Honolulu County | featured news

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it has fined three Hawaii businesses and filed a civil complaint against another for operating large-capacity cesspools, which were banned a decade ago by the federal government.

A police officer who had come to the aid of a fellow officer during a routine traffic stop early Friday morning in the Keeaumoku area was brutally attacked by two brothers, according to police.

Honolulu fire investigators have determined the fire that killed a 57-year-old man and destroyed 80 percent of a Makiki home on Oct. 10 was caused by overcooked food left unattended.

State health officials said Wednesday that Blue Water Shrimp and Seafood Market at Ala Moana Center’s Makai Market food court passed inspection, earning a green placard and the right to reopen.

Waialua’s Paalaa Kai Bakery brought in new refrigeration equipment Wednesday in an effort to reopen after being shut down by the Health Department because of food safety violations.

The Honolulu Police Commission has found no reason to impose disciplinary action against Police Chief Louis Kealoha, commission Chairman Ron Taketa told reporters Wednesday after a closed-door meeting with his colleagues.

The state Department of Education is seeking $70 million in budget add-ons for school operations next fiscal year and $30 million in bond financing for so-called heat abatement efforts that include air conditioning classrooms.

The Tax Foundation of Hawaii filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday challenging the state’s practice of siphoning 10 percent of the money collected from the excise tax surcharge for the city’s rail project and depositing it into the state’s general treasury.

The proposed cap on general excise tax dollars used to build rail would likely be more of a flexible limit than a hard one with no exceptions, Honolulu City Council leaders say, as project costs have soared even higher in recent weeks.

After sloshing through the wettest dry season in 30 years, Hawaii now faces the likelihood of widespread drought well into next spring, National Weather Service forecasters said Wednesday.