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County Proposed Budget: $794 million

Hawaii County Mayor, Mitch Roth, submitted his proposed operating budget of $794,316,957 to the Hawaii County Council for the fiscal year of 2023-2024. Despite projected revenue increases in real property tax, GET surcharge, and the Hawaii County transient accommodations tax, there will also be increased expenditures due to collective bargaining and uncontrollable cost increases.

According to the Mayor's office, the budget proposal emphasizes the importance of infrastructure and maintenance projects, investments in protecting the environment, and an increase in the Parks maintenance budget. Other funding highlights include homelessness and housing production, a new police fleet, improved transportation, and technology systems. Mayor Roth also noted the significance of investing in county employees by providing enhanced training and education funding to support their knowledge and skill sets. The proposed budget can be found at https://tinyurl.com/2wtvtu67.

Kona: Coffee with a Cop Events

The Kona Community Policing Section of the Hawaii Police Department is hosting four Coffee with a Cop events this April in Kona, offering residents a chance to meet and get to know their district police officers in a relaxed and informal setting. Held at various cafes throughout the district, the events have no set agenda and are open to discussing anything from personal stories to neighborhood concerns. The events will be held on April 12 at Starbucks Coffee, April 14 at Kona Mountain Coffee Co., April 19 at Holuakoa Cafe, and April 21 at Kona Coffee & Tea, all from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. For more information, contact Kona Community Policing.

HVO Report on Kīlauea

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) has released its latest status report on Kīlauea volcano, stating that it has been over a month since lava was last active on the surface of the volcano. HVO monitoring has shown low rates of seismicity and gas emission, with only minor deformation across the volcano. As a result, HVO will now be updating the volcano's status weekly instead of daily. However, the Alert Level for Kīlauea remains at ADVISORY/YELLOW, as it is still possible that an eruption could occur with little or no warning. The HVO will continue to monitor the volcano for any changes.

HPD Request Public Assistance

Hawai‘i Island police are seeking public assistance in locating a runaway, 16-year-old Alaka‘i Kali from Hilo. The teenager was last seen on April 9th in the area of Lokahi Circle in Hilo. According to reports, Kali was wearing a white t-shirt, dark green camouflage swim shorts, and possibly carrying a small black backpack. He is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, 160 pounds, with a medium complexion, thin build, straight shoulder-length black hair, and brown eyes. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or contact Officer Lawrence Kobayashi via email at [email protected].

Hawai‘i State Energy Office Submits Proposal to U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Hydrogen Hub Program

The Hawai‘i Pacific Hydrogen Hub (H2Hub) has submitted a full application to the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Hydrogen Hub programs. This was after authoring one of 33 concept papers nationwide, which was encouraged by the U.S. Department of Energy to apply for funding through the program. The agency has said it plans to choose six to 10 applications to share a total of $7 billion available through the Inflation Reduction Act. The $2.1 billion proposal, which was developed with stakeholders, aligns existing and new infrastructure to build out a new green regional hydrogen production, distribution, and use network to serve the state and military locations on Guam and Kwajalein Atoll.

If selected for an award, the projects within the Hawai‘i Pacific Hydrogen Hub are subject to a rigorous four-phased funding process over a 10–12-year period. The proposal focuses on eliminating price volatility and reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, thus accelerating Hawai‘i's renewable energy and decarbonization strategy, contributing to energy security and national security, providing significant net benefits to Hawai‘i's diverse communities through green jobs, higher wages, and delivery of reliable, secure, clean, and affordable energy. It also matches and phases in appropriate end-users from ground transportation, maritime, and aviation sectors operating locally and focuses on hard-to-electrify or hard-to-abate sectors first, including heavy-duty ground and marine transportation and aviation.

FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 8 – APRIL 14

PLEASE NOTE:

Lane closure schedules may change at any time without further notice. All projects are weather permitting.

— KANOELEHUA AVENUE/MAMALOHA HIGHWAY (ROUTE 11) — 

1) HILO 

Single lane closure on Kanoelehua Avenue (Route 11) possible in either direction, in the vicinity of Makaala Street and E. Puainako Street, from Monday, April 10, through Friday, April 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for installation of traffic signal loop detection system.

2) PAHALA 

Single lane closure on Mamaloha Highway (Route 11) possible in either direction between mile markers 49 and 51, in the vicinity of Kamani Street on Monday, April 10, through Friday April 14, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for vegetation cutting.

— KUAKINI HIGHWAY (ROUTE 11) — 

1) KEAUHOU 

Single lane close on Kuakini Highway (Route 11) possible in either direction between mile marker 113 and 114, in the vicinity of West Honalo Road, on Monday April 10, through Friday, April 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., for Kuakini drainage improvements.

— HAWAII BELT ROAD (ROUTE 19) — 

1) HAKALAU TO NINOLE 

Single lane closure on Hawaii Belt Road (Route 19) possible in either direction between mile markers 16 and 19, in the vicinity of Leopolino Road and Old Mamalahoa Highway, on Monday, April 10 through Friday, April 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for vegetation cutting.

2) PAPAALOA TO LAUPAHOEHOE 

Single lane closure on Hawaii Belt Road (Route 19) possible in either direction between mile markers 23 and 28, between Kapehu Road and Stevens Road, on Monday, April 10, through Friday, April 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for road resurfacing.

— KEAAU-PAHOA ROAD (ROUTE 130) — 

1) KEAAU 

Single lane closure on Keaau-Pahoa Road (Route 130) possible in either direction between mile markers 8 and 11, in the vicinity of Kahakai Boulevard and Ainaloa Boulevard on Monday April 10, through Friday, April 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for vegetation cutting.

— MAMALOHA HIGHWAY (ROUTE 190) — 

1) KAILUA-KONA 

Single lane closure on Mamalahoa Highway (Route 190) possible in either direction between mile markers 30 and 32, in the vicinity of Makalei Drive and the Makalei Golf Club on Monday, April 10, through Friday, April 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for vegetation cutting.

2) KAILUA-KONA 

Single lane closure on Mamalahoa Highway (Route 190) possible in either direction between mile markers 18 and 26, in the vicinity of Puu Lani Drive on Monday April 10, through Friday, April 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for shoulder extension as a part of Mamalahoa Highway Safety Improvements.

— KOHALA MOUNTAIN ROAD (ROUTE 250) — 

1) KAMUELA 

Single lane closure on Kohala Mountain Road (Route 250) possible in either direction between mile markers 8 and 12, in the vicinity of Kohala Ranch Road, on Monday, April 10, through Friday, April 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for shoulder work and tree trimming.

2) KAMUELA 

Single lane closure on Kohala Mountain Road (Route 250) possible in either direction between mile markers 9 and 13, in the vicinity of Kohala Ranch Road on Monday, April 10, through Friday, April 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for road resurfacing and reconstruction of shoulder.