All photos courtesy of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and David Tulis.
Senator Kaiali‘i Kahele received the 2019 Laurence P. Sharples Perpetual Award for his significant contributions to the advancement of aviation.
Click here to download and watch a video (courtesy of AOPA) of the ceremony.
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Read the article on bigislandvideonews.com.
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
By TOM CALLIS | Wednesday, August 15, 2018, 12:05 am
Hawaii County has increased the price tag of its draft Kilauea disaster recovery plan to $680 million as administrators begin to make their pitch to lawmakers.…
During a meeting Monday, leaders in the Legislature and representatives from Hawaii Island met with county officials to discuss the recovery proposal.
State Sen. Kai Kahele, D-Hilo, said the legislators told Kim they need more information before convening a special session that would be needed to approve more aid. He said the county was given two weeks to come back with more information about what it needs in the short-term for funding and how it has spent the $12 million Gov. David Ige provided for disaster response.
"I think the basic bottom line is the Legislature wants to help," Kahele said. "In what shape or form, we're not sure. We're waiting for the county to tell us what they need."
There were concerns that legislators who represent the disaster area weren't involved early enough in the process, he said.
"The communication between the county administration and the legislators, especially the area legislators, up to this point has not been good," Kahele said.
Read more
Originally published by Hawaii News Now; click here to read the article and watch the video on hawaiinewsnow.com.
Published: Tuesday, August 14th 2018, 5:56 pm HST
Updated: Tuesday, August 14th 2018, 6:45 pm HST
By Ashley Nagaoka
On the Big Island, residents have been complaining about the noise pollution caused by commercial helicopters for years.
But they say it has become significantly worse since the Kilauea eruptions in the lower east rift zone started in May.…
State lawmakers have been pushing for an Air Tour Management Plan for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, as well as other policies, to regulate helicopter tours.
They say Hawaii Volcanoes National Park sees more commercial helicopter flights than any other individual park in the nation.
"There's not much the state of Hawaii can do because the Federal Aviation Administration, ultimately the federal government, controls the air space. So it's either going to require federal legislation, the federal government getting involved with the FAA, the Local Flight Standards district office, or the helicopter tour companies self-policing their operations," said state Sen. Kai Kahele, whose district covers Hilo.
Read more
Originally posted by Big Island Video News; click here to watch the video on bigislandvideonews.com.
A bill that supporters say is the key to revitalizing Banyan Drive and Kanoelehua Industrial Area was signed into law at a ceremony held in Hilo on a rainy Friday afternoon.
Elected officials and East Hawaii business leaders applauded as Governor David Ige signed Senate Bill 3058 outside HPM Building Supply. Hilo State Senator Kai Kahele, who spoke from the podium during the event, has been pushing for the bill since he took office.
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
By TOM CALLIS | Sunday, April 29, 2018, 12:05 am
A bill that would create a sprawling redevelopment district for Hilo under a 10-year pilot program is headed for a vote in the state House and Senate.
Dozens of state parcels in the town are leased for commercial, hotel and industrial uses, and the measure would allow tenants within the district to extend their leases for up to 40 years if they make substantial improvements. A House-Senate conference committee agreed Thursday to the legislation.…
Sen. Kai Kahele, sponsor of Senate Bill 3058, called it a "home run for Hilo."
"It's going to incentivize current lessees and future lessees and start to revitalize and rehabilitate what you see today," he said. "You drive around the industrial area you see dilapidated facades, you see facades falling down."
Read more
Originally published by KITV; click here to read the article on kitv.com.
Posted: Mar 22, 2018 8:13 AM HST
Updated: Mar 22, 2018 8:13 AM HST
"'It's not that we're trying to take away choices of stud[e]nts whether they can or can[']t smoke. [I]t's just advocating a healthy clean environment for everyone.'"
Read the rest of the article on kitv.com.
Originally published by Hawaii News Now; click here to read the article on hawaiinewsnow.com.
Published: Tuesday, March 13th 2018, 9:43 pm HST
Updated: Tuesday, March 13th 2018, 10:22 pm HST
By Jim Mendoza
"'We're getting to the point where higher education is becoming quickly out of reach for so many of Hawaii's families and students, especially students that come from lower income rural communities. They're having a hard time going to college.'"
Read the rest of the article on hawaiinewsnow.com.
We need to help our students and their families by lowering tuition at all campuses and capping all future increases to the State?s median household income through Senate Bill 2329.
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
By JEFF HANSEL | Tuesday, February 27, 2018, 12:05 am
Senate Bill 1235 calls for a $2 million appropriation to recruit two more cardiologists to the hospital, hire support staff, buy equipment and train staff.
"The cardiac care unit will 'without a doubt' save many lives and thousands of dollars for patients, who will no longer need emergency flights that can cost more than $30,000."
Read the rest of the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Originally published by Big Island Video News; click here to read the article on bigislandvideonews.com.
Published Feb 14, 2018 at 10:38 pm
"I am committed to work in collaboration with stakeholders, the Home School Network, Department of Education and other agencies to address this issue and return next Session with a bill that protects all keiki of Hawai‘i."
Read the rest of the article on bigislandvideonews.com.
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Published February 6, 2018 - 12:05am | By KIRSTEN JOHNSON
Lawmakers will hear a bill today that would provide funding to the University of Hawaii at Hilo to conduct rat lungworm research.
House Bill 2506, introduced by state Rep. Chris Todd, D-Hilo, would fund lab testing for fiscal year 2018-19 to study the effectiveness of de-worming rats to reduce the disease’s transmission; the effectiveness of potential solutions, including commercially available produce washes; and the effectiveness of commercially available filters and ultraviolet systems in catchment.
Money also would be used to optimize existing tests or develop new blood-based tests to diagnose rat lungworm.
There were more than 70 cases of rat lungworm between 2001 and 2014, the bill says, and in 2017, there were at least 11 cases on Hawaii Island alone. Last year, a measure that would have provided up to $695,000 for UH-Hilo rat lungworm research died in the final hours of conferencing.
Todd said Monday this year’s proposal seeks $1 million.
“There’s a public health component to this, but in addition to that, we want to provide people with peace of mind,” Todd said. “The more we learn about rat lungworm, the better we can address prevention and educate families on how to protect themselves.
“There’s a lot we don’t know right now. So given that this isn’t something where we have a clear cut understanding of how to address it, research is the appropriate way to handle it right now.”
Todd’s bill is slated to be heard at 2:10 p.m. by the House higher education committee. Its companion, Senate Bill 2314, was introduced by state Sen. Kai Kahele, D-Hilo.
The rat lungworm proposal is one of several introduced this year related to the UH.
Other UH bills, if they become law, would:
• Fund the Hawaii Promise program for students enrolled at any UH campus. The program was established last year for community college students only. It provides state aid to qualifying, low-income students to pay for tuition, fees, books, supplies and transportation costs not already covered by federal grants, other state aid and private scholarships.
• Allow UH graduate student assistants to unionize.
• Provide tuition waivers to UH students who commit to future employment in programs that serve homeless people.
• Provide UH tuition grants to students who commit to future employment with the state.
• Prohibit smoking, tobacco use and use of electronic cigarettes on any UH premises.
• Transfer the administrative authority, personnel and facilities for the UH Institute for Astronomy from UH-Manoa to UH-Hilo.
• Cap UH tuition increases based on the change in the state’s median household income.
• Amend the composition and term limit of the UH Board of Regents and re-establish the governor’s authority to nominate and — with consent from the Senate — appoint board members. The bill was introduced by Kahele. Kahele also introduced a bill to limit the board’s autonomy over UH and a bill to modify the current board member appointment process.
Click here to watch the video on hawaiinewsnow.com.
Click here to download and watch the video.
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Published September 1, 2017 - 12:06am | By KIRSTEN JOHNSON
State Sen. Kai Kahele of Hilo wants the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s enrollment to exceed 5,000 students in 10 years.
Kahele, who chairs the Senate’s higher education committee, announced his enrollment goal Wednesday during a two-hour, town hall meeting on campus. About 100 people attended.
Preliminary figures show 3,446 students were enrolled Aug. 22 at UH-Hilo, a 4.3 percent drop compared with the prior year and the fifth consecutive year enrollment has decreased.
“It’s not a secret, (enrollment) is a major challenge we face,” Kahele told attendees of the meeting, in which he spoke about the issue at length. “I don’t think using the word hemorrhaging is an exaggeration … the existence of the university is to educate students, and if we’re not putting students in seats, we’re not even doing our core function.”
Kahele’s own enrollment goal exceeds the goal outlined in UH-Hilo’s current enrollment plan, which targets 3,830 students to be enrolled by 2020. Kahele previously called that goal “disappointing” and said it didn’t go far enough.
This year’s enrollment decline was largely among continuing students, which decreased from 2,384 on Aug. 22, 2016, to 2,227 last week.
Read the rest of the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
On Monday, May 15, 2017, Senator Kaiali‘i Kahele hosted a town hall style meeting to present an update on the recent legislative session.
2017 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE POST-SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
On Monday, May 15, 2017, the community is invited to attend a town hall style meeting hosted by Hawai‘i State Senator Kaiali‘i Kahele who will present an update on the recent legislative session.
"The East Hawai‘i delegation worked together to pass vital legislation for higher education, health, and community development, while also securing over $80 million in funding to help with capital improvement projects in the district," said Sen. Kahele. "I encourage the public to come listen and provide any questions they may have regarding this past session."
The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 PM at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo in UCB Room 100. To RSVP, please contact (808) 586-6760 or toll-free 974-4000 ext. 66760.
Date:
Monday, May 15, 2017
Time:
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Location:
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo
UCB Room 100
200 W. Kāwili St.
Hilo, HI 96720
View the presentation here.
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Published April 7, 2017 - 12:05am | By IVY ASHE
Hilo moved one step closer to having the state's first Neighbor Island community economic district on Thursday after a bill creating the district cleared its final committee in the state Senate.
House Bill 1479, introduced by Rep. Mark Nakashima, D-Hamakua, North Hilo, South Hilo, would establish the district within the Hawaii Community Development Authority, a division of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. It would allow the HCDA to receive revenue and income, including that of the state-owned leases that comprise most of the district, and use that money to fund redevelopment projects.
The area that would be covered by the bill includes the Banyan Drive area and the Kanoelehua Industrial Area. Land in both areas is primarily on state leases. In the case of the KIA, those leases are all set to expire at the same time, as they were all issued after the 1960 tsunami.
The community economic district proposal was part of a bigger legislation package introduced by Big Island representatives with the goal of improving East Hawaii's economy and revitalizing areas such as Banyan Drive and the KIA.
Those aims had been "weighing on the minds of Hilo legislators for a long time," said Sen. Kai Kahele, D-Hilo, who introduced a companion bill to HB 1479.
"I think that as (they) ... tried to get some types of positive things happening in Hilo, they realized that, 'Hey, we don't control the leases,' and 'How are we going to fund these things?'" Kahele said.
"When you've determined that you really weren't in control of your destiny, no matter what solution you come up with ... this was a mechanism we looked at and said, 'Hey, maybe this could happen.'"
This is the first year a community economic district was proposed for Hilo. The Hawaii Community Development Authority oversees three districts on Oahu.
HCDA has not testified in support or against the bill, but has provided comments. Executive director Jesse Souki estimated in testimony that the cost of establishing a Hilo district would be about $1.5 million annually, with initial startup costs of $50,000. This would cover full-time employees and a Hawaii Island satellite office.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which holds the long-term leases for most of the land in the proposed district, also provided comments about the measure.
In written testimony for Thursday's Senate committee hearing, DLNR chairwoman Suzanne Case said that because the department incurred "significant costs and expenses" in maintaining the leases, "the department believes that all the revenues generated by existing leases (less the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' share) should be remitted to the department to allow it to continue to perform the lease management duties."
Revenue from the leases is about $3 million annually, Kahele said.
"I think what you're seeing now is DLNR getting a little worried ... this bill has a chance, and I think it's getting their attention," he said. "The bill never said it would take the entire pot (of revenue); it said it would be shared."
The exact proportion of sharing would be determined during conferencing when HB 1479 moves to that stage.
Kahele said he expects Hilo to be in a good position once that begins because Nakashima and fellow Rep. Richard Onishi, D-Hilo, Keaau, Kurtistown, Volcano, will be sitting at the table.
During the past two months, Hawaii Island legislators hosted a number of community meetings about the economic development legislation. That outreach led to increased participation in the testimony process, Kahele said.
"A lot of people came out and offered support," he said. "I think all of that little bit helps. How I would summarize it is that Hilo has been heard - the voices of Hilo have been heard."
Originally published by the Star-Advertiser; click here to read the article on staradvertiser.com.
Associated Press
April 7, 2017
Maui health officials said six cases of rat lungworm disease have been reported over the past three months after the island had seen just two cases of the disease in the previous decade.
Three of the cases have been confirmed, while a seventh case involves a Maui woman who believes she contracted the parasite on the Big Island, Maui District Health Officer Lorrin Pang said Tuesday.
Rat lungworm disease is a condition in which parasitic worm larvae infect a person's brain. It is carried by rats and is transmitted by snails and slugs.
Officials say residents can reduce the risk of contracting the potentially life-threatening disease by thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables before consumption.
Experts are still determining the best way to get rid of the invasive slugs, Pang said. Smashing, burying or burning them does not deter rats from eating them and restarting the cycle of rat lungworm.
"The slug is easy to kill, but the parasite, it's not so easy," he said.
State epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said there is an average of about 10 rat lungworm cases each year statewide and that the recent spike is concerning. A vast majority of Hawaii's cases are reported on the Big Island.
The infection can cause a rare type of meningitis that triggers severe headaches and stiffness of the neck, tingling or painful feelings in the skin or extremities, fever, nausea and vomiting, according to the state Department of Health Disease Investigation Branch. Temporary paralysis of the face and light sensitivity might also occur.
"If you could imagine, it's like having a slow-moving bullet go through your brain, and there's no rhyme or reason why it's going to hang out in this part of the brain or that part of the brain," Park said.
The parasite that causes rat lungworm disease is now endemic in the southeastern United States, and it's expected to spread northward.
Originally published by the Atlantic; click here to read the article on theatlantic.com.
By Adrienne LaFrance
Apr 6, 2017
There is a long, grim history of infectious diseases crisscrossing the globe aboard giant ships.
Explorers looking to set up new colonies carried smallpox, measles, and other deadly viruses with them to distant lands. Even the vessels they used to get there contributed to the spread of disease. Infected ballast water from cargo ships traveling to South America, for example, has been blamed for introducing cholera there.
The rise of aviation exacerbated the global spread of disease, effectively shrinking the distance between any one place and the next. (Vaccines have been a major mitigating factor, but there are always emerging diseases, illnesses for which there are no vaccines, and unvaccinated people.) There are tens of thousands of commercial flights across the planet each day, each one carrying a unique stew of germs and vectors. Mosquitoes, which occasionally board and survive international flights, have likely been responsible for bringing malaria to new countries, according to the World Health Organization.
But global shipping still plays a substantial role in the spread of deadly diseases. Consider rat lungworm disease, a grave illness caused by a parasitic worm that invades the human brain. The roundworm that causes the disease, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, is now endemic in the United States. Like many diseases, it is carried by infected rats on container ships, as well as by intermediate hosts like slugs and snails.
Rat lungworm has long been prevalent in parts of Asia and the Caribbean--the first human case of the disease was recorded in Taiwan in 1944--but only recently has it been identified routinely in the United States, including in Hawaii, California, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, according to a 2015 study in the Journal of Parasitology. The geographical distribution of this disease has "changed dramatically" in just a few decades, wrote the authors of a separate study, published in the Hawaii Journal of Public Health in 2013.
"So it's a worm infection introduced into North America through globalization," said Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "Some suggest that it's due to snails or slugs in the ship ballasts--ships coming from Asia and going through the Panama Canal."
Transmission to humans often occurs when people eat intermediate hosts--a tiny, translucent slug might be imperceptible on a leaf of lettuce that wasn't adequately washed, for example. Even the slime left behind by an infected slug carries a transmission risk. (Eating raw or undercooked freshwater prawns, crabs, and frogs is also a risk factor.)
In Hawaii, health officials are warning people not to handle backyard slugs or snails with bare hands. Officials there have been closely tracking the disease for years. But a rash of new cases of the disease has people there rattled. There have been half-a-dozen reported cases of the disease on Maui over a three-month period this spring, three times as many as had been reported in the entire decade up to that point, according to the Maui News.
Rat lungworm disease is notoriously hard to diagnose, largely because there is no blood test that can confirm an infection. (Usually, doctors can determine whether someone is infected based on a patient's symptoms and exposure history, or a test of cerebrospinal fluid.) There's no treatment for the disease, though patients are often given painkillers to manage symptoms. Rat lungworm disease can resolve on its own, once the worms die, but in some cases it is fatal.
"I have parasitic meningitis," said Tricia Mynar, a Maui woman diagnosed with the disease, in an April interview with Honolulu Civil Beat. "The parasites are in the lining of my brain, moving around."
Mynar described her pain from the disease as worse than childbirth, saying it feels like "somebody opens the top of my head, sets a hot iron inside my brain, then pushes the steam button."
"Tremors are the hardest part," she told Honolulu Civil Beat. "They affect me so bad that sometimes I can't hear my own speech."
Now, public-health officials elsewhere are anticipating an uptick of cases of the potentially deadly disease across the United States--and trying to figure out just how far it will spread. Global travel, human encroachment into wildlife habitats, and climate change are all factors that will play a role, they say.
"Host specificity of rat lungworms is highly plastic, which contributes to its continuous geographic expansion," wrote the authors of a 2015 study in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The researchers used a combination of field sampling and predictive modeling to map how carriers and hosts of the disease are likely to spread, and found a "northward range expansion that substantially increases the risk for disease spread within humans and wildlife" in the United States.
One particularly concerning development was the emergence of rat lungworms in Oklahoma, "an area predicted to lack suitable habitat for the parasite," the authors wrote. A. cantonensis has already been reported in more than 30 countries worldwide, but the presence of the parasite in unexpected regions is, scientists say, a hint at what's to come.
Scientists are also trying to determine how dramatically climate change and other human-caused changes to the planet, like deforestation, will increase the spread of diseases like rat lungworm. "Most new infections seem to be caused by pathogens already present in the environment, which have been brought out of obscurity, or given selective advantage, by changing ecological or social conditions," wrote the authors of a 2004 World Health Organization report about the globalization of infectious diseases.
Since 1975, epidemiologists and other scientists have identified more than 30 new human infections. The possibility of new and more damaging strains of existing viruses emerging, like what happened with the Zika virus, pose an additional challenge. What remains to be seen is how at-risk countries approach the relationship between climate change and disease transmission. Those who track the spread of infectious disease find it troubling that many low-income countries with weak public-health infrastructure are already in transmissions zones for a variety of emerging tropical diseases. In other words, the populations that are most at-risk are also least prepared to cope with devastating diseases.
Perhaps more troubling still is that many leaders in rich countries, like the United States, are failing to make a connection between climate change and grave threats to public health--in their own country, and across the globe. The World Health Organization report published more than a decade ago makes this very point, saying that the most consequential health impacts of climate change may have more to do with long-standing challenges within public-health systems rather than as a direct consequence of climate change per se.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida. The two leaders are not expected to discuss climate change. Last month, Trump signed an executive order that nullified the previous administration's efforts to curb climate change, fulfilling one of the central promises of Trump's presidential campaign.
The two presidents are expected to focus discussions on global trade--however that conversation will almost certainly be focused on economic forces, and not the rats and snails spreading disease across the high seas.
With cases now confirmed on three islands, Hawaii residents should be taking precautions, especially against the "semi-slug."
Originally published by Civil Beat; click here to read the column on civilbeat.org.
April 4, 2017
By Tad Bartimus
A few years ago I heard about a weird disease on the Big Island. I live on Maui so I didn't worry about it.
A few months ago I heard about an alien slug on Maui. I didn't worry about it.
When two Maui friends got sick from a disease transmitted by slugs, I started to worry. Now I will never see a salad, my garden and my yard the same way again.
A week ago my neighbor four doors down took a picture of a half snail-half slug in his yard and posted it on Facebook. With his permission, I sent the photo to the Hawaii Department of Health. State epidemiologist Sarah Park forwarded it to mollusk expert Robert H. Cowie at the University of Hawaii Manoa.
"Yep, that's the so-called 'semi-slug' generally identified scientifically as Parmarion martensi," said Cowie, research professor at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center. "It has not been previously reported on Maui in any medium and has only in the last couple of weeks come to my attention as being present on Maui."
The creature was known to exist on the Big Island and Oahu, but "people are saying it has been around on Maui for at least four years," Cowie said. "There is concern that its presence is associated with a number of recent rat lungworm disease cases on Maui."
'A Particularly Good Carrier'
Now we all should worry about the potentially lethal rat lungworm disease and a near-perfect carrier slug that loves our parks, yards, gardens and veggies as much as we do.
In phone interviews and email exchanges, Cowie said that confirmation of the new mollusk find on Maui "adds to this being a very fluid situation."
"We need to be concerned about all slugs and snails, but the semi-slug is a particularly good carrier of rat lungworm ... 80 out of 100 of these slugs can test positive for the worms."
According to the Health Department, there have been 58 recorded cases of rat lungworm, most of on Hawaii Island. Cowie notes that "the DOH is conservative in its definitive records."
The only previously confirmed case of a Maui resident contracting rat lungworm was in 2010. But this March another case was confirmed and Health Department officials are looking into four more possible victims.
These developments will change two daily habits for me - no more going barefoot in the yard, a delight since infancy, and a much more vigilant, vigorous washing of fruits and vegetables, especially Hawaii-sourced leafy greens.
Rats host the lungworm. Slugs and snails eat rat waste and become carriers of parasites that can migrate to human brains in a day, causing eosinophilic meningitis. Other known carriers are freshwater prawns, crabs and frogs. Fish do not spread the parasite.
Dr. Lorrin Pang, Maui's district health officer, has been searching for the semi-slug for four years, first on Hawaii Island. On his second trip to the Puna district in early March, "I turned over my first rock and found five of them."
But when East Maui residents reported seeing the slug, Pang's two visits failed to produce a specimen.
"They are tiny, the babies could be invisible or just the size of a comma, until they mature, and even then they are only three-quarters of an inch long," Pang said in a phone interview. "They are different from other slugs, they have a weird greenish-yellow cap on their back."
He cautioned residents to wear gloves and use tongs to remove them from gardens and yards.
"Don't squish them," he said. "You only spread them."
As a precaution, gardeners should pull all greens and lettuce leaves off at the base instead of cutting them, Pang said.
"My wife has been scrubbing every piece of lettuce under running water, front and back, with a soft brush," he said. "Then she puts the greens in a mild vinegar solution before a final rinse under running tap water."
How safe from contamination are tomatoes, cucumbers and other Hawaii-grown vegetables?
"Slugs like to hide in moist, confined spaces," Pang said. "Even the mucus in a slug's slime trail can carry the disease."
Along with using slug bait pellets, Cowie advised residents to "make sure everything is neat and tidy around and under your house, no piles of thrown-away cardboard or sheets of plastic. Slugs like to be out of the wind, out of the sun."
Thoroughly cooking food at least three to five minutes, or freezing it at 5 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 24 hours, will kill the larval stage of the worms, health experts say.
A Cure Has Not Been Found
Humans become infected when we absorb the rat lungworm larvae by ingesting food contaminated by affected slugs and snails. Symptoms can include severe headaches, neck stiffness, skin sensitivity, fever, nausea, paralysis, light sensitivity and tremors.
The only diagnostic test must be performed by the State Laboratories Division on cerebrospinal fluid extracted through lumbar puncture. There is no cure, only palliative care with pain medication, antibiotics and possibly steroids.
Cowie gathered an international group of scientists in Honolulu in 2011 to establish guidelines to deal with rat lungworm on "a global scale." Experts from as far away as Brazil, China, Thailand and Jamaica identified priorities to protect food, and diagnosing and treating the disease's victims.
Along with health officials and disease researchers, Cowie testified at a joint Senate and House briefing at the state Capitol on Feb. 22 as lawmakers debated whether to spend more money on rat lungworm research and to educate us about how to protect ourselves. Senate Bill 272 is under consideration, but no funding is currently attached.
As politicians talk and health officials fret, potentially deadly slugs on three of our islands continue to multiply and most of us are unaware of an infectious danger in some yards and parks where we picnic, play with our kids and seek respite from the cares of daily life.
"I go out in my yard every night gathering up slugs, usually four a night but if I am not home for a few days I likely get 40 or more," Cowie said.
"I know we can't eradicate the slugs or snails or rats. We have to reduce the possibility of people interacting with the them, make sure people know how to clean produce so they don't inadvertently eat a slug or snail. There's always a chance a very small translucent one is missed. I think that's the most likely way people are getting infected. Also through water. Slugs and snails fall into water and drown, then release the worms in the water."
Cowie warned that anyone with a water catchment system should keep the tank cover "sealed tight. These things are a pain but it is possible to do them to minimize human exposure. Birds, cows, pigs, horses and dogs can get rat lungworm too."
My two Maui friends who have rat lungworm disease are enduring, as one put it, "unimaginable pain and suffering." Their recovery time and ultimate prognosis are uncertain, as is the case with every victim, medical experts say.
The constant presence of lungworm-hosting rats and ideal carrier slugs means that more Hawaii residents could be vulnerable to a potentially fatal disease.
"It only takes a day to go from ingestion of larvae for the disease to travel to the brain," Cowie said. "Worms develop in the brain, grow bigger and start moving around in the brain, looking for a way out. When they do finally die there is an immense reaction in the brain. Some people never fully recover."
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Published March 30, 2017 - 12:05am | By KIRSTEN JOHNSON
East Hawaii residents have a chance today to express concerns about noise caused by helicopter tours flying in and around Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Park Service are hosting a public meeting at 1 p.m. in Conference Room 216 (above the Blue Hawaiian offices in the main terminal) at Hilo International Airport to identify specific problems community members have with helicopter operations flying within and outside of park boundaries.
About six months ago, island lawmakers sent a letter to congressional leaders relaying pleas from East Hawaii residents "asking for help to regulate the air industry," said state Sen. Kai Kahele, D-Hilo.
Noise is an issue at other national parks, including Haleakala National Park on Maui, but Hawaii Volcanoes features more air tour flights than any other national park, Kahele said, averaging about 28,000 flights in the Puna area per year.
Many residents say helicopter noise is becoming worse: Tours are seemingly more frequent because of a rebound in the tourism industry, as well as recent lava flow activity, Kahele said, and many tours last all day.
The state has no jurisdiction over the helicopter industry, so complaints must be made to the FAA.
A similar meeting took place Wednesday on Oahu, but public turnout was low - attendees hailed mostly from the air-tour industry, Kahele said.
"High-level FAA officials are coming to Hilo to hear from the community and if the community doesn't come, things like that letter we sent is unsubstantiated," Kahele said. "I feel like they really need to hear from the community. The public needs to come out to make (the meeting) worthwhile."
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Published March 28, 2017 - 12:05am | By KIRSTEN JOHNSON
Lawmakers are moving forward a bill that would allow hundreds of low-income Hawaii students to attend college for free.
The Hawaii Promise scholarship program, as introduced in several bills, would provide state aid to eligible students with unmet need to pay for tuition, fees, books, supplies and transportation costs not already covered by federal grants, state aid and private scholarships.
One version of the bill requests a $13.5 million appropriation to cover costs for students at any University of Hawaii campus. Another version requests $2.5 million to cover costs only for students attending public community college.
One of the proposals, Senate Bill 1162, introduced by state Sen. Kai Kahele, D-Hilo, cleared a second House reading Friday and has been referred to the House finance committee. Its companion, House Bill 1594, also passed a second reading Friday and was referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
"I'm optimistic," Kahele said Monday, adding whether the community college bill gets funded, or the bill to fund unmet need at all campuses, is contingent on available funding. "The Hawaii Promise bill, for me, brings about the broader issue of higher education in Hawaii. It's no secret higher education leads to better jobs, higher income and higher quality of living so that's important."
Education leaders say the Big Island's need for the program is great: At Hawaii Community College, for example, 64 percent of students qualify for the Federal Pell Grant Program, higher than anywhere else in the state, Chancellor Rachel Solemsaas previously said. Pell Grants are awarded to economically disadvantaged students.
About 116 HCC students had some sort of unmet need in the 2015-16 school year, averaging $368 each - the gap amount that would be covered by Hawaii's Promise. Statewide, unmet need averaged $295 per student that year.
The University of Hawaii at Hilo said earlier this month it predicts awarding close to $50 million in financial aid next year, more than it has ever awarded before.
Kahele said Hawaii Promise also could help persuade island students to attend college in the state. He said it also could help boost enrollment at UH campuses, most of which have reported declining enrollment.
Some Hawaii students opt to attend out-of-state colleges because they're ultimately cheaper due to undergraduate tuition exchange partnerships, Kahele said. A report released last week showed more students in Hawaii enrolled in college last year, but only 35 percent chose to attend college in state, down from 37 percent in 2014.
"Our duty is to provide accessible and affordable education to the residents of Hawaii," Kahele said. "And when they're not able to attend our state institutions that are publicly funded, I have a problem."
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Published February 28, 2017 - 12:05am | By TOM CALLIS
The state Senate will vote on a bill boosting the counties' share of the Transient Accommodations Tax to $108 million a year.
Currently, the counties share $103 million, an amount scheduled to decrease to $93 million next fiscal year.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee advanced an amended bill Monday that gives more rather than less.
Hawaii County receives nearly $19.2 million, or 18.6 percent, of the current allocation. That would go up to about $20 million if the bill is adopted by both chambers and signed by Gov. David Ige in its current form.
The original bill, introduced by Sen. Kai Kahele, would have distributed 45 percent of the TAT, a tax on hotels and other lodgings, to the counties, with Hawaii County receiving 18.6 percent of the counties' share. That could have provided the county with more than $30 million in TAT revenue, its second largest funding source.
Kahele, who sits on the committee and voted for the amendment, said he was satisfied with the version moving forward.
"It wasn't the full pie that we wanted," said Kahele, D-Hilo. "We could have gotten nothing."
The House Finance Committee will hear today another bill that would phase out the counties' share of TAT revenue throughout three years.
Kahele said he is hopeful his bill will be the "vehicle" the Legislature uses to address the TAT issue.
On Monday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee also advanced bills that would create a distance learning center tied to Hawaii Community College in Puna and a Puna agriculture park. Sen. Russell Ruderman introduced both bills, which will head next to the Senate floor.
Originally published by Hawaii News Now; click here to read the article on hawaiinewsnow.com.
Published:Thursday, February 23rd 2017, 5:42 pm HST
Updated:Thursday, February 23rd 2017, 9:45 pm HST
By Ashley Nagaoka
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The cost of attending the state's largest public university is getting out of reach for many Hawaii families, say lawmakers, who are proposing a moratorium on tuition hikes and spending restrictions for UH-Manoa.
"Higher education is slowly becoming out of their reach," said state Sen. Kai Kahele, chairman of the Committee on Higher Education. "One of the reasons we're seeing the decline in enrollment is the tuition rates."
Kahele says he's a proud product of the University of Hawaii system, but the rise in tuition has created a huge financial burden on students and their parents. He added that he's gotten hundreds of letters from people across the state pleading for help, including one mother on Kauai.
"It was cheaper for her daughter to go to a Western University Exchange college on the mainland than stay here home here in Hawaii," Kahele said.
Before 1995, tuition was relatively flat and all tuition revenue from the University of Hawaii was deposited into the state's general fund.
But the law was changed that year, allowing the university to keep that money as part of a move to foster autonomy for the institution.
"Since 1995, 22 years later, tuition has gone up over 600 percent at UH Manoa," Kahele said.
UH's Chief Financial Officer Kalbert Young said while tuition has gone up, UH-Manoa is still a "very affordable option."
Young acknowledges that tuition has gone up substantially, but says it was necessary because the state Legislature has reduced state funding.
This year, UH got about $428 million from lawmakers, down about $32 million from 2009.
"The general fund appropriation has significantly curtailed since the recession, and the university has been having to bear a lot of that increased cost," Young said.
The Board of Regents recently approved tuition increases for the next three years. By academic year 2019-2020, Hawaii students will be paying $11,304 a year to attend UH Manoa, while non-residents will have to pay $33,336 -- not including housing, meals, books, or other expenses.
Kahele originally wanted to a moratorium on tuition increases for 10 years, but for now his proposal doesn't have a start or end date. He's also seeking to hold the university more accountable for spending, and rein in high salaries for executives.
UH officials said a moratorium of any kind of tuition hikes would be damaging.
"We would see the university have to start to shrink," Young said, "which means shrinking the number of programs and services that are offered to the student population."
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Published February 11, 2017 - 12:05am | By IVY ASHE
Bills that would create the first-ever community economic district on Hawaii Island are inching their way toward a final form.
The companion bills were introduced in both chambers of the state Legislature by a cohort of Big Island senators and representatives. House Bill 1479 has one more hearing to go after clearing joint committees this week and Senate Bill 1292 was scheduled for a Friday afternoon hearing, but a final outcome was not available by press time.
The bills seek to form a Hilo Community Economic District, which would establish co-management of a broad area, including the Waiakea Peninsula and the Kanoelehua Industrial Area, between the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii Community Development Association.
The HCDA is part of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. It was created to promote development and planning for "underutilized urban areas" in Hawaii. There are three other such districts in the state, all on Oahu.
The measures have received considerable attention on the Big Island for their potential to help stimulate growth and redevelopment in Hilo. They are supported not only by directly impacted organizations such as the Kanoelehua Industrial Area Association, but also industry groups such as Hawaii Island Realtors and the Hawaii Island Contractors Association.
The University of Hawaii at Hilo and the University of Hawaii Community College System testified in support, as did the East Hawaii Region of Hawaii Health Systems Corp., which oversees Hilo Medical Center.
In addition, the Hawaii County Council plans to take up a resolution to support HB 1479 and SB 1292, along with a package of related legislation, during its Feb. 22 meeting.
According to written testimony provided by HCDA Executive Director Jesse Souki, management of a Hilo district is expected to cost just more than $1 million per year, with initial startup costs of $50,000. The annual costs include $520,000 for the salaries of "4.5" full-time employees, yearly operating costs of $430,000 and $100,000 to operate a satellite HCDA office in the Banyan Drive area.
HCDA has not taken a position on the proposal itself other than to state that any expansion of its program include the necessary funding.
After the House bill's hearing before the committees on Economic Development and Business and Tourism, the groups recommended an appropriation of $1.1 million to establish the district.
The bill also establishes a revolving fund for the district, intended to be supported via income from the district leases as well as "grants, gifts, awards (and) donations."
The state Department of Budget and Finance weighed in during a hearing to note its policy is to support only the creation of revolving funds that are self-sustaining.
The bills must receive their final hearings by Friday in order to be considered for crossing over to the next chamber.
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Published February 2, 2017 - 12:05am | By IVY ASHE
East Hawaii legislators are encouraging residents to stay active in efforts to pass a series of bills aimed at the long-term economic revitalization of Hilo.
More than 50 people representing organizations including the Kanoelehua Industrial Area Association, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hawaii and the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board turned out Tuesday night for a meeting to learn more about the measures and their goals.
Hawaii County Council members Aaron Chung and Sue Lee Loy also attended the meeting at the Hawaii Innovation Center.
"If we want to make an impact and make this happen, it requires our community to take action together," said Jason Fujimoto, senior vice president and COO of HPM Building Supply.
Taken as a whole, the bills address one of the biggest challenges facing many Hilo business owners: the impending expiration of the state leases for their properties.
The Kanoelehua Industrial Area is unique statewide because nearly all lessees there have the same term, which began after the 1960 tsunami. Businesses destroyed by the tsunami were moved inland to their current locations.
The leases have a 65-year term and are set to expire in 2026.
One pair of bills, Senate Bill 274 and House Bill 575, would amend the Hawaii Revised Statues, allowing the state Board of Land and Natural Resources to extend leases beyond that term, provided lessees make improvements equal to 50 percent of the property's value.
Such a program existed from 2011-15 in the form of Act 219, but the bills state that because it expired, "the future tenure of these public lands is once again uncertain."
"The two are intertwined," said KIAA member Jim McCully about the revitalization and lease terms. "You can't (solve) one without solving the problems of the other."
SB 1185 and its companion, HB 1469, also would add to the state statutes by establishing a procedure for creating public land redevelopment districts. A related pairing, SB 1184 and HB 1310, would create a Waiakea Peninsula Redevelopment District.
A fourth pair of bills, SB 1292/HB 1479, would designate the Kanoelehua Industrial Area, the Waiakea Peninsula and Wailoa River State Park as a community economic district.
This would place the area under the management of the Hawaii Community Development Authority and allow it to use rents from the state leases to fund improvements. There are three other community economic districts statewide, all on Oahu.
State Sen. Kai Kahele, D-Hilo, who introduced SB 1292 and attended Tuesday's meeting, said he spoke with HCDA Executive Director Jesse Souki about the initiative and received positive feedback.
He stressed that the bill package was a joint effort of all East Hawaii legislators - Sen. Lorraine Inouye and Reps. Mark Nakashima, Richard Onishi and Chris Todd - and that it now needed to become the "community's bill."
"We need to send a message that East Hawaii Island is united behind something that is better for Hilo," Kahele said.
It's not the first time legislators tried to direct state attention to the lease problem, but those efforts have not always been successful.
"The sad part is that I've been working on this since I was elected in 1998," Inouye told the Tribune-Herald on Wednesday. She said county representatives and the mayor's office also would need to be involved.
"We need some economic development or viable industries to occur in the next five years," Inouye said.
McCully said an ad hoc committee would be created to help provide testimony for the bills once they are scheduled for hearings.
HB 575 and HB 1292 are scheduled for Friday morning hearings before the Water and Land Committee and Economic Development and Business/Tourism committees, respectively.
"Hilo people are real, we're there, and we want results," McCully said. "We want to see some development occur that promotes our community."
Last year, the Banyan Drive Redevelopment Agency was created to address economic development for that specific area, which was declared blighted. The five-member board approved a conceptual plan in November and the Hawaii County Planning Department is moving ahead with commissioning an environmental statement for possible renewal projects.
Still, the board does not have direct funding for its proposals and would have to go back to the Land Board regarding lease agreements.
Banyan Drive Redevelopment Agency board chairman Brian Delima attended the Tuesday meeting and said he was in support of the new bills because they focused on the big picture as well as the concerns of the agency.
"We've got to be all-encompassing and take advantage of all the assets of Hilo," he said. "I feel good about our future, and we've all got to work together. The bottom line is Hawaii is capital-poor. We need capital investment from elsewhere."
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Published January 27, 2017 - 12:05am | By IVY ASHE
Hawaii Island state lawmakers introduced an ambitious long-term plan to revitalize Hilo's urban core during the ongoing legislative session.
Senate Bill 1292, introduced Wednesday in the Senate by Kai Kahele, D-Hilo, and companion House Bill 1479, introduced in the House by Rep. Mark Nakashima, D-Hamakua, North Hilo, South Hilo, and Rep. Chris Todd, D-Keaukaha, Hilo, Panaewa, Waiakea, would create the first-ever community economic district on the Big Island - or on any neighbor island, for that matter.
On Thursday, Kahele called the initiative long overdue and said it would lay planning groundwork for the next 80 years of development.
"I've been living in Hilo my entire life and Hilo hasn't changed," he said. "Something has to be done if we want to reinvigorate East Hawaii."
Kahele said his goal is to increase opportunities for residents and visitors alike, from better-paying jobs and increased health care resources to direct flights from Hilo's airport to the mainland and improved tourism infrastructure.
"What are we doing to market and showcase Hilo, when a person that arrives from Canada (on a cruise ship) on their first visit to Hawaii ... has to walk 3 miles to downtown?" Kahele said. "We can't even get bathrooms to get opened at the pier."
The community economic district would include the Banyan Drive peninsula, Wailoa River State Park and Wailoa estuary and the Kanoelehua Industrial Area.
In each of these places, the state is the majority landowner. Many leases throughout the proposed district are due to expire within the next 10 years.
"Due to the uncertainty regarding tenancy, improvements have not been made and infrastructure has deteriorated," SB 1292 states. The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Lorraine Inouye, D-Hilo, Hamakua, Kohala, Waimea, Waikoloa, Kona, and Oahu Sens. Donovan Dela Cruz, Brickwood Galuteria, Michelle Kidani and Glenn Wakai.
Creating a community economic district would shuffle management of the area in question to the Hawaii Community Development Authority, itself an agency within the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
HCDA would manage the leases in partnership with the Department of Land and Natural Resources; revenue for planning would come from the leases.
The HCDA was created in 1976 with the aim of planning development of "underutilized urban areas of Hawaii," according to the DBEDT.
The three existing community economic districts are on Oahu.
The first district created was Kakaako, followed by Kalaeloa. In 2002, a district was created in Heeia to facilitate restoration of the area's wetlands and develop "culturally appropriate agriculture" on 400 acres of land.
Kakaako's mixed-use district planning has resulted in 25 completed projects ranging from the University of Hawaii at Manoa's John A. Burns School of Medicine campus to a host of residential buildings.
"It's all centered around taking state land and turning its economy around," Kahele said.
Each of the existing community economic districts is represented within HCDA by district residents. Having board members from the Hilo community making decisions is key to any new development, Kahele said, because "Hilo is a small-town atmosphere. We have a unique culture; we have a unique heritage."
Recently, Hawaii County has worked to address some of the revitalization concerns.
Last year, the Banyan Drive Redevelopment Agency was tasked with creating a master vision plan for the peninsula, which was declared blighted in February 2016. A conceptual plan was approved last November.
Darryn Arai, Hawaii County planning deputy director, said the next step would be putting out requests for proposals to create an environmental impact statement or an environmental assessment.
"We're just starting to get to work," he said.
Wil Okabe, Hawaii County managing director, said the Mayor's Office was not contacted about SB 1292 prior to it being introduced.
"(The) point that the senator's making to improve Hilo - that is a positive, and I think the more discussions and the more communications we can have to inform the people of our county (about this), I think that's going to be important," he said.
Okabe said the primary concern of the Mayor's Office was how the bill would impact the planning already completed by the Banyan Drive Redevelopment Agency.
Kahele praised the work of the agency, but said that lease insecurity was still a problem, as was funding for the proposals.
"No matter what plan we come up with ... we still have to go back to the landowner and ask for permission, and ask for a lease, and have the land board, which is essentially Honolulu, approve it," he said. "That became the obvious roadblock to me and to many others in the Hilo area."
Senator Kahele Rolls Out Plan for Economic Development in Hilo:
Originally published by the Star-Advertiser; click here to read the article on staradvertiser.com.
January 23, 2017
By Nanea Kalani
Hawaii could soon join other states in offering tuition-free college under legislative proposals to have the state pick up the cost of tuition and other school expenses for needy students enrolled at University of Hawaii community colleges.
The bills seek funding to establish a so-called "last dollar" scholarship program that would kick in for resident students with financial need after all other financial aid is exhausted, including federal and state grants and scholarships. A student's eligibility and unmet need would be determined through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
The program stands to benefit more than 1,000 community college students and is expected to attract more students to the seven community college campuses, where full-time resident tuition is $3,024 a year.
According to university data, last academic year there were close to 1,100 UH community college students statewide who were left with an average unmet need of $295 in direct costs, which includes tuition, fees, books, supplies and transportation; living expenses are not counted. The overall unmet need across the community colleges was $1.8 million for the 2015-16 school year.
A bill University of Hawaii officials helped draft calls for a $2.5 million appropriation to establish the program at the community colleges. Other bills propose offering the subsidies to undergraduates at all UH campuses, including UH Manoa, Hilo and West Oahu, which would require a larger investment.
John Morton, UH's longtime vice president for community colleges, said the strategic plan for community colleges places a priority on affordability and removing cost as a barrier to higher education.
"When we looked at how much aid the students were getting - between the Pell Grants from the federal government (which do not need to be repaid) and the university's own scholarship programs, the UH Foundation, Kamehameha Schools, employers - against the direct cost, turns out that most of it was covered except for about $1.8 million," Morton said in an interview. "We thought that it would be a great way to attack the affordability question by basically getting rid of that gap."
The scholarship program has been dubbed Hawaii's Promise and is modeled after a similar program in Tennessee, which was the first state to provide tuition-free community college. Unlike Tennessee's model, which targets graduating high school seniors, eligible students in Hawaii would have to qualify for resident tuition and be enrolled in a degree or certificate program at a community college for six or more credits per semester.
"We'd be able to tell anybody - and that's what the 'promise' is - that if you're eligible for resident tuition and you have financial need, that your direct cost will be covered by grant aid so you won't be borrowing money to pay for your tuition or your fees or your books or your transportation," Morton said.
Morton said the university's bill seeks an appropriation above the projected cost in anticipation of increased enrollment once the program is established. "We built into the bill a little bit of a cushion so that if this works the way we hope it will, which is to make people realize that they can afford to go to college, that there would be dollars there and we wouldn't be limited," Morton said.
For Leeward Community College student Tihemu Muller, the cost of attending school full time forced him to choose between paying rent and tuition.
"Every semester everything goes up. Because of the cost of tuition, the cost of books and everyday survival, I ended up living in my car all semester last semester," Muller, 43, said. "I came this far, and I didn't want to drop out because it took me 25 years to come back to school."
Muller, who now resides in Kaaawa, said he began working right after high school in the retail and tourism industries before deciding to enroll in college in 2015.
"I've been through the workforce, and you can only get so far without a degree," he said.
Muller has since secured enough grants and scholarships to cover his full tuition costs this semester but hopes the proposed Hawaii's Promise program can help him in his future studies. He plans to eventually pursue a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering.
He said it's been challenging to find financial aid options because he doesn't fall into the typical categories that receive priority.
"For somebody like me, who's male and able-bodied, it sort of disqualifies you from need," he said. "I'm not a mother, I'm not a single parent. I'm an independent adult. I think a program like that would be beneficial for many people."
The leaders of the House and Senate Higher Education committees have been drafting legislation to establish the scholarship program at all 10 UH campuses.
State Sen. Kaiali‘i Kahele, chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said he's long been concerned about affordability at the University of Hawaii, where he says "tuition has continued to climb, climb and climb" since the 1990s, when he attended.
"And it's not just a problem here in Hawaii, but across the nation, where pursuing higher education is almost becoming unattainable for many, many kids and families," Kahele said.
He added that expanding the program to all undergraduates would help some 4,200 students for an estimated $13.5 million investment.
"What we wanted to do is take it to a higher level and offer it systemwide throughout the entire state," Kahele said. "We pass a several-billion-dollar budget every year. I think we can carve out $13.5 million to give 4,200 Hawaii residents the opportunity to go to college for free. It's about how we prioritize our resources. For me education is a top priority."
The idea of tuition-free college has been gaining popularity. In addition to Tennessee's program, which inspired a national push for free community college by then-President Barack Obama, Oregon passed legislation for tuition-free community college, and various programs also have been proposed in Kentucky, Rhode Island and New York.
Joni Finney, director of the Institute for Research on Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, said Hawaii's proposed program would help the state further its goal of increasing the number of working adults with a college degree. But she said because the proposal would not help cover living expenses, most students likely will still need to work while attending college.
Finney cited the institute's recent state-by-state analysis of college affordability, which found UH's community college system is the most affordable public two-year institution in the nation. Still, full-time UH community college students on average have to work 20 hours a week to cover college expenses, the study found.
I am deeply saddened by the news of U.S. Representative K. Mark Takai's death. He served our State and our Country honorably as a public servant, elected official, and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Hawai‘i Army National Guard.
He was known on Capitol Hill for his aloha spirit and unwavering commitment to improving the lives of Hawai‘i families. Rep. Takai lived the Spirit of Aloha.
I extend my heartfelt condolences to Representative Takai's family, especially Sami, Matthew and Kaila in their time of grief.
View the news release.
With the adoption of the supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2017, Senator Kaiali‘i Kahele (Dist. 1 - Hilo) is proud to announce more than $89 million in Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funding has been appropriated for various projects for District 1. These projects address aging infrastructure, improve existing schools and facilities, and establish additional safety measures.
"The projects funded by the budget will help move East Hawai‘i forward by creating jobs, enhancing our public infrastructure and facilities, and investing in education," said Sen. Kahele. "By working collaboratively with my colleagues, Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Representatives Mark M. Nakashima, Clift Tsuji and Richard H.K. Onishi, we will continue to secure funds to drive our economy and improve our quality of life."
In realizing that the real future lies in the hands of our children and grandchildren, legislators reflected a Senate Majority priority goal of providing for our families and allocated funds for a covered play court at Chiefess Kapi'olani and Ha'aheo Elementary Schools, providing kitchen equipment for the Keaukaha Elementary School cafeteria and electrical upgrades for Wai?kea Intermediate School. In passing SB3126 SD2 HD2 CD1, $100 million was allocated to the Department of Education to assist in moving forward their program to install air conditioning and other heat abatement measures in our public schools and providing students with a better learning environment.
Lawmakers also recognized other imperative concerns of District 1 and allocated significant resources for the airports, harbors and health services.
"Throughout my life, my father taught me the importance of community service and I'm honored to carry on his legislative initiatives," said Sen. Kai Kahele.
Notable CIP funding highlights for District 1 include:
• $31.8 million for renovations on the Keaukaha Military Reservation
• $2 million for covered playcourt for Ha‘aheo Elementary School
• $1.5 million for design and construction for a covered playcourt at Kapi‘olani Elementary School
• $252,000 for plans, design and construction for electrical systems upgrades for Waiākea Intermediate School
• $6.75 million for improvements for the Hilo Counseling Center and Keawe Health Center
• $300,000 for construction for a new adult day care facility at the Hawai‘i Island Community Development Corporation
• $2 million for land acquisition to expand the Hilo Forest Reserve
• $21 million for design and construction of a new support building, housing and support offices and security system for Hawai‘i Community Correctional Center
• $3.5 million for improvements at Hilo International Airport
• $7.95 million for demolition of pier shed and water tower and other improvements for Hilo Harbor
• $2.2 million for plans for rehabilitation and/or replacement of Wailuku Bridge along Hawaii Belt Road (Route 19)
• $600,000 for design and construction for cafeteria equipment installation; ground and site improvement; equipment and appurtenances at Keaukaha Elementary School
In addition to the executive budget CIP funding, appropriations for Grants-in-Aid (GIA) were also awarded to organizations for the benefit of the Hilo community:
• $1 million for design and construction for an education facility for Hawaii Island Portuguese Chamber of Commerce
• $1 million for plans, design and construction for a health facility for Panaewa Community Alliance
• $500,000 for construction for a new Island Heritage Gallery Exhibit at Lyman House Memorial Museum
• $217,000 for Rainbow Falls Botanical Garden and Visitor Center
• $200,000 for program to assist with at risk and low income school students to prevent from dropping out of High School in Hilo
• $150,000 for Kamoleao Laulima Community Resources Center
Members of the Senate Committee on Water, Land and Agriculture today voted to pass Senate Resolution 46.
SR46 requests the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to engage in negotiations with the current land owners of the makai lands of Kapua to acquire the lands on behalf of the state or to lease those lands in perpetuity on behalf of the state.
"Our late colleague, Senator Gil Kahele, had the dream of the state purchasing the Kapua makai lands. This resolution will make it possible to see this dream become reality," said Sen. Mike Gabbard, chair of the Water, Land and Agriculture committee, in recommending the resolution be passed.
As one of his last actions as a state legislator, the late Senator Gilbert Kahele signed SB3071 for its introduction during the 2016 session, which would have required the DLNR to engage in negotiations to acquire the Kapua makai lands. Kaiali‘i Kahele was appointed to the seat vacated by his father, following his death in January. SR46 was drafted by Sen. Kahele who was determined to ensure the process to preserve the lands would continue, despite the SB3071 being stalled in conference.
"This is not just for my dad, but for generations of keiki," said Sen. Kahele. "This area has significant archeological and culturally historical value and must be preserved."
SR46 is the final resolution to be heard this legislative session and will be voted on the floor on Thursday, May 5, 2016.
Originally published by the Hawaii Tribune Herald; click here to read the article on hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Published March 1, 2016 - 1:30am | By KIRSTEN JOHNSON | Hawaii Tribune-Herald
The late state Sen. Gil Kahele's bill to establish a statewide airport governing body cleared the state Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday and is on its way to a vote by the full Senate.
An amended Senate Bill 3072, one of three measures the Hilo Democrat signed before he died in January, would establish a five-member airport authority to oversee all of the state's 15 airports, currently headed by the Department of Transportation.
Proponents say doing so would modernize decades-old airports more quickly. They say a board also could more easily access public-private partnerships, particularly for capital improvement projects.
"This is a big deal," said state Sen. Kai Kahele, the son of Gil Kahele who was appointed to fill his father's vacant seat. "The creation of an airport authority is a really big, bold idea. It's something that I think our state needs and something my dad thought (as well)."
"My dad had the opportunity to go and travel to some of the international world-class airports and see what one looked like," Kahele continued. "He strongly believed Hawaii and Honolulu (International Airport) needed to follow that trend, and the best way to do that was to have an airport authority (manage) them efficiently and effectively to make those changes."
Kahele said the bill has been amended to give Gov. David Ige final say about an implementation date. Previously, the measure was written to establish the authority as of July 1, 2018.
The proposal gleaned support from Hawaiian Airlines, which Kahele said is the state's largest private employer.
"We believe placing the authority for the oversight, operation, maintenance and long-term planning of Hawaii's airports under an Airport Authority will achieve the efficiencies needed to offer a world-class experience to travelers to and between our islands," the Feb. 25 testimony from the airline reads.
The bill is expected to go up for a full Senate vote by Monday (March 8).
Gil Kahele's two other legacy bills are also moving along.
Senate Bill 3071, a measure that calls for the state to purchase land at Kapua Bay and incorporate it into the South Kona Wilderness Area cleared the Senate last month and passed its first reading in the House. It's slated to be heard next by the House Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Water and Land.
Gil Kahele's final measure, Senate Bill 3073, would appropriate funding to establish an aviation college at the University of Hawaii at Hilo campus. The proposal passed its second reading Friday.
Kai Kahele said Monday afternoon he is pleased to see his father's bills advance. Lawmakers are helping move the bills through quickly, he said.
"If there's anything my appointment to fill my father's (open seat) this session did, it was to allow me to shepherd these bills through the Legislature," he said. "I've taken the time to meet with so many Senate members and colleagues to help my dad's (bills) get through. So, there's that sense at the Capitol that these were important bills for the late senator, and they meant a lot to him.
"He's got me watching them with a careful eye," he added.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
SB 3071 - Relating to the Acquisition of Makai Lands of Kapua in South Kona on the Island of Hawaii
SB 3072 - Relating to an Airport Authority
SB 3073 - Relating to the University of Hawaii at Hilo
In response to a recent inquiry regarding his residency, Sen. Kaiali‘i Kahele (Dist. 1 - Hilo), offers this statement:
"I live in the First Senatorial District - Hilo. In 2012, I moved to Hilo and have resided in Hilo continuously from that time. At that time, my parents and I agreed to take out a mortgage to remodel their house to allow me and my family to live there. Since 2012, I have continuously had the residence in Hilo as my primary residence and have used that residence for all purposes, including voter registration.
"The question has been raised regarding the agreement I entered into in 2011 with my Aunt, Sally Kahikinaokala Dacalio, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources for a property in Miloli‘i. In 2011, I was approached by extended family with a request to assume my Aunt's lease for the property in question. My Aunt was in poor health and her family was afraid that the lease would be lost by our family. Under those circumstances, I agreed to pay off my Aunt's mortgage and assume the lease with DLNR. The matter was handled informally without legal advisors. Since I became aware of the terms of the lease, I have contacted DLNR for the purpose of addressing the situation. I am hopeful and confident that I will be able to resolve this matter with DLNR in the near future."
Kaiali‘i Kahele was sworn in to the Hawai‘i State Senate at the commencement of today's Senate Regular Session. Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald of the Hawai‘i Supreme Court administered the Oath of Office on the Senate floor.
Kahele was appointed to represent the 1st Senatorial District, which encompasses the greater Hilo area, filling the vacancy created due to the passing of his father, State Sen. Gilbert Kahele.
"Throughout my life, my father taught me the importance of community service and I'm honored to carry on his legislative initiatives," said Sen. Kai Kahele. "I'm truly grateful to the many people who supported my nomination and for the Governor's confidence in my appointment. It's a privilege to serve with the Senate. I'm humbled and I'm ready to go."
Sen. Kahele will serve on the Senate Standing Committees of Education (EDU), Higher Education and the Arts (HEA), Judiciary and Labor (JDL), and Tourism and International Affairs (TSI).
The Hawai‘i State Senate leadership welcomes the appointment of Kaiali‘i Kahele to the District 1 Senate seat.
"I congratulate Kai on his appointment to the Senate," said Senate Majority Leader, Sen. J. Kalani English. "I know he has the best interests of the community at heart, and we will work with him to ensure his transition to the Senate is quick and seamless. I know Kai was well-trained by his father to handle the work of the Senate."
"We welcome Kai to the Senate," said Senate President, Ronald D. Kouchi. "I know he holds many of the strong convictions and commitment to community service as that of his father. I look forward to working with Kai in his new role as Senator for the first district."
"I appreciate the work the staff of the late Senator Kahele has been doing to serve the constituents of District 1 during this time and I know they will be important in continuing to provide support for Kai as we move forward this Session," said Sen. Kouchi.
Once the oath of office is administered, Kai Kahele will serve on the following Senate committees: Higher Education and the Arts (HEA), Education (EDU), Judiciary and Labor (JDL), and Tourism and International Affairs (TSI).