In a ruling released Thursday, Sept. 29, the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) rejected a proposal for a contract between biofuel start-up ‘Aina Koa Pono (AKP) and Hawaii Electric Light Co (HELCO).
When Jonah Kaauwai said a “Republican hurricane is coming” upon his May 2009 election to GOP Hawaii chair, he could not have foreseen the quiet storm that would result in his departure. On Monday, Sept.
Oceanic Time Warner Cable (OTWC) seems to have a lock on hoarding television coverage of highly rated University of Hawaii sports events. Now in the fourth year of a six-year contract, Oceanic allows live viewing of UH football and select basketball games only on pay-per-view at the rate of, gulp, $65 per game.
Bars, one of the original social networks, are still going strong. Compare face time vs Facebook, touch vs tweet, conversation vs comment, and you’ll find that a real bar wins out over cyberspace if only for one simple reason: You can’t wet your whistle online.
honolulu diary / Making healthy, locally grown food accessible and affordable to everyone was the rallying cry at a gathering of farmers, retailers, chefs, policymakers and consumers–including bright-eyed children–for a Food Revolution Forum on Wednesday, September 21, at Kapiolani Community College (KCC) cafeteria. In true Hawaiian style, participants ate, talked story and listened to each other.
So, why not put a few new “boutique” hotels on the North Shore? It has become its own destination, famous around the world.
Dean Okimoto is the face of farming here in Hawaii, and has been for some time. He’s the owner of the very successful Nalo Farms in Waimanalo, the president of the Hawaii Agriculture Foundation and has done all kinds of things to promote local agriculture and farmers’ markets Island-wide.
The 21st Annual Hawaii International Tropical Fruit Conference for Oahu began last week on Friday, Sept. 9 and ended on Sunday.
The Board of Water Supply (BWS) has decided to postpone a vote on their plan to raise water rates 70 percent over the next five years. The decision came after an Aug 22 meeting during which public comments were heard; the overwhelming majority from 11 out of 13 testifiers being against the rate hike.
Along the leading edge of the sustainability movement, Vivan (Chau) Best can be found Saturday mornings, sitting in the shade of her white tent, at the edge of the KCC Farmers’ Market. She accompanies another volunteer behind a table adorned with bouquets of tropical fruit.
Known as “Shima” to the 2,000-plus painters in his union, Mitchell Shimabukuro spends time every week driving to construction sites to check on his guys. The economic downturn has taken a bite out of available work, so Shimabukuro also tracks mainland workers who are shipped in for jobs on local public projects, while many local painters are forced to take reduced hours or file for unemployment.
Everyone loves gazing up at a beautiful night sky and marveling at the celestial bodies–if you can see them. Chances are what you are mostly seeing on Oahu, especially if you live in town, is light pollution.
A wise amphibian once said “it’s not easy being green,” but the upcoming Hawaii Green Schools symposium might prove that untrue. The symposium is a team effort of several organizations, including the Department of Education (DOE) and the Hawaii Chapter of the US Green Building Council (USBGC).
The military has a strong presence here in Hawaii, but, somehow, our high school graduates have the highest ineligibility rates for entrance to the Armed Forces of any state in the country. That’s according to a 2010 report by The Education Trust consisting of almost 350,000 high school graduates between 17-20 who attempted entry into the Army between 2004 and 2009.
The battle to “keep the country country” showed it was still alive and well at a City Council meeting last Wednesday, where Koolau residents butted heads over a possible development in Laie. The campaign, titled “Envision Laie,” was put together by the Mormon community, which operates the Brigham Young University (BYU) campus and works with the Polynesian Cultural Center on the North Shore.
The viability of the controversial $3 billion “Big Wind” project may be undermined by the global climate change it is intended to help mitigate. Preliminary plans call for building dozens of windmills on Lanai and Molokai to generate some 400 megawatts of power to be transmitted by undersea cables to Oahu.
The Army has avoided a fine for possessing toxic depleted uranium (DU), without the proper licenses, on its American military bases, including at least two in Hawaii. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) found that the Army had violated federal regulations, but waived the $3,500 civil fine “to encourage prompt and comprehensive correction of violations.” The Aug.
How much is clean water worth on Oahu? According to the Board of Water Supply (BWS)–a semi-autonomous city agency with (more or less) a monopoly on Oahu’s most abundant resource–plenty.
Despite the growing importance of Asia and the Pacific, a US House committee voted last week to repeal the 1960 Congressional law that established the East-West Center (EWC) as a nonprofit global educational institution to promote better relations among key leaders in the Asia-Pacific region. It was actually a gift given to Hawaii as a new state.
Researchers at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, General Electric (GE) and the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) announced earlier this year that the ambitious Interisland Wind project–also known as the Big Wind project–will be able to supply 25 percent of Oʻahu’s electricity demand through wind and solar energy resources. The ultimate goal of the Interisland Wind project is to procure 70 percent clean, renewable energy for electricity and ground transportation in Hawaiʻi by 2030–a huge accomplishment for a state currently 90 percent dependent on fossil fuels.
Honolulu heads the TV Weather Channel’s list of the nation’s “Top 5 Hurricane Overdue Cities” for the 2011 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
In Maui County, the Liquor Commission (LC) has a long history of trying to control the “freedom of expression” of patrons in all bars and restaurants selling liquor, especially in regards to dancing. On March 8, House of Representative legislators amended HB 1339, which placed limitations on patrons in regards to “the expression of their conduct” while in businesses selling liquor.
Big Island detectives from the Area 1 Criminal Investigation unit, are investigating the destruction of 10 acres of papaya trees in three neighboring fields, each belonging to a separate farmer, according to West Hawaii Today. A caller reported the destruction to police on Tuesday morning, July 19, in Puna on the Big Island.
Last February, we reported a story on the Waimanalo puppy mill, where more than 153 dogs were liberated from a hellish existence. The mill had been under investigation for three years due to continuous breeding practices and unfit living conditions.
This past spring, the Liko Ae Native Hawaiian Scholarship Program was awarded a $100,000 grant by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to provide financial assistance to Native Hawaiian students interested in higher education. Based at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, Liko Ae began their scholarship program in 2003 with funding from the US Department of Education (DOE) under the Native Hawaiian Education Act, through which the federal government funds councils and programs that appropriate learning programs specifically for Native Hawaiians.
After retiring from public service in 2002, Ben Cayetano seemed to be taking it easy on the political scene–until 2005, that is, when then-Mayor Mufi Hannemann revived the long-lapsed idea of a Honolulu heavy rail project. Needless to say, Cayetano did not concur.
Last Thursday, the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection had a busy session hearing several controversial bills relating to geothermal energy. Chairman Denny Coffman introduced HB2689, which seeks to exempt slim-hole, or exploratory, geothermal test wells from any sort of environmental review as is currently required under Chapter 343 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.
On Feb. 1, the Hawaii State House Agriculture Committee heard testimony on HB2703, dubbed the Food Self-Sufficiency Bill.
Mega-developer Castle & Cooke has re-filed an application with the Land Use Commission (LUC) seeking to convert approximately 768 acres of Ag land–currently in cultivation–into a “master-planned community” entitled Koa Ridge. If successful, the project will consist of two parcels–Koa Ridge Makai and Castle & Cooke Waiawa.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs holds a second round of community meetings to discuss the latest updates on the Kakaako land settlement. Stevenson Middle School, 1202 Prospect St., Wed., 2/8, 6:30pm; Waimanalo Community Center, 41-253 Ilauhole St., Thu., 2/9, 6:30pm City Council committees on Zoning and Planningand Transportation will take public testimony on agenda items.
[Feb. 1: “Kinda Kona”] The trade secret argument would fall to the wayside if it would read “10 percent Kona Coffee 90 percent Foreign Coffee,” or something to that effect.
If they are choosing the cheapest coffee from anywhere, then the “trade secret” is that they are adding crap and not a sp
[Feb. 1: “Rail Boss Wanted”] $300,000?
[Jan. 4: “Boss GMO] Dean Okimoto is a sell out and a criminal.
Monsanto is a major component of the NWO drive to reduce the world’s population in a global genocide program that includes the poisoning of the water, air and food. This criminal activity must be stopped.
Lets be real here, Dean Okimoto is not interested in anything other then keeping the status quo of industrial Ag. He is merely a puppet, playing it safe, a small game of following the money and corrupt political trail.
[Jan. 25: “Weaving the Future on Molokai”] Good luck to all those who possess the ability to balance long-term vision with short term opportunity.
[Dec. 21: “Underground Railroad”] This is, indeed, a “lunatic project,” as pointed out by a professor at the University of Hawaii.
This is such a bad idea for the overall architecture of Oahu. I visit here because my family is here and part of the charm is taking the bus or driving.
I cannot imagine how anyone can think this is a smart idea. I’ve lived in places with rail, but this Honolulu Rail Transit is stupid, plain stupid.
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