Mauna Kea

HILO — The decommissioning process for one of the Mauna Kea telescopes to be removed in the coming decade remains on schedule.

Hawaiʻi Island Mayor Harry Kim met with Thirty Meter Telescope officials this week to discuss next steps in resolving the Mauna Kea dispute.

Protesters at the Mauna Kea Access Road removed barricades for the first time since July as the demonstrators against a giant telescope project shift their focus away from the construction site.

HILO — Hawaii has spent about $15 million to ensure safe access to Mauna Kea during an ongoing protest of a giant telescope project, the governor said.

An independent audit of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs has identified as much as $7.8 million in potentially fraudulent, wasteful or abusive spending.

Updated: Dec. 6, 9:19 a.m.

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim says he’s concerned about the safety of protesters at Mauna Kea after the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Big Island summits. The notice is posted until at least 6 p.m. Friday afternoon. 

BARCELONA, Spain — The director of a Spanish research center said Wednesday that a giant telescope, costing $1.4 billion, is one step nearer to being built on the Canary Islands in the event an international consortium gives up its plans to build it in Hawaii.

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents on Wednesday approved the latest draft of rules governing activities on Mauna Kea and a resolution that calls for a plan to improve management of the mountain.

The latest draft of proposed administrative rules for Mauna Kea has been released by the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents, which will take up the matter at a special meeting Wednesday in Hilo.

A plea deal was offered to protesters arrested on the Big Island during the first week of Mauna Kea demonstrations in July, state authorities said.

KAILUA-KONA — A Hawaii County attorney told an ethics panel he would not face conflicts by prosecuting cases arising from demonstrations against the building of a Mauna Kea telescope.

The state’s commitment to remove five existing telescopes on Mauna Kea to build the Thirty-Meter Telescope remains part of the effort to resolve the protest on the mountain. But most of these telescopes are still operating and even TMT opponents see the value of keeping them online until their lease expires.

Honolulu police say parts of  Ala Moana Boulevard and Kalakaua Avenue will close Saturday afternoon for a planned march in support of the protest on Mauna Kea.

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim issued his long-awaited proposal Monday to resolve the protest against the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, calling for a "core group" of community members as a next step to provide future direction.

Updated: Sept. 26, 4:42 p.m.

In the wake of the arrest of 28 protesters Thursday blocking access to Waimanalo Bay Beach Park that officials wanted to redevelop, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell tweeted the city won't build a sports complex planned in the Sherwood Forest area.

Twenty-seven people pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of obstructing government operations related to the ongoing protest against the planned Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, according to media coverage.

HILO, Hawaii — The state attorney general's office is ordering the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to provide information about how the agency is helping protesters blocking construction of a giant telescope.

To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, the Hawaii attorney general's office will take over prosecution of protesters arrested for blocking construction of a giant telescope.

An unverified Twitter account has closely copied the appearance of the official Thirty Meter Telescope account and is sending out derogatory and culturally insensitive posts.