HSTA Pushing ANOTHER Massive Pay Hike with No Accountability
Ige Approves Mauna Kea Administrative Rules
9 Years of CWS Failure Ends only with Death: Starved Hilo girl repeatedly returned to abusive family
HNN: … The Hilo girl who died of starvation was repeatedly removed from her home and returned (by HGEA members) despite concerns for her safety, according to state records provided to Hawaii News Now.
The Department of Human Services’ Child Welfare branch, admits in a detailed summary of the investigation into Shaelynn Lehano-Stone’s death, that there were safety concerns throughout the girl’s life.
From the time of her birth in September 2006, the record shows she was taken from her parents, Kevin Lehano and Tiffany Stone and placed in foster care.
"One reason might be that her brother was already in foster care for abuse and neglect,” said Steve Lane, a child advocate.
In May 2008, Lehano-Stone was returned to her parents.
Months later in August, the state agency received reports of physical abuse, neglect and threats from the child’s mother, Tiffany Stone, but CWS writes that workers weren’t able to confirm those reports so the investigation was closed.
January 2009, concern rose again because the child lost weight over two years and the state confirmed, failure to thrive. She was again placed in foster custody.
In August 2009, another confirmed threat of abuse by the mother kept the girl in foster care until 2011, when the document says, she was reunited with her parents.
“Bending over backwards to try and get this kid back in the house and it’s insane,” says Randall Rosenberg, the attorney for the girl’s estate.
A month after she was reunited, the mother said she could not care for the child and arranged for her mother, Henrietta Stone, to care for her via power of attorney.
However, the grandmother was assessed as “minimally safe and appropriate" so a safety plan was put into place. The safety plan included parenting services and stress management.
August 2014: CWS received a report of concern about all three adults but the intake was assessed at a “moderate level of risk and referred for Voluntary Case Management (not for investigation).”
A face-to-face assessment was done with the girl’s mother and father, but not the grandmother.
In November 2015, the grandmother filled out the one-page required document to home school the girl. The Department of Education’s form does not provide a way to reject a home school request and it’s been widely known that DOE and child services do not exchange information about abused children….
On June 28, 2016, emergency crews were summoned to the apartment on Kinoole Street in Hilo where Shaelynn Lehano-Stone was unconscious.
At nine years old, she weighed only 45 pounds. She died hours later.
The investigation by CWS cited physical neglect, medical neglect, failure to thrive, psychological abuse, psychological neglect and physical abuse by her mother, father and maternal grandmother.
And that’s not all, the report also shows the adults threatened neglect of the girl’s maternal cousin.
All three adults were charged with second degree murder. Tiffany Stone, the mother, has the first scheduled trial set for March….
read … CWS Fails on the Big Island Again and Again
The Usual Election Year Attempt to Shift Protest Movements into Get out the Vote Efforts is Back for 2020
CB: … This year, thousands are expected to descend upon the Capitol on opening day to participate in an event called “Hawaii Rising,” which is described as an effort to “shift the political landscape and shape a new future rooted in Aloha Aina (and elect somebody with smooth marketing) ” …
A range of grassroots groups from across the state have come together to organize this event. In addition to the Hawaiian organizations leading the effort to further initiatives to address conflicts over Mauna Kea, Hunananiho (also known as Sherwood Forest), the Kahuku wind farm and Maui water rights, progressive and environmental groups are lending their support and resources in hopes of raising the visibility of important issues like increasing the minimum wage and support for a Green New Deal….
One of the key leaders of the community resistance at Hunananiho is Kuike Kamakea-Ohelo, son of HULI leader Kalani Ohelo.
The elder Ohelo was one of the 32 people arrested in May 1971 in an effort to stop the evictions of Hawaiians and farmers in Kalama Valley. The Kalama Valley evictions were one of the critical junctures of the modern Hawaiian movement. Just as his father spoke at the Capitol in 1971, the younger Ohelo will be one of the speakers on the stage in the Capitol Rotunda on opening day nearly 50 years later….
A lot of the day’s focus will be on registering Hawaiians to vote. Whereas Hawaiians have long been skeptical of the voting process and resistant to participating in government processes they consider to be both unjust and illegal, the surge in community activism over the last year has convinced some Hawaiians to consider voting, many for the first time.
Hawaiians have one of the lowest voter turnout rates in Hawaii. Some of this can be attributed to strong political beliefs that Hawaii remains illegally occupied by the United States; therefore, to vote would be a head nod toward legitimizing an illegal occupation. Other Hawaiians simply believe the government to be largely corrupt, so it’s not worth their time or energy to vote, as the vote would have little impact in resolving systemic government problems.
Well-known Hawaiian activist (and failed windfarm magnate) Walter Ritte is leading much of the effort to get Hawaiians to vote. For weeks Ritte has been wearing shirts with the online voter registration website and talking to Hawaiians about the need to vote, despite their reservations.
“We need to vote. We need to change the system,” he said. “We need to vote out these politicians who support projects that destroy our lands and our resources (don’t pay off for me). These guys support the rich while (it should be my job to support them) ….
SA: 350 Telescope Protesters Rally for Voter Registration at Capitol
SA Editorial: Accurate Census aids islanders, all (This is the other thing OHA insiders want protesters to focus on now.)
Nature: How the fight over a Hawaii mega-telescope could change astronomy
Science: New front emerges in battle to build giant telescope in Hawaii
read … Hawaiians Ready To Descend On Capitol
CD2: Kai is not the guy
WHT: … we have Neil Abercrombie stepping in to call for Tulsi Gabbard’s removal and to hold a special election. You remember Neil, the first governor since 1962 to not win reelection due to poor job performance and a bad attitude. Of course Neil wants to rush this process. He wants his boy, State Sen. Kai Kahele, to be able to run for this seat before any actual legitimate candidates step forward and get their campaigns up and running. This must not be allowed to happen….
Kai has made his devotion to, and support of, the group of protesters currently occupying the access road to Maunakea clearly known. This group is trying to destroy a project that has passed all the legal hurdles and will provide countless benefits to the people of the island and State of Hawaii as well as all of the people of planet Earth.
Members of this group are also trying to resuscitate the sovereignty movement, which seeks to try to overthrow the State of Hawaii and reestablish the Nation of Hawaii. So in other words, Kai Kahele supports lawlessness, supports anarchy, and supports a group that includes members that seek the overthrow of the State of Hawaii. Now he wants us to send him to Washington. Seriously?…
read … Kai is not the guy
City Officials, Protesters Do Deal on Sherwood Forest Park—Build Same Thing with Different Name
CB: … Honolulu officials told Waimanalo residents at a neighborhood board meeting Monday evening that they had reached an agreement with two Hawaiian leaders that would allow construction of a controversial park to go forward….
(Keep Reading: This is what will soon happen with the telescope protesters.)
The new negotiated plan, as tentatively described by Roy Amemiya, the city’s managing director, involves converting Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, as it’s officially known, into a cultural and historic park. He said he envisioned ritual games to celebrate the makahiki season and hula performances on the site.
But Amemiya also described the park as having a field of some kind, parking suitable for school buses and an irrigation system to maintain green grass on the site — the same features that many opponents have previously singled out for criticism.
He said the mayor was proposing two City Council resolutions regarding the project, with one nullifying the $32 million park master plan but permitting phase one to proceed, and a second that would give the site a new name: Hunananiho Park, to underscore its historic Hawaiian association.
The city’s new plan drew applause from many in the audience but others criticized the deal as a sellout, negotiated secretly.
They questioned why an irrigation system was needed when the area was becoming reforested naturally, why parking for buses was needed and why the city had failed to make improvements to nearby damaged ballfields instead of building new ones.
A football coach, who questioned why the meetings were held secretly, said he wanted to participate in the talks because he still wants a regional ballfield complex there and believes it is needed.
The compromise was negotiated by Caldwell and his staff in a series of five private meetings with Hawaiian activists Kuike Kamakea-Ohelo and Kalani Kalima. The opposing sides were brought to the table by officers of the Honolulu Police Department, who urged them to seek reconciliation.
“It may not be what we wanted to hear,” Kamakea-Ohelo said, but added that the resolution nullifying the master plan would protect the park in perpetuity.
His comments drew widespread applause but so did the views of people who continue to oppose the city’s plan.
Kawahine Kamakea-Ohelo, the mother of one of the two negotiators, acknowledged that some people criticized the negotiation but that only a handful of families, including hers, had put themselves on the line there in protest for many long months.
She said a lawsuit filed by opponents to block the project had an uncertain future in the courts and that negotiation with the city had been essential to achieve a better, faster outcome.
“We have an opportunity,” she said. “We have to go forward.”….
SA: City to proceed with first phase of Sherwood Forest project
read … City Officials, Hawaiians Find Path Forward On Sherwood Forest Park
Amemiya Reports Nearly $1M In Mayoral Campaign Contributions
CB: … Keith Amemiya has received just over $730,000 in contributions in his bid to be elected mayor of Honolulu this year.
Add in the $200,000 he loaned to his own campaign and the figure grows to more than $940,000.
Amemiya’s filing on Monday with the state Campaign Spending Commission shows the cash he raised during the last six months of 2019 — the latest reporting period — as well as the money he spent in that time….
Big contributors include his dad, former Hawaii attorney general Ron Amemiya ($4,500) and cousin Roy Amemiya Jr. ($1,000), Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s managing director. Caldwell is completing his second and final term….
campaign expense reports are not due until Jan. 31. Other mayoral candidates such as Colleen Hanabusa, Ron Menor and Kymberly Pine, had not filed as of late Monday…
Hawaii CSC: Keith Amemiya Report
read … Amemiya Reports Nearly $1M In Mayoral Campaign Contributions
Anti-GMO Lobbyist: Legalize Magic Mushrooms and Establish Meth Camp in Waianae
CB: … No. 2 Community-driven solutions to houselessness. Puuhonua O Waianae is a village of approximately 250 people living unhoused on the leeward side of Oahu. A majority of residents are Native Hawaiians. It is an inspiring community-first approach to houselessness that: 1) is self-organized at nearly zero cost to taxpayers, 2) gets people the help they need: medical care, (meth) social services, (meth) food security (meth) and permanent housing, and 3) provides safety, (meth) healing, (meth) and purpose ….
(Translation: We need to see if we can we make tweekers part of the ‘revolution’.).
No. 4 Legalization or decriminalization of nature and plant medicine. Inspired by recent initiatives in Oregon and Colorado, this year the Legislature will consider the therapeutic use of psilocybin to treat anxiety and depression. More tools, more clarity….
(Translation: People who use psychedelics believe my chemophobia campaigns every time.)
No. 7 Investigative Journalism! The growing success of Civil Beat gives me hope that we can all make informed decisions for 2020.
(Translation: The billionaires are with me.)
No. 8 Plastic Free Hawaii: Thanks to the tireless, multi-year efforts of groups like Sustainable Coastlines, Kokua Hawaii Foundation, Zero Waste Hawaii, Surfrider Foundation, and others, we have finally moved the needle on the flow of garbage into our oceans and onto our beaches. The city’s Bill 40 is the strongest in the nation and makes us a leader, yet again, in environmental protection.
(Translation: I am with the billionaires. I am working to keep the beaches in front of their vacation homes clean -- and free of aquarium fishers.)
No. 12 Youth-led solutions for our future: In 2019, Parley.tv launched Parley Ocean School on the North Shore of Oahu. This program brought youth leaders from across the world into Hawaii to develop their solutions to the problems that older generations have left them. They’re building a network of youth around the world, ready to tackle issues like plastic pollution, indigenous guardianship, industrialized fishing, and climate change.
(Translation: The billionaires are with me. I’ve already got a shoe deal.)
TGI: Ban proposed on ‘forever chemicals’
read … 20 Reasons To Be Hopeful At The 2020 Legislature
Not enough assisted death?
ONN: … Though Hawaii's assisted suicide law is only a year old, members of the state legislature are being pressured to eliminate its restrictions. Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition tells OneNewsNow only 27 people took advantage of the law last year.
"What's most interesting about the media perspective on it is they're presenting as too few [deaths]," Schadenberg relays. "The whole media presentation I've seen on the Hawaii issue is the law is too tight and we need more deaths…
read … Not enough assisted death?
HPD 250 Officers Short—Another 268 Could Retire
HNN: … Honolulu police officials say the department will add more detectives and increase patrols islandwide amid a string of brazen purse snatchings and muggings that appear to target the most vulnerable population: The elderly….
Right now, HPD is 250 officers short. And at the beginning of the year, there were 268 officers eligible for retirement….
HPD’s crime mapping tool shows 81 reported robberies in the last month.
At a community meeting Thursday in Hawaii Kai, Police Chief Susan Ballard said the crimes appear to be random ― scattered around the island and around the clock.
"They’re not concentrated in one particular area. It’s not any particular time. It’s really all over the charts,” Ballard said….
On the same day the event was held, police were called to investigate yet another violent purse snatching.
A 62-year-old woman was targeted at 5 a.m. as she was walking to work near the corner of Aala and North Kukui streets in Kalihi.
The attack left the woman in critical condition with a ruptured spleen.
It comes after similar muggings that were caught on camera in Kalihi, Waikiki, Moanalua, Pearl City and in Chinatown….
HNN: Caldwell said he wants to put together a crime fighting package to present to the City Council that would include funding for more officers and other initiative
read … HPD to hire detectives, increase patrols amid spate of violent crimes
Public Safety Department Wants to Add 15 More Vacant Positions
CB: … The state Department of Public Safety wants to add 15 new correctional officer positions at the Maui jail even though it can’t fill the more than 40 vacancies it already has.
Director Nolan Espinda laid out his department’s budget needs to the House Finance Committee Monday. Many of his budget requests addressed overcrowding and disrepair at the state’s correctional facilities….
even as he made the case for the new positions, Espinda told state representatives that the Maui facility has 42 correctional officer vacancies.
Of 157 recent applicants, 100 failed to show up for the written test, he said.
The department is now offering a $7,500 signing bonus over a two-year period, he said….
SA: ACLU and Criminal Families Have Idea: Let Lots and Lots of Criminals Back out on to the Streets
read … Public Safety Department Wants 15 More Guards But Can’t Fill Vacancies
Enviros Instructed to Make Hawaiian Hawk A Political Pawn
CB: … January 2 was supposed to be a big day for the Hawaiian hawk, or ‘io. That’s when the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced a final rule that would remove the hawk — a symbol of Hawaiian royalty — from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. ….
B-b-but … The Trump administration has launched an all-out assault on federal environmental regulations, including the Endangered Species Act….
(So you are now instructed to oppose the delisting of the ‘io. even though you were fine with it for the last two weeks. Take your soma and Obey. )
Background: Rebounding Hawaiian Hawk Removed From Endangered List
read … How The Endangered Hawaiian Hawk Became A Political Pawn
Hold on to your Wallet—The Legislative Session is About to Begin
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