Hawaii Tribune-Herald

State lawmakers will battle it out this session with competing bills dictating the powers of the Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Authority.

Construction could begin this spring on a new public library adjacent to the Keaau Middle School campus.

For more than five decades, Stan Lawrence has been “Stan the Man” in the Big Island surfing community.

Lawmakers have introduced at least three bills in the current session of the Legislature relating to human trafficking and sex trafficking.

The state is once again on the hook for a decrepit building on Banyan Drive after the previous lessee of the former Country Club Condominium Hotel surrendered its permit for the property.

The Hawaii State Judiciary needs money to design a new courthouse in Wai­mea, add a District Court judge in Kona and address a “critical shortage” of court-appointed counsel in criminal and termination of parental rights cases, Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald told state lawmakers Thursday.

At least two bills have been introduced in the state Senate with the intent of cashing in by legalizing limited forms of sports wagering — which is still illegal in Hawaii, despite numerous attempts that have gone bust in recent years.

Gov. Josh Green’s bills call for enhanced penalties and new legal language aimed at easing “the standard of proof” to make cracking down on illegal pyrotechnics easier for law enforcement.

Two brothers wrongly convicted for the Dec. 24, 1991, abduction, rape and murder of Dana Ireland have filed a federal lawsuit claiming their civil rights were violated by Hawaii County and its police department.

Connections Public Charter School officials, twice rebuffed for their plans to build a campus on 70-plus acres of leased state land in Kaumana, are set to submit a scaled-down proposal for a 15-acre campus.

Following his third State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Josh Green offered new details on his ideas for tackling two of the state’s biggest challenges outside of affordable housing: clamping down on illegal fireworks with citations similar to speeding tickets and felony charges for injuries or death, and finding the money to continue fighting climate change.

Federal, state and county agencies are urging chicken farmers to take precautionary measures against the potential spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu.