committees are both from the Big Island, but their stance on genetically modified crops couldn’t be more different. The strong positions Senate Agriculture Chairman Russell Ruderman and House Agriculture Chairman Clift Tsuji have taken on each side of GMO laws almost guarantee a stalemate on issues such as state pre-emption of county farming regulations, counties’ home-rule rights and just about anything dealing with GMO limits or labeling when the state Legislature convenes for its regular session Wednesday. West Hawaii Today.

In the wake of recent federal court rulings that Hawaii counties don’t have the authority to regulate farming, it is now up to legislators to address growing concerns about pesticides. Civil Beat.

A nonprofit foundation headed by state Sen. Sam Slom had its tax-exempt status revoked last year by the Internal Revenue Service for failing to file its federal tax return for three years. Slom, the sole Republican in the state Senate and a staunch opponent of new taxes, is president of the Small Business Hawaii Entrepreneurial Education Foundation. Star-Advertiser.

Fresh from winning a new four-year term, incumbent West Hawaii Sen. Josh Green is sitting on the fattest war chest of any state or local candidate in the 2014 election. Green, D-Kona, Ka‘u, ended the election season with $493,438 left over, according to new statistics posted Thursday to the state Campaign Spending Commission website, ags.hawaii.gov/campaign/2014-election. Coming in second was Gov. David Ige, with $435,030. Some 298 candidates sought office in 2014, according to the commission. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaiian Electric Co. is expected to file a proposal Tuesday with the state Public Utilities Commission to cut nearly in half the net energy metering reimbursements offered to customers with rooftop photovoltaic systems. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Gas, the state's only regulated gas utility, is looking to be the sole provider of liquefied natural gas to help the state reach renewable-energy goals. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii temporarily suspended its online Medicaid eligibility system over the weekend as health center workers complain it's fraught with problems. The system known as Kolea is set to cost taxpayers as much as $144 million. It launched in October 2013. Associated Press.

NASA has selected Hawaii as the preferred site to establish the world's first laser communications ground terminal, which could spur major economic activity in the state, translating to job creation and revenues, according to public documents obtained by Pacific Business News.

One trend of Hawaii’s tourism industry over past year has been a growing number of visitors from China. While the numbers are still small compared to Japan, they’re increasing. And China’s government is taking a new step that may improve the travel experience for all parties concerned. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

Passengers waiting for flights at Hawaii's largest airport could have access to free Wi-Fi by the end of the year — if state transportation officials can make it happen. Star-Advertiser.

A plan to get Waikiki property owners to pool their resources to help pay for maintenance and restoration of Oahu's most iconic beach cleared its first hurdle before the City Council Zoning Committee on Thursday. Star-Advertiser.

Not that long ago the popular section of Kuhio Beach known for beach boys and surfing lessons was very low on sand. The shore was so stripped and bare, you could see blocks and boulders. But the shoreline has expanded in what seems like an overnight growth spurt. Hawaii News Now.

Opening statements were scheduled for Tuesday in the state civil trial of Katherine Kealoha, a deputy city prosecutor and wife of Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha. Star-Advertiser.

The U.S. government is modifying terms of a plea deal reached with a shipping company for spilling 233,000 gallons of molasses into Honolulu Harbor. The judge who accepted the guilty plea from Matson Terminals Inc. in October was concerned that the $1 million the company agreed to pay is higher than the maximum fines allowed by law. Associated Press.

Opinion: Urban Hawaii: When the World Is Your Neighbor, Do You Ever Meet? When a big, fancy tower is built it creates a different sort of “neighborhood” from the ones many of us grew up in. Civil Beat.

Hawaii

Parker Ranch and NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of the company buying Hawaiian Electric Industries, reached a deal for the development of wind farms on its land. Tribune-Herald.

Kua Bay should have lifeguards, many say. West Hawaii Today.

More than 50 friends, patients and colleagues of Dr. Frederick Nitta lined Kamehameha Avenue in Hilo on Saturday, holding up signs and showing their support for the embattled obstetrician. The doctor has practiced in Hilo for about 20 years and helped deliver “tens of thousands” of East Hawaii’s newborns in that time, by his own estimation. Now, he stands accused of overbilling Medicaid to the tune of about $1.2 million and faces the possibility of having to shut his practice down after the federal health care program stopped reimbursing him in September. Tribune-Herald.

Hilo Hattie, one of Hawaii’s largest retailers of Hawaiian fashions and goods, closed its nearly 30-year-old Kailua-Kona store and plans to pursue a new direction — expanding and broadening cultural experiences. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Maui now has a voice for cyclists and pedestrians seeking a safe and fun place to bike and walk. The Maui Bicycling League, a nonprofit Maui chapter of the Hawai‘i Bicycling League, officially formed on Dec. 19, 2014, will spearhead efforts to put more bike lanes on Maui roads. Maui Now.

Haleakala National Park will be hosting two community meetings for public review and comment on a draft of the park's foundation document, which defines the park's core mission and significance, its most important resources and values and interpretive themes. Maui News.

Kauai

A federal court ruling in Washington state is being eyed as a victory and potential game changer by those battling to stop Hawaii Dairy Farms’ proposed dairy on Kauai’s south side, including the Friends of Mahaulepu group. HDF, however, doesn’t see a connection. Garden Island.

The Kauai Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol is experiencing a drop in numbers and volunteers who left are saying its ability to carry out emergency services and tsunami watch missions is in peril.  Garden Island.

Why did the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wear a lei on his famous 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, his relationship with Akaka and other Hawaii ties of the great civil rights leader: a special report

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights leaders wear lei during their 1965 march

Ever wonder why the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders on that famous march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. wore lei? Turns out King had special ties to the Aloha State, and to the family of U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii.

It's altogether fitting that the Hawaii Legislature opens its annual session this week as the state and the rest of the nation commemorate what would have been King's 83rd birthday. King, in his 1959 address to a special session of the Hawaii Legislature, praised Hawaii for its ethnic diversity.

"We look to you for inspiration and as a noble example, where you have already accomplished in the area of racial harmony and racial justice, what we are struggling to accomplish in other sections of the country, and you can never know what it means to those of us caught for the moment in the tragic and often dark midnight of man’s inhumanity to man, to come to a place where we see the glowing daybreak of freedom and dignity and racial justice," King said in his address.

Five years after those words, King carried a bit of Hawaii to Alabama. That five-day, 54-mile march from Selma, where an Alabama state trooper had shot and killed church deacon Jimmie Lee Jackson, to the state capital, helped bring King to the forefront of the nation's imagination, spurring the cause of nonviolent protest that would be picked up and championed by an entire generation, fomenting the hope of equality for all mankind.

The lei were no artifice. King had strong Hawaii ties, from his 1959 address to the Hawaii Legislature to his relationship with the Rev. Abraham Kahikina Akaka, older brother of Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. Abraham Akaka, kahu (shepherd) of Kawaiahao Church in Honolulu, developed a close friendship with King when King came to Honolulu in 1964 to participate in a Civil Rights Week symposium at the University of Hawaii, according to Akaka's obituary in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.  Abraham Akaka later sent the lei to King as a gift, according to a 1991 article in Jet Magazine by Simeon Booker.

Here's the text of King's speech, as recorded in the Journal of the Hawaii House of Representatives:

The following remarks were made by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Thursday, September 17, 1959 at the Hawaii House of Representatives 1959 First Special Session:

“Mr. Speaker, distinguished members of the House of Representatives of this great new state in our Union, ladies and gentlemen:

It is certainly a delightful privilege and pleasure for me to have this great opportunity and, I shall say, it is a great honor to come before you today and to have the privilege of saying just a few words to you about some of the pressing problems confronting our nation and our world.

I come to you with a great deal of appreciation and great feeling of appreciation, I should say, for what has been accomplished in this beautiful setting and in this beautiful state of our Union. As I think of the struggle that we are engaged in in the South land, we look to you for inspiration and as a noble example, where you have already accomplished in the area of racial harmony and racial justice, what we are struggling to accomplish in other sections of the country, and you can never know what it means to those of us caught for the moment in the tragic and often dark midnight of man’s inhumanity to man, to come to a place where we see the glowing daybreak of freedom and dignity and racial justice.

People ask me from time to time as I travel across the country and over the world whether there has been any real progress in the area of race relations, and I always answer it by saying that there are three basic attitudes that one can take toward the question of progress in the area of race relations. One can take the attitude of extreme optimism. The extreme optimist would contend that we have come a long, long way in the area of race relations, and he would point proudly to the strides that have been made in the area of civil rights in the last few decades. And, from this, he would conclude that the problem is just about solved now and that we can sit down comfortably by the wayside and wait on the coming of the inevitable.

And then segregation is still with us. Although we have seen the walls gradually crumble, it is still with us. I imply that figuratively speaking, that Old Man Segregation is on his death bed, but you know history has proven that social systems have a great last-minute breathing power, and the guardians of the status quo are always on hand with their oxygen tents to keep the old order alive, and this is exactly what we see today. So segregation is still with us. We are confronted in the South in its glaring and conspicuous forms, and we are confronted in almost every other section of the nation in its hidden and subtle forms. But if democracy is to live, segregation must die. Segregation is a cancer in the body politic which must be removed before our democratic health can be realized. In a real sense, the shape of the world today does not permit us the luxury of an anemic democracy. If we are to survive, if we are to stand as a force in the world, if we are to maintain our prestige, we must solve this problem because people are looking over to America.

Just two years ago I traveled all over Africa and talked with leaders from that great continent. One of the things they said to me was this: No amount of extensive handouts and beautiful words would be substitutes for treating our brothers in the United States as first-class citizens and human beings. This came to me from mouth of Prime Minister Nkrumah of Ghana.

Just four months ago, I traveled throughout India and the Middle East and talked with many of the people and leaders of that great country and other people in the Middle East, and these are the things they talked about: That we must solve this problem if we are to stand and to maintain our prestige. And I can remember very vividly meeting people all over Europe and in the Middle East and in the Far East, and even though many of them could not speak English, they knew how to say ‘Little Rock.’

And these are the things that we must be concerned about – we must be concerned about because we love America and we are out to free not only the Negro. This is not our struggle today to free 17,000,000 Negroes. It’s bigger than that. We are seeking to free the soul of America. Segregation debilitates the white man as well as the Negro. We are to free all men, all races and all groups. This is our responsibility and this is our challenge, and we look to this great new state in our Union as the example and as the inspiration. As we move on in this realm, let us move on with the faith that this problem can be solved, and that it will be solved, believing firmly that all reality hinges on moral foundations, and we are struggling for what is right, and we are destined to win.

We have come a long, long way. We have a long, long way to go. I close, if you will permit me, by quoting the words of an old Negro slave preacher. He didn’t quite have his grammar right, but he uttered some words in the form of a prayer with great symbolic profundity and these are the works he said: ‘Lord, we ain’t what we want to be; we ain’t what we ought to be; we ain’t what we gonna be, but thank God, we ain’t what we was.’ Thank you.”

At the conclusion of his address, there was much applause.

Sex trafficking targeted in Hawaii Legislature, Japan prime minister may visit Pearl Harbor, Snowden plans live video at ACLU conference, GMO faces legislative stalemate, UH seeks $75M more, geothermal plant fined for hiding emissions, commission nixes Molokai affordable housing plan, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Pearl Harbor © 2015 All Hawaii News

The government of Japan sought to tamp down a report by one of its major newspapers that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering visiting Pearl Harbor in the spring, 70 years after the war in the Pacific waged by Japan against Allied forces drew to a close. Star-Advertiser.

People who benefit from the illegal sex trade are expected to be the target of new laws this legislative session, including a measure that would get tough on those who solicit prostitutes. Civil Beat.

Hawaii: sex trafficking hub of the Pacific. Prostitution is a major industry in Hawaii, but with no sex trafficking laws on the books, the victims involved in the industry have no protection and no easy way out. Hawaii Independent.

Lawmakers blasted the University of Hawaii for lax oversight of the struggling Cancer Center, which officials have cautioned will run out of money in two years, in a wide-ranging budget hearing Thursday at the state Capitol. Star-Advertiser.

For some universities, even some the size of University of Hawaii, licensing revenue generates anywhere from millions of dollars to more than $100 million a year. By comparison, nine University of Hawaii patents were issued last year, generating royalty revenue of about $145,000. Pacific Business News.

The University of Hawai’i presented its two-year budget request, asking for a $75M hike, to a joint legislative finance committee today. Hawaii Public Radio.

Health Department Flaunts Law Calling for Online Access to Care Home Reports. Hawaii's program remains far from implementation despite an 18-month lead time to meet the Jan. 1 deadline to make inspection reports available online. Civil Beat.

Hawaii’s Obamacare exchange, Hawaii Health Connector, has been under fire for being the most costly in the nation, and a new report from the Hawaii Commerce and Consumer Affairs Department shows the Connector won’t be fiscally sustainable until 2022. Hawaii Reporter.

The strong positions that Senate Agriculture Chairman Russell Ruderman and House Agriculture Chairman Clift Tsuji have taken on each side of GMO laws almost guarantee a stalemate on issues such as state preemption of county farming regulations, counties’ home-rule rights and just about anything dealing with GMO limits or labeling when the state Legislature convenes for its regular session Wednesday. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaii lawmakers will soon be getting an update about how utilities are dealing with solar connectivity issues. The briefing will be held at the state Capitol on Tuesday. Associated Press.

Bills in the Legislature would make it easier for tourist crime victims to testify. KHON2.

Officials representing the state’s four counties say they will come together to push for five separate bills when the state Legislature convenes next week. Garden Island.

Sam Slom, the Senate’s lone Republican, and minority staff have unveiled their priorities for the 2015 legislative session, which convenes Jan. 21. Civil Beat.

The U.S. government is considering extending to Native Hawaiians the same type of tribal recognition that many American Indian tribes have had for generations, potentially giving special status to more than 200 programs and securing lots of federal money, including nearly $14 million for health care, $32 million for education and $10 million for housing. The issue has reawakened distrust between moderates who generally support the idea and absolutists who want to see the kingdom rebuilt, even if it means chasing an all-but-unattainable goal — dissolving the state of Hawaii. Associated Press.

Edward Snowden, who publicized documents revealing U.S. government surveillance on a massive scale, will appear live via video link from Moscow at a forum in Honolulu on Feb. 14. Star-Advertiser.

Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower on the run, will be speaking at ACLU Hawaii’s First Amendment Conference live via a video link from Moscow, Russia next month. Civil Beat.

The nonprofit raising money for President Barack Obama’s future library has picked up the pace of its fundraising, with up to $4.4 million rolling in during the final months of 2014, records released Thursday show. Associated Press.

The flu season has hit Hawaii suddenly with hospitals reporting a surge in patients. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Rental fees and other revenues collected at the Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park should go directly into a dedicated fund that would pay for improvements, the popular complex's advocates say. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Police Department hiring new dispatchers to take 911 calls. Star-Advertiser.

A study that was just released points out a list of problems with the Makaha's drainage system. One of those is the Makaha stream. When it's not kept clean, it gets clogged and the backed up water overflows into the community. KITV4.

Hawaii

The Hawaii Department of Health on Thursday fined Puna Geothermal Venture $23,700 for violations related to the release of poisonous gas amid Tropical Storm Iselle in August. Associated Press.

The state Department of Health has fined the Puna Geothermal Venture in Pohoiki on the Big Island $23,700 for emission and notification violations related to the release of hydrogen sulfide during Tropical Storm Iselle in August. Star-Advertiser.

With only days to go before the 2015 legislative session, three of West Hawaii’s state lawmakers discussed how they plan to champion West Hawaii priorities and those benefiting the island in general. West Hawaii Today.

Firefighters were battling two brush fires Thursday near Pahoa sparked by lava that had burned a combined 350 acres by the evening. The lava flow sparked both blazes, which were aided by strong winds and dry conditions. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Recognizing that its customers have been "enduring a high bill environment," Maui Electric Co. is forgoing the opportunity to seek an increase in base rates this year, meaning no change to those rates "at this time," according to a Dec. 30 filing with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. Maui News.

Kauai

Kauai's scenic beauty as a popular backdrop among Hollywood producers is fueling a move to build a creative technology hub for filmmakers as well as the community. Star-Advertiser.

The County of Kauai is moving forward with plans to allow Kauai beekeepers to have their hives tested for the presence of pesticides and other threats, including the varroa mite and small hive beetle. Garden Island.


Molokai

The Molokai Planning Commission voted against a community plan amendment and zoning change Wednesday that would have allowed a 16-unit affordable housing project in Kaunakakai to move forward. Maui News.

Honolulu council balks at $350M rail transit bonds, groups want Hawaiian Electric purchase delayed, wind to power Maui landfill, Kauai mulls clean air bill, state second-worst for taxing the poor, West Coast port problems could hurt Hawaii, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Elevated rail construction, courtesy Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation

Honolulu City Council members continue to harbor strong reservations about a deal that would pave the way for the island's cash-strapped rail transit line to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds leveraged against the city's general fund. On Wednesday, Council members spent much of a Budget Committee hearing grilling rail officials on the project's new financial challenges — and airing concerns that the Council lacks sufficient oversight over the largest public works project in Hawaii's history. Star-Advertiser.

The Honolulu City Council's Budget Committee deferred a resolution that would allow the city to issue as much as $350 million in bonds to cover short-term financing for the elevated train. KITV4.

Clean energy advocates, solar trade groups and community organizations are asking Hawaii regulators to hold off on approving NextEra Energy’s acquisition of Hawaiian Electric Industries until there are firm plans in place outlining the state’s energy strategy. About half of the 12 groups go so far as to urge regulators to open up the sale of HEI to other bidders. Civil Beat.

Hawaii is the second-worst state in terms of taxing its lowest-income residents, according to a new study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy and the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice. Pacific Business News.

The Joint Legislative Money Committees are continuing to review budget requests from state departments and agencies this week.   Today, lawmakers heard from the corporation responsible for operating neighbor island healthcare facilities. Hawaii Public Radio.

Ongoing contract negotiations with port workers on the West Coast are having an impact here in the islands. The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping companies like Horizon and Matson, says due to the negotiations, longshoremen have begun to stage slowdowns at many ports on the West Coast. It’s been going on since October. KHON2.

Scott Topping has left his position as chief financial officer for Hawaiian Airlines. The state's largest carrier said Wednesday that he has been replaced on an interim basis by Shannon Okinaka, who had served as vice president-controller since 2011. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

The union that represents city refuse workers wants to stop Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell from eliminating garbage disposal service for about 181 condominiums, apartments and other multifamily properties and nonprofit organizations, calling the move "an unlawful privatization" of a city service. Star-Advertiser.

The lawyer for the man once accused of stealing Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha's mailbox met Wednesday with the FBI about the police department's handling of the case. Star-Advertiser.

FBI investigators met with a federal public defender Wednesday to discuss the strange case of Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha’s missing mailbox. But neither attorney Alexander Silvert or an FBI spokesman would say any more about what sort of case might be in the works involving the chief and the Honolulu Police Department. Civil Beat.

A former Honolulu police officer was sentenced Wednesday to nearly three years in prison for trying to extort $15,000 from the owners of a local hostess bar. Associated Press.

Former HPD cop will spend almost 3 years in federal prison for extortion. Hawaii News Now.

Since the U.S. Navy handed Kalaeloa Airport to the state nearly 16 years ago, the state's No. 2 airport has been home to dozens of commuter planes, flight schools and corporate aircraft. But the state is proposing to quadruple rents for many, forcing the departure of several businesses. Hawaii News Now.

Waikiki Elementary School teacher Catherine Caine is in the running for the 2015 national teacher of the year award — the first Hawaii finalist in more than a decade. Star-Advertiser.

Condo owners locked in fight with developer. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

Work at the Hu Honua Bioenergy LLC plant in Pepeekeo has resumed, with the facility set Wednesday to receive deliveries of equipment for installation. Meanwhile, the project was named this month the state’s top “Clean Energy Leader” by the Hawaii State Energy Office. Tribune-Herald.

A brush fire ignited by the June 27 lava flow has been contained after burning about 300 acres, said Darryl Oliveira, Hawaii County Civil Defense administrator. Tribune-Herald.

The hull of the wrecked sailboat Hawaii Aloha has been cut up and removed from the beach in North Kona. Salvage crews finished removing the 78-ton hulk from the shoreline near the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Sunday, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources confirmed Tuesday. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

The Central Maui Landfill Refuse and Recycling Center completed a monthslong project Friday to install three 65-foot wind turbines to generate electricity and thousands of dollars in annual taxpayer savings on power bills. Maui News.

Developers of a 68-unit town house complex in Wailea are finalizing their design plans, though there's no construction timeline yet, the project's planning consultant said Tuesday. Maui News.

Kauai

The Kauai County Council will have at least another month to iron out the details on a proposed law that would declare air pollution that endangers public health or causes property damage a public nuisance. The seven-member board, by a 5-1 vote, gave their initial OK to the proposal outlined in Bill 2573 on Wednesday. Garden Island.

The Kauai Lagoons project, including the 27-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed Kauai Lagoons Golf Club, has been sold to Honolulu developer Ed Bushor’s Tower Development, Inc. Garden Island.

When the state public charter school commission turned down her request last year to establish a charter school on Kauai, Deena Fontana Moraes was disappointed. But not deterred. Garden Island.

Lanai
The Maui County Council's Planning Committee will begin a review of an update of the Lanai Community Plan this week. Maui News.