KITV4: OHA pushes legislation to up payment from public land trust revenue to $78.9M a year

OHA pushes legislation to up payment from public land trust revenue to $78.9M a year
By ‘A’ali’i Dukelow, KITV4, Feb 15, 2022

HONOLULU (KITV4) — A measure in the state legislature is proposing to increase the yearly allotment of funds to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) from public land trust revenue from $15.1 million to $78.9 million.

OHA agreed on $15.1 million with the legislature as an interim amount in 2006 after years of litigation.

KHON2: Lawmakers work to save neighborhoods ahead of severe weather

Before the storm: Lawmakers work to save neighborhoods ahead of severe weather
by: Kristy Tamashiro, KHON2, Feb 21, 2022

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Heavy rain in January turned Paakea Road in Waianae into a river.

“A lot of people are stranded for at least a week,” said Sophie Flores-Manansala, a Waianae resident. “They couldn’t get out and go to work. They couldn’t get onto the bus. The buses wouldn’t come. It was flooded.”

State Sen. Maile Shimabukuro is working on a solution in the form of funding major upgrades and repairs to the areas streams, canals and drainage ditches.

KITV4 & KHON2: House & Senate Certificates at the Buffalo Big Board Surfing Classic 2/19/2022

SA: Legislation would help victims exit sex trade

Hawaii legislation would help victims exit sex trade with $2,000 per month
By Dan Nakaso, Star-Advertiser, 2/14/22

“Everyone can agree that people who want to stop prostituting themselves should be able to do so immediately.” -Khara Jabola Carolus, Executive Director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women. Photo contributed by Khara Jabola-Carolus.

“Everyone can agree that people who want to stop prostituting themselves should be able to do so immediately.” -Khara Jabola Carolus, Executive Director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women. Photo contributed by Khara Jabola-Carolus.

SA: Cafe opens on Hawaiian home land in Anahola

By Jayna Omaye, Star-Advertiser, 5 Feb. 2022

Workers and helpers Robin Danner, front, Norman Solomon, Kongi Faagai, Ikaika Kirifi and Wyatt Kamoku pose for a selfie in the Anahola Cafe kitchen. Photo COURTESY HOMESTEAD COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP.

Wyatt Kamoku used to wake up at 3 a.m. to make the nearly 30-mile trek across Kauai for his job. Kamoku, who lives with his family on Hawaiian home lands in Anahola, cooked breakfast at a restaurant in Poipu Beach.

But now he’s taken on a new role much closer to home. Kamoku was hired as lead chef of the Anahola Cafe, a restaurant opened in October by the nonprofit Homestead Community Development Corp., which seeks to grow rural economies on or near Hawaiian home lands. Now, he said, he can walk or bike to work in about five minutes.

SA: Hawaiian homestead bills advance at state Legislature

Hawaiian homestead bills advance at state Legislature
By Andrew Gomes, Star-Advertiser, 4 Feb. 2022

A plan backed by most Hawaii lawmakers to give a historic sum of money to ramp up development of homesteads for potentially thousands of Native Hawaiians took two initial steps forward Thursday at the Legislature.

Separate committees in the state House and Senate unanimously voted to advance a pair of bills aimed at delivering $600 million this year to the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands so the agency can dramatically reduce an immense backlog of around 28,700 beneficiaries waiting for homesteads.