DBEDT Hawaii Refinery Task Force Calls for Jones Act Waiver
PUC Orders HECO to Cut Costs, Integrate More Solar
Lawsuit: Bungling UH Construction Management Behind Delays, Change Orders, Cost Overruns
Legislature Passes State Budget
VIDEO: House Republicans Speak out on State Budget
McDermott helps land $2.3 million for Campbell High Air Conditioning
VIDEO: Is the Jones Act Impacting Domestic Oil?
Djou on Obama Asia Visit: Congress Should Pass Asia-Pacific Free Trade Pact Now
Leapfrog: Hawaii Among Top 5 States for Hospital Quality
Effects of Pension Plan Changes on Retirement Security
Repeal Jones Act Before Exporting Oil
Pigs at the Trough: Hawaii Anti-GMO activists Celebrate Arrival of Mainland Money Group
CB: On the 11th floor of the Gold Bond Building, on the edge downtown Honolulu, is the brain trust of Hawaii’s anti-GMO movement.
The Center for Food Safety opened a new field office here on April 16, saying it wanted to foster public support to end irresponsible pesticide use and genetic experimentation on seed crops on the islands.
Just two days before, on April 14, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit invited 60 people to the Pig and the Lady restaurant in Chinatown to make the announcement in person.
Attendees included some of Hawaii’s most recognizable nonprofits and business leaders as well as officials from the state Department of Health.
'Progressive' state lawmakers Jessica Wooley, Chris Lee and Russell Ruderman were also in attendance.
Over grilled pork shoulder, pickled small fish and mushroom donuts with manchego foam — all of it locally sourced — the Center for Food Safety’s staff introduced themselves as a new voice in Hawaii's food politics (and a bunch of food snobs).
Ashley Lukens, an adjunct political science professor (knows nothing about biology) and co-founder of the Hawaii Food Policy Council, is going to spearhead the nonprofit's efforts in Hawaii. She’ll be joined by Kasha Ho, a Kauai-born community organizer who has worked for Kanu Hawaii to help low-income families get access to local produce.
From their uncomfortably small office (not small enough) overlooking Sand Island and Honolulu Harbor, they plan to harness what has become a passionate, if sometimes unwieldy, anti-GMO movement....
read ... The Pig and the Lady
Senate Confirms Tamamoto, Wooley Appointments
CB: Ways and Means Chair David Ige, who is running against Abercrombie for governor this fall, had the Senate issue a news release Monday in which Ige questions whether Tamamoto, given his job, qualifies for the small-business seat he’s been appointed to.
The senators emerged just before noon and took up the Tamamoto appointment. There was no discussion before the Senate voted 20-5 to confirm him, with Sens. Sam Slom,Laura Thielen, Russell Ruderman, Les Ihara and Ige voting no.
The Senate moved the decision on the Wooley appointment till the end of their long agenda. It was after 2:40 p.m. before they considered it.
After comments from Slom against the appointment and strong support from Sen. Mike Gabbard and others in favor, the Senate confirmed Wooley in a 17-8 vote.
Sens. Donovan Dela Cruz, Gil Kahele, Michelle Kidani, Clarence Nishihara, Slom, Malama Solomon, Thielen and Glenn Wakai voted against the appointment.
read ... Senate Confirms Tamamoto, Wooley Appointments
HHSC faces $48M shortfall for state's public hospitals
PBN: The Hawaii Health Systems Corp. is facing a $48 million shortfall for the next fiscal year after the Legislature failed to agree on a bill that would have allowed the state's public hospitals to partner with a private entity and then approved only two-thirds of the funds the hospital system needs to operate.
The state's public hospitals received $120 million in the current fiscal year, and had had requested $135 million for the next fiscal year. But the Legislature only appropriated $87 million for the public hospitals, creating the $48 million shortfall.
"We won't make it, and we are starting to look at what we have to do in order to survive," HHSC Acting President and CEO Alice Hall told PBN.
Yesterday: HHSC Privatization Bill Killed by HGEA/UPW Controlled Legislators
read ... Cost of HGEA, UPW
Funding held up on Turtle Bay preservation deal
SA: Uncertain about whether they have the votes, state House leaders have put off a decision on whether to finance $40 million in bond money for a conservation easement at Turtle Bay Resort until Thursday, the last day of session.
Some lawmakers have complained that the scope of the terms of the conservation easement — including public access — is not in writing. Others have said that the Legislature has not had enough time to evaluate the $48.5 million deal announced this month among Gov. Neil Abercrombie, the city, a private land trust and the resort's developers to preserve 665 acres.
"We just have to evaluate the votes. It's not clear what the level of support is at this point," said House Majority Leader Scott Saiki (D, Downtown-Kakaako-McCully).
House and Senate negotiators had reached an understanding Friday on a bill that would finance the state's $40 million share of the Turtle Bay deal through revenue bonds. The state and the Hawaii Tourism Authority would restructure debt on the Hawai‘i Convention Center and use about $3 million in hotel room tax revenue annually to underwrite debt service on the bonds.
The bill would also stipulate that the public would have access to the conservation easement at Turtle Bay forever.
But the bill was hastily written — the final language was shouted out across a conference committee table in a crowded hearing room just before an internal deadline Friday evening — so many lawmakers had no opportunity to review the draft.
Because the bill was a product of conference committee, there was no public hearing.
IM: The State House, Turtle Bay and Kaka`ako
read ... Funding held up on Turtle Bay preservation deal
Progressives vs Hanabusa Over Pohakuloa Development
ILind: Just a couple of days after Hanabusa’s bill was announced, it was reported that a lawsuit was filed alleging the state has failed to enforce lease provisions requiring the military to clear unexploded ordnance left by training operations at Pohakuloa.
Even the Star-Advertiser, in an editorial this morning, took a cautious stance (“Pohakuloa plans need balance“).
read ... Militarization of public lands still a political battleground
Hawaii Independent Party Brings Many Hannemann Supporters into its Fold
ILind: There just isn’t much space between the new party and Hannemann’s campaign apparatus.
Maui realtor Michelle Del Rosario is the Hawaii Independent Party’s state co-chair and has emerged as its public spokesman. A search of campaign spending records from 2006 through 2013 shows Del Rosario did not contribute more than $100 to any political candidate or political party during that period. Nor was she reimbursed by any candidates for money spent as a campaign volunteer.
However, Del Rosario’s Twitter account shows she started tweeting in support of Hannemann’s congressional campaign at the beginning of 2012, and continued until just after Mufi’s shocking primary loss.
A week after the primary in August 2012, Del Rosario said in a tweet: “I am in need of my @MufiHannemann fix…. We miss you Mufi.”
After that, her account remained inactive until last week, when she again started retweeting items about Hannemann’s latest campaign announcement.
The Independent Party’s two Oahu co-chairs, Les Chang and Colin Ching, have both been major financial supporters of Hannemann’s campaigns. Chang contributed $7,500 to Hannemann’s campaign between 2007 and 2010, while Ching added $2,000 in July 2010. Both men also contributed to Hannemann’s 2012 congressional campaign, with Ching giving $2,500 and Chang adding $1,750.
The party’s Kauai co-chair, Russ Grady, was active in Hannemann’s 2010 campaign and received nine separate reimbursements totaling $1,463 after using his own funds to purchase office supplies, food and beverages, and travel for the campaign.
Big Island co-chair Lawrence Balberde made an in-kind contribution to the 2010 campaign for governor in the form of food and beverages for a Hannemann campaign fundraiser.
Maui co-chair Rob Stephenson was selected to participate in the Pacific Century Fellows program in 2012, a project of the Fund for the Pacific Century. Hannemann is the founder and chairman of the Pacific Century fund. His long-time associate, Trudi Saito, serves as executive director of the fellows program, and treasurer of the fund. Dean Okimoto, chair of Hannemann’s campaign for governor, is a member of the Pacific Century advisory board.
read ... None of these people are Democrats any more
With Lassner's Job on the Line, UH-Manoa Suddenly Decides to eliminate several management positions (sort of)
KHON: Chancellor Tom Apple says he plans to eliminate up to seven positions, including deans and executive directors, in order to cut costs and create a more efficient and leaner university.
Salaries range between $175,000 to $300,000 for each position and could save the university up to $2 million each year, Apple says.
The positions are not currently filled (ie this is all fake) and Apple says he’ll decide later this year which departments the cuts will come from. (even faker than fake)
Apple says the positions are not union-affiliated, so technically, he doesn’t need permission from any group to make the cuts. But he still plans to consult with the unions about this.... (LOL!)
Totally Related: Leak: UH Presidential Search Down to Lassner or Ret Gen Wiercinski
read ... Lassner Trying to Secure Nomination
Operator of state's largest landfill indicted
HNN: A federal grand jury Wednesday afternoon indicted the operator of the state's largest landfill over the spill of millions of gallons of contaminated water and medical waste onto the beaches near the Ko Olina resort more than three years ago.
Hawaii News Now has learned that the panel has charged Waste Management Hawaii, which operates the Waimanalo Gulch landfill near Nanakuli of criminal violations of the federal Clean Water Act.
The indictment covers its alleged role in the spills which occurred in December 2010 and January 2011 after three large rainstorms dumped nearly 30 inches of rain into the Waimanalo Gulch landfill, causing it to overfill.
read ... Indicted
TAT Falls Short Honolulu Salary Commission Goes Long
CB: Honolulu’s Salary Commission voted 5-1 on Tuesday to approve 8 percent raises for top city officials, including Honolulu City Council members, the mayor and department heads.
The raises now go to the City Council for decision making.
Council leaders, including Budget Chair Ann Kobayashi, have expressed reservations about their own salary increases, saying that 8 percent seemed like too much and they were willing to consider a 4 percent increase instead. (Go long to make 4% appear to be a compromise. Simple trick.)
read ... Salary Commission Gives Final Approval to 8 Percent Salary Hike Proposal
Kauai: What a Shame
KE: Shame seems to be a popular theme among the self-appointed “green” crowd on Kauai, with Surfrider's Gordon LaBedz happily acknowledging it's the primary tool that his group and Zero Waste Kauai are using to push businesses to use “biodegradable" take out containers.
As dutifully regurgitated by Chris D'Angelo in The Garden Island today: “We’re trying to shame people into doing the right thing. We’re not embarrassed to say that.”
Which assumes, of course, that Gordon and Pam Burrell of Zero Waste Kauai are arbiters of “the right thing.”
Personally, I can't stand Styrofoam and never use the stuff myself. Still, there's more than a little irony in the fact that many of these biodegradable containers are made from — you guessed it — the very same GMO corn and industrial agriculture practices that Surfrider reviles....
KGI: Styrofoam free Kilauea
read ... What a Shame
Hawaii lawmakers extend time for sex abuse cases
HNN: One of the proposals (HB 2034) would completely remove the statute of limitations for continuous sexual assault of a child or abuse in the first and second degrees.
The other (SB 2687) would extend the deadline for civil filings to 2016.
read ... Homosexual Child Molesters
Homeless building tree houses in Honolulu
HNN: Some of Honolulu's homeless are moving off the streets and into secluded tree houses. Tobias Debardeleben built his home a few days ago along the H-1 Freeway right outside the back fence of Foster Botanical Garden.
"They're making it impossible on the streets for anyone. They're kicking everyone off. You can't use bathrooms. You can't get electricity. They're giving fines out for everything," said Debardeleben.
The 47-year-old said he suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He told Hawaii News Now that he has been homeless for about a year after spending time in prison for theft.
"It was drugs and being stupid. It was my fault and I went to jail, and when I got out it was a bad situation where I just found myself broke," he explained....
Debardeleben said he eats meals at IHS, but no longer stays at the shelter.
"It's congregate living. It's not for everyone. If you are afflicted with something that kind of makes you irritable, when you're around a lot of people, it's just not easy," said Mitchell.
Debardeleben said he is tired of moving around (its working!) and is ready for a permanent home. (Good!)
"They're making it almost against the law to be homeless. (its working!) That's why I'm getting a place next week (CASE CLOSED!) cause I got Social Security and they're giving me money, first and last month's to move into a place," he said. (Good! One homeless person housed thanks to 'compassionate disruption'!)
read ... Homeless building tree houses in Honolulu
23% Would Leave Hawaii if they Could--Lowest Percentage of Any State
G: Every state has at least some residents who are looking for greener pastures, but nowhere is the desire to move more prevalent than in Illinois and Connecticut. In both of these states, about half of residents say that if given the chance to move to a different state, they would like to do so. Maryland is a close third, at 47%. By contrast, in Montana, Hawaii, and Maine, just 23% say they would like to relocate. Nearly as few -- 24% -- feel this way in Oregon, New Hampshire, and Texas.
read ... Tied with Maine and Montana Lowest in USA
Windward school teaches students to help autistic classmates
HNN: It's lunchtime at Ahuimanu Elementary School. The kids around the tables are more than just friends, they are peers to their classmates with autism. Asa and Tyler are two of the sixth-graders who've made huge strides.
"Tyler talks way more than he did before, because before he never used to talk. And Asa plays more at recess with people," sixth-grade peer student Lauryn Kong said.
Autistic kids have a hard time communicating or forming relationships. At Ahuimanu, a program called Friends teaches student volunteers simple techniques to bring autistic students out of their shell.
"It takes a lot of work on their part. But once they come around and they start responding to their questions and playing with them outside, then there's a lot of reward," Autism Consultant Teacher Kali Carvalho said.
read ... Help
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