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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/scientists-downgrade-alert-level-for-kilauea-volcano/" target="_self">Scientists Downgrade Alert Level For Kilauea Volcano</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Sat, 18 Aug 2018 00:25:15 +0000</span><br />');
document.write('(AP) — Slowing activity at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is prompting scientists to downgrade their alert level for the mountain. The U.S. Geological Survey said Friday it issued a “watch” for Kilauea’s ground hazards. That’s down from a “warning.” But scientists say this doesn’t mean the eruption that has destroyed more than 700 homes since May is over. In this May 9 file photo, steam and gas rise from Kilauea’s summit crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park,AP Geologists say lava mostly stopped flowing on Aug. 6. There’s a crusted-over lava pond inside a fissure cone and just a few spots where lava is entering the ocean. The volcano’s summit hasn’t collapsed since Aug. 2. Sulfur dioxide emissions are the lowest they’ve been since 2007. The agency has maintained a “warning” alert for Kilauea since May 3, when cracks began shooting lava out of the ground in the Big Island’s Leilani Estates neighborhood. Thoughts on this or any other story? Write a Letter to the Editor. Send to news@civilbeat.org and put Letter in the subject line. 200 words max. You need to use your name and city and include a contact phone for verification purposes. And you can still comment on stories on our Facebook page. The post Scientists Downgrade Alert Level For Kilauea Volcano appeared first on Honolulu Civil Beat.');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/big-island-as-fire-and-lava-diminish-volcano-village-still-struggles/" target="_self">Big Island: As Fire And Lava Diminish, Volcano Village Still Struggles</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Fri, 17 Aug 2018 10:01:58 +0000</span><br />');
document.write('VOLCANO VILLAGE, Hawaii Island — A packed hall of Volcano villagers has been a frequent sight at Cooper Center, the village’s community center, in recent months. Usually the meetings have been for briefings on the latest volcanic activity. Wednesday night was different. Scores of villagers convened with hot dishes, salads and desserts to thank and feed dozens of hungry firefighters for their efforts in fighting a wildfire on the slopes of Mauna Loa above the village. Firefighters work to contain the wildfire on Mauna Loa above Volcano Village. Photo courtesy of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Firefighters from across the state and as far away as California have battled the blaze, which has scorched more than 3,670 acres, mostly in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The fire has been declared 90 percent contained, and firefighters managed to stop it just short of the Kipuka Ki, a special wildlife management area for endangered birds and plants. The potluck also turned into a homecoming celebration. For the first time since Aug. 2, the Volcano area’s own Hawaii County Engine Company 19 and Ambulance Company 19 would be spending the night in Volcano. Company 19’s fire station is located in Kilauea Military Camp in the national park. But only three days before the fire began, the county announced that it was evacuating the station due to the perilous condition of a 4 mile stretch of Highway 11, the Hawaii Belt Road, which has been damaged by volcanic subsidence in the summit caldera area of Kilauea. A number of times in recent months, sinkholes and cracks have forced the closure of one or both lanes; on Aug. 2, as road crews repaired yet another sinkhole, the county decided to pull the firemen out. If the road was closed, the fire company would be trapped in its station. Mayor Harry Kim addresses a volcano community meeting Aug. 2.Alan McNarie/Civil Beat The engine company was temporarily assigned to Pahoa in Lower Puna; Medic Company 19 would operate from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Cooper Center and spend nights in Keaau, adding about 20 minutes to emergency medical runs during those hours. At an Aug. 2 community meeting in Volcano, Mayor Harry Kim announced a plan for an emergency alternate route to connect the Golf Course subdivision with a road in the rest of Volcano Village. He said he’d asked county officials how fast they could get the route open, and they’d told him, “two weeks.” “I said, ‘I’ll settle for one,’” he recounted. But eight days later, after a lull in volcanic activity, the county announced that the alternate route had been temporarily shelved, though planning would continue, said Barrett Otani of Hawaii County Public Works. On Wednesday, even though Company 19 had temporary quarters in Volcano again, there was no indication as to when or if it would be able to return to its firehouse. Figuring Out The Path Forward The problems with Highway 11 go beyond the firehouse. If that section of the highway has to close, it also cuts off the sprawling Volcano Golf Course subdivision — and the district of Kau. Currently, no alternate route exists from there to Hilo except around the island via Kona. Kau does have a small rural hospital, but it often needs to transfer patients to Hilo Medical Center. And many of the hospital’s clinical staff commute from Hilo or Puna, on the other side of the damaged highway, according to hospital administrator Merylin Harris. “Many of them work 12-hour shifts, so one solution might be for them to come here and stay down here — maybe with staff, or we may need to find housing for them,” she said. Road crews patch a sinkhole in Highway 11 on Aug. 2. Photo courtesy of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park In addition to Company 19, Volcano does have a volunteer fire company with a small firehouse at Cooper Center. But the volunteer firehouse doesn’t have bathrooms or showers, so the professionals can’t take up residence there. Volcano has no ambulance aside from Medic Company 19. When the wildfire broke out, said volunteer firefighter Terry Murray, “I called it in … I knew we were the first responders here.” He and the volunteer company’s brush truck ended up separated from its pumper, which isn’t designed for off-road travel. The brush truck crew fought the fire from its makai side while the pumper worked from above. The fire proved too large for them to handle. Eventually, it would require 142 firefighters from the county fire companies, the national park and various state agencies, with the Volcano volunteers fighting alongside them, all coordinated by a fire management team from California. Volcano lodges and B&Bs opened their doors to the visiting firefighters. Life On Hold As of Thursday, the lull in the eruption was holding. Earthquakes at the summit had lessened. County and national park officials weren’t predicting what would happen next, though national park Superintendent Cindy Orlando seemed optimistic. “Let’s hope we’re on the tail end of the event. We can’t wait to get our park open again,” she said. Meanwhile, Highway 11 is still crisscrossed with scores of white and orange spray-painted lines marking cracks in the pavement. Two steel plates connect Volcano Golf Course Subdivision with the rest of the world.Alan McNarie/Civil Beat One problem the county faces in creating a short-term alternate route around the bad stretch of road is that there really may not be a good alternative. Piimauna Road and Golf Links Road, the first two legs of the county’s proposed route, have also taken a beating from the volcano. Two large steel plates bridge a huge crack near the entrance of Piimauna, the only road in and out of the Golf Course subdivision. Cracks etch Golf Links Road. Some residents at the Aug. 2 meeting suggested Crater Rim Drive in the national park as an alternate route. But according to Orlando, the drive is “failing and expected to get worse,” badly cracked and undermined, and even closer than Highway 11 to the “extreme safety hazard” that had forced the summit area’s closure. The county is also working on plans for a more permanent emergency route from the mauka end of Piimauna to Wright Road in Volcano Village, but that route will take months to complete. Anxiously awaiting the outcome of the county’s deliberations are residents like Billie Martines. Martines and her  husband, a disabled veteran, bought their home on Golf Links Road only last October. They hadn’t planned on hundreds of earth tremors a day cracking their ceilings and water tank, or on Billie losing her job at Volcano House, the national park’s fabled lodge, when the park closed. And she hadn’t counted on a county official stopping at her house on Golf Links Road to say it was going to become an emergency substitute for Highway 11, which carries about 3,000-5,000 cars a day. “My children play on their bikes on that road,” she said. The county still has no start date for the emergency route construction. Company 19 doesn’t know if or when it can return to its firehouse. And Martines is still awaiting word on will happen in front of her residence. Otani said residents can send comments about the bypass plans to the Hawaii County Department of Public Works or to Civil Defense. Thoughts on this or any other story? Write a Letter to the Editor. Send to news@civilbeat.org and put Letter in the subject line. 200 words max. You need to use your name and city and include a contact phone for verification purposes. And you can still comment on stories on our Facebook page. The post Big Island: As Fire And Lava Diminish, Volcano Village Still Struggles appeared first on Honolulu Civil Beat.');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/a-tight-knit-pacific-island-community-works-to-save-its-culture/" target="_self">How A Tight-Knit Pacific Island Community Is Saving Its Culture</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Fri, 17 Aug 2018 10:01:54 +0000</span><br />');
document.write('In a Wahiawa backyard, where there are coconuts on coconut trees and the sounds of roosters splitting the air, a bespectacled man draws a picture of a vaka — canoe — built the Tokelauan way, with cords of natural fiber stitching together its wooden parts. Tokelauan kids and teenagers born and bred in Hawaii copy his sketch, documenting the wisdom of their ancestors that this man, Vasefenua Reupena, carried across the ocean. He is the last master carver of Tokelau, a tiny nation located about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, where people carry New Zealand passports and New Zealand is responsible for defense. Though his art is ancient, his work is anything but; in fact, it’s increasingly urgent. “Without this we cannot survive,” Reupena says in his language, gesturing to the whiteboard. “We need this to survive.” Master carver Vasefenua Reupena arrived recently on Oahu from Tokelau to work on a traditional canoe as part of a language and culture revitalization initiative run by Mililani-based nonprofit Te Taki.Sam Ataera On atolls like Tokelau, where soil is sparse, the vaka represents life. People use it the way Americans use cars and buses: to get to work and put food on the table. The vaka recalls the richest voyaging tradition in world history, popularized in recent decades by the Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hokulea, and the resilience of island people that must again be rearticulated as sea level rise threatens the very existence of their homeland. Reupena and his two sons will be on Oahu for three months, building a vaka expected to be in the water by Labor Day. Funded by the American Native Association (ANA), their project is being managed by Te Taki Community Training & Development, a Mililani-based nonprofit organization established in 2004 to perpetuate the language and culture of a Pacific Island nation most Americans, including many in Hawaii, don’t know exists. About 1,500 people live there — less than the number of Tokelauans believed living on Oahu. (The 2010 Census documents about 1,000 living in the U.S., but according to annual surveys funded by the ANA and conducted by Te Taki staff, the number of people who identify as Tokelauan in Hawaii is double that.) The vaka is being built not only to unify the diaspora here, reminding its members that Tokelauans have always survived the odds, but also to teach America that Tokelau exists — and that it is sinking. The welcome reception for Reupena — an emotional affair marked by dancing, singing, and togetherness — was the closest many Tokelauans in Hawaiian come to their homeland in years.Sam Ataera “One of the things that we find really challenging around talking about climate change is that people don’t really have any sense of small atolls — even here in the Pacific,” says Dr. Akiemi Glenn, a linguist who worked with the Tokelauan community on revitalizing their language for 12 years. “What we’re hoping to do is to educate people about Tokelau, but to also communicate that there’s this really precious cultural heritage that’s thousands of years old, and under siege.” Cultural Connections In Pasini Fihaki’s imagination, Tokelau occupies a lot of space. It takes days, planes, cars, and a boat to reach her grandparents’ island nation, located nearly 2,300 miles southwest of Hawaii, and the 28-year-old has never been there. Hers was one of many families displaced when in 1953 an American businessman quashed an uprising of plantation workers by ordering a mass eviction, then seeking an executive order to confirm his ownership of Olohega, their island. Since then that island, which is culturally Tokelauan, has been known to the world as Swain’s Island and administered by the U.S. as part of American Samoa. Fihaki’s grandparents arrived on Oahu with U.S. passports and little else. They settled in a mostly Samoan community in Wahiawa and spent their lives cleaning and stocking shelves at Schofield Barracks to support their children and grandchildren. Tokelau is a tiny island nation located halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. Many Tokelauans in Hawaii come from the small island of Olohega, which is part of American Samoa. When her grandmother died, Fihaki felt motivated to know more about Tokelau. She signed up for language classes through Te Lumanaki o Tokelau i Amelika, a program run by Te Taki in a room on the bottom floor of a walk-up. Years later, Fihaki works there, managing media and teaching the language of a place that’s shaped her life though she’s never seen it. In many ways, hers is a classic child-of-immigrants experience. What’s not typical is that scientists foresee the place she dreams about being underwater within her lifetime. For the Tokelauan diaspora in Hawaii, Te Lumanaki is a haven. Founded in 2004, it’s executive director is Sania Betty Ickes, a Tokelauan who grew up in Wahiawa. The language school seeks to preserve the distinct culture and worldview of Tokelau. Its walls are hung with Tokelauan crafts, words, numbers, maps, and patterns. It’s a place where Tokelauans can connect with an island that’s no longer theirs and a culture that is. “I really like it here,” Elolia Tuvaifale-Shek, 12, says. “It’s where I get to learn about my family.” “I’ve been practicing my Tokelauan at home,” 8-year-old Te Mālama Lelei Alatasi adds. “I like coming to school because it’s a new journey for me.” ‘A Tool For Our Future’ That journey is of renewed importance, given rising seas could force Tokelauans off their islands for good. A miniature model of a Tokelauan canoe constructed in the traditional way, with cords of natural fiber stitching together wooden parts.Sam Ataera Considered the last remaining practitioner of his art, Reupena has been invited around the world to share his knowledge. In 2008, he put on an exhibition for the Beijing Olympics; in 2013, he went to Porirua, New Zealand, where he built a 36-foot canoe that later won the New Zealand Heritage Arts Award. He’s also taught workshops around the Pacific. Wherever he goes, he brings a set of 200-year-old tools and a repository of wisdom even older. At a welcome celebration for Reupena and his family in late June, Tokelauans from Tokelau, New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S. gathered near the construction site. Community members participate in traditional Tokelauan dances at a welcome reception for Rupena.Sam Ataera Among the crowd were babies, Army personnel, and pastors, as well as a woman who will turn 100 this year. Some of the older people there hadn’t made the $2,000 trip to their island in decades. Their celebration featured prayers, songs, dances, group photos, lots of food and tears. “This is really huge,” Fihaki said. “Somebody from Tokelau, the actual homeland, is visiting to share with us what he knows.” Paul Pedro, who grew up on Oahu and will be overseeing the construction project, spoke to the group about how the vaka symbolizes and enables the resilience of people and culture. He talked about how members of a diaspora often and easily drift apart, and how the vaka project intends the opposite effect. “We change priorities [in diaspora],” he said. “People move on. Our elders pass away. We lose that bit of culture. We want to re-instill that culture with the construction of a canoe.” Reupena explained in an interview that the vaka represents something time-tested and true: the survival of a people. A Tokelauan canoe displayed on a poster.Sam Ataera “We don’t know petrol or outboard motor, but we know this one,” he said, pointing to the semi-shaved wood. “This is a tool for our future. We don’t want to lose this one.” The people of atolls and islands face an uncertain future. The descendants of the world’s greatest navigators confront another navigation. While the story of sinking islands is bleak, the joy expressed through music, laughter, and community at Reupena’s reception felt important. “The excitement,” said Mahelino Patelesio, a New Zealand-born Tokelauan who lives on Oahu, “is not something we can explain or put into words.” For more information about Te Taki and the project, visit tetaki.org. Thoughts on this or any other story? Write a Letter to the Editor. Send to news@civilbeat.org and put Letter in the subject line. 200 words max. You need to use your name and city and include a contact phone for verification purposes. And you can still comment on stories on our Facebook page. The post How A Tight-Knit Pacific Island Community Is Saving Its Culture appeared first on Honolulu Civil Beat.');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/letters-pushing-back-against-trump/" target="_self">Letters: Pushing Back Against Trump</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Fri, 17 Aug 2018 10:01:39 +0000</span><br />');
document.write('Press Vs. Trump Applause for Civil Beat To quote Gilbert & Sullivan in one of their political satires: “It’s a topsy turvy world” and we helped create it.  We are in the midst of a budding dictatorship abetted by a cowardly Republican Party and their blind devotees. Good show that Civil Beat has joined their associates in assertively responding to the “real enemy of the people.” Elect a clown, expect a circus. Go for broke! — Tony Locascio, Honolulu Get over yourselves Our brave cops are routinely called “pigs” and “racists,” the profession of law has been the butt of nasty jokes for centuries, deeply faithful evangelicals are regularly tarred and feathered as xenophobic and bigoted racists, politicians are often seen as blood-sucking leeches who seek office to engross themselves in power, and at times, even our military heroes who willingly risk and sacrifice their life to protect our flag and our freedom have been spit on, called “baby killers” and worse. Now, the only profession that controls a bully pulpit equal to the office of the presidency is “offended” by the president calling them out as “Enemy of the People?” Journalistic integrity? Sometimes I see it, sometimes I don’t. Do you think your profession is a “higher calling?” Well, I’ve got some news for you, it’s not. Get over yourselves, people. Individual journalists are no better or worse than individual cops, evangelicals, attorneys, politicians or military personnel. Your profession is not a higher calling than policing our community, serving a god, practicing law, running our government, and it sure as heck ain’t higher than laying your life on the line to protect this country. Stop playing victim, “man up” and just do your job without whining. By the way, I can’t say it enough, but I love Civil Beat. I read it every morning and try to attend as many functions as I can. That’s why I’d rather have you report the news rather than whine. — David Jung, Honolulu Speaking truth to power Liked your manifesto; however, I would drop the words “need to,” and replace with the word “will.” (“The ‘Enemy Of The People’ Is Actually Doing Its Job,” Aug. 16) Trump and his dictator personalitie(s) will not be the new normal. “The pen is mightier than the sword.” It always was, and it always “will” be. — Nancy Manali-Leonardo, Waikiki You went right off the cliff I honestly thought Civil Beat was above being a lemming. Why are you so thin-skinned about being challenged vigorously (or, poor baby, unfairly)? The president isn’t telling you he doesn’t want you to have a voice (in your words, denying you freedom of the press). Spare us, put on big girl/boy pants. The greatest weapon against untruth is truth, well-written, thoroughly-researched, convincing. Make your case resolutely, powerfully and succinctly. Advice: if he calls you out as Fake News, do him one better — not only point out the flaws in his thoughts or facts but also be bold: make a reasonable case for his perspective. FYI, be ready if you do for the periodic self-awareness that “your” side has given less than a full perspective. If you can’t, I’m sorry to say you’re just part of the cliff-jumping hoard. Your hubris is showing. Be also aware of what droppings you leave behind. There’s no mention of Hirono’s naivete that illegal aliens are illegal or that Schatz strongly supported a New York Times editor with a history of racist rantings. I expect the Star-Advertiser to omit embarrassing left sins, not you. — Hale Akamine, Ewa Beach Election Aftermath Dig deeper On a day when newspaper articles are running articles about a free press, the article “Worrying About Voter Turnout is a Waste of Time” (Aug. 16) and the editorials are frankly a sad sign of the times and for the most part the result of the press failing to research and do its job of reporting on various issues. For example, how many stories do you see that actually research, question and show “why” voter turnout is so poor and the press encouraging voters to exercise their right to vote? How many researched and reports do you see as to why Hawaii has such a dominant Democratic Party and the Hawaii Republican Party is almost non-existent? How many times do you see a Republican who switches to the Democratic Party challenged vs. a Democrat switching to the Republican Party? How many times have you ever seen an opposing view to Hawaii News Now’s Rick Blangiardi’s almost nightly editorial?  Shouldn’t there be an opposing viewpoint? How many times do you ever see a reporter ask follow up questions of a politician’s talking points? How many articles do you see that have been researched and report on the booming American or local economy? — John Riggins, Kapolei We should be concerned with voter turnout Albert Lanier (“Worrying About Voter Turnout Is A Waste Of Time“) writes a perplexing column about voter turnout where he slides between the perspective of the voter and of a campaign, and as a result the article contains many illogical statements. Prominent among them is his contention that if 500 people visit your store, and only 50 buy something, you should ignore the 450. That is not good business (or campaign) practice. What if lowering the price by $1 would induce 200 more people to buy? What if they felt your sales staff wasn’t knowledgeable? What if they felt the warranty was too short? A campaign should absolutely concern itself with voter turnout, not the people that already voted for their candidate. Now, I agree with Albert that having uninformed people cast a ballot is a bad thing for society, since it doesn’t lead to better group choices. But that is a totally different discussion. — Bryan Mick, Honolulu Super PAC Good reporting Denby Fawcett’s piece on the Carpenters’ PAC was 100 percent on target. (“Denby Fawcett: Has Carpenters Union Lost Some Of Its Political Muscle,” Aug. 14) Another good job from a journalist we’ve really come to rely on in this era of mindless attacks on the integrity of the media. A free press is as important as a free election and you can’t have the latter without the former. — Steve O’Harrow, Saint Louis Heights Young Students It may be time for funding private preschools Thank you for the article “Why Early Childhood Education Must be Done Right,” Aug. 13)  by Lauren Morigouchi. While the writer is clearly correct, somehow I remain conflicted with the need for this program and several elements articulated in the article. I realize questioning the need for early childhood education runs counter to prevailing theory and political spin but I recall a presentation by an educator from Finland where formal education begins at age 7 and Finland ranks well ahead of the U.S. in results. We are inundated with the pros of this program but there are cons as well: Lack of one-on-one time; learning too early (are they ready?); separation anxiety; less social opportunities; too rigid; ineffective and the ever-present need for funding. Given the need for finding teachers isn’t it time for Hawaii to reconsider use of private and religious preschool programs? They have effective and accredited preschool curriculum, certified teachers/aids/facilities and many have a path to elementary school programs. Common sense would ask: Why reinvent the wheel? But this is Hawaii where dogma rules, funding of private and religious schools is verboten and government knows best. — Jim McDiarmid, Mililani The post Letters: Pushing Back Against Trump appeared first on Honolulu Civil Beat.');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/uh-projects-a-28-million-deficit-in-a-billion-dollar-budget/" target="_self">UH Projects A $28 Million Deficit In A Billion-Dollar Budget</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Fri, 17 Aug 2018 10:01:26 +0000</span><br />');
document.write('The University of Hawaii is projecting a $28 million deficit for the current fiscal year due partly to work that will merely limit the growth in an $848 million maintenance backlog. The statewide system would cover the projected deficit spending out of its reserves, which could have an ending balance of $235.3 million. The UH Board of Regents unanimously approved a $1.1 billion spending plan Thursday morning for the 2019 fiscal year that began July 1. Over $35 million of that spending plan will be for maintenance. But that won’t reduce the $848 million maintenance backlog that UH has accrued; it’ll just limit its growth, UH budget chief Kalbert Young told Civil Beat. The University of Hawaii Board of Regents approved a $1.1 billion projected spending plan Thursday.Cory Lum/Civil Beat In fact, UH would actually have to spend about $95 million each year to keep its maintenance backlog from growing, said Simeon Acoba, one of the 15 regents. UH has seen declining enrollment since 2012, although that is expected to level out. While systemwide enrollment is down, UH West Oahu is trending up. The flagship Manoa may see its largest freshman class ever, UH President David Lassner said Thursday. However, enrollment figures will not be released until September. Enrollment was about 81,716 in 2015. That dropped to 75,020 last year. Young said the deficit could be significantly smaller than the $28 million projected in budget documents should UH see an uptick in enrollment and other revenue sources, which it is hoping for. He also said the projected deficit is so high because UH is supposed to budget conservatively. “I don’t want to say its a worst-case scenario, but we want campuses to identify risk factors and how those affect spending,” Young said. For example, UH Hilo is projecting a 6 percent decrease in enrollment this year because of the Kilauea eruption. Though this is the highest projected deficit in the past four years, Young said the system is on a path to better financial health. if(\"undefined\"==typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper={};window.datawrapper[\"VYpB5\"]={},window.datawrapper[\"VYpB5\"].embedDeltas={\"100\":549,\"200\":459,\"300\":417,\"400\":400,\"500\":400,\"700\":383,\"800\":383,\"900\":383,\"1000\":383},window.datawrapper[\"VYpB5\"].iframe=document.getElementById(\"datawrapper-chart-VYpB5\"),window.datawrapper[\"VYpB5\"].iframe.style.height=window.datawrapper[\"VYpB5\"].embedDeltas[Math.min(1e3,Math.max(100*Math.floor(window.datawrapper[\"VYpB5\"].iframe.offsetWidth/100),100))]+\"px\",window.addEventListener(\"message\",function(a){if(\"undefined\"!=typeof a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var b in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])if(\"VYpB5\"==b)window.datawrapper[\"VYpB5\"].iframe.style.height=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][b]+\"px\"}); Still, the new budget projects a $20 million revenue increase systemwide, nearly a 2 percent hike. Student fees would account for $2.2 million of that. In 2016, the regents approved a 2 percent tuition hike for the 2018-2019 school year for Manoa and community college students in lower division classes. Students at UH Hilo, West Oahu and upper division classes at community colleges will see a 1 percent tuition increase. State Sen. Kai Kahele introduced a bill during the last legislative session that would have frozen tuition and linked it with the state median for household income. Senate Bill 2329 died in a committee. The Athletics Department is projecting a $4.3 million deficit, over $1 million more than last year. The department, which has run deficits for at least the past three years, lost $596,000 in revenue compared to the last fiscal year while being required to spend about $765,000 more for travel and football, among other costs. Where The Spending Is The Manoa campus will spend about $29 million this fiscal year on what Young calls one-time maintenance expenses. Most of that will be for renovation and refurbishment for faculty and student housing. Hale Aloha, Ilima and Lehua need boiler replacements, and Hale Aloha is also getting some air conditioning replacements, according to budget documents. About $3.1 million will be spent on railing and fire alarm replacements alone. The Campus Center will get about $12.7 million worth of modernization upgrades. Manoa’s Hale Aloha dorms will get upgrades this fiscal year costing millions of dollars.Cory Lum/Civil Beat The UH system’s seven community colleges will share about $4.5 million for maintenance and repairs at their campuses, the three largest of which are on Oahu. UH Hilo will need to spend about $2 million for repairs to its buildings. Total payroll expenses for UH employees systemwide is expected to go up by about $20.5 million due to collective bargaining increases, according to the budget documents. Capital Improvements The regents also unanimously approved a budget request for 2020 and 2021 to cover capital improvement projects. Lawmakers approved about 38 percent of UH’s last capital improvements budget request, said Jan Gouveia, vice president for administration. The capital improvement funding request still needs to be transferred to the governor’s office before going to the Legislature next session. UH requested $216.6 million for 2018 and $269.7 million for 2019. It got about $279 million total for those years. The new request will be for $295 million in 2020 and $319.5 million in 2021. Projects that UH could complete if it gets full funding include: A $41 million Student Success Center at Manoa A Life Sciences Building at Manoa Replacing Kuykendall Hall, a classroom building at Manoa Renovating Keller and Holmes Halls, which house physical science and engineering departments at Manoa Improving UH Hilo’s pharmacy lab and modernizing its campus Constructing a General Education Building for teacher preparation at UH West Oahu Developing a new community college on Hawaii Island Constructing a science building at Honolulu Community College An agripharmatech facility at Windward Community College Thoughts on this or any other story? Write a Letter to the Editor. Send to news@civilbeat.org and put Letter in the subject line. 200 words max. You need to use your name and city and include a contact phone for verification purposes. And you can still comment on stories on our Facebook page. The post UH Projects A $28 Million Deficit In A Billion-Dollar Budget appeared first on Honolulu Civil Beat.');
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