DoH Coverup? Health Dep't Fines Hilo Medical Practice $2.19M for Minor Paperwork Violation
Lawsuit: HTA bosses destroy Convention Center Roof in quest for retaliation
House Announces New Assignments: Leadership, Committee Chair
Against all odds, Hawaii’s children are returning
HART Designs Final Six Stations to Be Harder Than Ever for Riders to Reach
SA: … the HART hatchet is being raised again — not to cut dollars, but to cut escalators from the remaining six rail stations yet to be built. That, though, seems too dear a price to bear if Skyline wants to incentivize riders, not scare them away.
HART CEO Lori Kahikina, in a Sunday article by Star-Advertiser reporter Dan Nakaso, acknowledged that some residents are already pushing back on the elimination of escalators from rail’s final six stations — in particular, at Chinatown, which will be the focus of a June 26 public workshop. Stairs and at least two elevators would be retained at each station….
Installing and maintaining escalators would add to Skyline’s price tag, Kahikina said — and “we have to keep costs down; we have to get to Ala Moana.”…
HART was unable to provide an estimated cost savings from the six-station escalator elimination, despite queries since Tuesday. But previous reporting about HART’s contract with elevator-escalator provider Schindler Elevator Co., while not parsing elevators from escalators, noted that each unit averages $664,000 to design, fabricate and install with warranties. At six stations per unit, rough math would total $4 million — which would be a relatively small price in the context of a $10 billion rail system, to retain a core investment in riders’ accessibility and convenience….
RELATED: Audit: Poor Design of Honolulu Rail System Contributes to Low Ridership > Hawaii Free Press
Star-Adv: Chinatown rail station design comes into focus | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … Editorial: HART cuts are an escalator too far | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Who’s Really to Blame for Hawaii Overtourism? Airbnb Pushes Back
BH: … As overtourism stirs backlash here in Hawaii and across Europe, Airbnb is pushing back—hard. In a recent Financial Times interview, the company’s public policy chief argued that short-term rentals are unfairly targeted while hotels quietly drive far greater tourist volume. “It is totally unfair,” said Theo Yedinsky. “The reality is overtourism is really driven by the hotels.”…
read … Who’s Really to Blame for Hawaii Overtourism? Airbnb Pushes Back. - Beat of Hawaii
DOE Called For 12 New Schools In ‘Ewa A Decade Ago. It’s Built Two
CB: … Since 2015, DOE has opened two new schools in the Campbell-Kapolei complex: Honouliuli Middle School and Ho’okele Elementary. While the schools have helped to address the need for more campus space in the area, it’s a far cry from the 12 new schools DOE said it would need by the end of the decade, according to the city’s 2013 ʻEwa Development Plan.
The plan, updated in 2020, provided few details on how — or when — DOE would build the schools, and only said the department would rely on land contributions and construction fees received from developers to help build its new campuses. …
A redistricting plan going into effect in August moves roughly 140 students from ʻEwa Elementary to Barbers Point and Kapolei Elementary. The plan aims to avoid overcrowding by moving families living on Hawaiian homelands and a subdivision of the Ho’opili development from ʻEwa Elementary to other campuses, DOE communications director Nanea Ching said in an emailed statement.
Miguel said she’s worried about how her daughter will fare academically next year at Barbers Point, which has reported lower test scores in reading and math compared to ʻEwa Elementary in recent years. But ʻEwa Elementary has had its own challenges with large class sizes and overcrowding, she said, sometimes limiting the personalized support her daughter could receive. …
Related:
read … DOE Called For 12 New Schools In ‘Ewa A Decade Ago. It’s Built 2
New laws will soften criminal prosecution of juveniles in Hawaii
HNN: … One of the new laws would ban the arrest and criminal treatment of any child under 12 years old, and another would guarantee parole for anyone, even multiple murderers who commit the crime before their 21st birthday.
Daniel Hugo, representing the Office of the Honolulu Prosecutor, raised the only objections to both proposals….
read … New laws will soften criminal prosecution of juveniles in Hawaii
After Nine Months in Kapolei, Homeless HONU returning to Old Stadium Park
HNN: … HONU moved to Old Stadium Park after nine months in Kapolei. The city said during that time a total of 575 people were given shelter.
Here’s how they were helped:
- 257 were placed into shelters
- 52 were reunited with family
- 15 were relocated to the mainland or to a neighbor island
- 15 went to transitional housing
- 18 left for medical or treatment purposes
- 3 were provided with boarding housing
- 21 secured permanent housing
HONU began in 2019 and is a partnership with the state. …
SA: Homeless triage operation returns to Old Stadium Park in Moiliili | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … Successful program moves back to help the homeless in urban Honolulu
B.J. Penn arrested — again
KHON: … According to officials, the 46-year-old athlete had entered a Hilo residence that violated the terms of a temporary restraining order that names Penn.
He was found within the area and was arrested without incident and was released after posting his $3,000 bail. Penn is scheduled to make an initial appearance in family court on June 13….
Last month, he was arrested twice within a week. ….
ES: BJ Penn Faces Bad News After $376,480 Setback as Hawaii Court Issues Order - EssentiallySports
HNN: UFC Hall-of-Famer charged for violating temporary restraining order
read … Former UFC champion B.J. Penn arrested — again | KHON2
A Navy Plan To Develop Barbers Point Will Erase History
CB: … Last month, William Manley, an environmental director for the U.S. Navy Command, formally petitioned Joy Beasley, the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, to remove 19 individual Barbers Point structures from the register, including 12 World War II sites, six properties from the Cold War era and an ancient rock wall that may have archaeological importance….
read … Kirstin Downey: A Navy Plan To Develop Barbers Point Will Erase History - Honolulu Civil Beat
TRUMP NEWS:
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Big Q: What do you think of RFK Jr. firing/replacing the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention’s vaccine panel? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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Hawaii senator gives emotional speech after colleague handcuffed, removed from news conference
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Trump can keep National Guard deployed to Los Angeles, appeals court rules | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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Reps, Tokuda, Pelosi, Takano, Simon Lead Effort Demanding Defense Secretary Rescind Decision to Rename USNS Harvey Milk | U.S. House Representative Jill Tokuda
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Locals on Hawaiian island ‘agog’ as Trump Jr. arrives for deer hunt
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Hopes for a peaceful Honolulu protest, even as tensions escalate elsewhere
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‘No Kings Day of Defiance’ protests to take place across the islands | KHON2
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National No Kings Mass Protest scheduled on Hawai‘i Island : Big Island Now
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National No Kings Mass Protest scheduled on Kaua‘i : Kauai Now
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What to know about 'No Kings' protests against Trump's policies | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News
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University of Hawaiʻi program for women in geosciences ends due to Trump Administration’s funding cuts : Big Island Now
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Hawaiʻi County Should Prioritize Food Security - Honolulu Civil Beat
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As immigration fears reverberate, Hawaiʻi's COFA communities work to stay informed | Hawai'i Public Radio
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UH SNAP-ed programs set to lose all of $1.5M in federal funding | Hawai'i Public Radio
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HPR's Bill Dorman on House lawmakers voting to defund public media | Hawai'i Public Radio
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House votes to kill funding for public media | Hawai'i Public Radio
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