Latest news with #LisaMarten
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kailua High School lights still out after two years
KAILUA, Hawaii (KHON2) — Kailua High School has gone nearly two full school years without functioning field lights and it is affecting more than just football. KHON2 learned that the lack of light is dimming a long-standing community tradition. DOE reinforces eroding poles at Kailua High School stadium, lights still out The lights at Kailua High's football field have not been turned on since at least mid-2023. It is not just the ones wearing shoulder pads that have had to adjust. 'Kailua girls and boys soccer team, track. Now we have girls flag,' said Hau Wong, Kailua High School's head football coach. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Graduations that were once held proudly under the lights have been moved to neutral sites for two years straight — breaking a tradition that dates back decades. 'So, now our kids are coming to senior year, like, 'All right, we finally get night games!' And then we hear like, 'Oh, wait a minute, we got no night games in store.' So for years, Kailua's graduation was held on our field under the lights. Right? I don't know, maybe for like 35 years until we started having these issues,' said Shannon Leong, a Kailua High School alumni and parent. Friday night lights cut out for Kailua, Kalaheo A temporary fix last football season did not last and a $2.9 million dollar contract was awarded in January 2025 with permanent repairs expected to start in March — but State Rep. Lisa Marten said it has been postponed. 'But there is a supply chain issue and they're waiting on the required anchor bolts, which sounds like something you need for safety,' Marten said. 'So now the plan is to wait till after the football season and start in December.' That is not good enough for some. KHON2 pointed out to Hau that graduation in 2026 might happen back at Kailua High if work gets started in December 2025. 'Right,' Hau said. 'Are we just going to settle for December? Are we going to push people?' He added parents, alumni and students all need to stay vocal to shine some light once again. 'In the end, safety first, you can't if you don't have the right bolts to make these incredibly tall, heavy poles safe, then I guess you have to wait. So it's super frustrating,' Marten said. Check out more news from around Hawaii KHON2 is still waiting for details from the Hawaii Department of Education on a current status and timeline for renovations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
5 things to know about Hawaiʻi's mdwifery debate
HONOLULU (KHON2) — On Thursday, April 10, the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives passed the third reading of House Bill 1194. The bill has stirred quite the controversy from Native Hawaiian practitioners who believe they have a right to determine who provides medical care for their bodies. But no everyone is on board with this. A storm of opinions has emerged from across the islands, and across generations. The bill, which would require licensure for most midwives practicing in the state, has drawn strong reactions from medical professionals, Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and elected leaders alike. At the heart of the debate is a question both personal and political: Who gets to decide how a baby is born in Hawaiʻi? Hawaiʻi State Representative Lisa Marten, District 51, so-sponsored the bill with Representatives Linda Ichiyama, Scott Matayoshi and Gregg Takayama. It's aim is to save lives. 'I have a doctorate in public health and have worked in programs around the world,' Rep. Marten said. 'My perspective values health care that is evidence-based to provide the lowest mortality and morbidity outcomes for our mothers and babies.' According to Rep. Marten, the intent of HB1194 is not to erase traditional practices, but to ensure safety and accountability, especially in the event of emergencies. 'Licensure offers standards which I believe our residents are worthy of,' she said. 'While a practitioner can bring other talents and traditions to the job, they should also have a basic understanding of anatomy, CPR and the ability to diagnose complications that require transfer to the hospital in a timely manner.'But critics see the bill as an overstep, especially in the context of Hawaiʻi's complex history of colonization and Indigenous resistance. A joint report submitted Tuesday, April 8, to the United Nations called the bill a threat to Native Hawaiian birthing rights. Laulani Teale, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner and midwife, called it a 'major violation of human rights'. 'Our people are asking for the freedom to choose who attends them in their sacred space of birth,' Teale said. 'They are NOT asking for regulation. They simply want the right to decide who touches their bodies.' Rep. Marten rejects the idea that HB1194 limits Native Hawaiian practices. 'The legislature has no place in regulating traditional Hawaiian practices,' she said. 'As such, the bill has a broad exemption for people of Native Hawaiian descent, as is provided for in the constitution. There seems to be a lot of cultural appropriation around this issue where people continue to falsely imply the bill restricts Native Hawaiian practitioners.' Still, for many homebirth families and advocates, the bill feels like a door closing. In rural areas especially, where doctors and hospitals may be hours away, midwives are often the only providers available. 'I don't think people really understand how important midwifery is here in Hawaiʻi,' said Rep. Amy Perruso, District 46. 'We have rural areas where doctors and nurses are few and far between, and midwives are providing an essential service.' But Rep. Marten said regulation would strengthen, not reduce, those options, particularly by expanding what licensed midwives are allowed to do. 'The bill allows licensed midwives to practice to the full extent of their training, which may include diagnosis, prescribing medications, and using medical devices,' she explained. 'We currently do not have birth centers, but the rules for that are being discussed to see if we can bring that back into our state.' Still, the bill raises questions about who gets to define 'safe' birth. Teale and others argue that cultural safety is just as critical as clinical safety. 'Medical professionals are important; but they should not control the choices of birthing people, especially Indigenous people,' Teale said. Rep. Marten has also heard the tragic stories from hospital emergency staff who say they've witnessed the worst outcomes from some unlicensed midwives. 'These are heartbreaking cases,' she said. 'Emergency care providers shared with me that the tragic cases tend to concentrate among a few practitioners. None they identified to me happened to be Native Hawaiian. But when one source of learning is flawed and that person trains others, the incompetence spreads.' While HB1194 includes a pathway for apprenticeship training, a nod to hands-on experience, Rep. Marten worries it lacks guardrails. 'If someone trains under a provider with a history of bad outcomes, and that's their only source of learning, then they're going to carry those risks forward,' she explained. Despite fierce opposition from some advocates, Rep. Marten emphasized she's not swayed by lobbyists or donations. 'I have no donations from any advocates around this issue on either side. I don't fundraise at all,' she said. For now, the bill has been referred to the Senate committees on Health and Human Services (HHS), Commerce and Consumer Protection (CPN) and Judiciary (JDC). Each committee will review the bill, potentially hold hearings and may propose amendments. If the committees recommend passage, the bill will proceed to the Senate floor for further readings. Should the Senate pass a version of HB1194 that differs from the House's version, a conference committee comprising members from both chambers may be convened to reconcile the differences. Once both chambers agree on the final text, the bill will be sent to the Governor Josh Green M.D., who can sign it into law, veto it or allow it to become law without a signature. You can click to learn more about HB1194. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 As Rep. Elle Cochran, District 14, oriented the debate: 'At the end of the day, it's about women's rights and safety and the need for access to healthcare services.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hawaii's homeless sweeps, what else is needed
WAIMANALO, Hawaii (KHON2) — Officials continue to conduct homeless sweeps at public parks but it is not clear if the enforcement is putting a dent in the problem or pushing it down the road. Enforcement on homeless encampments — otherwise known as sweeps — happen on a scheduled basis on Oahu. Those living on the street get a 24-hour notice before officials clear the area and while options for shelter are provided, they are not always optimal. Education Shake-Up: Hawaii braces for federal DOE dismantle 'It's hard to convince them that there is a way out, there's a chance to kind of redo their lives because in the past, maybe they didn't have that trust,' said Department of Community Services Homeless Solutions director Roy Miyahira. Dozens of City enforcements have been conducted in 2025, State officials also cleared out a decades-long encampment from just outside Waimanalo Beach Park on Friday, March 14. 'Obviously, if you do a sweep, you need places for people to go. And this, the people that left here, the last ones that were still here, they moved down the coast. So it is better for the neighbors. It's better for the park users, but it's not necessarily better for those people,' said House Human Services & Homelessness Committee chair Rep. Lisa Marten. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news The City Homeless Solution director said only about two out of every 10 homeless individuals they connect with during enforcement engage with the services provided to them. CORE provides immediate medical assistance but Miyahira said more wrap-around services for mental issues or drug abuse are needed. 'So, for instance, if they're offering maybe substance abuse treatment along with more medical treatment, maybe having like a full service or array of services to them, that would be appealing,' he said. Check out more news from around Hawaii A point-in-time count of Hawaii's homeless population was not conducted in 2025 and will not be held again until 2026. Latest numbers from 2024 showed just over 6,300 people experienced homelessness in the state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Keiki Caucus announces 2025 legislative package
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi state legislators, alongside community advocates, presented the 2025 Keiki Caucus Bill Package and priorities for the upcoming legislative year on Jan. 27, aiming to improve the lives of Hawaiʻi's keiki and priority issues were identified by legislators, including tax credits for household and dependent care services, funding for community schools, universal free school meals and more. House Native Hawaiian Affairs Caucus announces 2025 priority bills 'During the interim, we collaborated with community advocates to develop proposals that address top-of-mind issues such as the rising cost of childcare, which significantly impacts the cost of living for Hawaiʻi's keiki and families,' said Keiki Caucus Co-Convenor and Rep. Lisa Marten. 'We also identified ways to support our youth in schools, ensuring they receive a quality education while feeling empowered and supported to succeed.' The 2025 Keiki Caucus Bill Package consists of these measures: HB753 — Relating to the Household and Dependent Care Services Tax Credit This bill would increase a taxpayer's applicable percentage of employment-related expenses that is used to calculate the household and dependent care services tax credit. It would also extend the sunset date of the temporary increase in maximum employment-related expenses that are used to calculate the household and dependent care services tax credit. HB754/SB821 — Relating to Community Schools This bill would appropriate funding to the Department of Education for community schools and a program manager position. HB755/SB852 — Relating to Paid Family Leave The bill would require the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to establish a family and medical leave insurance program, as well as the ability to begin collecting payroll contributions to finance payment benefits by Jan. 1, 2028. By Jan. 1, 2029, it would require the DLIR to start receiving claims and paying benefits from the program. It also specifies the eligibility requirements and employee protections under the benefits program. HB756/SB972 — Relating to Health (E-Liquids) Effective Jan. 1 , 2026, this bill would prohibit the sale of flavored nicotine products and the mislabeling of e-liquids as nicotine-free. Penalties and violations would also be established with this bill. The Department of Health would be authorized to appoint, commission or contract for services of inspectors. It also established two full-time equivalent program specialist positions and one full-time equivalent hearing officer position, as well as appropriating funds. HB757 — Relating to Education Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, this bill would require the Department of Education to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students enrolled in department schools. It would also appropriate funds for this initiative. Community advocates joining the Keiki Caucus include Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Creeds of Peace, Hawaiʻi Afterschool Alliance, Hawaiʻi Appleseed and Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network Speaks! (HCAN Speaks!). The caucus was established in 1994 and is co-convened by Sen. Joy A. San Buenaventura and Reps. Marten and Ikaika Olds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
