A controversial solar telescope atop Haleakala suffered a setback Thursday when the hearing officer was fired and his recommendation to approve the project was thrown out by the Board of Land and Natural Resources.
The board ruled that Steven Jacobson had inappropriate discussions with outside parties to the case — ostensibly, Sen. Daniel Inouye’s office and the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Astronomy, among others. The board ordered him immediately discharged from the case…
