Aloha mai kākou, We want to bring everyone up to speed since our last email. As a recap, Mayor Rothʻs request to dismiss our suit was denied by Judge Kubota. While we feel that our case is strong, we requested that the County enter into mediation with us. MaKa is pleased to announce that the … Read More
By John Burnett. Waipi‘o Valley Road remains closed to all but a handful of people, but on Tuesday, a judge ruled a civil case to reopen the road which was closed in February via an emergency declaration by Mayor Mitch Roth can proceed. Hilo Circuit Judge Peter Kubota denied a motion by Hawaii County to … Read More
By John Burnett. A county attorney told a judge Tuesday that “it’s not the court’s place and it’s not the plaintiffs’ place” to decide whether Mayor Mitch Roth exercised his emergency powers in a lawful manner when he closed Waipi‘o Valley Road to all but residents, tenant farmers and emergency responders. Deputy Corporation Counsel Steven … Read More
By Chris Yuen. Should the government care about facts? Hawaii County doesn’t think so. On Feb. 25, Mayor Mitch Roth closed the Waipi‘o Valley Road to the general public. The decision came with no prior public notice or input. Mayor Roth claimed emergency powers, but no recent or imminent storm, earthquake, landslide, change in the … Read More
By John Burnett. A community group suing the county, Mayor Mitch Roth and Public Works Director Ikaika Rodenhurst over the closure of Waipi‘o Valley Road to all but a handful of people accuses the defendants in a legal document of trying “to pull a fast one on the court.” Malama I Ke Kai ‘O Waipi‘o, … Read More
By John Burnett. The Corporation Counsel has filed a motion seeking dismissal of a lawsuit filed last month against the county, Mayor Mitch Roth and Public Works Director Ikaika Rodenhurst over the closure of Waipi‘o Valley Road to all but a handful of people. The motion, filed May 12 by Deputy Corporation Counsel Steven Idemoto, … Read More
By Mindy Penneybacker. Waimea, Big Island resident Roland Shackelford grew up surfing in majestic Waipio Valley, where as a boy he’d get dropped off with his surfboard at the top of the cliff and run down the steep, narrow nearly a mile-long public road to the black sand beach, “after which his legs would be … Read More
By John Burnett. A community organization has filed a lawsuit against the county, Mayor Mitch Roth and Public Works Director Ikaika Rodenhurst, alleging the closure of Waipi‘o Valley Road to all but a handful of people is unlawful. The civil complaint was filed Friday in Hilo Circuit Court by Hilo attorneys Steven Strauss and Christopher … Read More
By Paula Dobbyn. A decision by the Big Island mayor to abruptly close road access to Waipio Valley for most people is causing major heartburn for various sectors of the public. One lawsuit was filed in late March. Another case is in the works. And a petition demanding that Mayor Mitch Roth lift or amend … Read More
By Chris Yuen. The county has made an emergency order closing Waipi‘o Valley Road to everyone except residents and farmers. It is based on an engineering consultant’s estimate of the risk of rockfalls. That estimate is wrong. It is about 280 times too high for pedestrians and 100 times too high for motorists. I don’t … Read More
