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Thursday, November 21, 2013
November 21, 2013 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:26 PM :: 4331 Views

Did Matson and Horizon Lines defraud the United States?

Lawsuit: Guard Organized Vicious Halawa Prison Assault

Lloyds of London Lawsuit Reveals Story Behind Kahuku Windfarm Fires

Maui Mayor Signs MOU with Monsanto Requiring Disclosure of Pesticide Use

Abercrombie Appoints Sarah Allen to Head State Procurement Office

Locked Up and Shipped Away: Interstate Prisoner Transfer and the Private Prison Industry

UHERO: Solar Tax Credits Boost Profitability of Investment for Rich

New Survey Shows 96% Support for Solar Energy in Hawaii

After Years of Talk, Temporary Barriers to be Tested at Laniakea Beach

Grassroot Institute Goes to China

Abercrombie Admin Encourages Kenoi to Veto Anti-GMO Bill

HTH: He will have 10 working days to decide whether to sign the bill, veto it, or let it go into effect without his signature. The nine-member council could override a veto with six votes.

Kenoi said Wednesday he will sit down with staff to discuss the bill, including whether it meets legal standards. The process may take a few days, he said, adding “we will be making a decision probably sometime next week.”

“We’ll take a look at the language and try to get as much input as possible,” Kenoi said. “Then we’ll be making our decision at that time.”

In regards to the vote, Christine Hirasa, a spokeswoman for Gov. Neil Abercrombie, said in a statement Wednesday that such decisions should be “based on proven science.” (Translation: Not based on anti-GMO hype)

“The administration will continue to work toward a regulatory structure that protects and balances the needs of farmers, Hawaii’s agriculture industry, and the people of Hawaii,” the statement continued.

Related: Maui Mayor Signs MOU with Monsanto Requiring Disclosure of Pesticide Use

read ... GMO decision expected next week

GMOs: Nishihara Slams Abercrombie for Failure of Leadership

SA: But biotech companies, along with several state lawmakers, will likely press the Abercrombie administration to go further and support the state preemption of county laws. Some lawmakers have reached out to state Attorney General David Louie for a legal opinion about whether Kauai and Hawaii County have improperly trodden into state and federal regulatory territory.

"I'm hoping that the governor will take the lead in this and make it clear that the state has authority to pre-empt these kind of county-led initiatives," said state Sen. Clarence Nishihara (D, Waipahu-Pearl City), the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "I'm hoping that the governor would set the tone and set the direction for that."

Nishihara said he would likely propose a state preemption bill during the next session in January if Abercrombie does not take the lead.

"We can't have policies on pesticides for one county and the other county with similar companies -- or businesses -- not under the same set of rules," he said.

Mauna Kea Trask, a deputy county attorney on Kauai, had advised Carvalho in October that the courts would likely find that the Kauai pesticide and GMO legislation is pre-empted by both state pesticide law and federal plant protection law.

An attorney for Syngenta, a biotech company with operations on Kauai, warned of a lawsuit immediately after Carvalho's veto was overridden by the council. The (crackpot) Center for Food Safety, a Washington, D.C., advocacy group, and environmental attorneys have volunteered to defend the Kauai law in court.

Alicia Maluafiti, the executive director of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, which represents biotech companies, said it is fiscally irresponsible for counties to burden taxpayers with the costs of implementing what she called "duplicitous and irrational laws based on fear."

read ... Anti-GMO Morons Need to be Reined in

HECO close to solving solar installation delays

KHON: KHON2 News has learned that Hawaiian Electric Company and solar power companies have come up with a solution to a slowdown in residential solar installations.

HECO claims there are safety issues involved. Solar companies say those issues can be easily resolved. ...

HECO is tight-lipped about what that solution might be. In a late Wednesday afternoon e-mail, the utility said, "We expect to soon share the progress we've made...to address customers who had financial commitments..."....

"Where the safety issue lies is that the HECO grid. It's old, to be frank and it was designed for one way power. And in fact, it's the most antiquated grid in the nation from what I understand," Sunetric chief operating officer Aaron Kirk said....

Another meeting among all the parties is scheduled for Monday. Safety for homeowners and utility crews continues to be a primary concern. Kirk says his engineers are working with HECO on that issue.

read ... HECO close to solving solar installation delays

Honolulu Council Moving to Hike Property Taxes

SA: City Councilman Joey Manahan's attempt to raise the minimum value to $1.5 million for residential properties to be placed in the city's new luxury residential tax classification appears to be failing.

The Council Budget Committee on Wednesday voted 4-1 to strip out Manahan's proposal to increase the threshold for the new Residential A tax class to $1.5 million, leaving the original limit of $1 million in place. Manahan cast the sole "no" vote.

While the Council does not pass tax rates until late spring, all indications are that the Caldwell administration and Council leaders are intending to impose a higher rate on Residential A class property owners than those in the standard residential property tax class.

Property owners pay taxes based on assessed value of their properties multiplied by a tax rate determined by their type, or class, of property. All residential properties now pay $3.50 for every $1,000 of assessed value.

An ordinance established in September created the Residential A tax classification exclusively for residential properties with assessed values of $1 million or more that do not have home exemptions. Both administration officials and Council members said the intent of creating the new class was to have the flexibility to raise tax rates for higher-priced homes while, at the same time, sheltering owner-occupants.

read ... Council panel rejects bid to limit luxury property tax

Senate to Question UPW, HGEA Failure to Represent Mental health Workers

CB: They say there are many people who are afraid to come forward because they fear retaliation from their superiors. They also say that being a victim of assault is just something that comes with the territory of working inside the hospital.

“We’re getting hurt,” said Kalford Keanu, another psychiatric technician at the hospital who has decided to speak out. “They say it’s part of the job, but half of these assaults can be prevented.”

Another disconcerting trend that will likely be explored during the investigation is the response of the employee unions, specifically the Hawaii Government Employees Association and United Public Workers.  (Response?  Unions are here to elect legislators, not to represent workers.  And now the legislators that the union elected are demanding to know why the union isn't representing its members.  The head wobbles.)

Each of the four victims is represented by one of the two unions, but they said they did not receive much assistance in the way of getting help after the assaults. Some victims have said they have since had contact with their union representatives.  (Yup.  The employer is demanding to know why the union is not protecting its employees against itself.)

Hee and Green have scheduled the first hearing for Dec. 1.

SA: Senate to look into State Hospital safety

read ... Where's the Union?

Blind-Deaf school Homosexual Rape Gang Victims Have until Nov 30 to claim share of $5.75M settlement

SA: Earlier this year, a federal court approved the settlement of the class-action suit against the state alleging that students were sexually assaulted by other students and had sex with staff members.

The suit also charged that state education officials did not prevent and tried to conceal the abuse at the only public school in the state for the deaf and blind.

Any student who was a victim of sexual assault or witnessed the crime at the school since 2001 is encouraged to call the claims administrator of a $5.75 million class-action settlement by Nov. 30.

read ... Homosexual Rape Gang

Retaliation? Hawaiian Activists Decide to Oust Director of State Foundation on Culture and the Arts 

SA: Eva Laird Smith informed the board commission during its executive session Wednesday that she would resign effective Dec. 31, according to commission Chairwoman Barbara  Saromines-Ganne.

The board did not ask Laird Smith to resign, Saromines-Ganne said.

However, the move came after the commission’s impassioned, emotionally charged public meeting Wednesday (allegedly) regarding the foundation’s improper use of a photo of revered Hawaiian kumu hula ‘Iolani Luahine to plug Hawai‘i Fashion Month and to sell coffee mugs, T-shirts, tote bags and other merchandise. (Pretext.  Hello?)

read ... Arts director quits over photo misuse

Hilo Charter School: No Shoes, No Chairs, No Rooms

CB: A group of barefoot children around 10 years of age wait patiently for one of the few actual classrooms at a South Hilo charter school to empty out so they can go into class. On a cement pathway they sit on simple white plastic buckets they have turned upside down to use as makeshift seats while sheltered from the drizzle. One dark-haired boy stands out because he is so small that his feet dangle inches above the ground and because his feet are covered — with socks but no shoes.

Welcome to Ka Umeke Kaeo public charter school. If necessity is a key source of invention, this Hawaiian-immersion school, whose two campuses are located a 10-minute drive from downtown Hilo, may become a wellspring of creation. Ka Umeke has few permanent classrooms and many of the meeting and teaching spaces lack walls of any sort. Sometimes they are sheltered by nothing but a tent-like canopy. At stormy moments teachers put class on hold as students crowd into the few sheltered spaces to avoid getting drenched.

HNN: Some public schools lack health aides, DOE says

read ... Learning Hilo — The Bucket List

City, State Move to Open Data -- Will Caldwell Sign?

SA: The state officially endorsed this ideal in July, when Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed Act 263 into law; the state government's open data portal can be found at https://data. hawaii.gov, with a variety of data sets that users can export into spreadsheets, sort, search and analyze. The 9,005 data sets currently available run the gamut from a list of pesticides licensed for use in Hawaii to campaign contributions recorded by politicians to a map of hurricane shelters at schools across the state.

Now the Honolulu City Council has followed suit, unanimously passing Bill 53 last week, which is modeled on the state law. Mayor Kirk Caldwell has said he will sign the measure into law, a pledge we strongly support.

The city already has an open data portal, at https://data.honolulu.gov, and the bill will codify a formal policy of what data should be released and how, said Chief Information Officer Mark Wong, who noted that such a policy will take time to develop and implement. Once the bill becomes law, Wong has 180 days to announce and publish the date of a public hearing on the matter.

read ... Open Data

Hawaii County Raises Tobacco Age to 21, Marijuana Still Available at Age 18

HTH: The measure doesn’t make it illegal for young people to smoke; it penalizes retail stores for selling tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars and electronic cigarettes. Retailers selling to underage customers would be subject to a $500 fine for the first offense and from $500 to $2,000 for subsequent offenses.

read ... Just for Tobacco

Kaiser employees hold one-day work stoppage

KHON: "We are not holding this rally because of our contract negotiations. Today's protest is about Kaiser not providing quality care to its patients. By not hiring enough staff and providing fair workloads, Kaiser workers are not able to provide the very best care that our patients deserve," said Paola Rodelas, spokesperson for UNITE HERE! Local 5.

On Thursday, Kaiser Permanente released the following statement:

"Kaiser Permanente Hawaii is consolidating care and redeploying staff to larger, central facilities to ensure that our members and patients will continue to have access to high-quality care because as always, our first priority is their safety and health.

read ... Unite Here Local 5

Sexual harassment suit filed against DLNR

HTH: The civil suit, seeking unspecified general and punitive damages plus back pay and employee benefits, was filed Monday in Honolulu Circuit Court by Honolulu attorney Elizabeth Jubin Fujiwara on behalf of Hailama-Ana Tromba of Kohala. According to the complaint, Clayton Oshiro, who was Tromba’s supervisor at Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area between 2007-2009, made frequent unwanted sexual advances, grabbed Tromba’s buttocks, had sexual liaisons with his mistress at a park cabin on state time, and showed pornography to his work crew, making lewd comments for all to hear.

The filing also claims that after two years of harassment, Tromba, now 50, reported Oshiro’s behavior to his supervisor, Luisa Castro, that Tromba found herself disciplined afterward, and that Oshiro received only a five-day suspension for what Fujiwara described as “misogynistic, outrageous, malicious conduct.”

read ... Workforce in Disarray

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