In The News
Women Senators: GOP's Birth Control Amendment 'Defies Logic'
by Laura Bassett
WASHINGTON -- Democratic female senators are stunned the government is on the verge of shutting down and Republicans are once again using the crisis to target birth control and preventative care for women, a group of them said on Monday. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) told reporters that the Senate will unequivocally reject a provision sent to them by House Republicans this weekend that would allow employers to deny women birth control cove… Continue Reading
September 30, 2013
Hawaii's congressional delegation reacts angrily to shutdown
Hawaii's congressional delegation reacted angrily to the partial government shutdown that took effect at midnight in Washington, placing the blame squarely on House Republicans for refusing to compromise. "Republicans accomplished two things tonight, both bad," said U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono said in a statement. "They have manufactured a crisis over Obamacare and shut down the government. And they have shown to the American people how far they are willing to go with their anti-compromise ideology,… Continue Reading
September 25, 2013
Hirono Blasts House GOP Over Obamacare Defunding
by Chad Blair
Mazie Hirono joined Democratic female colleagues Wednesday (Sept. 25) - along with pregnant women, new mothers and medical professionals - to condemn U.S. House Republican attempts to defund health care reform by forcing a government shutdown. Read the entire piece here: http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/post/62287265241/hirono-blasts-house-gop-over-obamacare-defunding… Continue Reading
September 20, 2013
Confirm Nina Pillard
by Senator Mazie K. Hirono
Only five women have served as judges on the D.C. Circuit Court in its entire 120-year history. With the D.C. Circuit widely considered to be one of the most important courts in our nation, it's not only troubling but shameful to see female perspectives so underrepresented. Fortunately, the Senate now has the opportunity -- and really, the obligation -- to put a highly-qualified woman on the court. I was proud to vote as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the nomination of… Continue Reading
September 19, 2013
Feds release $236M for Honolulu’s rail mass-transit project
The U.S. Department of Transportation has released another $236.3 million in federal funds for the Honolulu rail transit project, Hawaii's senators said Thursday. The funding, part of a total $1.55 billion in federal funding for the project from the Federal Transit Administration, comes from the current fiscal year budget, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said in a statement. The FTA released $67.5 million for the project in March. "Today's rail funding announcement demonstrates the federal govern… Continue Reading
September 17, 2013
Federal funding will help improve Maui County ferry service
Hawaii will receive nearly $7.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve ferry service between Maui and Molokai and Lanai. The grant from the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Program Grant will fund ferry projects, including fixing ferry terminals and piers, at the Kaunakakai, Manele and Maalaea small-boat harbors, according to statements from Hawaii Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz. Read the entire piece here: http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/… Continue Reading
September 16, 2013
Airports to receive federal grants
More than $3 million for runway drainage improvements at Molokai Airport and more than $1 million for runway lighting at Lanai Airport are part of a package of grants for Hawaii from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, Hawaii U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz said last week. The $3,022,148 from the FAA will be used for drainage improvements to handle storm runoff at Molokai Airport. Read the entire piece here: http://www.mauinews.com/page/conten… Continue Reading
September 12, 2013
Sharwil avocados cleared for export to mainland
by Andrew Gomes
Hawaii will again be sharing locally grown avocados with mainland consumers, after an overhaul of federal rules that had restricted the fruits from export to other states for more than two decades. The U.S. Department of Agriculture finalized new rules Wednesday making it viable for Hawaii farmers to export Sharwil avocados to most states. The move is expected to greatly expand industry production for one of the state's smaller, yet highly regarded, crops. "It's a great opportunity for us,"?s… Continue Reading
September 12, 2013
Chad Blair: Is Sen. Hirono Our Stateswoman on Syria?
by Chad Blair
Most of Hawaii's representatives in Washington, D.C., moved quickly to proclaim where they stood on a U.S. strike on Syria. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz got out front on the issue. Soon after President Obama called for a military strike, Schatz called for sanctions against Syria but never explicitly backed a military strike. More recently, he decided that he actually opposed another American military intervention. CORRECTION An earlier version of this story said Schatz suggested that he embraced Oba… Continue Reading
August 23, 2013
Defense Secretary meets with military, thanks Hawaii
by Tim Sakahara
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE (HawaiiNewsNow) - For the second time in three months the Secretary of Defense has stopped in Hawaii. Secretary Chuck Hagel left Washington DC this morning starting an eight day trip to Southeast Asia. He kicked off the trip by speaking to about 200 Marines and Sailors at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii. A casual Defense Secretary, wearing a lei and moccasins, spoke about serious issues including the rebalance in Asia and bringing stability and partnerships in t… Continue Reading
August 20, 2013
School on, power off
by Leo Azambuja
PUHI - Not too long ago, Kawaikini charter school had classes under large tents. Today, the Hawaiian immersion school's 125 students learn in style, inside two state-of-the-art energy-efficient buildings and several structures on a 10-acre property next to Kauai Community College in Puhi. "I was here to see what they're doing regarding the energy-efficiency buildings, because that's something that Hawaii needs, to really continue its commitment to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels," said U.… Continue Reading
August 19, 2013
Hawaii congressional delegates: Legalize gay marriage now
Hawaii's four-member congressional delegation issued statements recently urging Hawaii lawmakers to pass immediately a state measure for marriage equality. The Honolulu Advertiser reports U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono saying that same-sex couples "should not have to wait" for the civil right. The push comes after June's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed legally married gay couples the right to federal tax and health care benefits. Read the entire piece here: http://www.wisconsingazette.com/brea… Continue Reading
August 17, 2013
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard graduates 132 apprentices
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) graduated 132 apprentices from its apprentice program at a ceremony held Aug. 9 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The graduates, representing 25 shops and 19 trades, completed four-year, full-time, paid apprenticeships that combined academic study with on-the-job work experience. They earned associate's degrees from Honolulu Community College as well as certification in their respective trades from the Navy a… Continue Reading
August 10, 2013
132 graduate from shipyard program at Pearl Harbor
by Sarah Zoellick
HONOLULU - Momilani Loveland still vividly recalls the sights and sounds of her dad preparing each morning for his supervisor position at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard - his lunchbox squeaking as he peered inside to see what was in store for the day, his keys jingling against his workbag, his shoelaces being threaded on his steel-toed boots and coins rustling in his pocket, ready to be spent on his daily can of Coca-Cola. "The big horn! That's how I knew my dad would be walking out of the gat… Continue Reading
August 09, 2013
Social Security offering W. Hawaii video service
by Erin Miller
West Hawaii residents will have two opportunities a month to meet with a Social Security representative without driving to Hilo. The meeting won't happen in person, but via a computer and video connection between the Social Security Administration's Hilo office and an office at the West Hawaii Civic Center. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Social Security officials announced the twice-monthly service, which begins Aug. 22, Thursday morning. Kona residents raised questions about access to Socia… Continue Reading
August 08, 2013
Hirono to receive award from American Bar Association
U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, Hawaii's first female senator and the first Asian-Pacific American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, is one of five outstanding female attorneys who will be honored with the American Bar Association's 2013 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. The award is given annually by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession. It will be presented Aug. 11 at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco during the ABA's annual meeting. Read the … Continue Reading
August 01, 2013
Hawaii BioEnergy to get $5M federal grant for Kauai biofuels project
by Duane Shimogawa
Hawaii BioEnergy LLC is getting $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy for a Kauai-based biofuels energy project that will produce algae oil through a photosynthetic open pond system, the DOE said Thursday. The project aims to demonstrate pre-processing technologies that reduce energy use and the overall cost of extracting lipids and producing fuel intermediates. The funding, which also went to projects in California and New Mexico, is part of the Energy Department's effort to break dow… Continue Reading
July 29, 2013
Hawaii Breaks Free from High-Risk Status in Race to the Top
by Alia Wong
The U.S. Department of Education announced today that Hawaii's been cleared from high-risk status in its Race to the Top grant. That means the state DOE is now in good standing and no longer at risk of losing its $75 million in federal education funding. Hawaii's grant was put on high-risk status in December 2011 after the DOE failed to make adequate progress in the first 14 months of its reform plan. According to a DOE press release, key improvement areas include: Aligned state, complex … Continue Reading
July 23, 2013
Sen. Hirono announces $6.7M in upgrades for Honolulu airport
Sen. Mazie Hirono announced Tuesday that the Honolulu International Airport will receive $6.7 million in federal funds. The U.S. Department of Transportation grant will fund the replacement of 12 existing passenger loading bridges in the Main Overseas Terminal that are outdated and have reached the end of their useful lives. "Honolulu International Airport is Hawaii's main connection to the mainland and the rest of the world," Hirono said. "Today's federal investment will help the airport ma… Continue Reading
July 16, 2013
Rand Paul, Ted Cruz Back Anti-Sexual Assault Measures In Military Bill
by Kery Murakami
Sen. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard praised today's surprise announcement by Republican senators Rand Paul, of Kentucky, and Ted Cruz, of Texas, supporting a bill aimed at curbing sexual assaults in the military. The bill, pushed by New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, would take the decision about investigating sexual abuse reports out of the military chain of command. Speaking at a press conference, where she was flanked by the two conservatives, Hirono quipped, "You definitely see the po… Continue Reading
