A meeting to discuss the problems that occurred on election day in Hawaii is set for sometime during the week of Dec. 10th. The state’s Elections Commission will analyze deficiencies that happened on the 6th that led to many polling stations to run short of paper ballots. More at KHON2 »
The new corporation designed to develop public lands meets Monday morning at 10:30 am at the DLNR committee room to hear final testimony on its administrative rules. More at PLDC »
Carol Fukunaga, a former state senator who lost her office in a redestricting fight, won the Honolulu City Council District 6 seat Tuesday night. Read More »
We've seen the results of the election – but what does it mean? Join us for a live discussion with veteran political reporters Tom Coffman and David Shapiro, Friday 1:30 pm. Watch this space for details. Read More »
The 5-year Department of Education plan would be the largest solar power project in the nation, according to the Star-Adverstiser. More at Star Advertiser »
Mayoral candidate Ben Cayetano is warning local news stations by putting them on notice to stop airing certain political ads created by Pacific Resource Partnership. If the stations do not comply, they may become apart of the libel and slander lawsuit that Cayetano has filed against PRP. TV stations are required by law to run candidates’ political ads, however, the law differs when it comes to third party ads. More at Civil Beat »
The campaign between mayoral candidates Kirk Caldwell and Ben Cayetano appears to be close, at least according to a poll conducted by Civil Beat. Out of 886 likely general election voters, 50% were for Cayetano and 45% favored Caldwell. Civil Beat reports that Caldwell has gained in every poll they sponsored so far. Another poll conducted by the Star Advertiser that was released on Sunday showed Caldwell leading Cayetano at 53 to 42 percent. More at Civil Beat »
Today is the last day to apply for absentee ballots for the November 6th election. Any person who is registered to vote can vote by absentee ballot. More at Office of Elections »
Presidential campaign events have been cancelled and Wall Street has been shut down for the first time since 2001 in anticipation of the Sandy storm system hitting the eastern coast of the United States. More at CNN »
As Americans braced Sunday for Hurricane Sandy, Haiti was still suffering.
Officials raised the storm-related death toll across the Caribbean to 65, with 51 of those coming in Haiti, which was pelted by three days of constant rains that ended only on Friday.
We're tracking reports of failed warning sirens from Saturday night's tsunami warning. So far, we've received reports of malfunctioning sirens in Kapolei, O‘ahu and Hilo, Hawai‘i. Read More »
Governor Abercrombie's disaster proclamation, signed a few minutes ago, activates the Hawaii National Guard and suspends several state laws, including procurement and workers rights. More at hawaii.gov »
If your home or business is in an inundation zone, turn off and unplug any unnecessary electrical equipment before you leave, especially sensitive electronics. In the event of an outage, this will help prevent damage to the equipment from surges when power is restored.
Mahalo to the City Council District 6 candidates who responded to The Hawaii Independent's questionnaire. Their responses are linked below. Read More »
The innovators at Greenhouse are launching Lightstyle Network, a new content network with an amazing mission: "To reach the tipping point of a world that operates on a new level of consciousness and awareness where spirituality is no longer something to attain, but something that already exists in everyone." Read More »
In order to determine how military activities will affect local marine life, Army officials are asking Waianae residents for their input on what marine species they find offshore. More at Honolulu Star-Advertiser »Read More »
The Army wants to be able to use depleted uranium in Pohakuloa without "restrictions or requirements." The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking comments on the Army's request (PDF). More at Honolulu Weekly »
Ben Cayetano filed a libel and slander lawsuit today against the Carpenter’s union and the organization it directs, the Pacific Resource Partnership, for PRP campaign advertisements. More at Hawaii Reporter »
The PLDC is closing off the administrative rules process with a single hearing at the Honolulu DLNR building on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 10:30 a.m., rather than a new tour throughout the islands. More at PLDC »
The Hawai’i State Association of Counties has voted to approve a resolution requesting a repeal of Act 55, the legislation that led to the creation of the Public Land Development Corporation.
HSCA President Mel Rapozo said the agency was flooded with testimony from hundreds of residents who are opposed to Act 55, citing concerns over the PLDC’s mission to create revenue from public lands.
Twenty Kaiser Permanente Hawaii employees will lose their jobs after the company announced it’s streamlining efforts on Tuesday. Management and non-union workers are being cut since Hawaii Kaiser Permanente reported a $200,000 loss in the second quarter. More at Hawaii News Now »
The city has lost about $366,000 in camping permit fee revenues because it installed an online camping system last March that is not capable of collecting fees, according to an audit of the Department of Parks and Recreation's camping operations.
M.R.C. Greenwood, the embattled University of Hawai president, faces a possible censure vote by her faculty senate tomorrow, and a continued closed-door Board of Regents meeting on Thursday. More at Star-Advertiser »
The renovation of the old Sprint building on Nimitz is a sign of things to come: modern design, a mix commerical and residential, and yes – Starbucks. More at Star-Advertiser »
Linda Lingle and Mazie Hirono will face-off in the second televised debate of this election season tonight on KITV. The debate will air at 8 pm, and will be about 1-hour long. Questions for the candidates can be sent through the Live Wire section, on the KITV website. More at KITV »
Absentee ballots began being sent out Monday for the 2012 general election. Ballots must be mailed in at least 7 days before the November 6 election. More at Office of Elections (PDF) »
UH researcher Chip Fletcher via Jan TenBruggencate:
“Hawai‘i’s climate is changing in ways that are consistent with the influence of global warming. In Hawai‘i: air temperature has risen; rainfall and stream flow have decreased; rain intensity has increased; sea level and sea surface temperatures have increased; and, the ocean is acidifying,” Fletcher wrote.
D.R. Horton’s Hawaii-based Schuler Division plans to file a re-zoning petition next year with the City and County of Honolulu for its proposed 11,750-home Hoopili subdivision in West Oahu.
UH West Oahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni violated the state ethics law by failing to report significant financial interests held by himself and his wife on personal financial disclosure statements required to be filed annually, the State Ethics Commission ruled earlier this year.
More human remains, including an intact burial, were found Monday as the HART archaeological inventory survey continued along the Honolulu rail route. More at KHON »
The National Weather Service predicts that the tradewinds will return today. The winds will move the vog from Kilauea volcano that has affected residents of the Hawaii for almost a week now. More at National Weather Service »
Howard Hughes Corp., the property management spin-off from General Growth, announced today its [long-anticipated] plans to redevelop the Ward Centre area.
From the prepared statement:
The redevelopment will commence with four components on four separate blocks: two mixed-use residential towers on opposite corners of Auahi Street and Kamakee Street, one reserved housing tower at the corner of Ward Avenue and Halekauwila Street and the renovation of the IBM building, a portion of which will serve as the information and sales center for Ward Village.
New research from Hawai'i Pacific University on a rarely documented whale has central Pacific scientists on alert for a disease which may affect the mortality rate of dolphins and other marine mammal species.
The former Congressional staffer and recent candidate for the US House takes Guy Kaulukukui's place in the Abercrombie administration. More at Press Release »
Hugo Chavez was re-elected to a new six-year term as President of Venezuela. Chavez won the presidency with 55 percent of the vote against opponent Henrique Capriles. Chavez says that he will continue with the socialist reforms that he had implemented in his previous term. More at The Atlantic »
A steroid may be suspected in the recent fungal meningitis outbreak. On Monday, the number of people sick reached 105, and it is not clear how many people have been infected. The steroid was used to treat pain and inflammation. The company that produced the steroid has recalled all of it's products as a precaution.
UPDATE Oct 10: The death toll has reached 12. More at Associated Press »
In previous elections, voters without identification could still vote if they could answer personal questions at the precinct. For November 6, they'll need their papers. More at hawaii.gov »
John Hart, HPU Communications Chair, as quoted by KHON:
"I thought in terms of the closing statements, Mazie's statement was quite good at summarizing her best argument, which is she thinks most people in Hawaii agree with her. So not in terms of who should be the better senator, not in terms of who I would vote for or you should vote for, but if you ask me who won this debate? Linda Lingle won this debate this evening," said Hart.
The Honolulu Mayoral Debate begins this morning at 10 am, in UH Law School Classroom #2. Please join us, or follow the debate live on ‘Olelo channel 53. We'll be tweeting using the hashtag #hnlmayor, so you can chime in on that search term.
A device that will potentially turn wave energy into electricity will be put into Kaneohe waters by the end of 2012. The design was developed by Northwest Energy Innovations, a New Zealand company, and will be placed in the bay to collect data for about a year. The spot in which the device will be placed is a U.S Navy Wave Energy Test Site.
A Honolulu city council committee will meet today at 5 pm to discuss the sale of city-run affordable housing units to a private firm, Honolulu Affordable Housing Partners LLC, for a price of $142 million in cash and an additional $42 million in improvements to the 12 facilities.
Gordon Pang, reporting for the Star-Advertiser, quotes Keith Ishida, director of the city housing office:
"It's a transaction that will relieve the city taxpayer of the need to continue to subsidize these properties while providing residents with a much better living environment because they'll get, basically, $42 million in capital improvements over three years," Ishida said. "That's something our city could never do given our fiscal condition."
Some residents and FACE worry that rents may go up under the new management arrangement. However, Ishida said, "that's something that transcends this particular transaction. … No matter who buys these properties, rents have to go up."
Governor Neil Abercrombie announced the state's decision in health care packages Monday morning, n order to comply with the new Affordable Care Act. The package outlines emergency services, hospitalization and pediatric services as just some of the benefits, that must be provided in 2014 and 2015. More at Hawaii News Now »
Ben Cayetano and Kirk Caldwell will debate O‘ahu's key issues Saturday morning, 10 am to noon, at the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law, Classroom 2. Read More »
It took about two hours of public testimony, discussion and questioning at the council chambers for the council to reach an unanimous decision on a resolution asking for the repeal of the controversial act, which has gathered overwhelming opposition in the last few weeks. Immediately after Council Chair Jay Furfaro’s vote — the last to cast “aye” on a roll call — approximately 20 people who attended the meeting gave the council a rare standing ovation.
The Hawaii Supreme Court on Thursday denied a City and County of Honolulu motion for the high court to reconsider its ruling on the city’s controversial $5.16 billion rail project.
Dennis Camire, reporting for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser:
"We look forward to signing a full funding agreement … by the end of the calendar year, barring any unforeseen complications," [FTA spokesperson] Farber said.
Kauai's county council will discuss a resolution on Wednesday calling for a rollback of the Public Land Development Corporation. More at The Garden Island »
State capitol room 211 was packed for more than six hours Monday, as a special State Senate committee questioned University of Hawaii officials about the "Wonder Blunder" fumble. Here's an aggregation of relevant tweets. (And in a strange coincidence – Read More »
The Kokua Council, a senior-citizens advocacy organization, met with mayoral candidates Ben Cayetano and Kirk Caldwell today. The audio of their conversation is linked here. More at Kokua Council »
State senators will begin their investigation of "Wonder Blunder," in which UH was defrauded of $200,000. The meeting begins at 1pm, Monday in Capitol Conference Room 211. More at State Capitol Website »
A rally was held Sunday to protest a Kahuku land development. More info is available in a post from Margaret Primacio.
"We want the linear descendants, and cultural descendants, to and the Koolauloa Hawaiian Civic Club to be consulted," said Margaret Primacio, Kahuku Plantation Residents Association. "We want the construction in the area stopped until a archeological inventory survey is done."
Volunteers surveyed about 440 people in need, and found out that about 160 are considered vulnerable. Being vulnerable means the homeless have a serious medical illness, a serious mental health illness, or have been homeless for a long period of time. The challenge now is finding housing.
Overwhelming testimony supporting a resolution asking the state to abolish the Public Land Development Corp. preceded the Hawaii County Council’s Planning Committee’s unanimous favorable vote on the measure Tuesday morning.
The Public Land Development Corporation will meet today at 2:30 pm in the Kalanimoku Building conference room. The agenda includes approval of minutes, a report on the statewide administrative rules hearings, and a PLDC strategic plan. More at PLDC »
Paulette Kaleikini, plaintiff in the iwi lawsuit which has temporarily stopped rail work, has until Friday to respond to a city motion to keep construction going. More at Pacific Business News »
The city today requested that the Supreme Court reconsider its decision that rail archaeological studies must be completed before rail construction begins. More at Pacific Business News »
Over the past two weeks, hundreds of Hawaii people spoke out against the Public Land Development Corporation (and a handful spoke in favor). This is a round-up of testimony given to the PLDC. Read More »
About 1,700 Hawaii prisoners are now housed in private mainland prisons. Abercrombie pledged in December to bring them back to Hawaii in the wake of a Circuit Court lawsuit on behalf of 18 Hawaii inmates who alleged they were beaten and their families threatened after a guard at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Ariz., suffered injuries while trying to quell a fight.
13 local volunteers were deployed last night to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac.
"The Hawaii volunteers have arrived in Houston and we are standing by and ready to be deployed where help is needed," said Michele Liberty, Maui County Director, one of the local Red Crossers. More Hawaii Red Cross volunteers are expected to be sent to the Gulf Coast over the next few days.
The Red Cross has deployed 2,700 trained disaster workers from throughout the US to assist in the Gulf Coast. According to a release from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's office, 1,500 people have been evacuated with another 1,500 needing rescue. Donations can be sent to the Red Cross. More at Hawaii News Now »
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. Read More »
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.
“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.
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 judge issued a 117-page decision which throws out the lawsuit filed by a lesbian couple and a gay man who contended the state laws violate the U.S. Constitution due process and equal protection provisions.
Kay ruled in favor of state Health Director Loretta Fuddy and the Hawaii Family Forum, and against the three plaintiffs and Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who contended the law violated the Constitution.
"This is the brains, and the trains. The maintenance facility is where we house the 80 trains. We will maintain them and it will also be our operation control center," said HART Executive Director Dan Grabauskas.
...The proposed shopping center is intended to “reflect the history of Pahoa town,” but to accomplish that goal, Pahoa residents will be asked to submit recommendations.
A journalist details how his digital life was hacked. A must-read for anyone who leads an online life (including you, web news reader). More at Wired »
Here are the minimum qualifications: you need to be at least 16 years old on or before June 30, 2012, a registered voter in Hawaii (Hawaii laws allow US citizens to pre-register at age 16), you must be able to read and write English, and lift 25-30 pounds.
As the new school year opens, enrollment in charter schools tops 5% of the student body population, with more than 10,000 students. It's an important milestone for a movement that has seen its share of growing pains over the last 18 years. More at KHON »