More Alternative Uses for the Honolulu Rail Line
The post More Alternative Uses for the Honolulu Rail Line appeared first on Honolulu Civil Beat.
View ArticleHonolulu Will Spend $85 Million To Upgrade Maxed-Out Sewers
The city is expected to begin work on an $85.7 million sewer rehabilitation project in Nuuanu Valley next summer. According to a draft environmental assessment released in July, the two mains that...
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 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 Article3 Things That Could Derail The Honolulu Rail Bailout
When the Legislature takes up a $2.4 billion bill to bail out the struggling Honolulu rail project on Monday, the carefully crafted deal faces three main obstacles. Two were almost sure to arise in the...
View ArticleRail Bailout Bill Requires Sweeping Audit
A bill that would bail out Honolulu’s floundering rail project with about $2.4 billion from Oahu taxpayers and hotel guests statewide contains one key provision missing from earlier proposals: a...
View ArticleIs Honolulu Turning Homeless People Into Criminals?
In many ways, it was deja vu all over again. Last week, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed into law yet another bill that expands the boundaries of Honolulu’s “sit-lie” ban — a series of ordinances...
View ArticleHonolulu Mayor Urges Lawmakers To Put More Money In Rail Bailout Bill
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell on Monday reiterated his call for an increase on a Honolulu rail bailout package, suggesting lawmakers extend a 0.5 percent general excise tax to raise $600 million to $900...
View Article$2.4 Billion Rail Rescue Plan Clears Another Senate Hurdle
A $2.4 billion bailout plan for the Honolulu rail project cleared another hurdle Tuesday when the full Senate voted 17-7 in favor of Bill 4. Sens. Josh Green (Hawaii Island), Breene Harimoto (Oahu),...
View ArticleDenby Fawcett: Demilitarizing Diamond Head
When I hike to the summit of Diamond Head I often look back into the crater and wish that the Hawaii National Guard would demolish the three ugly, Cold War-era buildings cluttering the crater floor....
View ArticleWaikiki Residents Lose Fight To Force State To Repair Seawall
The Hawaii Supreme Court has ruled that Waikiki apartment and condominium owners cannot sue the State of Hawaii to pay for the repair of an 80-year-old seawall. The Gold Coast Neighborhood Association...
View ArticleGrand Jury Probe Zeroes In On ‘Safe House’ Property Deal
A U.S. Justice Department investigation into alleged corruption and abuse of power in Hawaii law enforcement has expanded to include a look at a property deal associated with a much-touted safe haven...
View ArticleLawmakers Skeptical That Hotel Room Tax Hike Would Hurt Hawaii Tourism
When Hawaii industry tourism executives decried a proposal to raise a hotel room tax to help bail out the struggling Honolulu rail project, lawmakers responded with more than a little skepticism...
View ArticleComic Con — Three Days Of Escapism In Honolulu
The post Comic Con — Three Days Of Escapism In Honolulu appeared first on Honolulu Civil Beat.
View ArticleWill Stricter Oversight Put Honolulu Rail On Track?
The Legislature’s $2.4 billion rail funding package, expected to clear its final legislative hurdle Friday, won’t just bring a big influx of of cash to the over-budget and behind-schedule project It...
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How the Legislature’s ‘Big Five’ Crafted A Deal To Rescue Honolulu Rail
The House and Senate were deadlocked. Key leaders had lost powerful positions. And the 20-mile rail line planned to run from East Kapolei to Ala Moana was expected to run out of money in about a year....
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Will Kalihi Redevelopment Push Out Current Residents And Businesses?
Is Kalihi ready for a “renaissance”? The community between Moanalua and Chinatown is one of the last predominantly working class areas in central Oahu and is characterized by its large immigrant...
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Rail Bailout Bill Becomes Law As Ige Signs $2.4 Billion Measure
Within minutes of the Honolulu rail bailout bill being signed into law Tuesday, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell issued a statement crediting the state House and Senate for “hard work” on the legislation....
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Extra-Tall Hotel Near Ala Moana Approved By Honolulu City Council
The Honolulu City Council granted special permits Wednesday for a 400-foot-tall, 444-unit condo-hotel near Ala Moana Center, waiving some zoning restrictions because of its location along the future...
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SHOPO: Don’t Release Police Officer Names For Salary Database
Hawaii’s statewide police union has filed a lawsuit against the city of Honolulu to block the release of officers’ names to Honolulu Civil Beat. The news site requested salary information for the...
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