Big Isle Sen. Josh Green, who chairs the Health Committee, said the health community’s input will help lawmakers assess the direction they’re heading in regard to healthcare issues. Team looking for entangled whale ADVERTISING HONOLULU (AP) — A humpback whale
Team looking for entangled whale
HONOLULU (AP) — A humpback whale rescue team is looking for a whale off Hawaii that is caught in fishing lines.
Jeff Walters, the marine mammal branch chief at the National Marine Fisheries Service, said Friday the gear could kill the whale. He said the lines are caught in the whale’s mouth, and this will eventually make it hard for the animal to eat.
A tour boat first saw the whale off Maui’s south coast on Thursday.
Officials from the large whale disentanglement network — which includes people from federal and state agencies — went to the scene and followed the whale in a boat. They hoped to cut the whale free of the line.
But they lost sight of it because they weren’t able to tag it.
Honolulu rail funds under fire
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu mayoral candidate and former Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano says taxes earmarked for a planned commuter rail line on Oahu would be better spent on the city’s aging sewer and waste-water systems.
Cayetano says he will approach the governor and Legislature about using some of the tax revenue for other city projects instead of the rail line.
Cayetano made his remarks at a Downtown Exchange Club of Honolulu luncheon on Thursday.
The general excise tax surcharge for rail is expected to raise more than $3 billion before it expires in 10 years. Nearly $280 million has already been spent.
Cayetano’s two opponents in the mayoral race — incumbent Mayor Peter Carlisle and former acting mayor Kirk Caldwell — both support rail.
Public housing site might get sheriff
HONOLULU (AP) — The state is working on a plan to establish a permanent sheriff presence at a Honolulu public housing complex where a man was fatally stabbed last week.
State Sheriff Shawn Tsuha said the project would place a deputy sheriff at Mayor Wright Homes 24 hours a day.
He isn’t elaborating because union and legal issues are involved.
Tsuha’s comments come after a 32-year-old man was stabbed on the Kapalama property last Friday. But Tsuha says the sheriff’s division began working on the plan about three months ago as part of the governor’s commitment to improve public housing.
Tsuha says he’s on the verge of putting the proposal to his division to see if a deputy would like the opportunity.
Senators ask about hospital closures
HONOLULU (AP) — State senators want to know how the medical services have been affected by the closure of two Oahu hospitals.
The Hawaii Medical Center’s bankruptcy forced the closure of its Ewa and Liliha hospitals in January. The Senate Health Committee plans to also evaluate the impact on health care access since services have been diverted.
Committee members also want to hear about potential acquisition of the facilities.
Big Isle Sen. Josh Green, who chairs the Health Committee, said the health community’s input will help lawmakers assess the direction they’re heading in regard to healthcare issues.
