Todd Simmons
Honolulu Civil Beat
Honolulu, HI, United States
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Past articles by Todd:
Hawaii Seed Industry Slams Pesticide Report's 'Unsubstantiated Fears'
GMO seed companies on Thursday criticized a new government report that calls for heavier regulation of pesticide use in Hawaii, saying it “raises unfounded and unsubstantiated fears about chronic exposure and chemicals in general.” The director of the state Department of Agriculture didn’t seem to welcome several of the report’s recommendations either. He emphasized that … → Read More
Can Kauai Solve The Solar Riddle?
Hawaii has enormous solar potential, but renewable energy producers have long faced a quandary about what to do during the many hours when there is little or no sun. That’s what makes a just-announced agreement between a solar company, a large-scale battery system from a company known for elegant electric cars, and an island energy … → Read More
Todd Simmons: The Toxic Legacy Of Antonin Scalia
The sudden and unexpected death early Saturday of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has rocked the nation’s capital and saddened a great many Americans, no small number of which we’ve heard from in news accounts over the past three days. Scalia has been praised for his brilliant legal mind and scholarship and his long … → Read More
Todd Simmons: Goodbye Sugar, Hello Hemp?
Hawaii’s long, complex and difficult relationship with Big Sugar is finally coming to an end — a matter of good riddance for some, of nostalgia and loss for others, but of change for us all. Once Hawaii’s biggest industry, sugar cane growing and sugar production have been on the decline in Hawaii for decades, and it … → Read More
Honolulu Rail Tax Extension Gets Preliminary OK
The Honolulu City Council Budget Committee passed a measure Wednesday to extend for five years a 0.5 percent surcharge on the general excise tax to pay for the escalating costs of the $6.6 billion rail project. It was the first of several votes needed before the extension would be finalized. Until then, council members made … → Read More
Ben: 'It's Not Really That Bad'
Ben Susa, 50, would like to leave The Harbor. But not without his loyal dog Spice. → Read More
Charlene: Getting By One Day At A Time
Charlene and her mother became homeless a few years ago after her grandmother died and they lost their house. → Read More
SLIDESHOW: Homes Of The Harbor
A mix of style and structure make up the homes that people have made for themselves in The Harbor. → Read More
Enlisting Hawaii Landlords In The Battle Against Homelessness
When a Filipina woman stepped up to the microphone Tuesday near the end of a half-day conference on housing the homeless, her story sounded like every landlord’s worst nightmare. She said her name was Victoria — she didn’t give her last name — and said she decided to take a chance on a family with … → Read More
Hawaii Governor: Refugees Are Mothers, Fathers, Children Fleeing War
Hawaii Gov. David Ige said Tuesday afternoon, after hundreds of emails and phone calls about whether or not Hawaii should accept Syrian refugees, that his position remains the same: The state should keep its doors open to Syrian refugees as long as the proper security precautions are taken. Responding to the attacks Friday in Paris that … → Read More
Hannah: 'I Know They Need Help'
Hannah has other places she could move to. She stays in The Harbor because she wants to make sure the rest of her family is OK. → Read More
Hawaii Rejects Demand For Aquarium Fishing Moratorium
The Department of Land and Natural Resources has rejected a recent demand from environmental groups for a temporary ban on the collection of aquarium fish in Hawaii waters as a response to unprecedented coral bleaching. Instead, the state has embarked on a comprehensive coral reef management plan, which may include new restrictions and educational outreach. … → Read More
Jay: 'I’m Just Not Done Yet'
An addiction to methamphetamine has contributed to the homeless life. → Read More
Tita: 'I Love The Free Life'
Tita, who has made her home in The Harbor for more than a decade, says she's happy with the freedom it affords her. → Read More
When Wildlife And Aircraft Collide in Hawaii
Aircraft in Hawaii have reportedly struck 3,573 animals – mostly birds, but also a dog and 10 cats – causing damage totalling $1.8 million since 1990. The bird strikes led to flight cancellations, delays and damage to aircrafts – the costs starting at $25 and ranging up to $1 million when a barn owl was sucked … → Read More
Hawaii’s Energy Transition: The View From The Bottom
“Net energy metering, the gravy train that brought solar companies to Hawaii in droves and led to the nation’s highest grid penetration of rooftop solar, is over!” “Low-income ratepayers can now weather the storm of the energy transition with greater economic security. Energy justice has prevailed!” Not exactly. To be sure, the Public Utility Commission’s Oct. … → Read More
State Issues New Guidelines On Media's Mauna Kea Access
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has issued news media guidelines for journalists and photojournalists who plan to report on efforts to resume work on the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea. Construction has been at a standstill since Native Hawaiian activists and other telescope protesters blocked construction crews last April, … → Read More
NextEra Merger Critics Blast PUC's Plan Not To Post Hearing Transcripts Online
Sierra Club, Friends of Lanai and other groups are calling on the state Public Utilities Commission to post online the transcripts of the upcoming 12-day evidentiary hearing on the proposed $4.3 billion sale of Hawaiian Electric Industries to NextEra Energy. The PUC issued a recommended order last week saying that any party in the case … → Read More
Caldwell: Feds Withholding Honolulu Rail Funds Until Council Acts
The Federal Transit Administration is withholding its next allotment of $250 million in grant money for the Honolulu rail project until the City Council approves a five-year extension of the general excise tax surcharge that’s paying for majority of the $6.6 billion project, Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s office said in a statement Friday. Caldwell is currently … → Read More
UH Hires Carleton Ching For Land Post
Carleton Ching has a new job, just not the one he had been expecting earlier this year. Ching will take the position of director of land development for the University of Hawaii on Nov. 30, the university announced Friday. He will be responsible for managing UH land assets and he will be charged with systemwide planning, … → Read More