Something to think about when the vitriol starts flying next week: according to this post via kottke.org, 228 consecutive cars 'paid it forward' last December in Winnipeg. More at Kottke.org »
Hawaii's ocean: Officials tackle coral health, beach erosion, mooring and paddling rules. Plus poll shows split on gay marriage, University of Hawaii president search and more news from all the Hawaiian Islands Read More »
Kauai passed landmark GMO legislation this week. Now, a Hawaii Island bill restricting the use of genetically modified crops is moving forward. More at Big Island Now »
Board members overseeing the city’s rail project Thursday approved its largest capital budget yet, clearing rail officials to sign $1.56 billion in contracts in the coming fiscal year to build the project. More at Star-Advertiser »
The University of Hawaii is considering halting new construction projects across the university system until it can rein in a repair and maintenance backlog that has ballooned to nearly a half-billion dollars. More at Star-Advertiser »Read More »
Hawaii restaurant inspections changing, race rises as campaign issue in Schatz-Hanabusa campaign, UH mulls building slowdown, Honolulu rail budget approved, Waikiki sand replaced, sharks' value touted, fishing rules protested, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands Read More »
Hawaii national parks reopen, congressional delegation points fingers; Hawaii, Kauai counties pass anti-GMO bills; fracking ban passes Hawaii County; kids to start kindergarten later; Abercrombie aide resigns. Read More »
GMO, pesticide bill passed on Kauai, AG gives nod for state Legislature to pass gay marriage, Board of Education wants $65M more, Hawaii council to raise tobacco sale age, mystery guests on Lanai, Health Connector goes online, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands Read More »
Kauai County Council Vice Chair Nadine Nakamura, who topped the council elections last year, announced Friday she is leaving her position to replace county Managing Director Gary Heu. More at Garden Island »
Maui County is planning to build three wind turbines at the Central Maui Landfill to offset thousands of dollars in energy bills at the site and is looking for prospective bidders. More at Maui News »
With a bill to restrict genetically modified crops passed out of committee, the Hawaii County Council will have only a few more chances to decide whether it wants to adopt the legislation, and, perhaps just as important, how it would be implemented. More at West Hawaii Today »
This month, for the first time, Hawaii will join an international effort to prepare citizens for the impact of a large earthquake. More at Tribune-Herald »
With a multimillion-dollar land sale to the Roman Catholic Church gone sour, the University of Hawaii-West Oahu says it's moving away from the school's original concept of selling or leasing lands surrounding its Kapolei campus to pay for operations. It instead will seek more public funds from the state Legislature next year. More at Star-Advertiser »
The transportation company responsible for a molasses spill that killed more than 26,000 fish and other marine life in Hawaii said Friday that it had been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury for documents relating to the spill. More at The Associated Press »
The Hawaii Department of Health and federal agencies are warning the public to stop using a diet supplement and have asked retailers to take the product off the shelves after reports of hepatitis and liver failure around the state. More at The Associated Press »
The Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is warning the public about unauthorized websites that appear to be trying to get personal information from those seeking unemployment benefits. More at The Associated Press »
Ahi lovers could face a price hike for fresh sashimi and poke next year because of a proposal that would slice the bigeye tuna limit for Hawaii's longline fleet. More at Hawaii News Now »
A symposium on the religious exemption in a gay marriage bill that was scheduled for Wednesday evening at the state Capitol has been cancelled. Organizers from the University of Hawaii law school said there was a misunderstanding about whether the symposium would only focus on the religious exemption or whether other issues related to the bill would be discussed. More at Star-Advertiser »
Honolulu transit officials filed court documents Tuesday asserting that they've complied with a federal judge's instructions to study the alternative routes and impacts of the city's rail project. More at Star-Advertiser »
Oahu's beaches are considered among the best in the world. But, what many do not know is they haven't been cleaned in several months after a dispute between the city and company contracted to clean the beaches began in July. More at KHON »
People under 16 years old would need to wear helmets if they want to ride skateboards, roller skates, in-line skates or similar devices on Oahu under a bill introduced at the City Council. Bill 62 will get its first airing before the Council at its monthly meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday. More at Star-Advertiser »
The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization on Monday released the Hawaii Jobs Explorer, an interactive snapshot of occupations and salaries in the state that shows the 588,210 jobs in the state have a median salary of $36,350. More at Pacific Business News »
Representatives from NASA, the defense and technology industries, and state government are gathering in Honolulu today in hopes of lighting a booster rocket under Hawaii’s small but growing aerospace industry. More at Star-Advertiser »
The state Department of Agriculture has only one employee assigned to review pesticide inspection reports and follow up on possible violations. More at Civil Beat »
Facing thousands of dollars in additional penalties for breaking state campaign finance laws, Hawaii Rep. Karen Awana stepped down from her House leadership position Friday. More at Civil Beat »
The special session on same-sex marriages is a little more than three week away but the lobbying efforts are already in high gear. More than 500 people attended a rally the state Capitol today to oppose the legalization of same sex marriages. More at Hawaii News Now »
State Rep. Karen Awana is in hot water with the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission again. The Nanakuli Democrat faces an $8,500 fine for failing to account for 50 expenditures made by her campaign since 2011. Update: Awana has resigned from her leadership position. More at Hawaii News Now »
A bill making lying down on city sidewalks illegal was given initial approval by the Honolulu City Council Public Safety and Economic Development Committee on Thursday despite concerns by members of the public and a city official. More at Star-Advertiser »
Concerns are mounting that Hawaii’s economy — so dependent of tourism and the military — could suffer setbacks if the standoff between President Barack Obama and House Republican leaders is not resolved promptly so that federal employees can get back to work, attractions can reopen and services return to the status quo. More at Star-Advertiser »
The University of Hawaii's Manoa campus plans to toughen its anti-smoking policy starting Jan. 1 with a total ban on tobacco products and electronic cigarettes— a move that would make it the first tobacco-free college campus in the state. More at Star Advertiser »
Students in Hawaii continue to underperform on the SAT compared to the national average, according to scores released Thursday by the College Board. More at Tribune-Herald »
The state is spending $450,000 in federal grant funds upgrading security systems at the State Capitol in what officials call a "modest upgrade." More at Hawaii News Now »
Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui will be acting governor for the next few weeks as Gov. Neil Abercrombie travels out of state for meetings and vacation. More at The Associated Press »
The Hawaii Department of Health has received $75,000 to begin testing for pesticides in streams and waterways throughout the state. More at Garden Island »
Kaiser High School Principal John Sosa has been placed on paid leave as the Department of Education conducts an investigation. It's unclear what the investigation entails. More at Star-Advertiser »
North Shore residents told state transportation officials that barricading the parking lot at Laniakea Beach is not the solution for traffic problems in the area. More at Hawaii News Now »
It is no surprise that Lex Smith, a well-connected attorney, has been a key player in the contentious efforts to develop the rustic Kahuku Village on the North Shore into a multi-million dollar real estate development. More at Civil Beat »
Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s announcement Monday that he and the Kauai legislative delegation had negotiated some temporary, volunteer rules regarding pesticide use on that island has some Hawaii Island legislators wondering if similar moves are coming for the county’s genetically modified organism debate. More at West Hawaii Today »Read More »
Amid congressional bickering in the 11th hour of fraught federal budget deliberations, officials at all levels of education in Hawaii say they’re bracing for painful funding cutbacks and delays to crucial grants that support the neediest students. More at Civil Beat »
Honolulu Community College has been placed on warning accreditation status by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, the only of the University of Hawaii's ten campuses to get such a warning. More at Hawaii News Now »Read More »
Kathryn Xian, an activist who has pushed the state to address human trafficking and has sought to empower women through Girl Fest, said Monday that she will run for Congress. More at Star-Advertiser »
The state's smaller health insurers are countering the aggressive marketing campaign of the Hawaii Health Connector, the state's insurance exchange established as part of the federal law known as Obamacare. More at Star-Advertiser »
Quotes II, held Wednesday at The Boxjelly, featured a fascinating discussion on the Makers movement and a forthcoming serialization of Polyfantastica, an oceanic science fiction series. Refreshments were sponsored by Whole Foods.
A lot more vehicles will soon fill up spaces at the mostly vacant, 410-stall parking garage on South Street that some have criticized as a symbol of government waste and inefficiency. About 400 city employees will be able to park there under an agreement reached this month between the Federal Transit Administration and the city. More at Star-Advertiser »
The state on Friday revealed rates for the 95 health-insurance plans that will be offered for individuals and small businesses on the Hawaii Health Connector starting Oct. 1 that start at an average of $120 for a 21-year-old nonsmoker choosing the most basic plan. Read More »
The man accused of threatening to cut off Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s head will be sent to Washington, D.C. where he'll face charges in federal court there. More at Civil Beat »
Kamehameha Schools said Wednesday it is selling two Kakaako blocks fronting Ala Moana Boulevard to MK Development, a joint venture of Kobayashi Group and The MacNaughton Group, to develop two luxury condominium towers with a combined 500 units. More at Star-Advertiser »
On the second anniversary of the original Occupy protests in New York City’s Zucotti Park Sept. 17, Honolulu protesters marked their 682nd continuous day of 24-hour vigil at the corner of Ward and Beretania avenues, making it the longest-running Occupy encampment in the U.S. More at Civil Beat »
Does U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard represent the future? That remains to be seen, but there are signs that the fast-rising attention-grabbing young congresswoman is positioning herself to do so. More at Civil Beat »
‘Iolani Palace will be the recipient of a $65,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to plan new exhibits for its basement galleries. More at Hawaii Reporter »
The Department of Education's six assistant superintendents will see their six-figure salaries go up an average 3.6 percent while the deputy superintendent will see a 16.6 percent boost under raises approved by the Board of Education on Tuesday. More at Star-Advertiser »
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, two of the youngest members of Congress, are forming a new bipartisan Future Caucus. More at Star-Advertiser »
A Final Environmental Assessment was filed with a finding of no significant impact for the proposed Kahoma Village Project in West Maui. More at Maui Now »
Matson Inc. will pay for the cleanup of a 1,400-ton spill of molasses into Honolulu Harbor that killed thousands of fish and other marine life, CEO Matt Cox said Monday. More at Pacific Business News »
A Public Utilities Commission investigative proceeding on the feasibility of an undersea power cable between Maui and Oahu has drawn comments and interventions from Maui County, environmental groups and developers seeking the job of laying a high-voltage cable 112 miles long and as deep as 2,100 feet. More at Maui News »
A Kilauea resident says he was exposed to pesticides while driving with his windows down as he passed a DuPont Pioneer agricultural field in Lihue Wednesday morning. More at Garden Island »
Civil Beat recently visited pro-GMO and pro-pesticide farmers. They argued that pesticides and GMOs are tools that farmers in Hawaii need to be competitive. More at Civil Beat »
Hawaii State Civil Defense officials have confirmed that the emergency warning sirens that sounded overnight on Oahu, Maui and Molokai were accidental and that there is no alert at this time. More at Hawaii News Now »
Sweeping education reforms that Hawaii and other states promised in return for millions in federal Race to the Top dollars are "unrealistic and impossible" to achieve, a new report issued Thursday argues. More at Star-Advertiser »
Gov. Neil Abercrombie had wanted to host the nation’s governors for their annual summer meeting in two years. He found out Wednesday the governors will be going to West Virginia instead. More at Stateline »
The Kailua Neighborhood Board is protesting the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s decision to advertise the small town community as a tourist destination. More at Hawaii Reporter »
No surprises here. Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang’s bill that makes lying on the sidewalks illegal is being criticized for targeting the homeless. More at Civil Beat »
Hawaii will again be sharing locally grown avocados with mainland consumers, after an overhaul of federal rules that had restricted the fruits from export to other states for more than two decades. More at Star-Advertiser »