Regents Chair: University Must Lead Effort for Mauna Kea Resolution
RAND: Chinese Influence in Micronesia
Ken Lawson’s Gift Keeps on Giving: Former death row inmate arrested in Waikiki robbery
SA: … Honolulu police arrested two men after an early morning robbery in Waikiki today.
One of the men was identified as Isaiah McCoy, the former Delaware death row inmate. (Brought to Hawaii by convicted felon and ex-con and UH Law School instructor Ken Lawson of the OJ Simpson Innocence Project)
Police said two suspects approached a victim on Kuhio Avenue at about 2:25 a.m. today and used physical force to take a piece of jewelry.
The perpetrators fled on foot to a vehicle, which subsequently crashed.
Police arrested the suspects on suspicion of second-degree robbery….
Most Intelligent Comment: “"Prof" Lawson brought this guy to Hawaii and now he doesn't want anything to do with him. WTH, so now he's our problem???? Lawson is a convicted felon who was allowed to attend UH and become a "prof," but other people are getting denied admission to colleges because they posted something offensive on social media when they were a teenager.”
read … About the Cost of Political Correctness
False police report at center of new retaliation allegations against prosecutor’s office
HNN: … A new claim of retaliation by the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has surfaced.
The latest comes from an employee who says the administration made a false police report to get back at her.
The woman works as an investigator for the prosecutor’s office.
She has testified three times before the federal grand jury that is hearing evidence against her boss, Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro.
(Therefore) Kaneshiro’s special assistant, Roger Lau, called Honolulu Police on Feb. 20, claiming employees heard the woman threaten to get a gun and shoot the administration….
Lau wanted a terroristic threatening case opened.
But the detective’s notes show the next day, on Feb. 21, one of those employees told him he did not have any recollection of the incident and, “did not remember any talk about a gun.”
A second employee told the detective that he never considered any comment the woman made was a threat, and never initiated any police action, despite Lau telling the detective this employee was the complainant….
read … False police report at center of new retaliation allegations against prosecutor’s office
Effort To Impeach Honolulu Prosecutor Continues
CB: … The city charter requires at least 500 signatures for impeachment petitions.
State law says each governmental agency “shall determine” whether it will accept electronic signatures. But Kiuchi, Yoshimura’s attorney, pointed out that the city didn’t adopt any specific rules to accept or not accept, and arbitrarily decided in this case not to accept.
Kiuchi and Yoshimura said they have asked the Corporation Counsel for written policy on electronic signatures but were denied.
“We think the issue of electronic signatures is almost as big of an issue,” Kiuchi said, adding that they would like to set a precedent. They have set up a website to gather signatures, which they say is far easier.
Meanwhile, Yoshimura and Kiuchi say they have collected handwritten signatures but don’t have an accurate count….
HNN: Yoshimura filed a motion for reconsideration last week, challenging the city’s attorneys who say they can refuse to allow e-signatures.
read … Effort To Impeach Honolulu Prosecutor Continues
With Dwindling Numbers, Telescope Protesters Try to Whip up ‘Excessive Force’ Hysteria
SA: … (In an effort to re-inflate their crowds) The activists blocking the Mauna Kea Access Road announced today “there has been word” that the state will use Hawaii National Guard troops and out-of-state law enforcement officers in the next 30 days to clear the way for construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope to begin….
(IQ Test: Do you believe this?)
In a news release posted on social media this morning, the protesters said they have also been notified that “law enforcement is considering using excessive force by way of chemical dispersants to punish and suppress our people standing in peace and protection of our mauna.”…
Krishna F. Jayaram, special assistant to Attorney General Clare E. Connors, said he would not comment on “operational details” in connection with the protests, but noted that “law enforcement has acted, and will continue to act, with professionalism, and the protesters’ assertion that state law enforcement is ‘considering using excessive force… to punish and suppress our people’ is utterly wrong.”
“Law enforcement is trained to use the appropriate amount of force to make sure that illegal conduct is stopped – in this case, it would be the weeks-long illegal blockage of Mauna Kea Access Road,” Jayaram said in an emailed statement….
read … Hysteria
Stalled in Hawaii, giant telescope faces roadblocks at its backup site in the Canary Islands
S: … The stalemate between astronomers eager to build one of the world’s next great telescopes and opponents, many of whom believe the site is sacred, has shifted attention to the TMT’s “plan B,” an alternative site on La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco. But La Palma is looking like another bed of nails for the project.
Astronomers say that the 2250-meter-high site, about half as high as Mauna Kea, is inferior for observations. Canada, one of six TMT partners—which also include Japan, China, India, the California Institute of Technology, and the University of California—is especially reluctant to make the move and could withdraw from the $1.4 billion project, which can ill afford to lose funding. Finally, an environmental group on La Palma called Ben Magec is determined to fight the TMT in court and has succeeded in delaying its building permit. It says the conservation area that the TMT wants to build on contains archaeological artifacts. “They’re willing to fight tooth and nail to stop TMT,” says Thayne Currie, an astronomer at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California….
Related: Canary Island Enviros -- Hawaii Inspires us to Block Telescope from OUR Islands
read … Stalled in Hawaii, giant telescope faces roadblocks at its backup site in the Canary Islands
Bill 25: Make Housing Less Affordable by Outlawing Natural Gas On Demand Water Heaters
SA: … Bill 25, currently moving through the City Council, includes a section that would eliminate the choice for residents to use economical and efficient gas-powered water heaters, which can also run on RNG.
In 2010, the state of Hawaii mandated solar water heaters for all new home construction, but also recognized that solar water heaters were not always the best option. Lawmakers included reasonable exceptions for high costs and for places with less sunlight. This was not only sensible but also demonstrated responsible leadership in recognizing that there cannot be a “one-size fits all” approach to water-heating systems.
Bill 25 eliminates options and costs consumers more money. The current estimated cost difference between a gas and a solar water heater is at least $7,000. This cost is based on home installations that range from $1,000 to $2,500 for an on-demand gas water heater and between $8,000 and $10,000 for a solar water heater, excluding federal tax credits that are about to expire….
In July, on Kauai, we witnessed what happens when electricity and solar go down. When a provider’s largest generator failed, there was not enough sunlight to keep the power on, resulting in an islandwide blackout. Hawaii residents and businesses need a dependable source of clean energy to avoid disruption….
read … Hawaii’s energy goals have room for renewable natural gas
HECO to Sell Emission Permits After Closing Coal Plant
IM: … Imagine setting up a system whereby companies that cut their greenhouse gas emissions to levels below what they are legally allowed to emit, can sell the difference to companies which have excessive greenhouse gas emissions.
Hawai`i legislators authorized that approach. Act 234-2007 (HB 226 SD2 HD2 CD1) was passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Lingle.
“By January 1, 2020, the State of Hawaii shall reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions to levels at or below the best estimations and updates of the inventory of greenhouse gas emissions estimates for 1990.”
“Examination and use of market-based compliance mechanisms to achieve emission reductions.”
The AES coal plant in Campbell Industrial Park is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
Hawaiian Electric Company proposed that all greenhouse gas generators that are legally required to cut their emissions--share their emission limits--enabling the AES coal burner to be able to continue to emit elevated levels of greenhouse gases.
Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) proclaimed, “Assigning firm GHG emission caps to individual facilities does not provide sufficient flexibility to accommodate those types of system upsets that are a natural part of system operation.”
“For these reasons, the Hawaiian Electric Companies and three major independent Power Producers (IPPs) have elected to use the partnering provisions in Act 234 Regulations to create a Partnership.”
“The Partnership has an overall GHG emissions cap that it commits to attain.”
The Hawai`i Department of Health set a deadline of September 27, 2019 to comment on the proposal. A public hearing will be held at Momilani Elementary School, 2130 Hookiekie Street, Pearl City, Oahu on September 26, 2019 starting at 6:30 p.m.
The four HECO facilities are Kahe, Waiau, Campbell Industrial Park (CT-1), and the closed Honolulu Power Plant by Aloha Tower. The three MECO facilities are Maalaea, Kahului, and Palaau (Moloka`i). The three HELCO facilities are Keahole, Puna, and Kanoelehua-Hill in Hilo. The three IPPs are Hamakua Energy Power (HEP) facility, the AES Hawai`i facility, and the Kalaeloa Partners LP (KPLP) facility.
read … Hawai`i & HECO Promote Higher Greenhouse Gas Emissions
State Makes Excuses for Leaving Airplane Emissions out of Global Warming Calculations
CB: … This year, the Department of Health issued an updated Greenhouse Gas Inventory for the state with numbers verified through 2015. It will issue similar updates over the next several years. The GHG Inventory, by statute, specifically excluded air and marine transportation from the baseline and goal. However, in order to have a more complete accounting, the Inventory does estimate all transportation activities that occur within Hawaii and originate in Hawaii. The Inventory excludes emissions from international flights/shipping originating outside of Hawaii. This exclusion is consistent with international and federal EPA GHG inventory protocols.
Act 15, established in 2018, sets Hawaii’s net-negative “zero emissions clean economy target.” It does not exclude aviation or marine transportation but does say that the target is applicable to emissions “within the State.” This is also consistent with international and federal protocols.
Currently, however, no protocol exists for attributing international flights. There is an active debate on how to do this and what Hawaii should do about it. International negotiations on this are underway, as referenced in the Civil Beat article. Their purpose is to develop a protocol to account for international emissions so that the aviation industry can work toward carbon neutrality by using carbon offsets until technology exists to eliminate emissions.
The outcome of these negotiations and how the U.S. decides to implement it domestically will directly affect how Hawaii accounts for its emissions and what amount of offsets will be needed to achieve our net-negative target….
2019: Report: Hawaii Greenhouse Gas Emissions Drop After Aviation Emissions Reclassified as 'International'
read … A Bunch of Excuses
Isles have second-longest wait time for transplants, national study finds
SA: … Flora Kim has been anxiously waiting for a new kidney since 2013.
The 37-year-old Ewa Beach resident became diabetic in her teens while still in high school and has been on dialysis 16 hours a day to clean her blood now that her kidneys can no longer do the job.
Hawaii had the second- longest wait time for organ transplants in 2018 with 22.5%, or 250, of patients waiting five years or longer, according to a new study by HealthTestingCenters.com, an online company based in Florida that markets lab testing directly to consumers. The company used data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Alabama had the longest wait time.
Nationally, the wait list for organ transplants is growing, with the donations “far outnumbered” by the patients who are in need. In 2018, 113,000 patients were on wait lists — 5,800 dying before getting a transplant….
read … Isles have second-longest wait time for transplants, national study finds
Will Council Charge Biki for use of City Land?
KITV: … According to the Department of Transportation Services, Honolulu bikeshare nonprofit Biki is the 6th most-utilized in the country, despite being just two years old.
Bikeshare Hawaii executive director Todd Boulanger said that the city brought Biki in because a public-funded bikeshare program would have cost the city $12 million. Instead, they donated $1 million and street space (for the bike stations) to Biki.
Honolulu city council member Heidi Tsuneyoshi proposed bill 19-204, which passed in budget committee. This resolution proposes entering into a lease agreement with Biki, and charging Biki an unnamed dollar amount for each square foot of city land they use.
Currently, Biki has 130 stations across the city and says they would be forced to remove 85% of them if this resolution came into fruition. …
(How could they know that if they don’t know the rental fee?)
The resolution is set to be up for a vote on Wednesday, September 4.
Plans for the expansion of a construction debris landfill riles some Nanakuli residents
SA: … A vigorous construction industry on Oahu has accelerated plans to expand a special landfill in Nanakuli where some residents regard the facility as a scourge in their community.
PVT Land Co. Ltd., operator of the 104-acre landfill for construction and demolition debris, recently published a draft environmental study for expanding the facility by 75 acres on an adjacent site zoned for agriculture near the bottom of Lualualei Valley not far from homes.
The company, which runs the only landfill accepting commercial construction and demolition (C&D) debris on the island, said the expansion is necessary and in line with a 1970s city designation.
Without expansion a booming construction industry could grind to a halt and give rise to illegal dumping, the company contends.
“The closure of the PVT (facilities) would leave Oahu without a commercial C&D landfill,” the firm said in its draft environmental impact statement filed in July with the state Office of Environmental Quality Control. …
read … Plans for the expansion of a construction debris landfill riles some Nanakuli residents
New Prison Oversight Commission Is Off To A Slow Start
CB: … The Legislature delivered. In the 2019 session, it passed House Bill 1552, which became Act 179. The act, signed into law by Gov. David Ige on July 2, established the five-member, independent Correctional Systems Oversight Commission, among other criminal justice reform measures. ….
The two appointments so far came from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald.
OHA was the first to announce its appointment — Mark Kawika Patterson, the administrator of the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility — on July 5, just three days after the law was signed….
Recktenwald’s appointee is retired circuit judge Ronald Ibarra of Kona. He is a former deputy prosecutor in Kona and Hawaii County Corporation Counsel.
Three other appointments are to be made by the governor, Senate President and House Speaker….
read … New Prison Oversight Commission Is Off To A Slow Start
Doped up Sovereignty Activist Fights with Police, Loses
KGI: … A fifth circuit jury this week found Kapana Thronas-Kahoonei, 25, of Anahola, guilty of Resisting Arrest following a three-day trial.
According to evidence presented at trial, on Feb. 20, 2019, Kaua‘i Police Department Officers Joel Snyder and Alexander Lacson Jr., conducted a traffic stop on a white sedan for lacking a rear license plate. Officer Snyder observed a marijuana cigarette in the driver’s side door compartment and attempted to arrest Thronas-Kahoonei, who violently and actively resisted those attempts.
Eventually it took three officers to subdue the defendant. This incident occurred only five weeks after Thronas-Kahoonei was found guilty by another fifth circuit jury for an unrelated Resisting Arrest charge….
Related: Supposed Sovereignty “Expert” Has A Troubling Past
read … Drugs
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