Why Hotels Will Likely Get Stuck With Honolulu Rail Tab
Three months after the regular session ended without a deal to save Honolulu’s struggling rail project, the Legislature is poised to consider a new funding bill during a special session next week....
View ArticleStop Rail At Middle Street, Then Use Express Buses
Three words summarize our unfortunate rail situation: corruption, collusion and ignorance. But first, the good news: A realistic transportation solution that we can afford is still possible. Honolulu...
View ArticleIs Hawaii’s Royal Princess Mentally Fit?
Abigail Kawananakoa’s mental health has become the focus of an ongoing legal battle over who should have control of her $200 million Campbell Estate fortune. This week her former attorney, James...
View ArticleDOE And Rejected Vendor Clash Over Maui Bus Driver Shortage
An ongoing shortage of school bus drivers on Maui has turned into a heated exchange of words in recent days between Department of Education officials and the bus vendor that lost some of the island’s...
View ArticleHonolulu Council Sends Sprinkler Retrofit Bill To Advisory Panel
Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s bill to retrofit sprinkler installations in older residential high rises remains in limbo until a newly formed advisory committee presents its fire safety recommendations. Bill...
View ArticleAir Dropping Rat Poison Could Help Save Rare Hawaiian Bird
The U.S. Army plans to dump rat poison from helicopters over Mount Kaala on West Oahu to quell the infestation of rodents that threaten the rare elepaio bird, also known as the monarch flycatcher. The...
View ArticleLawsuit: Hawaii Fails To Ensure Safety Of Underground Tanks
The Hawaii Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health, arguing the agency should have updated rules ensuring the safety of underground storage tanks. The lawsuit comes as the Navy...
View ArticleFormer Hawaii AGs Want Trump To Denounce Hate
Forty-one years ago, Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley wrote a letter to a Ku Klux Klan leader and told him to “kiss my ass.” The KKK’s Grand Dragon Edward R. Fields had insisted that Baxley respond...
View ArticleIan Lind: Don’t Be Fooled By ‘Friends Of Rail’
Here we go again. With a special legislative session expected to convene next week in an attempt to salvage Honolulu’s wildly over-budget and still far from finished rail system, another nebulous group...
View ArticleHirono Finds Her Mojo In The Era of Trump
The advent of Donald Trump on the national stage has had a galvanizing effect on many Democrats in the country, and none more so than U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, who is running for re-election in 2018....
View ArticleLet’s Preserve And Perpetuate Art In Public Places
News reports of the painter Wyland and Hawaiian Airlines reaching a deal to preserve two giant murals on the carrier’s building near Honolulu’s international airport is a victory for both parties. It’s...
View ArticleOahu’s Cheapest Source Of Power Is About To Go Away
When Hawaii’s coal-fired power plant in Kapolei triggered a massive disruption of power on Oahu’s electrical grid earlier this week, it caused a big snafu for Hawaiian Electric Co. The AES facility,...
View ArticleTom Yamachika: The Grand Skim Of Things, Part 3
We continue our discussion about the 5 percent charge assessed against special funds in Hawaii government, also known as the Central Services Skim. Last week, we examined the exemptions from the skim...
View ArticleState Drops Poison On Rat-Infested Island Near Kauai
LIHUE, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii officials are dropping rat poison on a small uninhabited, crescent-shaped island that’s designated as a seabird sanctuary, but marine wildlife advocates are not in support...
View ArticleUS Interior Secretary: No National Monuments Will Be Eliminated
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced Thursday he won’t seek to rescind any national monuments carved from the wilderness and oceans by past presidents. But he said he will...
View ArticleLawmakers Strike Deal To Increase Hotel Tax, GET To Pay For Rail
Four days ahead of a planned special session, state House and Senate leaders outlined their proposal to save Honolulu’s struggling rail project. The proposal calls for increasing Hawaii’s hotel room...
View ArticleRoyal Hawaiian Heiress Asks Judge To Silence Her Former Attorney
Royal Hawaiian heiress Abigail Kawananakoa wants a state judge to issue a gag order to her former attorney, James Wright, saying he has inappropriately revealed sensitive details about her and her...
View ArticleState To Homeless Shelters: If You Want Money, Show Results
Shelters are bracing for change — and the potential loss of funds — as the state begins requiring them to move the homeless more swiftly into permanent housing. This month, the Department of Human...
View ArticleThe Hard Reality Of Honolulu Rail Costs
There is a very large disparity between the costs for construction and equipment for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s rail, and the total costs represented by HART to Hawaii’s...
View ArticleRepublicans Pushing To Slice Up The 9th Circuit Court
Congressional Republicans, with President Donald Trump’s encouragement, are pushing ahead with a proposal to shrink the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal appellate court that covers...
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