The Latest on protests of a telescope on Hawaii mountain (all times local):
11:10 a.m.
A protest against construction of a Hawaii telescope has entered its fourth day as activists block a roadway to the top of a mountain considered sacred by some Native Hawaiians.
The action Thursday comes a day after 33 people were arrested, many of them elderly.
Activists have fought the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope in courts and on the streets for years, but the latest protest could be their final stand as they run out of legal options.
The state Supreme Court has ruled that the telescope can be built on Mauna Kea.
Gov. David Ige has broadened the state’s power to keep activists off the mountain by signing an emergency proclamation.
Ige says officials haven’t yet decided whether to oust the protesters entirely, but the proclamation makes that possible.
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12 a.m.
Thousands of protesters joined a swelling effort to stop construction of a telescope they have long tried to keep off a mountain considered sacred to some Native Hawaiians, blocking a road to Hawaii’s highest peak and prompting the arrest of a group of elderly demonstrators.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed an emergency proclamation Wednesday giving law enforcement agencies the power to close off areas and restrict access to Mauna Kea.
The governor says the state hadn’t decided whether to remove protesters from the mountain, but the proclamation makes that an option.
Hawaii County Managing Director Wil Okabe said about 2,000 people packed the base of Mauna Kea after the arrests.