Ex-employee charges discrimination in County Building Division.
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Accessed on 03 May 2022, 1242 UTC.
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Ex-employee charges discrimination in Building Division
A former building inspector trainee is suing the county Department of Public Works, saying she was discriminated against and unlawfully terminated in retaliation after she reported what she saw as wrongdoing in the department.
Hannemann: Tourism won’t recover until next year
Hawaii is still a year away from a full return to prepandemic levels of tourism, according to Mufi Hannemann, president and CEO of the Hawaii Lodging &Tourism Association.
Funds allocated for hotel demolition
Funding has been allocated for the demolition of the derelict Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel.
Affordable housing measures pass
A half-dozen affordable housing bills have emerged from conference committees in the state Legislature and are one step away from becoming law.
Flush revenue leads means funds for Native Hawaiian programs
HONOLULU — State lawmakers are on course to commit $600 million to a long-underfunded program providing housing and land leases to Native Hawaiians as they wrap up the current legislative session this week.
Kilauea Volcano lava flow steady after starts and stops
HONOLULU — Kilauea Volcano is now erupting a steady stream of lava after a period of intermittent pulsing.
Coffee labeling study ‘still a win’
Funding for an independent study of the economic impact of potential changes to Hawaii’s coffee labeling requirements is set for a vote by the state House and Senate.
Battle over renaming Hilo High Gym continues
The most recent effort to rename the Hilo High School gymnasium has stalled.
Kohala High School athletic director on leave after arrest
A Kohala High School employee was arrested Thursday on suspicion of theft and criminal tampering.
State funds to be used to demolish old cargo ramp at Hilo airport
A stalled project to demolish the former cargo ramp at Hilo International Airport is back on track after the release of $4.5 million in capital improvement funds in mid-April by Gov. David Ige.
Donated land in North Kohala to be used for research of indigenous practices, sustainability
The Hawaii Community Foundation will take over ownership of 2,400 acres in Kapaau in North Kohala to use as a “living laboratory.”
Gas taxes go unspent: Council to reappropriate excess funds
Hawaii County’s fuel tax revenues have been coming in higher than expected, and in some cases, faster than the county can spend them.
A new shooting range for the Big Island?
A long-awaited public shooting facility could be coming to Hawaii County.
A bill aimed at putting more Hawaiians on homestead land clears key committee
The unanimous passage Thursday of a bill that would appropriate $600 million to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands by a House-Senate conference committee was met with applause and fanfare.
Maunakea management bill heads to House, Senate
HONOLULU — A committee of Hawaii senators and representatives on Friday agreed on legislation creating new management for Maunakea, the site of some of the world’s most advanced telescopes and demonstrations against the construction of a new observatory, on Hawaii Island.
House, Senate to vote on raising minimum wage to $18
HONOLULU — A committee of Hawaii senators and representatives on Friday agreed on legislation that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $18 an hour by 2028.
To the rescue: Two ‘heroes’ save lamb from side of cliff
Last Friday night around 8:30 p.m., a 6-day-old lamb fell off a cliff in Ninole, landing on a ledge above another 250-foot drop. Before slipping further into darkness, two community members — Nathan Foster and Louis Taasan — came to the rescue.
Workers hope to create first unionized Starbucks in Hawaii
HONOLULU — Some workers in the Honolulu suburb of Mililani are aiming to create the first unionized Starbucks in Hawaii.
Public school students face strict COVID rules for year-end events
HONOLULU — Hawaii public schools are enforcing pandemic restrictions that go beyond recommendations from state and federal health officials.
Commission says county erred in sewer bills
The county was in error 23 years ago when it started charging owners of a historic home on Alii Drive two sewer fees instead of one, the county Environmental Management Commission said Wednesday.
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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiinewsdigest.net).