Ethics: Hawaii Socialists Illegally Lobbied for Gaza ‘Ceasefire’ Resolution on Taxpayer Dime
Only 31 rebuilding permits have been issued after the fire. Here’s what it took for a professional building contractor to get one.
MN: … When Kari Alexander was looking for rentals after losing her home in the Lahaina fire, she pulled up a map, looked at all the places she wanted to live and sent out letters to 25 homeowners asking if they’d be willing to rent to a displaced family.
That perseverance landed the Alexanders a one-year lease in Kahoma Village, and it also got them through the process of securing their permit to rebuild on the Komo Mai Street property where their home burned down nearly 11 months ago.
“Take it one day at a time. Do one thing each day,” Alexander said when asked what advice she would give to Lahaina residents who are about to go through the same process.
Since she and her husband Rich Alexander became the first Lahaina residents to receive permits to rebuild in mid-May, Kari Alexander’s phone has been ringing as others seek advice on rebuilding in the wake of the Aug. 8 wildfires that killed at least 102 people and destroyed more than 2,200 structures in Lahaina as well as 19 homes in Kula.
A total of 31 disaster recovery permits for residential structures have been issued as of Wednesday, including 28 in Lahaina and three in Kula, according to Desilee Santiago, one of four permit technicians with 4LEAF, which received a three-year, $16 million contract to help Maui County with the permitting process following the fires.
DO THE MATH: 28/2200 = 1.3% in Lahaina. 3/19 = 15.8% in Kula. Why? Less government obstruction and delay in Kula.
Another 61 permits, including 60 in Lahaina and one Upcountry, are under review, Santiago said. …
The Alexanders were determined to rebuild. When they learned the Disaster Recovery Permit Center would open April 29, they started their paperwork on April 1 and tried to chip away at one thing every night. Rich Alexander builds homes for a living, but even then it wasn’t easy.
Kari Alexander said she struggled to get answers from the county about how to access their “closeout package” proving their lot had been cleared of debris and tested for contaminants. It’s one of the most crucial things applicants need; Santiago says the office can’t issue a permit without it. After tracking it down online, Alexander now knows the steps by heart. (Go to mauirecovers.org, click on the “get updated” tab, and under “maps and data” select “closeout package.” Enter your address on the map, click on the blue pin that appears on the property and scroll down to access the closeout package.)
The permit office said the turnaround time was 15 days, and they met that timeline, Alexander said. Her home’s concrete foundation was poured last week, and the walls started going up Tuesday. …
Aug 2023: Do Lahaina Property Owners Have the Right to Rebuild?
read … Over 30 rebuilding permits have been issued after the fire. Here’s how some Lahaina homeowners did it
Lahaina Fire Survivors Prepare To Test Maui County's Rules On Living In The Burn Zone
CB: … With the trailer on a barge en route to Hawaii, two business partners plan to set up a makeshift home on the now-cleared property….
“I’m prepared for somebody of authority to tell us we have to get out,” U‘i said. “And we will say, ‘Why? Is this or is this not our property?’ The soil has been sampled, it’s been cleared, it’s safe. There’s a housing shortage. In fact, there’s zero housing. I am prepared to test the limits, to fight for our rights. And I think Mario is, too.”
The Maui County Council is considering legislation that would allow fire victims to build temporary homes in the burn zone for up to five years. The proposal aims in part to help residents like Mario who don’t have the capital to rebuild a home in today’s market but wish to reoccupy their land as soon as possible ….
read … Lahaina Fire Survivors Prepare To Test Maui County's Rules On Living In The Burn Zone
Health care facilities gear up for HECO’s ‘last resort’ power shutoff plan that kicks in today
MN: … Maui Medical Group says it would have to shut down affected clinics if they lost power under Hawaiian Electric’s new fire prevention measures ….
SA: Kokua Line: Where’s checklist for planned power outage?
SA: Hawaii urged to prepare for wildfire power shutoffs
read … Health care facilities gear up for HECO’s ‘last resort’ power shutoff plan that kicks in today
Honolulu Bill To Rein In Fake Farms Threatens Real Ag Enterprises
CB: … Beekeepers, kennels and livestock owners say a proposed change to Honolulu's land use ordinance would drive them out of business….
But a new bill seeking to alter Honolulu’s Land Use Ordinance could create a flurry of new restrictions for beekeeping on Oahu’s agricultural lands. Proposed changes include a limitation on the number of beehives per property and a cap on the size of individual hives.
“These regulations would put me out of business, at least in terms of my own honey production,” said Falinski, head of Nalo Meli Honey….
read … Honolulu Bill To Rein In Fake Farms Threatens Real Ag Enterprises
Roadmap to Hawaii’s Future: Former college in Waikiki will soon house homeless
HNN: … The city offered an update Friday on its efforts to convert a Waikiki highrise and former college into an affordable housing space, saying that 21 homeless families have already been placed and are getting supportive services.
Meanwhile, at least 100 more families will be moved into the program at Waikiki Vista.
And the rest of the units at the 19-story highrise on Kapiolani Boulevard will be used for affordable housing, limited to households that earn 60% of area median income or less.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said the city has contracted with nonprofit Catholic Charities Hawaii to move homeless families in — and that work started in June….
Waikiki Vista is the former home of Hawaii Tokai International College and the city purchased it in 2022 for $37.75 million.
In addition to housing, the highrise is the new home for the Royal Hawaiian Band….
SA: Editorial: Plan more projects like Waikiki Vista
HPR: New affordable housing high-rise could be full by end of summer
read … Former college in Waikiki will soon house 120 homeless families as part of city program
What happened in Hawaiʻi on July 4, 1776
KHON: … In 1776, the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi was still about 34 years away from being created. The islands were not united; and the term Hawaiʻi as we understand it today, did not exist….
read … What happened in Hawaiʻi on July 4, 1776 | KHON2
Charles Djou plays leading role in 80th anniversary of D-Day events
HNN: … Former Hawaii Congressman Charles Djou played a leading role in last month’s 80th anniversary of D-Day events as secretary and chief executive of the American Battle Memorials Commission.
At the June 6 commemoration at Normandy Beach, Djou was the first speaker before President Emmanuel Macron, of France, and U.S. President Joe Biden — where he said Americans defend freedom in foreign lands, but then brings its soldiers home.
“All that America asks for in return for the sacrifice of our brave and our young and our finest is a few small plots of land to bury our dead,” he said….
“You had Secretary Austin, you had Secretary Blinken, and you had Secretary Djou,” she said. “I mean, you know, to see a local boy of such prominence.”
The American battle monuments commission oversees 31 memorials and cemeteries in 17 countries, including the Honolulu Memorial, which surrounds the statue of Lady Columbia in Punchbowl.
A former Republican who supported Biden over Trump, Djou was appointed to the job about two years ago. But he said why isn’t clear to him.
“The short answer is, I don’t know. I mean, all political points are a little bit of a black box, no matter where you get appointed,” he said ….
read … Former Hawaii congressman plays leading role in 80th anniversary of D-Day events
Muslims and Anti-Semites Protest Against July 4
KHON: … One of the event leaders, Hana Alborno, is Palestinian herself and her father is from the Gaza strip …
"We know that both Palestine and Hawai'i are both illegally occupied and we did not want to celebrate that so we came up with this instead," organizer Sala Mapa explained.
The demonstrators renamed the holiday "Interdependence Day," focusing on peace and rallying against RIMPAC, the world’s largest maritime exercise ….
read … Instead of celebrating, activists protest, denounce U.S. military, RIMPAC exercise
UH Gender identity researcher Milton ‘Mickey’ Diamond challenged the idea of juvenile sex-reassignment surgery
SA: … Diamond was known internationally for his thorough investigation of the case of David Reimer, a boy whose penis had been mutilated and then removed entirely after a botched circumcision. A consulting physician recommended to the boy’s parents that the infant’s remaining genitalia be removed, basic female genitalia be surgically created and the child be raised as a girl. The doctor then tracked the development of the child and his twin brother, and published several scholarly papers claiming that the child, then known as Brenda, was being successfully raised as a girl.
Diamond’s studies of clinical cases, of hormones and of the imprinting phenomenon and learning theory, led him to the conclusion that this was highly unlikely. He published several scholarly papers challenging the doctor’s claims and was eventually asked to be a consultant on a British Broadcasting Corp. documentary on the case that aired in 1980.
Diamond’s work on the issue resulted in responsible doctors around the world rethinking the practice of cosmetic surgical intervention on babies’ sexual organs.
When Diamond found Reimer, by then an adult, he was proved correct. Reimer had not been successfully raised as female, but reclaimed his birth gender identity as soon he learned what had been done to him. Reimer eventually received surgery to restore his original physical gender.
Reimer’s life experiences inspired playwright Anna Ziegler’s 2016 play, “Boy,” about a physician who decides to raise a mutilated male infant as a girl. The Actors’ Group staged “Boy” in Honolulu in 2017; Diamond was a guest of honor when he and his wife attended a performance during the run….
read … Renowned gender identity researcher Milton ‘Mickey’ Diamond to be remembered
Hawaii among best states for USPS mail delivery
HNN: … The service performance report shows the best and worst states and districts for USPS mail delivery. The target percentage score is 93.
The top 10 USPS mail delivery districts are five of the six districts in California, one of Pennsylvania’s two districts, one of New York’s three districts, Hawaii, one of Florida’s three districts and one of three districts in Texas.
All of those districts had percentage scores between 91 and 94. Four of the top 10 districts scored above the target score of 93….
read … Here are the best and worst states and districts for USPS mail delivery
Beach Erosion caused by Destruction of Reefs
CB: … Maalaea Bay, where large pollution has been documented. Its coral reefs, described in 1972 as “striking in their diversity and in the presence of rare corals species,” was reduced to 8% live coverage by 2007. Its beaches are mostly gone and several condominium buildings are threatened.
Mr. LaBedz’s statement that “If nature wanted a reef, one would have grown there” ignores the well-documented reduction of coral reefs in Hawaii.
Therefore, destroying coral reefs allows more wave energy to reach shore, eroding sand. Building seawalls is a last-ditch effort to save structures and does accelerate erosion of remaining sand, but erosion continues even without a seawall….
CB: Oahu Coral Group Gears Up To Help Maui's Battered Reefs - Honolulu Civil Beat
read … Submerged Breakwaters Are Best Way To Maintain Hawaii Beaches
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