thirty meter telescope

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.

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.

Protesters on Mauna Kea are on high alert preparing for what they say could be police action to clear them out this week. The group sent out a call-to-action to reinforce their numbers on Hawaiʻi Island, while supporters on O’ahu mobilized a cross-island convoy from Maunalua to Māʻili without major disruption.

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

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.

When starlight from billions of years ago zips across the universe and finally comes into focus on Earth, astronomers want their telescopes to be in the best locations possible to see what's out there.

HILO — Hawaii County has spent more than $3 million on overtime and other costs as a result of protests against the Thirty Meter Telescope, officials said.

MAUNA KEA— Police have issued about 100 tickets daily since last week for parking and traffic violations near the site of a protest against the construction of another telescope on Hawaii's tallest mountain.

Hawaii state officials are debating jurisdiction over the road leading to a contested telescope project, a report said.

Three of the thirteen telescopes on Mauna Kea are set to be decommissioned before the planned Thirty Meter Telescope is built. This could involve relocating one of the telescopes elsewhere on the mountain, and that has its own issues.

BARCELONA, Spain  — The director of a Spanish research center says an international consortium that planned to build a giant telescope on Hawaii's tallest peak has decided to seek a permit for an alternative site in the Canary Islands.

The man tasked with trying to find a way out of an impasse over the construction of a giant telescope in Hawaii says he met with Native Hawaiian leaders Friday. But the only issue they reached a consensus on was to meet again.

Updated: July 29, 5:51 p.m.

Some workers have been allowed access to observatories on Mauna Kea in an agreement that also permits Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners to make their way up the mountain, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said Monday.

Updated: July 23, 3:41 p.m.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige acknowledged Tuesday that the ongoing protest against the Thirty Meter Telescope planned atop the state's highest mountain is also about addressing the treatment of Native Hawaiians going back more than a century.

Demonstrations against a giant telescope planned for Hawaii's tallest peak have spread to New York, Las Vegas and Honolulu's tourist mecca of Waikiki as Native Hawaiians push to protect what they say is a sacred place.

Updated: July 22, 4:30 p.m.

State officials estimated the crowd on Monday stood at 1,500 people at the site of the protest against the planned Thirty Meter Telescope. There were no arrests.

Officials said when informed by law enforcement officers about alcohol and marijuana use at the site last week, protest leaders said they would patrol the area and ask violators to leave. "Those efforts were successful as officers say there is no longer evidence of alcohol and marijuana use," the state said in a media news release.

Also, those climbing the volcanic cone at Puʻu Huluhulu were advised to take precautions to prevent the spread of Rapid Ohia Death. 

Updated: July 21, 5:11 p.m.

About 2,000 people gathered Sunday near the intersection of Daniel K. Inouye Highway and Mauna Kea Access Road, state officials estimated. There were no arrests as the protest continues against the Thirty Meter Telescope planned near the summit of Mauna Kea.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige held an unusual news conference at the Hilo airport Friday afternoon, saying that he does not want to “escalate the situation” on Mauna Kea, and is not calling in additional troops from the National Guard.  

He says he has no plans to go to Mauna Kea, but remains concerned about safety conditions there. He is also not backing off plans to move construction equipment up the mountain.

“We have been very patient with all of those on Mauna Kea, but we will continue to enforce the law,” he said.

Walter Ritte has been fighting for decades to protect Native Hawaiian rights, inspiring a new generation of activists trying to stop construction of a giant telescope they see as representative of a bigger struggle.

Updated: July 19, 6:03 p.m.

At least two cultural practitioners have filed for temporary restraining orders against local officials in connection with the protest on Mauna Kea. In one, E. Kalani Flores is challenging use of Honolulu and Maui police in law enforcement activities on the mountain, stating they exceeded their territorial jursidiction in exercising their police powers along with Hawai'i Island police. The suit names the chiefs of police from the three counties.