Tough choices on Hawaiʻi’s prisons and jails lie ahead, official says

Corrections officials need millions of dollars to maintain aging prisons and jails but say the real solution is to build new jails. That would be even more expensive.

Civil Beat.

State Fire Council considers expediting fire marshal hiring process

The State Fire Council is composed of all the county fire chiefs and state fire service representatives. The group says it has finalized the job description for the new position, which was approved by Gov. Josh Green in July.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Hand delivered letter urges Gov. Green to fill key position on state’s Water Board

Students of Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Kekaulike—a Hawaiian immersion school on Maui— on Monday, with the help of members of non-profit organization Earth Justice Hawaii, a letter urging the governor to make a selection from a list of candidates was hand delivered.

KITV4.

Suspected Trump gunman pleads not guilty

The Oʻahu man charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump after allegedly positioning himself with a rifle outside one of the former president’s Florida golf courses on Sept. 15 pleaded not guilty Monday to five federal charges.

Reuters. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiʻi Tourism Conference kicks off as Hilton strike continues in Waikīkī

State tourism officials are gathering at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center this week for the Hawaiʻi Tourism Conference. Striking Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel workers plan to pass out leaflets to draw attention to their labor dispute now moving into its second week.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

O‘ahu Headlines

Should Honolulu’s emergency management chief need minimum qualifications?

A charter amendment proposal would include a requirement for at least five years of experience in emergency management or public health.

Civil Beat.

900-unit affordable complex proposed for Kapolei

It includes units for extremely low-income households — those earning 30% of area median income, or $41,750 annually for a four- person family — up to 140% AMI, or $168,150 a year for a family of four, according to state data.

Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi man pleads guilty to violating Atomic Energy Act

On Jan. 9, 2019, after Mark Kazee’s employer’s contract with a Kapolei oil refinery expired, Kazee’s unlicensed company entered into a contract to do “testing and examination services” for the refinery. The equipment Kazee’s company was using “contained Iridium-192 and depleted uranium radioactive source material,” according to U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors.

Star-Advertiser. KHON2.

State plans eradication of coqui frog infestation near Kuliʻouʻou trail summit

The Department of Land and Natural Resources said the infestation is in a remote location with steep slopes inaccessible by foot, so crews plan to use drones to apply a non-toxic citric food additive mixed with water.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

New bill on could end the military exemption to “Nuclear-Free Law”

The bill would repeal an ordinance that specified the United States military operations are exempt from law prohibiting the transportation or storage of radioactive material on the island. The bill will be heard by County Council’s Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-being Tuesday.

Big Island Video News.

County Council to discuss release of additional funds to start rehab of Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant

Hawai‘i County is requesting that the County Council release $116 million in additional funds to enable work to begin on a federally mandated project at the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Big Island Now.

Proposal calls for a ‘county radio plan’

State and county agencies and local amateur radio operators should work together to develop an islandwide communication plan to respond to emergencies in case of blackouts, according to a Hawaiʻi County Council proposal.

Tribune-Herald.

Hilo fire station still slated for improvements

Work to improve the 91-year-old Central Fire Station building on the corner of Kinoole and Ponahawai Streets in Hilo should begin soon, according to Hawaiʻi Fire Department Chief Kazuo Todd.

Tribune-Herald.

Former Youth Challenge staffer sentenced to 10 years for sex assault

A 44-year-old Keaau man was sentenced last week by Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a then-minor girl six years ago on the campus of the Hawaii Youth Challenge Academy in Hilo.

Tribune-Herald.

Maui Headlines

Maui County debates a return to using pesticides at parks, golf course

 Bill 131, which was heard by the council’s Agriculture, Diversification, Environment and Public Transportation Committee last week, specifically exempts county agricultural parks, county parks with grass playing fields and the Waiehu Municipal Golf Course from the ban on use of the chemicals.

Civil Beat.

State project to improve Hāna bridges gets finding of no significant environmental impact

A $40 million project to improve the safety and public use of a half-dozen Hāna Highway bridges while retaining their historic character has received a finding of no significant environmental impact, according to the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation.

Maui Now.

Maui residents say county response to Lahaina fire falls short

About two-thirds of Maui County residents responding to a Civil Beat survey say Mayor Richard Bissen and the County Council have not done a good job helping the island recover from the deadly Lahaina wildfire a year ago.

Civil Beat.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Kauaʻi Police Commission votes to discipline Chief for losing his gun

On March 4, records reveal Chief Todd Raybuck left his loaded Glock wedged between the wall and a handicap assist bar inside a KPD bathroom stall. An officer later found it and turned it into evidence.

Hawaii News Now.

A group effort to remove abandoned vehicles in Anahola

About 120 students from Waimea High School, Kanuikapono Public Charter School, Kapaa High School and Kauai High School, as well as the Kauai Fire Department, and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, were all in attendance for the heavy machinery field trip.

Garden Island.

Kalalau Trail to fully reopen today after norovirus outbreak

State park officials had temporarily closed the trail and campsite at Napali Coast State Wilderness Park on Sept. 4 upon the advice of the Hawaiʻi Department of Health.

Star-Advertiser. Kauai Now.