Mauna Kea

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.

KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii tour companies are beginning to experience negative effects from the protest that has blocked access to the state's highest volcano, a report said.

HONOLULU — Losing the Thirty Meter Telescope could mean losing billions of dollars in research funding over the next few decades, a senior University of Hawaii official said.

Oʻahu motorists should expect traffic delays Sunday morning heading west from Hawaiʻi Kai to Waiʻanae. 

Updated: Sept. 6, 1:45 p.m.

State officials Friday morning tore down a structure at the base of Mauna Kea that was unlawfully constructed on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands property.

HILO, Hawaii — Demonstrators opposed to a huge telescope planned for the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island have constructed a wooden building in a lava field near their telescope protest camp without obtaining a permit, officials said

The chairman of the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents says he'll call for the university president to lead the effort to resolve the conflict on Mauna Kea and planned construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope.

Following on traffic and parking enforcement near the Mauna Kea protest on the Big Island and recent comments by lawmakers, state agencies issued statements on Friday reiterating the Department of Transportation's jurisdiction over the summit access road and Daniel K. Inouye Highway.

Gov. David Ige says he’s pleased with progress made so far by Big Island Mayor Harry Kim in engaging the native Hawaiian community in efforts to resolve the conflict on Mauna Kea.