Video: Djou Endorsed by Veterans in Politics
Hawaii GOP Urges Members not to 'Play' in Primaries
Ethics: Abercrombie Misses Financial Disclosure Deadline, along with 72 other Candidates
Star-Advertiser and Sierra Club Endorse Iwasa for Council
Disgusting Hepatitis Infected Organic Food Leads to Lawsuit
Educator, public input sought on new student assessments
Matson Pays $9.95M to Settle Federal Fraud Suit
Hawaiian Electric Seeks to Grab $16M from Ratepayers
IM: Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) is required to file a rate case with the Public Utilities Commission every three years.
In June Hawaiian Electric filed their latest rate case, asking the Public Utilities Commission to accept an abbreviated filing with no adjustment to rates.
On the one hand, having no rate hike might seem desirable because customers are tired of high rates. But rates can still rise because of numerous surcharges imposed on customers.
What HECO actually asserted was that they can save $16,000,000.
The savings could reduce rates.
But instead HECO wishes to reallocate those savings to fund other programs....
One of the largest proposed expenditures is on Smart Grid pilot projects.
read ... What Goes up must not Come Down
Abercrombie Commercials Filmed in Miami
PBN: By now, you’ve seen the TV commercial for Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s re-election campaign in which he plays a cab driver who is thrilled as his two passengers point out good things going on around Oahu. If you missed it, click here.
OK, astute PBN readers—where exactly is Abercrombie picking up his two passengers? Downtown Honolulu? Waikiki? The airport?
With the jump cuts, it’s hard to tell, so we hit the pause button, scanning the details for clues. Flower pots hanging from streetlights. Horizontal traffic signals. Red bricks in the road. Didn’t look like anyplace in Honolulu we could think of.
That’s because it’s Miami.
“Exteriors were filmed in Miami, the interiors were filmed in a studio here," says Shane Peters, director of communications for Abercrombie for Governor. The ad was created by the Hamburger Company, a Washington, D.C. agency.
ILind: The governor’s “Yellow Cab” ad is cute but almost invites criticism
read ... Nobody Wants Neil
Only 5% of Kakaako Housing 'Affordable'
CB: Just 5 percent of about 4,500 new housing units in Kakaako are affordable for low-income people, according to a state agency. One 204-unit building is the exception....
The 204-unit rental housing project for low-income families is stylish, comfortable and mind-bogglingly affordable for Honolulu, the most expensive city for housing in the nation.
“Rental rates range from $956 – $1,400. Really,” reads a tongue-in-cheek description of the project on its promotional website.
The catch? Despite nearly 4,500 new housing units being built in Kakaako, Halekauwila Place is the only project that caters to low-income people.
read ... Kakaako Has no Affordability
Kalima v State: Plaintiffs ask for special master in DHHL lawsuit
SA: Even though a judge more than four years ago found the state liable for breach of trust in a class-action lawsuit the plaintiffs filed in 1999, the case still is moving slowly through the damages phase and is far from being resolved. A recent attempt at court-ordered mediation failed to yield a settlement.
As with virtually everything else in this litigation, the two sides can't agree on how much in damages is due, who is entitled to receive damages, and a host of other questions, some of which already have been decided by the court but are expected to be raised on appeal.
With no proposed settlement to present to Judge Virginia Crandall, the fifth judge to preside over the case, the nearly 15-year-old legal battle resumes in her courtroom even as more plaintiffs, mostly elderly, continue to die.
In the latest development, the plaintiffs are asking Crandall to appoint a special master to help speed the court's fact-finding and decision-making process, citing the growing number of deceased plaintiffs. As of May, 312 had died.
But short of an out-of-court settlement, the highly complex litigation is expected to drag on for years — even if a special master is appointed — before any money changes hands.
read ... plaintiffs ask for special master in lawsuit
Hawaii Health Connector Has no Plan
SBH: Court Hands Obamacare Body Blow. Yesterday, the District of Columbia Federal Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against a major portion of Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act. The court ruled the IRS is not legally able to change the original law by unilaterally extending federal subsidies to states that have chosen to use the failed federal Connector rather than to have a state Connector like Hawaii's. Without those subsidies, most who did sign up for Obamacare will be unable to afford the higher, actual costs of the new law. A total of 36 states rejected creation of their own state Connector.
The Obama Administration will appeal the decision, but legal experts conclude the ruling is correct.
Meanwhile, at a state House briefing on Monday, the state's troubled Hawaii Health Connector still has no reasonable financial plan and little chance of succeeding without additional state taxpayer funding. The Connector has spent or obligated the majority of the $204 million federal grant to launch the connector, but still has a costly web site that doesn't work properly, even months after it was supposed to launch fully functional in October of 2013.
read ... No plan
Hawaii has no clear vision in push towards renewable energy, state official says
PBN: With Hawaii well on its way of reaching its renewable energy goal, some in the industry still say it’s not enough, including the head of the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute.
Richard Rocheleau, director of the institute and one of the speakers at the 6th Annual Hawaii Clean Energy Day event on Tuesday in Downtown Honolulu, said that the state has no clear vision when it comes to its push towards renewables.
“People are finding solutions as we go, but it comes down to understanding the future implications,” he told the audience at the YWCA of Oahu. “We haven’t set a clear path.”
Rocheleau, whose institute is part of the University of Hawaii Manoa and was created by the state Legislature in 1974 in the aftermath of the world’s first oil crisis to seek new forms of energy that would cut down on imported oil, noted that the stakeholders need to work together more.
read ... 1974 - 2014: 40 Years Without a Solution
Republican Cam Cavasso wants to deregulate Hawaii's shipping industry
HNN: "Right now, Hawaiian Airlines can purchase their ... airplanes from anywhere in the world. Why should the federal government tell Matson or Horizon that they must buy their ships from a manufacturing facility in the United States at five times the cost that they would pay out of Australia or China?" he posed.
Cavasso says that allowing the free market to determine the buying decisions of Hawaii's shipping companies will in turn, benefit local families.
"Just that simple change of allowing our shipping companies to buy their ships from anywhere in the world will save the average family in Hawaii $3,000 per year in the cost of living. We need help, and the federal government should not be telling us what we can and cannot do," he said.
read ... Jones Act
Malama Solomon Must Go
SA: We are two totally different people," said former Mayor, Councilwoman and state Sen. Lorraine Inouye. "I'm more of a people person. I prefer hearing people's concerns. … It's not what I want, but it's what the people in your district want."
She lost to incumbent Sen. Malama Solomon in the 2012 Democratic primary for the 4th Senate District by a slim 69-vote margin but feels she has greater support this time around.
Critics of the tough-talking senator have taken to a Facebook page, "Malama Solomon Must Go," which says she "berates and insults testifiers and pushes for bills the public doesn't want."
read ... Malama Solomon Must Go
Kauai: How Many Employees are Currently Suing County?
KE: ...Speaking of zoos and lawsuits, I hear the county is proposing a $300,000 settlement — $100,000 each with a no-disclosure clause — in the EEOC complaints that police officers Mark Begley, Hank Barriga and Darla Abbatiello brought against Chief Darryl Perry. It all stems from a 2011 incident that, in typical Kauai fashion, spiraled out of control and ended with Mayor Bernard Carvalho suspending the Chief. His subordinates, Begley and Barriga, then fell like dominoes, and have been out on stress leave for more than two years. They reportedly won't be coming back to the department, but Darla has been working all this time.
Meanwhile, deputy county attorney (and former deputy prosecutor) Marc Guyot, who advised both the chief and the mayor, is leaving the county's employ at month's end. He's reportedly shopping for an attorney to represent him in a lawsuit against the county, claiming the chief ruined his reputation. Not that I recall he had one....
And now we've got lifeguards suing the county, too. Maybe The Garden Island's court reporter could do a bit of investigating and report on just how many county workers are embroiled in legal action against their employer. As opposed to, say, writing a lengthy paen to the Waipouli McDonald's….
read ... Musings: If Only
Prison guard admits to smuggling drugs for inmates, details how he did it
HNN: 45-year old Mark Damas changed his plea from 'not guilty', to 'guilty'. He also detailed the plan for Judge J. Michael Seabright, saying inmates would put in 'orders' for drugs and organize meetings with people on the outside. Damas would show up at these meeting to get the orders filled.
He'd then take the drugs, mostly meth, and hide the bag at a drop location, somewhere near the prison because he would be searched when he entered. Damas said someone else would pick up the items and put them in the 'comment card' box which had a broken lock. He would get them out of the box and distribute to inmates.
Damas would get a cut of the money from the sale of the drugs.
Only Hawaii News Now was there when Damas was arrested by federal agents in January.
Damas was scolded by the judge at one time during the hearing. It appeared that he was not admitting to all of the crimes and Judge Seabright said, "Stop wasting my time." He also said he was not accepting the change in plea. After Damas spoke in private with his attorney, Rustam Barbee, that was resolved and Damas continued with his admission..
read ... How He Did it
Soft on Crime: 38 yrs, 21 Convictions Running Loose on Streets
HNN: 38-year old Riley Asuncion was arrested for attempted murder....The alleged confrontation started in Hilo Monday morning. Someone called 911 about a domestic violence situation inside a pink SUV.
Hawaii Police officers found the SUV near Pana'ewa but the driver refused to stop. Assistant Chief Henry Tavares says Asuncion drove at two officers. One opened fire. Asuncion was bruised by debris. He was treated at the hospital and taken to the Hilo cell block.
The 30-year old woman who was part of the initial call was able to escape before police caught up to the SUV.
The officer who fired, a 6-year veteran of the force, and the other officer at the scene are now on desk duty while the investigation continues. That is standard procedure after a deadly force confrontation.
Asuncion has a long criminal record. He has 21 convictions which include burglary, domestic abuse, and terroristic threatening.
read ... Soft on Crime
Transportation companies petition state, city over Uber and Lyft
KITV: "Hawaiian Airlines, they were promoting it. They were promoting 50 free rides worth $25 each," said Dale Evans of Charley’s Taxi.
Evans fired off a petition to the mayor, the governor, the legislature and industry leaders urging them to take a closer look at the new transportation network startups of Uber and Lyft.
It was signed by other transportation heavy hitters-- like bus and limo companies-- who just want a level playing field....
Background: Video: Is Uber Super?
read ... Taxi Companies
Maui Won’t Let It Go, Appeals Police Case Against Publisher
CB: Despite video evidence and a judge’s ruling, Maui County is apparently convinced it still has a criminal case against the founder of the island’s alternative weekly newspaper.
MauiTime Publisher Tommy Russo was arrested two years ago after filming police pulling over cars near the base of Haleakala during Operation Recon, which targeted drivers with illegal window tinting. The enforcement effort was backing up traffic, so he went to find out why it was necessary.
A judge tossed the case two weeks ago after determining the officers lacked probable cause, but Maui County officials filed an appeal Tuesday.
MT: County Of Maui Appeals Kawano’s Ruling Throwing Out Criminal Case Against MauiTime Publisher Tommy Russo
read ... Maui Time
Birther Busted for Food Stamp Fraud
HTH: A 64-year-old Hilo man has been granted a deferred sentence for illegally receiving food stamps from the state Department of Human Services.
James George Borden pleaded no contest July 9 to third-degree theft, a misdemeanor.
He was found guilty by Hilo Circuit Judge Glenn Hara and sentenced to a year probation with 30 days in jail, with credit for time served and the remaining jail time stayed if Borden complies with terms and conditions of his probation, which include 50 hours of community service in a manner approved by his probation officer.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors reduced the charge from second-degree theft, a Class C felony, which is theft of more than $300 and less than $20,000....
Borden has been the subject of numerous letters to the editor in recent years for signs he has posted from the back of his pickup truck in a Kinoole Street parking space next to Lincoln Park in downtown Hilo.
read ... Birther
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