Petrel Predation: A new study by scientists from the University of Hawai`i, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed something long suspected: the endangered Hawaiian petrel, or `ua`u, is a sitting duck for feral cats. The study … Continued
DLNR Eats $230,000 Remediation Bill for Contaminated North Kona Property It’s not unusual for the Department of Land and Natural Resources to request permission from the Board of Land and Natural Resources to write off uncollectible accounts. Rarely does the amount … Continued
The scene outside the Hawai`i County building in Hilo was as colorful as it was noisy the morning of February 12. Groups of Native Hawaiians and others opposed to the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, many decked out in … Continued
A year ago, the nightly network newscasts were focused on the extravagant spending by the General Services Administration – specifically, a Las Vegas convention for its employees that cost taxpayers $820,000. After congressional inquiries into the event, attended by 320 … Continued
Some of the building blocks of the Ko`olau Loa Sustainable Communities Plan (KLSCP) have been moving targets in recent months. Information about the region’s population, growth trends, and number of potential housing units was either absent from or sorely outdated … Continued
Use of Monk Seal Bait Sparks Debate Over Permit to Cull Sharks in NWHI “There’s a big difference between taking an action to kill versus using the flesh of an animal already dead,” said at-large Board of Land and Natural … Continued
Tobacco Project Wins ADC License Despite Board Member’s Objections Over the objections of an incensed William Tam, the Agribusiness Development Corporation board voted to approve a three-year license to LBD Coffee, LLC, to test its tobacco crops on three acres … Continued
Humpback Delisting Petition: A newly formed association claiming to represent Hawai`i fishermen wants to remove the North Pacific population of humpback whales from the federal list of endangered species.The group, calling itself Hawai`i Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition, Inc. (HFACT), … Continued
A developer who has a history of flouting conditions of permits issued by the Hawai`i County Planning Department has now taken the county to court. At issue are the conditions of a Special Management Area permit governing a luxury, gated … Continued
An old-growth `ohi`a forest in South Kona has been spared the developer’s ax – for now, at least. Judge Ronald Ibarra of the 3rd Circuit Court has determined that the County of Hawai`i planning director, Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, and the … Continued