Hawaii Voter Turnout Already At 41%. Officials ask that voters mail ballots by Tuesday. Civil Beat.
Hawaii elections office begins processing ballots. The state has already received nearly 365,000 ballots by mail. KHON2.
Ballots pouring in: 41% of Hawaii County voters have already voted. Some 41% of Hawaii County’s more than 127,000 registered voters had already voted by Friday, with 11 days to go before the Nov. 3 general election. West Hawaii Today.
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Wrong Tests, Weird Exemptions – What The Data Tells Us About Hawaii’s Reopening. In the first full week of Hawaii’s pre-arrival testing program, 86% of the nearly 67,000 people traveling from out of state bypassed quarantine one way or another, but only 63% of arriving travelers had a negative COVID-19 test. Civil Beat.
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To reclaim ancestral land, all Native Hawaiians need is a $300,000 mortgage and to wait in line for decades. A 100-year-old program created to provide Native Hawaiians — especially poor ones — land to live on after the U.S. annexed the islands is failing. Thousands have died waiting in line and even more can’t afford the mortgages they’d need. Star-Advertiser.
Hawaiian Home Lands Announces $1 Million in Grant Availability. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has announced the availability of $1 million in grants as part of the Native Hawaiian Development Program Plan. Big Island Now.
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Another Federal Grand Jury In Hawaii? This Time It’s About United Public Workers Union. The U.S. Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service have subpoenaed stacks of records from one of the state’s largest unions. Civil Beat.
Judge Todd Eddins Appointed To Hawaiʻi Supreme Court. Governor David Ige on Friday announced the appointment of First Circuit Judge Todd W. Eddins to the Hawai‘i Supreme Court. Big Island Video News.
Why Some Hawaii Parents Now Want Their Kids In Private School. One Catholic school principal said the calls have been nonstop, mostly from families who are tired of doing remote learning as part of the state public school system. Civil Beat.
Big Island coronavirus cases hit 1-day peak and surpass Oahu. The number of COVID-19 cases reported Sunday on the Big Island reached 51, the isle’s largest one-day tally since the start of the pandemic. Star-Advertiser.
VIRUS TRACKER — Oct. 25: 121 New COVID-19 Cases In Hawaii. Hawaii health officials reported 121 new cases of COVID-19 statewide Sunday with 49 on Oahu, 51 on Hawaii island and 18 in Maui County, where there is an outbreak on Lanai. Civil Beat.
Oahu
Deadline looming for HART’s rail plan. It’s been a rocky couple of months for the folks at the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, the agency tasked with building the city’s embattled $10 billion-plus East Kapolei-to-Ala Moana rail line. Star-Advertiser.
Waikiki residents fear Halloween night could turn into COVID-19 super spreader event. Honolulu police and other officials are pleading with residents and visitors to follow COVID-19 restrictions, especially those pertaining to social gatherings and face coverings, as Oahu enters the holiday season, starting with Halloween on Saturday. Star-Advertiser.
State plans $1.8 billion housing and commercial development for East Kapolei. A thousand affordable rental homes could rise on state land in East Kapolei as part of a new long-range development plan also featuring a hotel, retail, offices and warehouses. Star-Advertiser.
Haseko plans 1,850 new homes at Royal Kunia in Central Oahu. A third attempt is underway in as many decades to produce roughly 2,000 homes in Central Oahu at the long-stalled second phase of Royal Kunia. Star-Advertiser.
City agrees to a tentative $320,000 settlement over HPD domestic violence case. The suit alleged that officer Darren Cachola choked his wife in 2017 then pushed her against a wall and terrorized two years later after she filed for divorce. The city is on the hook because the suit alleges that HPD officers did not investigate her injuries and tried to talk her out of filing charges. Hawaii News Now.
Tony Roma's Waikiki closing. After 45 years sitting on Kalakaua Avenue, the Tony Roma's Waikiki restaurant is closing up shop. The restaurant, known for it finger-licking baby back ribs, will serve the final customers until Wednesday, October 28. KITV4.
Vintage aircraft face chopping block. A Kalaeloa Airport naval air museum whose vintage aircraft could be auctioned off or chopped up is scrambling to remove some of its collection ahead of the Saturday deadline to vacate the premises. Star-Advertiser.
Hawaii Island
Lt. Gov. Josh Green called for a stronger, uniform statewide mask mandate on Sunday as Hawaii Island reported its highest single-day jump in new COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. Lt. Gov. Josh Green called for a stronger, uniform statewide mask mandate on Sunday as Hawaii Island reported its highest single-day jump in new COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. West Hawaii Today.
Spike in Big Island cases described as an ‘islandwide problem’. The spread of COVID-19 on Hawaii Island is no longer limited to one cluster or one part of the county, and it’s mostly blamed on social or family gatherings. Hawaii News Now.
TMT opponents oppose small teaching telescope at Halepohaku. The public comment period for the proposed relocation of the University
of Hawaii’s teaching telescope to a site on Maunakea will end Monday. Tribune-Herald.
Date set for management transition at veterans home. The East Hawaii Region of Hawaii Health Systems Corp. is preparing to take over the management of Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home Jan. 1, 2021. Tribune-Herald.
Maui
Mayor seeks Guzman’s removal as prosecutor. Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino is seeking the removal of Don Guzman as prosecuting attorney in a resolution submitted to the Maui County Council. Maui News.
County Officials Defend Use of Kamaʻāina Program as Incentive to Visitors who Take Post-Arrival Test. But the extension of offers to visitors via the program’s new Mahalo Card, has prompted criticism from some who say the program was established and intended for residents. Maui Now.
Astronomers Say Cluster of Mysterious Lights in Maui Sky was an Old Rocket Booster. The mysterious lights in the night sky over Maui on Saturday still has many perplexed as to their origin, but astronomers say the believe the lights “in all likelihood” were associated with the reentry of a used up rocket booster from a launch in 2008. Maui Now.
Kauai
14 arrested on Kauai for allegedly breaking quarantine requirements since state’s reopening. Kauai police have arrested 14 people for allegedly violating the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine since the state’s pre-arrivals testing program began on Oct. 15. Star-Advertiser.
Resident tests positive. A Kaua‘i resident has tested positive for COVID-19 following a voluntary post-travel test from the County of Kaua‘i, the state Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office announced Sunday. Garden Island.
County receives $15.5M for water systems, capital improvements. The state allocated the county $15.5 million for a breadth of projects across the island, including capital improvements and water systems. Garden Island.
Lanai
Lanai voter service center closed due to outbreak. With the outbreak of
COVID-19 on Lanai now reaching 95 cases and counting, it isn't just
impacting public health on the small island, it's also impacting the
election. KITV4.
Lt.
Gov. Green worries COVID-19 infections could hit triple digits on
Lanai. As of last night, the governor had not signed Maui Mayor Mike
Victorino’s request for a Stay At Home Order that would start on
Tuesday. Hawaii News Now.
Lanai
COVID-19 total tops 60 cases. Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino is
expecting to implement a stay-at-home order and travel restrictions for
Lanai beginning Tuesday as the island’s COVID-19 case count ballooned to
65 Friday. Maui News.
As
Cases Spike On Lanai, School Moves To Distance Learning. Lanai High and
Elementary School has switched to distance learning as the COVID-19
outbreak on the island grows and Maui County officials await approval to
impose a stay-at-home order on the island starting Tuesday. Hawaii Public Radio.