Good evening, Hawaii. Hawaii and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding that will encourage cooperation between the two governments in areas such as water, climate change and environmental technology. Also, the four ruptured water mains on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam are now repaired. Internationally, after just 45 days, the UK is again looking for a new prime minister. Here are the most important stories you need to know.
Your Weather Planner
The day will start off nice and cool. We are tracking a shallow front from west to east, mainly impacting Kauai and Oahu. However, we will have spotty showers throughout the day as the south winds pick up. A surface trough will move toward the western end of the island chain through Friday. Oahu and Kauai and other portions of the island will still get rain over the next couple of days. Once the trough moves out, expect a typical trade wind weather pattern to return by this weekend.
Today's Big Stories
1. Ige, Israel consul general sign cooperative agreement
Gov. David Ige and Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Hillel Newman signed an agreement Wednesday between Hawaii and Israel, a partnership the two men said would allow two “small states” with similar values and concerns to help each other pursue a host of common goals through an exchange of ideas and technology.
“This memorandum of understanding will not only strengthen the partnership and good relationships between the people of the state of Hawaii and the people of the State of Israel, but future generations will also benefit from this partnership particularly in the area of collaborative research,” Ige said.
According to the governor, the agreement will foster cooperation in areas including water, agriculture, food security, climate change mitigation, sea-level rise and resilience, marine sciences, alternative energy, environmental technology and various technology sectors.
2. The Navy’s water main break has been repaired
A 36-inch water main break that occurred Friday along Kamehameha Highway near Pearl Harbor has been fixed, according to a news release from the Navy.
Contractors completed at 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 19 repairs to the 20-foot section of the pipe.
The Navy had four water main breaks, according to Capt. Mark Sohaney, Joint Base commander, who released a video with updates on the situation. These breaks are now repaired.
The water main break affected 93,000 residents who live in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam base housing and the surrounding area. Military facilities known as Morale, Welfare and Recreation — which include recreation centers, libraries and childhood development centers — were closed.
3. Victorino signs bill to change affordable housing formulation
Maui Mayor Michael Victorino signed into law Tuesday a measure that will bring affordable housing estimates more in line with mortgage lender formulations.
Bill 107, introduced by Maui County Council member Gabe Johnson, responds to concerns that even units designated as affordable housing still may be unaffordable to working families.
As Johnson explained, Maui County relies on a formula to estimate how much buyers in each income bracket can afford to pay for a home. However, Johnson said, the formula does not account for homeowners' association fees, mortgage insurance and other expenses.
“Bill 107 requires sales prices to be calculated similar to how lenders do, making it easier for homebuyers to qualify for mortgages,” Johnson said. “It will help to shield our residents from Maui’s volatile investment market.”
Lending experts testified during previous committee hearings that lower sales price guidelines will make it easier for potential homebuyers to access Federal Housing Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture loan packages that allow for a down payment as low as 0% instead of other mortgage products that might require a down payment of 10% to 20%.
4. Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Hilo mall at heart of Department of Hawaiian Home Lands dispute
The federal government is clashing with the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands over a move by DHHL to use a controversial year-old Hawaii law enabling long extensions of state commercial land leases.
The clash this week upset a move by DHHL to possibly add 40 years to a land lease with multibillion-dollar mall operator Brookfield Properties, which owns Hawaii island’s largest enclosed shopping center, Prince Kuhio Plaza, built in 1985 on DHHL land in Hilo.
DHHL wanted its governing board, the Hawaiian Homes Commission, to consider approval of a lease extension for Brookfield earlier this week, but the U.S. Department of the Interior informed Hawaii Attorney General Holly Shikada last week that it would be “imprudent” to do so because the federal agency believes the 2021 Hawaii law as it applies to DHHL needs DOI concurrence and approval by Congress.
“I am writing to give notice that the United States has significant concerns that any actions by the Hawaiian Homes Commission to grant extensions of commercial leases of Hawaiian home lands pursuant to (the new Hawaii law) violate Federal law and constitute a breach of trust by the State,” said the Oct. 13 letter from Robert Anderson, the DOI’s solicitor, or chief law officer.
Some DHHL beneficiaries, Native Hawaiians who are eligible for homestead land leases from the agency, and their advocates are incensed that DHHL was entertaining a Brookfield lease extension after the federal agency in May disagreed with a Hawaii attorney general opinion contending that DHHL’s use of the state lease extension law, Act 236 in 2021, didn’t require DOI review and approval by Congress.
5. Kahuku, Waialua win epic 5-set OIA volleyball Division I, II championships
The incursions were frequent, and the warnings were issued nearly as often.
Kahuku’s rowdy student section spilled onto the court in Jim Alegre Gymnasium after just about every big Red Raider point in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I girls’ volleyball championship Wednesday night against Mililani.
Every point was seemingly huge, but none were bigger than three match points saved by Kahuku in Set 4 to lay the groundwork for a winner-take-all Set 5.
The defending champs survived more tense points to repeat with a 21-25, 25-17, 21-25, 27-25, 15-12 epic victory for the OIA’s seeded berth into next week’s HHSAA tournament.
It was a night of two dramatic five-setters at Radford High. Preceding the Division I match, Waialua came back to beat Kailua for the D-II crown and the Bulldogs’ first OIA girls' volleyball title at any classification.
6. Girl Scouts of Hawaii receives $800,000 donation from MacKenzie Scott
Girl Scouts of Hawaii received a donation of $800,000 from MacKenzie Scott, according to a news release.
The grant is part of a $84.5 million donation awarded to Girl Scouts of the USA and 29 local councils chosen by Scott.
Girl Scouts of Hawaii will use the money to support leadership opportunities for girls, initiatives such as its newly opened STEM Center for Excellence at Paumalu and programs like the After School Leadership Program for girls in under-resourced communities.
7. Truss fall: British prime minister announces resignation after just 6 weeks
British Prime Minister Liz Truss quit on Thursday — bowing to the inevitable after a tumultuous term in which her policies triggered turmoil in financial markets and a rebellion in her party that obliterated her authority.
Making a hastily scheduled statement outside her 10 Downing Street office, Truss acknowledged that "I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party."
She is the third Conservative prime minister to resign since 2019 and leaves a divided party seeking a leader who can unify its warring factions. Truss, who said she will remain in office until a replacement is chosen, has been prime minister for just 45 days.
Bitterly divided Conservative Party lawmakers have just a few days to agree on a successor, or face yet another leadership contest. Potential contenders include former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, who lost to Truss in the last leadership contest, House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace — and Boris Johnson, the former prime minister ousted in July over a series of ethics scandals.
Your Notes for Tomorrow
Friday, October 21
- President Biden delivers remarks on student debt relief
- Sentencing of Steve Bannon, convicted of contempt of Congress
- Taylor Swift releases her 10th studio album "Midnights"
- Judge Judy celebrates her 80th birthday
- Reptile Awareness Day
- What: Kehlani - The Blue Water Road Trip Tour
- Where: Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell | 2805 Monsarrat Ave., Honolulu | 808-768-5252
- Details: American singer, songwriter and dancer Kehlani performs 7 p.m. Oct. 21. Tickets.
- What: 12th Annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival
- Where: Various venues
- Details: The premier epicurean destination event kicks off on Maui, Oct. 21-23, then moves on to Hawaii Island (Oct. 28-29), then to Oahu (Nov. 3-6). The 25th Annual Roy Yamaguchi Golf Classic on Oct. 21 is sold out, but tickets are still available for “Big, Bold & Beautiful,” 6-9 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, and “Stars, Beards & Diamonds,” 6-9 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows. For tickets and information on this islandwide festival, visit the event website. Note: some events have already sold out.
- What: Volunteer: Stewardship at the Summit
- Where: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park | 808-985-6011
- Details: Join Stewardship at the Summit to help remove invasive, non-native plant species, 9 a.m.-noon, Oct. 21, 29. The moderate, one-mile roundtrip hike departs from Kilauea Visitor Center over rough, uneven terrain with up to a 400-foot elevation change. Wear hiking shoes, long pants and a hat; bring rain gear, snacks and water. Gloves and loppers will be provided. Park fee applies. For info, email Paul and Jane Field at field@hawaii.edu, otherwise, meet at the Kilauea Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m. Groups should contact Kupono McDaniel at 808-985-6015. No registration required.
- What: Mokihana Fashion Friday
- Where: Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall | 4191 Hardy St., Lihue | 808-639-9033
- Details: This exciting event features Mark Yamanaka and Kūpaoa with special performances, 6 p.m. Oct. 21. Tickets available at Aloha Aina, Aloha Craft Café Inkspot Printing Corp., Kauai Kookie, The Wine Shop and Vicky’s Fabric Shop. Call the number above for more information.
For more on these and other events, see this week's HI Out & About.
Watch Live
- The CSUN Matadors take on the UH Rainbow Wahine in a women’s volleyball matchup, 7 p.m. Friday on OC16 or streaming on the Spectrum News app.
In Case You Missed It
Stand-up comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes performs two shows on Oahu, Oct. 21, and a show on Maui, Oct. 22. (Photo courtesy Anjelah Johnson-Reyes)
Comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes in Hawaii for shows on Oahu and Maui
Anjelah Johnson-Reyes performs two back-to-back shows on Oahu at the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Oct. 21, and then she’s headed to Maui to perform at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, 7 p.m. Oct. 22. Tickets are available via her website.
Johnson-Reyes is currently on her “Who Do I Think I Am” comedy tour with stops in over 60 cities across the U.S. Spectrum News was able to grab some time with the comedian via an email Q&A. Find out how her family, upbringing and faith play into her comedy and which island does she prefer? Oahu or Maui?
