VA to back loans despite water catchment

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday it will resume guaranteeing home loans to veterans for homes served by rainwater catchment systems in Hawaii.

Hawaii’s U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard praised the department’s decision.

In a news release, Gabbard said, "The solution announced … by the VA recognizes the unique needs of Hawaii veterans and will allow them to purchase homes served by rainwater catchment, which many times are the only homes available in places like Hawaii island."

The guaranteed loan benefit is "heavily utilized by veterans and servicemembers" in Hawaii, Hirono said in a news release. The department stopped guaranteeing the financing for loans on homes with catchment systems in 2011 because of a state Department of Health policy that did not recognize the water as safe for drinking or food prep.

In December, the Health Department issued a new policy that clarifies that while rainwater catchment systems are not regulated by the state, homeowners can take action to make the water safe for domestic use, including periodic testing.

The VA, which had urged the state to adopt a testing protocol to declare the water safe, has recommended a few changes to the state’s policy.

Cliff plunge kills driver of tractor

A Puna man died Wednesday after the tractor he was operating fell off a cliff and into a stream, according to the Hawaii Police Department.

Police responded to a property on Mailekea Road in Hilo shortly after 11:26 a.m.

Jose Luiz Hernandez-Miranda, 25, of Keaau was operating a Ford tractor on a farm when he got too close to the edge of a 12-foot cliff above a stream and fell in along with the vehicle, Hawaii police officials said.

He was taken to Hilo Medical Center in critical condition and died at 12:38 p.m.

An autopsy has been ordered.

According to Hawaii police, the death is not included in the department’s official fatality count because it happened on private property.

Maui chancellor retiring in fall

University of Hawaii Maui College Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto will retire this fall, after leading the Maui campus for more than two decades.

Sakamoto, who is credited with pioneering distance learning opportunities across Maui County’s three islands, will retire at the end of October, UH announced Wednesday.

He also pushed for the name change from Maui Community College to UH Maui College in an effort to better compete with four-year universities as a school where students can earn a baccalaureate degree.

Sakamoto has been with the UH system for 41 years and has been the head of the Maui campus since 1991.

UH said enrollment at UH Maui College has grown under Sakamoto’s leadership from 2,346 students in 1990 to 4,076 last fall. He also has helped secure more than $147 million in extramural funds for the college since 1997.