Governor Ige instigated a political crisis by nominating a developer's lobbyist to watch over Hawaii's natural resources. Here are some of the lessons that this crisis taught Hawaii about our political culture.
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The new premium quarterly will present an updated take on Hawaii, with a focus on presenting Hawaii's best to the world. Purchase your pre-sale subscription here! Read More »
The dollar value of the research conducted through the UARC ARL – $7.9 million – is barely 1/5 of the $44.7 million that University officals promised back in 2005. Read More »
The collaborative creative space operated by Interisland Terminal celebrated a 'refresh' Tuesday evening, with a revamped layout, expanded microcinema, and private meeting space.
In 2005, the entrance to Senator Inouye's office in the glass-walled Hart building in Washington DC held a row of portraits on its wall, with Kamehameha I, Liholiho, Kauikeaouli, the rest of the Kamehameha dynasty, and the brother and sister who were Hawaii's final monarchs. And at the end, a bare spot, just the right size for another frame. Read More »
Teachers at 38 schools are participating in a “work to the rules” protest, in which they are working strictly to the letter of their existing contract, and not performing additional tasks (extracurricular clubs, preparing lessons, meeting with parents, etc.). Here are some key points to understand about these demonstrations. Read More »
The Independent, in conjunction with The Value of Hawai‘i and Interisland Terminal, is hosting a discussion Saturday from 10 am - noon at R&D in Kaka‘ako. We're asking the community for your ideas to improve transportation on O‘ahu. If you can't make it, please leave your mana‘o in the comments, and we'll include you in our coverage of the discussion. Read More »
Hardline supporters or opponents of this rail plan have an easy choice on Tuesday. But moderates – such as myself – who want mass transit yet oppose the specifics of this rail plan are in a difficult position. Read More »
A legal analysis by a legislative agency confirms that the new corporation is not exempt from environmental review. But other laws which protect land use don't apply to the new corporation. Read More »
Rosemarie Bernardo, reporting for the Star-Advertiser:
The Honolulu City Council wants the authority to create special funds to ensure fees and taxes paid by the public are spent for the proper purposes, such as requiring fuel tax revenue to pay for road improvements.
Two members of the Maui-based Hawaiian sovereignty group, Ko Hawaii Pae Aina, have admitted they sold fake “private bonds,” “bonded promissory notes” and other bogus documents which they falsely claimed could be used to block bank foreclosures and pay off debts, including home mortgages, credit card debt, and taxes. The group met prospective victims through seminars and workshops offered on Hawaiian history and land rights.
David Tanoue is leaving his position tomorrow as director of the city's Department of Planning and Permitting. He starts on October 1 as Vice President at RM Towill Corporation. Read More »
The mayoral candidate proposes combining an dedicated bus lanes, tweaks to existing roads, and changes to our urban rhythms, such as telework and staggered work hours. He estimates his proposal to cost $1.1 billion. But will it reduce our dependence on automobiles? Read More »
The Independent is asking for your input on questions that we'll pose to Ben Cayetano and Kirk Caldwell, Honolulu's mayoral candidates. We'd like to include your voice to the greatest extent possible.
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A team of state officials are investigating a piece of ocean debris found offshore of Kaupo, O‘ahu, which they believe may be tsunami refuse from Japan. More at Hawaii News Now »
A new Consumer Reports study finds high levels in arsenic in rice.
Tom Philpott, food and agriculture blogger for Mother Jones, reports:
What's the takeaway from all of this? To avoid excessive exposure to arsenic, Consumer Reports recommends that adults limit their rice intake to two quarter-cup servings per week; children, they say, should get just 1.25 servings per week. In the long term, Urvashi Rangan, director of safety and sustainability at Consumer Reports, told me, "what we'd really like to see happen is for the FDA to get serious about getting arsenic out of chicken feed."
Researchers studied one million Toronto residents, and found that less walkable neighborhoods lead to higher rates of diabetes. More at Atlantic Cities »Read More »
The state project to develop wind power on Moloka‘i and Lana‘i, connected to O‘ahu via an undersea cable, is being repackaged, and possibly replaced, by a new initiative. Read More »