The amount of land used for farming in Hawaii has shrunk dramatically since the 1930s.February 14, 2021early half of Hawaii’s lands are designated for agriculture, but only a fraction of the state’s 4.1 million acres are used for farming.Federal data shows that in 2017 — when the most recent agricultural census was conducted — only 8% of the state’s agricultural lands were used for growing crops. Another 18.5% was used for grazing animals, 8% was woodlands and another 8% was categorized as “other,” which includes farmsteads, homes, buildings and livestock facilities.Although access to land...…The amount of land used for farming in Hawaii has shrunk dramatically since the 1930s.February 14, 2021early half of Hawaii’s lands are designated for agriculture, but only a fraction of the state’s 4.1 million acres are used for farming.Federal data shows that in 2017 — when the most recent agricultural census was conducted — only 8% of the state’s agricultural lands were used for growing crops. Another 18.5% was used for grazing animals, 8% was woodlands and another 8% was categorized as “other,” which includes farmsteads, homes, buildings and livestock facilities.Although access to land...WW…

U.S. military bases in Hawaii dumped more than half a million pounds of nitrate compounds — toxic chemicals commonly found in wastewater treatment plants, fertilizers and explosives — into the ocean in 2019, newly released federal data shows.Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam led with the release of 540,000 pounds, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest . The rest — more than 86,000 pounds — came from the U.S. Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay.The inventory, released last week, tracks the permitted chemical waste activities of nearly 22,000 facilities across the...…U.S. military bases in Hawaii dumped more than half a million pounds of nitrate compounds — toxic chemicals commonly found in wastewater treatment plants, fertilizers and explosives — into the ocean in 2019, newly released federal data shows.Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam led with the release of 540,000 pounds, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest . The rest — more than 86,000 pounds — came from the U.S. Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay.The inventory, released last week, tracks the permitted chemical waste activities of nearly 22,000 facilities across the...WW…

Technology comes naturally to me, so using Hawaii’s Safe Travels website, which allows travelers with negative COVID-19 test results to avoid the state’s 14-day quarantine requirement, wasn’t that big of a deal.Honestly, I welcome any chance to skip through a bureaucratic process digitally, especially when it involves airports and traveling because I go back and forth between Oahu and Kauai a lot.The process went like this: Click through every trusted partner website to see what can be covered by insurance. Nothing there for me. No available dates for one provider but another provider had...…Technology comes naturally to me, so using Hawaii’s Safe Travels website, which allows travelers with negative COVID-19 test results to avoid the state’s 14-day quarantine requirement, wasn’t that big of a deal.Honestly, I welcome any chance to skip through a bureaucratic process digitally, especially when it involves airports and traveling because I go back and forth between Oahu and Kauai a lot.The process went like this: Click through every trusted partner website to see what can be covered by insurance. Nothing there for me. No available dates for one provider but another provider had...WW…

In the first full week of Hawaii’s pre-arrival testing program, 86% of the nearly 67,000 people traveling from out of state bypassed quarantine one way or another, but only 63% of arriving travelers had a negative COVID-19 test.State officials say a quarter of arrivals — or about 15,000 people — between Oct. 15 and 22 had some other exemption, including essential workers, airline crew members or military. That means some of those people may have to quarantine unless they’re going to work.What’s unclear is if that 15,000 also includes the large number of people who were granted exempt status...…In the first full week of Hawaii’s pre-arrival testing program, 86% of the nearly 67,000 people traveling from out of state bypassed quarantine one way or another, but only 63% of arriving travelers had a negative COVID-19 test.State officials say a quarter of arrivals — or about 15,000 people — between Oct. 15 and 22 had some other exemption, including essential workers, airline crew members or military. That means some of those people may have to quarantine unless they’re going to work.What’s unclear is if that 15,000 also includes the large number of people who were granted exempt status...WW…

COVID-19 has exposed structural problems in not only how the Hawaii Department of Health collects and shares its data, but how government officials approach data in general.However, data and public health experts who have been pushing for more information sharing say they are cautiously optimistic that will change things for the better.“This pandemic just shows you the historic deficiencies in the system,” said Victoria Fan, a health economist and professor at the University of Hawaii whose team is part of the state’s effort to build and maintain the .These deficiencies include the lack of...…COVID-19 has exposed structural problems in not only how the Hawaii Department of Health collects and shares its data, but how government officials approach data in general.However, data and public health experts who have been pushing for more information sharing say they are cautiously optimistic that will change things for the better.“This pandemic just shows you the historic deficiencies in the system,” said Victoria Fan, a health economist and professor at the University of Hawaii whose team is part of the state’s effort to build and maintain the .These deficiencies include the lack of...WW…

The most comprehensive map of COVID-19 in Hawaii is published not by the state health department, but by a local guy who says he’s a nerd frustrated by a lack of transparency from the government.“It’s something the Department of Health should be doing,” said Ryan Ozawa, a communications director for a real estate tech company who also runs the community chat group , which hosts the maps.But since DOH isn’t, data geeks like him in the community are filling in the void, he said.Ozawa said he started out early in the pandemic by overlaying ZIP code boundaries over the state’s basic...…The most comprehensive map of COVID-19 in Hawaii is published not by the state health department, but by a local guy who says he’s a nerd frustrated by a lack of transparency from the government.“It’s something the Department of Health should be doing,” said Ryan Ozawa, a communications director for a real estate tech company who also runs the community chat group , which hosts the maps.But since DOH isn’t, data geeks like him in the community are filling in the void, he said.Ozawa said he started out early in the pandemic by overlaying ZIP code boundaries over the state’s basic...WW…

Former U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders endorsed Hawaii public defender Jacquie Esser for Honolulu prosecutor on Twitter Thursday.In a series of tweets endorsing candidates running for local offices around the country, Sanders said Esser has demanded “fair treatment and justice for Honolulu citizens of all backgrounds.”For the last decade, has represented 1,000+ clients and worked to reform the criminal justice system as a Deputy Public Defender, demanding fair treatment and justice for Honolulu citizens of all backgrounds.— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders)Esser is one of six...…Former U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders endorsed Hawaii public defender Jacquie Esser for Honolulu prosecutor on Twitter Thursday.In a series of tweets endorsing candidates running for local offices around the country, Sanders said Esser has demanded “fair treatment and justice for Honolulu citizens of all backgrounds.”For the last decade, has represented 1,000+ clients and worked to reform the criminal justice system as a Deputy Public Defender, demanding fair treatment and justice for Honolulu citizens of all backgrounds.— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders)Esser is one of six...WW…

The Honolulu Police Commission is down to a skeleton crew with two of its most vocal members — former chair Loretta Sheehan and former vice-chair Steve Levinson — resigning in frustration over the commission’s lack of power to change the police department.Another commissioner — Karen Chang — resigned earlier this year before her husband, for Honolulu mayor. That leaves four members on a seven-member commission.Sheehan, an attorney and former federal prosecutor who was , resigned Monday. Levinson, a retired Hawaii Supreme Court associate justice, resigned last week as he awaits cancer...…The Honolulu Police Commission is down to a skeleton crew with two of its most vocal members — former chair Loretta Sheehan and former vice-chair Steve Levinson — resigning in frustration over the commission’s lack of power to change the police department.Another commissioner — Karen Chang — resigned earlier this year before her husband, for Honolulu mayor. That leaves four members on a seven-member commission.Sheehan, an attorney and former federal prosecutor who was , resigned Monday. Levinson, a retired Hawaii Supreme Court associate justice, resigned last week as he awaits cancer...WW…

A group of Hawaii residents has taken on the role of enforcers of the state’s COVID-19 travel quarantine, scouring social media and fielding tips to track down visitors ignoring the requirement to isolate for 14 days after arrival.Take the case of , who posted a video of Zhiryada shooting a feral chicken with a spear gun. They were arrested May 22 after Hawaii citizens found their video, tracked their social media accounts, discovered their location and reported them to special agents.“We were the ones that actually found their location,” said Angela Keen, a former TV news reporter and...…A group of Hawaii residents has taken on the role of enforcers of the state’s COVID-19 travel quarantine, scouring social media and fielding tips to track down visitors ignoring the requirement to isolate for 14 days after arrival.Take the case of , who posted a video of Zhiryada shooting a feral chicken with a spear gun. They were arrested May 22 after Hawaii citizens found their video, tracked their social media accounts, discovered their location and reported them to special agents.“We were the ones that actually found their location,” said Angela Keen, a former TV news reporter and...WW…