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Hawaii residents disappointed as bill to safeguard water resources fails at sessions end

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Hawaii residents disappointed as bill to safeguard water resources fails at sessions end


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Hawaii residents are disappointed that the Aloha State’s lawmakers ended the legislative session without advancing a bill to strengthen the independence of the state’s Water Commission.

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The bill’s demise comes at a critical time. The Hawaii Supreme Court recently determined that Attorney General Anne Lopez and the state Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) made baseless allegations against a judge’s decision regarding East Maui streams.

Meanwhile, a citizens group known as the Red Hill Community Representative Initiative (CRI) has been advocating for the legislation since significant water contamination affected roughly 93,000 residents in and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in 2021. 

Marti Townsend, a resident and chair of the CRI, denounced the legislature for failing to advance the bill. 

“From the … decades-long foot-dragging in implementing legally required stream protections in East Maui, to the bald-faced lies about a lack of water for firefighting on Maui,” Townsend said. “Powerful special interests have pulled political strings to override the public interest for far too long,”

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More: Hawaii legislature wraps up session – here’s what passed and what didn’t

Maui

On August 8, 2023, Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, fell victim to the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history. The blaze ravaged the community, reducing it to ashes, claiming the lives of over 100 individuals and displacing over 5,000 residents. 

Last month, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the Attorney General and BLNR attempted to exploit the aftermath of the Lahaina fire by submitting false accusations regarding a judge’s decision for East Maui streams.  

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The court determined that their submitted statements, aimed at increasing stream water diversion by Alexander & Baldwin, a former plantation now a real estate investment trust, were so evidently lacking in merit that they suggested bad faith.

“It seems that the BLNR tried to leverage the most horrific event in state history to advance its own interests,” according to the court’s decision. 

Despite the submission of over 500 pages of written testimony in favor of the bill, Lopez and DLNR chair Dawn Chang stood as the sole voices who opposed it.

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Red Hill 

In November 2021, a water contamination incident struck the facility catering to approximately 93,000 residents in and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

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In response to numerous reports of illnesses among local families who consumed the tainted water, the Pentagon announced plans in March 2022 to close Red Hill permanently.

Despite these actions, concerns persist among residents about water quality. Many continue to report symptoms akin to those experienced during the 2021 contamination, including rashes, headaches, heartburn, and fatigue.

A former Navy veteran, Lacey Quintero, told USA Today that they believe the Navy is aware that the Red Hill water is still contaminated and is misleading the public by claiming it is safe to drink.

What would the bill have done?

At its core, this bill aimed to minimize political interference in resource management decisions. It proposed empowering the Hawaiʻi Commission on Water Resource Management with the authority to select its own attorney and Chairperson, roles currently under gubernatorial control. 

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Additionally, it sought to protect Commission staff from arbitrary disciplinary actions, a concern brought to light by the departure of a former water deputy following the Maui wildfires. 

The bill would have also established dedicated commission staff and a special fund to manage federal funding allocated for the cleanup of the Red Hill contamination. 

Just before the sessions ended, State House and Senate Conferences agreed to defer the bill. In an interview with Spectrum News, Sen. Lorraine Inouye (D), chair of the Senate Committee on Water and Land, expressed her frustration.

“I am greatly disappointed in the outcome on (the bill) despite agreement between both legislative bodies that this bill is urgently needed and very important—not just for Red Hill but also for Lahaina,” Inouye said.

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Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at JYurow@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow



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Livvy Dunne flexes LSU gymnastics move in bikini for Pirates pitcher’s Hawaii wedding

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Livvy Dunne flexes LSU gymnastics move in bikini for Pirates pitcher’s Hawaii wedding


Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes hit Hawaii for a Pittsburgh Pirates teammate’s wedding. While there, Dunne showed off her former LSU gymanstics skills while in a bikini jumping off a boat with an insane move.

Skenes is coming off his second season with the Pirates where he won his first Cy Young Award on a night where Dunne stole his thunder in a head-turning black dress.

The 23-year-old Dunne finished her fifth and final season of gymanstics at LSU and has been living the influencer life since. Skenes and her bought an apartment in New York City after losing out on Babe Ruth’s old one, and a new dream house in Jupiter, Florida, where they were seen struggling to put furniture together like most couples.

Livvy Dunne has cheesy Paul Skenes joke after Pirates pitcher wins Cy Young Award

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They left that all behind to hit up pitcher Jared Jones and his fiancée Rylie Fox’s wedding in Kauai. Skenes was seen enjoying himself in the water where Dunne called her boyfriend a “merman.”

Paul Skenes

Paul Skenes/Instagram

And Dunne was seen in her blue bikini on a boat.

Livvy Dunne

Livvy Dunne/Instagram

Livvy Dunne flaunts new house in Tiger Woods’ neighborhood with pool selfie

That’s when she let her athletic gene take over for the crowd and decided to do a crazy twisting backflip off the side of the boat.

Livvy Dunne

Livvy Dunne/Snapchat
Livvy Dunne

Livvy Dunne/Snapchat
Livvy Dunne

Livvy Dunne/Snapchat

She just missed that landing, but it was a great effort.

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Dunne has said she misses gymnastics while practicing some moves. For a minute she got to relive her athletic glory years while with Skenes and friends in Hawaii.

Livvy Dunne

Livvy Dunne/Instagram

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US, China held maritime security talks in Hawaii, Chinese navy says

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US, China held maritime security talks in Hawaii, Chinese navy says


BEIJING, Nov 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. and Chinese militaries this week held “frank and constructive” maritime security talks, the Chinese navy said on Saturday, as the two superpowers gradually restore military-to-military communications after several months of trade tensions.

The working-level meetings took place November 18-20 in Hawaii, according to a posting on the official social media account of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.

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U.S. and Chinese military officials previously held talks in April – the first such working-level meeting on military issues since the beginning of the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump. The twice-yearly talks are known as the military maritime consultative agreement (MMCA) working group.

“The two sides had frank and constructive exchanges … mainly exchanging views on the current maritime and air security situation between China and the U.S.,” China’s navy said in its posted statement.

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China also criticised U.S. freedom-of-navigation operations in the statement. These are frequently carried out in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, international waters over which China claims sovereignty.

“China … resolutely opposes any infringement and provocation,” China’s navy said in its statement, referring to those maritime and overflight transits by U.S. forces.

Both sides also discussed “typical cases of naval and air encounters between the two militaries … to help the front-line naval and air forces of China and the U.S. interact more professionally and safely,” it said.

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth raised concerns about Chinese activity in the South China Sea and around Taiwan in a meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun last month.

China has been steadily boosting air, naval and coast guard deployments around democratically-governed Taiwan, which it claims as its own. Taiwan’s government rejects China’s claims of sovereignty over the island.

The Pentagon has been pushing for improved communications with China over its military modernisation and regional posture, calling for greater transparency on its nuclear weapons build-up and more theatre-level discussions with military commanders.

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The working group will have a follow-up meeting in 2026, the statement said.

Reporting by Laurie Chen; Editing by Tom Hogue

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab



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Let These Oceanfront Resorts Convince You to Book That Hawaii Vacation

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Let These Oceanfront Resorts Convince You to Book That Hawaii Vacation


In 2012, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison acquired 98% of Lānaʻi, a rural island off Maui known for its rural, upcountry vibe (there’s only about 30 miles of paved roads) and its two Four Seasons–operated hotels: the 213-room Four Seasons Lānaʻi and the 96-room, wellness-focused Sensei Lānaʻi. The latter, created in partnership with Ellison’s own hospitality brand, Sensei, is powered by the cutting-edge research of renowned oncologist and professor Dr. David Agus, whose philosophy centers on three pillars: Move, Rest, and Nourish. Surrounded by pine-covered mountains and blending Hawaiian and Japanese design influences, this adults-only retreat is conceived as a distraction-free sanctuary—a place to disappear for a few days and focus wholly on your health. “I stayed at both Four Seasons’ properties when I visited Lanai a few years ago; my time at both, but especially at Sensei, felt like a reverie,” shopping director Talia Abbas shares. “An oasis in every sense of the word, you feel the weight of the world lifted off your shoulders surrounded by the lush greenery and the serene mountain air.”

The experience begins with a biomarker session, a body-composition analysis, and a one-on-one consultation with a nutritionist. Additional tech-driven assessments may follow, from thermal body scans to pinpoint inflammation to HRV monitoring for a closer look into a guest’s physiological state. “The consultation took place in one of the privates hales, and was followed up by a massage targeting the inflammation, and a soak in the private onsen pool,” Abbas shares. “I’ve never felt more relaxed.” The “Move” component can take many forms: horseback riding through cook-pine forests, aerial yoga, tackling obstacles in the outdoor adventure park, or simply wandering the resort’s vast sculpture garden, dotted with large-scale works by artists like Fernando Botero and Jaume Plensa. Yet for many guests, the highlight is the spa. Ten standalone spa hales are each outfitted with ofuro soaking tubs, infrared saunas, and outdoor onsen pools—inviting hours of relaxation post-treatment day and night.



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