Ige: Intent to Veto 20 Bills--Including AirBnB Tax
Microbiologists Not Getting Enough Global Warming Grant Money
OHA trips over accountability, sunshine, and free speech
ILind: … It seems that the majority of OHA’s Board of Trustees is unhappy about continued criticism by Trustee Kelii Akina of their delays in completing a forensic audit of the agency and its affiliated Limited Liability Corporations.
Akina issued a news release on Thursday, June 20, which the Hawai’i Free Press published in full.
In the release, Akina identifies himself as the subject of disciplinary proceedings for violation of the OHA Trustee’s an unusual provision contained in the “Code of Conduct.” …
The Hawai’i Free Press includes helpful links, including a letter to the OHA board’s attorney from the lawyer representing Akina, and a copy of the relevant board policies and documents.
In this fight, I think Akina is definitely in the right, and the OHA trustees are again embarrassing themselves by failing to understand that the public has right to openness and accountability guaranteed by law and by the State Constitution. That’s what the state’s sunshine law is all about. Attempts to quash dissenting views and, more importantly, the underlying policy issues underlying the dissent, run counter to the public interest and the interest of OHA’s Hawaiian beneficiaries….
read … OHA trips over accountability, sunshine, and free speech
Bills Ige Won’t be Vetoing
DW: … On June 24th, our governor, David Ige, announced that he does not intend to veto a bevy of bills that will further harm the civil liberties of residents of the 50th state. These bills include:
read … The Left’s Agenda Unleashed In Hawaii Serves As A Warning
Prosecutions Could be Reversed Because Kealoha was prosecuting cases while faking ‘serious’ medical condition
HNN: … Records unsealed Monday by a federal judge show Katherine Kealoha was not capable of prosecuting cases for at least eight months between 2013 and 2014.
In a Feb. 13, 2014 letter, Dr. Jennifer Ito said Kealoha had a serious medical condition ― diagnosed nearly a year earlier ― that affected her ability to focus and attend legal proceedings.
The letter was for a state judge and got Kealoha out of a deposition in the civil case where her relatives accused her of stealing.
“At my direction, she is on medical or sick leave from work,” Ito wrote.
But records Hawaii News Now obtained from the city Prosecutor’s Office show Kealoha, whose trial on federal public corruption charges is ongoing, had been going to work during that time period….
Attorney Victor Bakke said the letter raises serious questions.
“She was incompetent to perform any job that required reasoning,” he said.
Bakke said Kealoha either ignored the letter or it was not legitimate.
“She was handling major cases at the prosecutors office at that time," he said….
In fact, Kealoha was heading the investigation into one of Bakke’s cases, the massive gambling case that resulted in the largest indictment in state history….
Attorney Victor Bakke says the document could affect many other cases and result in more civil suits against the city.
“They had an employee who was incompetent, medically-prohibited from doing their job and they allowed this person to prosecute these people," Bakke said.
Other documents unsealed Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Kobayashi show Kealoha still wasn’t cleared to return to work in June 2014.
Kobayashi opened the records after a request from the Civil Beat Law Center, which petitioned the court to see all the records from the federal case in which Kealoha’s uncle was accused of stealing her mailbox….
read … Unsealed records: Kealoha was prosecuting cases despite ‘serious’ medical condition
Judge to decide on change to Kaneshiro removal petition
SA: … A circuit judge will soon decide whether there needs to be a complete do-over of a petition campaign seeking to impeach embattled Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro.
An attorney for Tracy Yoshimura, who began the petition, wants to be allowed to amend his filing. The attorney for Kaneshiro wants Yoshimura to start over with a new list.
Also being debated before Circuit Judge Jeffrey Crabtree is whether the city should be required to accept Yoshimura’s electronic petition at all, or whether it needs to be submitted in writing….
Kaneshiro has been on paid leave from his $170,712-a-year job since March 7….
(CLUE: The argument over these details is a distraction. Just circulate a paper petition and lets get to the real issue—impeachment.)
read … Judge to decide on change to Kaneshiro removal petition
Anti-Pesticide Hysterics Decide to target Schools (again)
HNN: … Parents alongside concerned members of the the community (The usual suspects) are challenging school officials over the chemicals being used to kill weeds on campus.
During a community meeting Monday, the head of Hawaii’s public schools (helped feed the hysteria) admitted she’s not sure if the Department of Education is fully compliant with a new law banning certain pesticides on or near campuses.
Those restricted use chemicals are outlines in Act 45 which went into effect this past January.
Now many in the community (the usual suspects) want Hawaii’s public schools to take that law a step farther by banning all pesticides and herbicides on school campuses….
read … Vague guidelines on pesticide use at schools has community calling for change
Soft on Crime: Thief Let out to ‘Socialize’, Allegedly Commits Rape
KGI: … New charges have been filed against a Kauai Community Correctional Center inmate whose case was thrown out last month after a judge ruled that prosecutors violated court procedure while obtaining a grand jury indictment.
Stephen Makanani, 33, was arraigned Monday on one count of first-degree sexual assault for an incident that allegedly took place last August, when he was out of jail on a work release program. Makanani admitted to having sex with the woman but has maintained the affair was entirely consensual….
Makanani is currently serving a five-year prison sentence, after being convicted of motor vehicle theft in November 2017. The state had requested a 20-year sentence in that case because the car theft was committed just months after Makanani finished serving a previous five-year term for unrelated crimes.
In August 2018, after less than a year in prison, Makanani was allowed in a work furlough program, offered by the Hawaii Department of Public Safety as “an authorized, unescorted, temporary leave of absence from the institution,” intended to provide convicts with opportunities to socialize and prepare for reintegration to society prior to parole.
Makanani’s participation in the program came despite what the prosecuting attorney’s office described as “the state’s strong objection,” due to Makanani’s relatively extensive criminal history….
read … Soft on Crime
Telescope Should be Blocked Because Some People Have Decided Mauna Kea is Sacred
CB: … The issue on face value has always been whether the TMT should be built on arguably sacred land. Although debatable, it is my belief that the Mauna is sacred to any Hawaiian who believes it is sacred. With conflicting historical information, does it even matter whether or not we have a source that tells us undeniably that Mauna Kea, or the TMT site specifically, is or is not sacred? No….
CB: Anything us protesters build anywhere is ‘Cultural’ and therefore sacrosanct
read … TMT Debate Is About How Government Respects Hawaiians
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