“For all intents and purposes, construction of the project has been halted”

Last week's decision in the iwi lawsuit has stopped construction on rail, according to the plaintiff's attorney.

Cayetano calls for brakes on rail

On Friday, the state Supreme Court found that the city broke state law when it divided an archeological inventory survey of the 20-mile rail route into four segments.

Land development agency gets rough reception in Hilo

Dave Smith reports for Big Island Now on Monday's PLDC admin rules hearing in Hilo:

Well over 100 people showed up to testify tonight at a hearing held by the Department of Land and Natural Resources on proposed rules for the Public Land Development Corporation. Much of the testimony focused not on the rules itself but on the mission of the PLDC, a quasi-state agency established by the Legislature in 2011 to develop public-private partnerships to generate revenues from state lands.

How LA students closed the lid on styrofoam in their schools

As part of a class project, students in a Silver Lake, Los Angeles middle school counted 1,500 styrofoam containers used in a single day.

The amount of Styrofoam being used was so shocking to the students that they began writing letters to the district leadership and school board members asking that Styrofoam be banned across the 900 schools in the district, and they got their parents and local community members involved.

They built a Styrofoam monster.

Reporter goes independent to ‘decode DC’

Andrea Seabrook left NPR in July out of frustration for being "lied to every day, all day," while covering Congress. "There is so little genuine discussion going on with the reporters. … To me, as a reporter, everything is spin," she told Politico. Seabrook has created her own blog and podcast to “decipher Washington’s Byzantine language and procedure, sweeping away what doesn’t matter so listeners can focus on what does." I'm looking forward to it.

Report: No UH criminal wrongdoing in “Wonder blunder”

“Factfinders have not found any evidence that anyone at UH committed fraud,” the report said in its executive summary of findings. “It appears to Factfinders that all UH employees were motivated by a desire to help Athletics raise revenue.” The fate of the missing $200,000 was referred to federal law enforcement.

A redacted version of the report is available here.

‘Artists of Hawaii’ exhibit going broad

Honolulu Museum of Art’s biannual Artists of Hawai‘i exhibition is shifting to a broader, more inclusive format. More info here.

7 Races Determined by < 300 votes

One vote never made a difference?

Council votes to restore bus routes

The city council is reacting to grassroots outrage at cuts in rural bus service. But cuts are still planned for Sunday.

CIty releases new bike plan

Some roads that could see new bike lanes include Waialae Avenue, Date Street and Kalakaua Avenue. The master plan also adds markings on major roadways to remind drivers to share the road and new bike lockers and parking near rail and bus stops.

The full plan is available as a PDF here.