Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawaii Daily News Read

Current Articles | Archives

Monday, October 5, 2009
October 5, 2009 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 10:40 AM :: 10272 Views

Hawaii hotels post weakest summer ever

Hotels in Hawai'i had their weakest summer on record — an average of 68.1 percent occupancy — according to a report released today.

Occupancy for June, July and August was the lowest since Hospitality Advisors began conducting its survey in 1987, and compares with rates in the mid-80 percent range in the summer just three years ago.

The hotel industry lost an estimated $238 million in total revenue — including revenue from rooms, food and beverage and retail sales — this summer compared with 2008, Toy said. And the drop is even more dramatic — $374 million when compared with the boom tourism summer of 2006.

SB: Hotels suffer summer slide in rates

read more

State talks with HGEA continue

The two sides are working on specifics of contract language over the weekend, with a tentative agreement expected to be offered soon to the HGEA's 23,000 state and county workers for a ratification vote.

The state and HGEA have been in binding arbitration, scheduled to continue until December. Both sides have said they would prefer to settle the issue outside of the arbitration process.

read more

ADV: Sniping puts jail in limbo

Nonetheless, the governor's frustration is understandable. In the article, Tsutsui argued that because of fundamental disagreements, "it's optimistic to say we are 10 years away" and that the state "needs to go back to the drawing board."

These comments suggest a stubborn refusal to find a workable compromise to move the project ahead expeditiously.

The state has already spent $9 million of a budgeted $16 million for environmental assessment, design and survey work.

(Lingle spanks one of the squabbling children of the legislature and the Democrat Advertiser tries to blame both sides.  Aiona campaign slogan: "Adult Leadership for 2010")

read more

Kulani prison closed out of fiscal necessity  (HGEA/UPW lies busted)

Kat Brady ("What are the real reasons for closing Kulani?," Star-Bulletin, Sept. 30) implies that Kulani inmates will be sent to medium-security prisons on the mainland instead of minimum-security prisons in the state. Ms. Brady is well aware that all of the Kulani inmates went to other facilities in Hawaii, including the Federal Detention Center on Oahu. None has gone to the mainland.

While Kulani was the site of the department's largest sex offender treatment program, it was also the most expensive prison to operate. The daily cost per inmate was $101, not $90.24 as stated by Ms. Brady. The cost to house an inmate at the Federal Detention Center is $86.90 per day, not $90.90, as cited by Ms. Brady. And when Kulani closed, it had 127 inmates, not 210 as she claimed.

With the closure of Kulani and the expansion of our existing sex offender treatment program on Oahu, inmates may complete the program in half the time. At Kulani, a therapist had to travel from Oahu to the Big Island for at least one session per week; on Oahu we can conduct more sessions. Sex offenders can complete the program in 12 months instead of 24.

The state lacks the capacity to house all Hawaii inmates currently on the mainland. The cost for inmates held in Arizona is $64.44 per day, per inmate, far less than the $101 daily cost of a minimum-security bed at Kulani. The cost to maintain the facility also was a factor. Given the state's economic situation, it was fiscally irresponsible to continue to operate the Kulani facility.

The Department of Public Safety welcomes real solutions, constructive feedback, and the opportunity to answer any concern.

It is our hope that in the future, Ms. Brady and others will work with the department, rather than issue misleading statements and inaccurate information....

read more

Reorganization again on Hawaii County council agenda

Deja vu all over again. The council voted June 16 to consolidate power to an East Hawaii bloc. Now that a judge has given the OK to try again after being sued for Sunshine Law violations, the issue is back on the agenda.

read more

Parker Ranch lost millions in '08

HILO -- Parker Ranch is quietly selling 3,509 acres of its North Kohala property following two consecutive years of multimillion-dollar losses by its parent organization.

read more

Kauai: Property values, home sales slipping

Residential median sales prices fell over 25 percent and sales are off by approximately 26 percent, according to September’s year-to-date statistics released last week by Multiple Listing Services.
Already anticipating that next year will be down, the county has been “frugal” with its spending, Kaua‘i County Councilman Tim Bynum said Sunday.

read more

Aloha wear retailer emerges from bankruptcy

It's a new beginning for Hilo Hattie after filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy about a year ago. It emerged from bankruptcy on Sunday, which is the beginning of its new fiscal year.

read more

Obama faces jet engine discord

Abercrombie is chairman of the House air and land forces subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the F-35, known as the Joint Strike Fighter, and its engines. The full House voted to continue funding the alternative engine at $560 million next year. None of the parts for the alternative engine are made in Hawaii. 

(But which of the parts are made by Abercrombie contributors?  Note that Inouye's involvement in this boondoggle is not mentioned, instead he receives whitewash articles which portray him as fighting for home-state pork rather than contributor pork.)

REALITY:   Inouye's DoD Pork: "Paid for by raiding Iraq and Afghan maintenance, food, & fuel"

read more

SB: Military's mission of aid

Adm. Timothy "Timbo" Keating called it a "normal day," but last Thursday and the days since have been a humanitarian marvel following a multi-venue disaster in Asia and the Pacific. With each hurricane, earthquake and tsunami comes improvement in response by nations and organizations with the purpose and ability to help in profound ways.

As chief of the Hawaii-based U.S. Pacific Command, Keating has been a key player in responding to the deadly tsunami in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga, helping the Philippines cope with a tropical storm and "super typhoon" and sending assistance to Indonesia in the wake of a 7.6-magnitude earthquake -- all at the same time.

(Meanwhile, the anti-military protesters are doing ... what?)

read more


Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT