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In last-minute plea to Legislature, Maui’s mayor requests $125M for wildfire recovery aid

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In last-minute plea to Legislature, Maui’s mayor requests 5M for wildfire recovery aid


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state Legislature is heading into its final week of decision-making — with debate continuing over the needs for Maui’s recovery.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen sent a last-minute plea for $125 million, which is getting a cool response amid pressure to do more for low-income residents.

Meanwhile on Monday, a coalition of advocates for workers rights, housing, tax reform and short-term rental conversion gathered to make a “distress call” to legislators.

Maui Wildfires Disaster

“The economy we have is one where the wealthy have an outsized influence on government and the economic policies it creates,” said Gavin Thornton, of Hawaii Appleseed.

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“We are here today to bring strength, justice and wellbeing to Hawaii’s people and economy.”

Added Krizhna Bayudan, a Lahaina resident and Hawaii Workers Center advocate, “We can’t grow in this place, raise up our own kids in this place anymore because of profits over people.”

She added, “I think if we lose the momentum that we have right now because it has been such a prevalent issue in our lives for several months I think it will be lost forever.”

The funding negotiations at the Legislature Monday afternoon drew a huge crowd of insiders, including lobbyists and advocacy groups.

There was no public discussion of the Bissen letter, requesting $125 million to deal with everything from landfills for debris to housing for survivors.

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So far, lawmakers have only offered about half that amount — and it’s in the form of a loan that maui county would have to pay back.

Bissen’s request is hard for lawmakers to accept because they are on a tight deadline with a lot of other demands, but they say they want to support Maui as best they can.

“New last-minute requests may have a difficult time,” said Senate Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz. “Although there are opportunities with other bills once the budget passes.”

Lawmakers now have just five days to make all the big decisions, hopefully without descending into chaos like the session did on their last Friday deadline last year.

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Kauai shines in farm-to-table experiences at Timbers resort

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Kauai shines in farm-to-table experiences at Timbers resort


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – If you’re headed to Kaua’i and looking for a unique farm-to-table experience, Hualani‘s at Timbers Kaua’i serves creative dishes and drinks made with local ingredients and hyper seasonal produce grown on their farm at Hokuala.

Alex Amorin, executive chef at Hualani‘s, and Cory Dotario, Timbers food and beverage director, joined HNN’s Sunrise to talk about their fresh, sustainable philosophy and upcoming Ha’aheo o Kauaʻi events, meaning “pride of Kauai” because talent and ingredients are sourced from the Garden Isle.

Among their signatures: honeycomb and goat cheese salad with a lemon vinaigrette (tapping into fall citrus season on their farm and honey from their own apiary) and a Barrel Aged Old Fashioned using their signature “Nagao of Never” bourbon named after a longtime employee, David Nagao, as a way to usher in the holiday season.

Ha’aheo o Kauaʻi lets guests enjoy a hands-on harvesting experience at The Farm at Hokuala and learn about Kauai produce, seafood and meats, and wine pairings.

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Amorin talked about the farm’s organic and biodynamic practices.

“There’s a nuanced beauty to selecting produce in its prime seasonality. The delicate flavor profiles take artistry to celebrate and enhance as the star of the plate. Similar to the artistry of working with watercolors and the delicate skillset that’s involved with mixing paint colors, working with vegetable-forward dishes takes the same approach and it’s ingredients sourced at peak ripeness that allow me to create culinary works of art,” said Amorin, an avid waterman and fisherman.

The next Ha’aheo o Kauaʻi farm-to-table dinner is on December 19 and can be booked on Open Table or by calling (808) 320-7399.

For more information, visit timberskauai.com/eat-drink/hualanis or follow on Instagram @timberskauai.

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No. 10 North Carolina runs wild to overwhelm Hawaii on national TV | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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No. 10 North Carolina runs wild to overwhelm Hawaii on national TV | Honolulu Star-Advertiser




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Hawaii Is Looking For Its Next Supreme Court Justice

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Hawaii Is Looking For Its Next Supreme Court Justice


The Judicial Selection Commission is seeking applicants to succeed Mark Recktenwald, who must retire next year when he turns 70.

Gov. Josh Green is likely to appoint a new Hawaii Supreme Court chief justice next year, his third pick for the five-member court.

On Friday the Judicial Selection Commission posted a vacancy for the position, currently held by Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald. By law, judges and justice in Hawaii are mandated to retire at age 70, an age Recktenwald will reach in 2025.

Applicants must be residents and citizens of Hawaii and licensed to practice law here for not less than 10 years preceding their nomination.

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Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald with then newly confirmed Associate Justices Vlad Devens and Lisa Ginoza, Nov, 21, 2023. (Courtesy Hawaii Judiciary)

The term of office of the CJ, as the position is known in shorthand, is 10 years. The annual salary is $248,124.

The Judicial Selection Commission will publish the list of all applicants to its website, and the public will be invited to provide comments. The commission will then forward not less than four names and not more than six names to the governor for his consideration.

A justice’s nomination is then subject to confirmation by the state Senate.

A year ago at this time the Senate confirmed Lisa Ginoza and Vlad Devens to serve on the court.

Recktenwald was named CJ in 2010, after Gov. Linda Lingle’s nomination of Appeals Court Judge Katherine Leonard was rejected by the Senate for lacking leadership and management experience.



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