Hawaii News

Hawaiian Electric Co. said Friday that it won’t seek a rate increase to make up for lost revenue from homeowners or businesses who have installed solar power systems in what it calls a “lost contribution to fixed costs.” “It is true that there is currently a small cost to all electric customers to cover the fixed costs of generation, transmission and distribution facilities that must still be available to serve those who have solar photovoltaics when their systems are not generating energy,” HECO spokesman Peter Rosegg told PBN in an email...

The developer of a 10-megawatt solar farm on Kauai has hired a local Hawaiian firm to conduct a cultural impact assessment of the 53-acre site. The Homestead Community Development Corp. has hired Native Kauai LLC, owned by Anahola resident Kehaulani Kekua, to be the principal cultural investigator for the project, which will be built on Hawaiian Home Lands in Anahola. “Our Anahola lands are precious to us in the homestead,” Lorraine Rapozo, HCDC board member and president of the Anahola Hawaiian Homes Association, said in a statement...

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation could be getting ready to put in some pretty pricey concrete pillars if the lawsuit challenging the city's $5.1 billion rail transit project continues to move through in the courts. Honolulu may have received assurances from the Federal Transit Administration on Monday that says go ahead and start building the elevated mass-transit system’s West Oahu-Farrington Highway and Kamehameha Highway sections, but is it a safe gamble to start building something that is so up in the air? The City and County of Honolulu has come out against legalized gambling in Hawaii, so why is it hedging its bets on something that is mired in litigation? Add to that the candidacy of former Gov...

A state House committee on Friday passed a bill to issue $80 million in revenue bonds to St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii to upgrade the two shuttered Hawaii Medical Center hospitals. House Bill 2345, which passed the House Health Committee on a vote of 7-0, with three members excused, awaits a hearing in the House Finance Committee before heading to a floor vote. St. Francis would use the money to upgrade the buildings at Hawaii Medical Center East in Liliha and Hawaii Medical Center West in Ewa, upgrade the courtyard and parking garage, modernize technology and equipment and refinance debt at both facilities...

That actor playing Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley on this week’s episode of “Hawaii Five-0” was ... Mark Dunkerley. It marked the first time that I can recall that a local person played himself on the CBS TV drama. Other well-known Hawaii residents have made cameo appearances on the show, but as fictional characters. Local viewers also may have noticed that the flight attendant in the opening scene was former Miss Hawaii Denby Dung, who is a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant in real life...

The Hawaii Public Housing Authority will receive a federal grant of more than $9.45 million to make large-scale improvements to the state’s public housing projects. The grant is from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Capital Fund Program, which provides annual funding for public housing authorities to repair, renovate or modernize their public housing stock, the department said. “This funding will help housing authorities address long-standing capital improvements, but it only scratches the surface in addressing the deep backlog we’re seeing across the country,” HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in a statement...

The stocks for Barnwell Industries and Maui Land & Pineapple Inc. were the only Hawaii issues to escape losses Friday as the broader markets experienced their worst day of the year on news of problems with Greece’s debt deal and bad U.S. economic news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 89.23 points, or 0.69 percent, to close at 12,801.23, while the Nasdaq gained 23.35 points, or 0.80 percent, to close at 2,903.88. Losers: Alexander & Baldwin Inc. (NYSE: ALEX) closed at $47.14, down 45 cents, or 0...

Honolulu's Zoning Board of Appeals will allow an appeal by environmental groups of a zoning variance to allow Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts to redevelop the Westin Moana Surfrider's Diamond Head Tower in Waikiki to move forward. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the board decided Thursday to allow Hawaii’s Thousand Friends, Ka Iwi Coalition, Surfrider Foundation, KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance proveed with their appeal based on the arguments that a proposed 26-story hotel would interfere with their enjoyment of Waikiki Beach...

Honolulu's costs for hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in November totaled $22.7 million, which was $20.7 million under the budgeted $43.4 million, Mayor Peter Carlisle said. KHON reports Carlisle said the largest savings was realized by $7.8 million by the Honolulu Police Department, due to the lack of large-scale protests during the summit. However, KHON also reports that the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers has filed a grievance against the department on behalf of an unknown number of officers who claim they were not paid overtime for working a seventh straight day.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is proposing commercial development, new home sites for Native Hawaiians and reforestation for 56,200 acres along the windward slope of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island. The Hawaii Tribune Herald reports the agency's Aina Mauna Legacy Program for the land, which extends 19 miles along the Hamakua Coast on both sides of the Saddle, Mauna Kea Access and Keanakolu-Mana roads was outlined in a final environmental assessment released this week. The newspaper reports the plans call for up 200 homesteads on the Hamakua side of Saddle Road, and 500 acres of commercial development, including retail space, office space, a 20-unit lodge, restaurant and visitor center on either side of Mauna Kea Access Road.

A bill that would mandate paid sick or "safe" time for Hawaii workers was deferred by a state House committee after hearing testimony from restaurants and other businesses against the measure. KITV reports that House Bill 2089, which would require all workers in the state of Hawaii who work more than 80 hours per year to accrue up to nine days of paid sick and safe leave per year, received overwhelming opposition from local chambers of commerce, auto dealers and the Hawaii Restaurant Association...

A new gastropub named DASH will holds its grand opening Friday night in the former American Savings Bank branch location in Moiliili that was most recently Zap Cafe. The Honlolulu Star-Advertiser reports the 5,000 square-foot DASH — which named for partners Alysha Tanabe, Shane Tsubaki and Executive Chef Hyuk Kim, and a silent partner they say goes by the nickname Dino — can seat about 100 people.

Average daily room rates at Hawaii hotels rose by nearly 7 percent last week, while occupancy nudged up about 2 percentage points, according to a report by Hospitality Advisors LLC and Smith Travel Research. The average daily room rate statewide for the week ending Feb. 4 was $197.03, which was 6.6 percent higher than the same week a year ago. Hotels statewide were 77.1 percent full, which was 2.4 percentage points higher than the same week in 2011. Oahu hotels had the highest occupancy rate at 80...

Gasoline prices in Hawaii shot up this week to a statewide average of $4.19 for a gallon of regular unleaded, 7 cents higher than a week ago and still the highest in the nation, according to AAA Hawaii’s Weekend Gas Watch. In Honolulu, the average price rose 7 cents to $4.05 per gallon, which was 17 cents higher than a month ago and 42 cents higher than this time last year. On the Big Island, the average price in Hilo was $4.35 per gallon, which was a nickel higher than last week, 15 cents more than last month and 58 cents higher than this time last year...

The saga involving the recently shut-down Hawaii Medical Center hospitals will continue Friday with a hearing on a bill to issue an $80 million special purpose revenue bond to St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii to refurbish the two hospitals and get them ready for potential new owners. The $80 million special purpose revenue bond provided for in House Bill 2345 would be used by St. Francis to renovate the hospital buildings, upgrade the courtyard and parking garage, modernize technology and equipment and refinance debt at both the East and West campuses...

Initial unemployment claims in Hawaii declined by 3.4 percent last week, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism. There were a total of 1,967 initial jobless claims filed statewide during the week ending Feb. 4, compared to 2,034 claims filed during the same week a year ago. Oahu was the only island to see an increase in filings. It had 1,187 jobless claims filed last week, which was 4.7 percent more than the 1,135 claims filed during the same week in 2011...

How long can Hoku Corp. withstand the losses? On Thursday, it reported a loss of $10.6 million, or 19 cents per share, for the quarter that ended on Dec. 31, 2011. It has seen losses for all quarters dating back to at least Dec. 31, 2010. The Honolulu-based renewable-energy company also is facing the possibility of being delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market. It is in the midst of a 180-calendar-day warning period in which its stock has been closing below the $1-per-share mark. But its stock price has been trending upward and on Thursday closed at 87 cents, its highest mark in more than two months...

After sitting down with new University of Hawaii head football coach Norm Chow for a one-on-one interview earlier this week, it’s clear that he is a man who is passionate about his craft as well as children’s causes. He is after all a father and grandfather. But the Hawaii native also knows that as the figurehead of the closest thing the state has to a pro team, it’s a high-profile job. And part of his work will be mustering up support and donations, whether it is talking to the business world or showing up at a fundraiser...

Hawaii was one of 49 states to agree to a $25 billion settlement with five of the nation’s largest banks to address abuses in mortgage loan servicing and foreclosures, federal officials said Thursday. The deal with Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Co., Citigroup Inc., and Ally Financial Inc. (formerly GMAC) was the largest federal-state civil settlement since the multistate tobacco settlement in 1998. The deal, the result of a year-long federal investigation, will require mortgage servicers to commit more than $20 billion for financial relief for consumers, and commit $25 billion to resolve violations of state and federal laws, U...

Cyanotech Corp.’s stock gained 39 percent Thursday after the Hawaii-based company reported a quarterly profit that was more than 100 times higher than the net income reported the previous year. Meanwhile, other local stocks finished mixed on a day when the broader markets closed slightly higher on news of a debt deal in Greece. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 6.51 points, or 0.05 percent, to close at 12,890.46, while the Nasdaq gained 11.37 points, or 0.39 percent, to close at 2,927.23...

Cyanotech Corp.’s profit for its fiscal third quarter was more than 100 times the net income the Hawaii-based nutraceutical manufacturer reported the year before. Cyanotech (Nasdaq: CYAN), based in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island, reported on Thursday net income of $1.1 million, or 20 cents per diluted share, for the quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2011, compared to net income of $10,000, or $0.00 per diluted share, during the quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2010. The company reported revenue of $6...

Hoku Corp. reported a loss of $10.6 million, or 19 cents per share, for the quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2011, compared to a loss of $3 million, or 6 cents per share, for the same quarter in 2010. The Honolulu-based energy company blamed the higher loss in its fiscal third quarter on increased operating costs for the polysilicon plant it is building in Idaho and on expenses of $5.2 million from payments to Idaho Power Co. for the plant’s electricity service. Hoku (Nasdaq: HOKU) reported revenue for the quarter of $7...

The Hawaii Convention Center has secured the largest chemical conference in the Asia-Pacific region — Pacifichem — for a return to Honolulu in December 2015. The International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies, widely known as Pacifichem, has been held in Honolulu nearly every five years since its founding in 1984. At Pacifichem’s last Honolulu conference in December 2010, more than 12,500 attendees and a record 13,000 research papers were submitted from 72 countries. “Hawaii has exceeded our expectations every year, and we are excited to bring Pacifichem back to Honolulu in 2015,” Nancy Todd, manager of American Chemical Society Meetings & Expositions Attendee Services & Contracts, said in a statement...

Barry Taniguchi, president of KTA Super Stores on the Big Island, will travel to Japan next month with the Japanese American Leadership Delegation Program. West Hawaii Today reports Taniguchi, who is also chairman-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii's board of directors, will be one of 12 delegates to travel to Sendai, in the Tohoku region, which was affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The City and County of Honolulu cannot begin work on the 30-foot-wide concrete guideways for its rail transit system, despite getting the OK from the federal government to spend nearly $185 million on construction of the foundations and support columns for the system. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that city officials say the $21.8 million work to make the guideways at a precast yard was excluded from the Federal Transit Administration because the city has yet to finalize a site for the precast yard.

Hawaii County will receive nearly $1.1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for repairs to the Kailua Pier, which was damaged by the March 11 tsunami nearly a year ago. West Hawaii Today reports the funds will reimburse the state Department of Land and Natural Resources for the work, which includes paving, re-facing embankments and restoring 3,650 square yards of four-inch thick concrete pavement and will be done in stages to minimize shut-downs of the pier.

New car sales in Hawaii rose by 4.4 percent in 2011, and the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association says that pent-up demand and growing consumer confidence could mean a 6.9 percent increase in sales for 2012. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that according to the association's quarterly Hawaii Auto Outlook, there were 35,531 new cars and light trucks registered in Hawaii last year, compared to 34,019 registrations in 2010. The newspaper notes that the number is still nearly half the record 70,268 registrations in 2005, and that the 4...

A Kailua man has pleaded not guilty to federal fraud charges of stealing nearly $900,000 from people who thought they were investing in post-Hurricane Katrina real estate projects. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports Dan Doyle was told by a federal judge on Wednesday that he could remain free on a $100,000 signature bond pending trial on the 28 counts of fraud related to the investment scheme, which used AM radio shows in California to tout reconstruction projects in Mississippi. The newspaper reports that Doyle's attorney, Michael Green, said he expects to work out a plea agreement with the federal government within the next few months.

A bill in the Hawaii Legislature would require stricter inspections of zip lines in the state, following a fatal accident on the Big Island last fall in which a tower collapsed, causing a test rider to fall 200 feet to his death. The Associated Press reports, via the Maui News, that the bill would require the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to conduct inspections for a $100 fee. However, the AP reports that the operator of Piholo Zipline on Maui said $100 is unrealistic and that inspections can cost $5,000 and be spread over several days...

Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. on Wednesday reported a profit of $138.2 million, or $1.21 per diluted share, for 2011, a 22 percent increase from net income of $113.5 million, or $1.21 per diluted share, in 2010. Hawaiian Electric Industries (NYSE: HE) — parent company of Hawaiian Electric Co., Maui Electric Co., Hawaii Electric Light Co. and American Savings Bank — also reported a fourth-quarter profit of $34.2 million, or 36 cents per diluted share, compared to $24.7 million, or 26 cents per diluted share, for the same quarter in 2010...