The Hawaii County Council has rejected a resolution asking the state legislature to decriminalize marijuana. Council members also voted to urge the legislature and Governor Linda Lingle to continue giving the four counties their current share of the transient accommodations tax.
More students in East Hawaii could be walking to school if the Board of Education approves a new bus plan for the state. The plan to expand the radius of no bus service to 2.5 miles for high school students, 2 miles for grades 6 through 8, and 1.5 miles for grades 1 through 5 is an attempt to reduce the current $12 million transportation budget. The plan is not setting well with Jelena Clay, who has children attending Hilo Intermediate School. She tells the “Hawaii Tribune-Herald” there are safety issues not being considered in the bus proposal.
High levels of vog and sulphur dioxide forced the closure of the Thomas Jaggar Museum on Friday. According to the “Hawaii Tribune-Herald”, monitors at the museum and the overlook stayed above 5 parts per million for 45 minutes before falling back to “unhealthy” levels of between 1 and 3 parts per million. Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Quince Mento said if you feel health effects in the Volcano area it is best just to leave.
Mayor Billy Kenoi is supporting a request to withdraw the administration’s proposal to regulate the use of public County water spigots. Mayor Kenoi has asked councilman Guy Enriques to convene a task force involving residents, stakeholders, and Hawaii County Civil Defense to explore a fair and equitable management solution for county spigots. In a prepared press release, Mayor Kenoi says he will submit a new spigot bill following a meeting of the task force and further review of the issue.
Police have identified the 17-year old Pahoa boy who died Wednesday from injuries sustained in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday night on Kahakai Boulevard. Police said Gary A. Gonsalves, Jr. was the victim of the accident that occurred in the Hawaiian Beaches subdivision. This was the fifth traffic fatality on the Big Island this year, compared to one at the same time last year.
(AP). The Hawaii State Senate’s passage of a bill allowing same-sex civil unions could mean the measure will reach final passage as soon as next week. Now the bill goes to the State House, where leaders say they will take it up if they have a veto-proof two-thirds majority but may let it die if they have only a small majority.
Due to a large demand for water and ongoing dry weather conditions, the Department of Water Supply is requesting customers in Naalehu, Waiohinu, and other South Point areas to reduce water usage by 10%. Agricultural users should irrigate only at night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. This measure will reduce water loss due to evaporation and minimize water system drain during peak demand.
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