Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we've been following today:
Your Weather Planner
The high remains positioned far north of the islands. This will support locally strong trade winds with breezy conditions through the weekend. Showers will favor the windward areas, especially at night and early mornings with a few isolated showers and sprinkles spreading leeward.
A Small Craft Advisory is in effect through Thursday evening for Maalaea Bay, Pailolo Channel, Alenuihaha Channel, Hawaii Island Leeward Waters and Hawaii Island Southeast Waters with east winds of 15 to 25 kt.
Watch the latest news from across the country.
Today's Big Stories
1. $11M solar project at Neal Blaisdell Center underway
Mayor Rick Blangiardi, city leaders and industry partners broke ground on Tuesday for an $11 million project to install over 4,500 large-format photovoltaic panels atop the Neal S. Blaisdell Center’s parking structure.
The Restoring Trust in Public Safety Act would establish a $15 million grant program to help state, tribal and local governments and law enforcement agencies purchase equipment, hire staff and conduct training to ensure the safe and complete destruction of firearms and firearm parts in their possession.
The “solar canopy” will cover the entire upper deck of the structure providing shade for parking while generating nearly 100% of the Blaisdell Center’s daytime energy needs. In addition, a Tesla Megapack battery will be installed to help store energy to power evening events.
“By embarking on this project to generate renewable energy on-site at the Blaisdell campus, we are saving money, creating local jobs and achieving the clean energy goals that the city has wholeheartedly adopted,” said Blangiardi in a news release. “This project perfectly blends our commitment to modernizing city operations with our promise to be better stewards of our climate future, and we are excited to celebrate today’s groundbreaking with our community.”
2. Kauai approved for federal disaster relief for April 2024 flood
On Tuesday, the federal government approved a major disaster declaration for Kauai for the April 2024 flood, according to a news release.
In April, heavy rain and flooding impacted Kauai, causing school, park and road closures, spills at two Wastewater Treatment Plants, and multiple rescues.
The federal government’s declaration triggers disaster relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation programs. Through the programs, local governments and certain nonprofits are eligible for emergency work and repairs on a cost-sharing basis.
The Kauai Emergency Management Agency will coordinate applications for these programs.
3. Navy completes venting first tank at Red Hill
The Navy successfully vented the first of 14 tanks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and is now working on the next steps in the cleaning process, according to a news release.
On May 31, the Navy Closure Task Force Red Hill started venting the first tank, Tank 8, with the conditional approval of the Hawaii Department of Health.
NCTF-RH said they had removed the manway to gain access to Tank 8 on June 13. A marine chemist checked the tank to ensure it was safe to enter and a contractor will begin installing safety equipment and lighting to allow workers to enter Tank 8, according to the Navy. This will prepare the tank so crews can begin sludge removal.
The final closure process includes four phases: cleaning 16 storage tanks and four surge tanks, removing 28,000 gallons of sludge from the tanks, removing more than 10 miles of pipeline that runs between the Red Hill facility and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and completing environmental remediation around the facility.
4. Sculpture by Kauai-born artist Bumpei Akaji donated to UH’s RISE Center
Water Dods, Jr. and Jay Shidler donated a sculpture by the late Bumpei Akaji to the University of Hawaii, installing it outside the new Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center in a ceremony on June 15.
Both men are alumni of UH Manoa, according to a news release.
Kauai-born artist Akaji created the sculpture in 1979 as a gift to the late Masaru “Pundy” Yokouchi, founding chairperson of Hawaii’s State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
Dods and Shidler bought the sculpture from Yokouchi’s estate on Maui. Dods named the sculpture “RISE,” like the building it now sits in front of, with permission from Yokouchi’s family.
“I thought it’d be cool to name it RISE, and bringing it back to Metcalf Street is just incredible,” Dods said in a statement.
The RISE building, or Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs, opened to students in Aug. 2023. RISE also has meeting, co-working and maker spaces, which are run by the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship, located in UH Manoa’s Shidler College of Business.
UH named the RISE building for Dods after he donated $5 million to support the programs operated by the Pacific Asian Center Entrepreneurship.
5. More homeowners are needed to join the push to restore Honolulu’s urban watersheds
It’s been a year since eight conservation groups launched an unprecedented, large-scale restoration effort in the islands that tries to apply the Hawaiian concept of ahupuaa ridge-to-reef land management to one of Honolulu’s most heavily developed areas.
So far, that $7.8 million project, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has made early progress toward building pig-proof fences and reversing severe stream erosion in the upper forests of East Honolulu’s Wailupe, Niu and Kuliouou watersheds, organizers say.
But the groups still face an uphill climb making measurable impacts in the critical middle section of those watersheds — the urban flatlands that make their ridge-to-reef restoration project so unique.
Just four homeowners in those East Honolulu flatlands, which are covered in pavement and concrete, have agreed so far to install rain barrels on their properties and help prevent excessive stormwater from flowing into Maunalua Bay, according to Doug Harper, executive director of the nonprofit Malama Maunalua, which leads the consortium.
They’re also looking into ways to potentially subsidize the cost of those barrels, Harper said. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply already tries to encourage rain barrel purchases with its own $40 rebate program.
The conservation consortium is also working with local schools and a shopping center that might soon install permeable surfaces on their property to absorb storm water into the ground, he added.
NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad said he’s impressed with how the reef-to-ridge project has gone so far.
“It’s remarkable,” Spinrad said during a visit Tuesday to Maunalua Bay, where Harper and other project leaders briefed him on their efforts. “As environmental scientists we all understand the connectivity between what’s happening on the ridge, on the flatlands, what’s happening in the bay, and here it is right in front of us in a relatively compact demonstration.”
Your Notes for Tomorrow
Thursday, June 20
- Summer Solstice - longest day of the year and the first day of summer * Today is the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. Comes almost three weeks after the start of the meteorological summer (1 Jun)
- Celebration, annual event celebrating the life and legacy of late musician Prince, held at his 65,000-square-foot Paisley Park estate in Minnesota
- U.S. Supreme Court convenes for a public non-argument session. Court also meets in private conference to discuss cases and vote on petitions for review today
- Polaris Dawn mission launches aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard a Falcon 9 rocket this summer, carrying private astronauts
- Unemployment weekly claims
In Case You Missed It
(Illustration courtesy of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources)
Residents, visitors asked to practice pono while enjoying the outdoors
The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife has a new campaign featuring its mascot, Pono the Nēnē, who encourages residents and visitors to engage with nature responsibly and respectfully.
The “Be Pono” campaign is a series of five 30-second videos on the DOFAW website featuring tips on different topics, including Hike Pono, Play Pono and Be a Pono Pet Parent.
Visit the website to read more and access links to detailed information such as hiking safety tips and emergency numbers, “Firewise” landscaping tips from the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death information, and a new Pono Pet Parent Pledge from the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association.