In an end-of-the-year County Council shakeup, Councilmember Alice Lee (Wailuku) was voted in as council chair on Dec. 27, replacing previous chair Kelly King. Testifiers at the special council meeting offered their support for King, and pleaded for transparency regarding the change in leadership which came to many as a surprise. “I felt like a deer caught in the headlights … [Read more...] about Et Tu, ‘Ohana Candidates? Kelly King steps down as council chair, Alice Lee voted in
Politics
Honolulu Takes on the Plastic Problem: Will their leadership encourage Maui to do the same?
If there’s one thing I took away from PBS NewsHour’s special feature, “The Plastic Problem,” (other than, Here’s yet another way we humans have screwed ourselves and our planet) it’s that plastics are everywhere, from the tops of mountains to the depths of ocean trenches. One scene in particular sticks out in my mind: A plastic researcher is asked by a reporter if she still … [Read more...] about Honolulu Takes on the Plastic Problem: Will their leadership encourage Maui to do the same?
Monsanto to Pay $10.2M for Illegal Pesticide Use: Kihei residents and activists warned about violations for years
The year was 2014, and Maui was in the middle of a political revolution: For the first time in the county’s history, a voters’ initiative made it onto the ballot, signalling an unprecedented effort of grassroots activism to directly govern with community-drafted and -approved legislation. The issue was genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the … [Read more...] about Monsanto to Pay $10.2M for Illegal Pesticide Use: Kihei residents and activists warned about violations for years
Is the MRA Legal? Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez challenges the Maui Redevelopment Agency’s authority
A meeting of the Maui Redevelopment Agency regarding possible zoning changes to Wailuku Town drew passionate community testimony on Friday, Nov. 15, sparked largely by news of a six-story, 156-room hotel planned for the area at the corner of Market and Main Streets. The changes within the MRA’s draft zoning code amendment include, most notably, a building height limit increase … [Read more...] about Is the MRA Legal? Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez challenges the Maui Redevelopment Agency’s authority
Hemp Revolution: Growers across the state are ready. What’s holding them back?
It’s tempting to say we won the war. My feet are resting on a mulch-covered, old Central Maui sugarcane field in the process of conversion from barren, chemical-pumped dirt to nutrient-rich community farmland. I’m listening to presentations about the opportunities of hemp, and the speakers make the case for victory all the more seductive. Doug Fine, a best-selling author and … [Read more...] about Hemp Revolution: Growers across the state are ready. What’s holding them back?