July 7, 1935: Moscow orders first Communists to Hawaii
Three Hawaii Governors Call on Biden to Quit Race
Biden expected to make decision about future in ‘next couple of days,’ Hawaii governor says
The Importance of Conformity
Three anti-TVR measures go back before Hawaii County Council
HTH: … A trio of contentious measures revamping where and how short-term vacation rentals are allowed to operate on Hawaii Island are heading back to the County Council.
Earlier this year, three bills were introduced to the council that would create a slew of new regulations for short-term rentals, ranging from various rental standards to stricter zoning and nonconforming use restrictions.
These bills were, on the whole, not popular among short-term rental operators, who turned out in droves over several meetings to warn that the new regulations would lead to the collapse of their livelihoods.
Following equally tempestuous meetings of the Windward and Leeward Planning Commissions, the council on Monday will consider updated drafts of the bills at a meeting of its Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use and Development.
The centerpiece of the reforms is Bill 121, which defines short-term rentals — units rented by tenants for less than 180 days — as “transient accommodation rentals” and establishes a new section of the County Code regulating their use….
read … Three STVR measures go back before County Council
Leased land vital to military readiness
SA: … Having lived in Hawaii and served in the Pacific for 11 years, I can attest that training locally is vital. Training in Hawaii generates readiness for the Army, the Hawaii National Guard, Army Reserve forces and other services. Essential federal, state and local agencies, such as police and first responders, also conduct important training on these areas.
Over the last two decades, the Army in Hawaii has invested millions of dollars and thousands of hours annually to preserve cultural sites and restore ecological habitats. This includes removing invasive species and attending to the more than 120 known traditional Hawaiian sites and over 40 endangered species in Makua Valley.
For properties like the Waikoloa Maneuver Area known as Former Used Defense Sites, or FUDS, the Army Corps of Engineers conducts surveys and remediation of hazardous material such as unexploded ordinance. Earlier this year, the Army achieved conditions to remove housing and urban development restrictions for more than 14,000 acres on two parcels in Waikoloa….
(CLUE: That 14,000 acres sounds like an offer in negotiations.)
To clarify as well, the state leases expiring in 2029 are only a small portion of Makua Military Reservation, confined to 782 acres near the front of the valley. At Pohakuloa, that figure is 23,000 acres or 17% of the total training area. In other words, this lease discussion does not address other areas already federally managed….
read … Column: Leased land vital to military readiness
Focus on Skyline basics, not optics
SA: … Just when Oahu’s rail project seemed poised to forge ahead by putting its most-recent turmoil behind, it self-inflicts another wound.
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) board is now talking about spending $110,000 for a possible public relations contract to boost its image and messaging. Ridiculous. The best and only way that HART’s public image can be redeemed is to stop with the unnecessary contracts.
it’s a disturbing symptom of HART focusing on the wrong things: frivolous spending and optics, over getting the essential job done. It is such Potemkin-village-building over substance that erodes public credibility for HART and rail….
read … Editorial: Focus on Skyline basics, not optics
Officials, volunteers conduct rigorous testing of voting equipment ahead of elections
KHON: … The primary election is a little more than a month away and local elections officials along with volunteer observers are ensuring the integrity and security of the voting process.
Officials and volunteer observers from various political parties were conducting what is called a “logic and accuracy test” of the voting equipment to guarantee the integrity of the election.
“You have official observers who mark the test ballot, they’ll run it through the system, and they’ll reconcile to make sure the system is counting logically and accurately,” Scott Nago, Chief Election Officer, Office of Elections said.
It is a test that will be repeated in each county in the coming week. The equipment will be used at the voter service centers across the state on election day.
As with every testing, observers are volunteers who serve as the eyes and ears of the public…
read … Officials, volunteers conduct rigorous testing of voting equipment ahead of elections
DoE: 1/3 of Vice Principal ‘positions’ vacant
CB: … Last year nearly a third of vice principal positions in the state were either vacant or filled by educators who didn't meet the certification requirements for the job ….
read … Hawaii Schools Have A Major Shortage Of Vice Principals — And It's Getting Worse
New Development Begins On Former Turtle Bay Resort Land Near Kahuku Point
CB: … Construction of new residential units on Oahu’s North Shore is scheduled to begin in October after two Utah-based development companies purchased 65 acres from the owners of the Turtle Bay Resort.
Arete Collective and the Wasatch Group plan to build up to 350 units on permitted land east of the resort complex.
It’s the first new construction since a conservation agreement was signed in 2015 preserving 625 acres of open space between Kawela Bay and Kahuku Point while still allowing for some development. ….
read … New Development Begins On Former Turtle Bay Resort Land Near Kahuku Point
Hoping against extinction of Hawaiian honeycreeper
Borreca: … The birds are becoming extinct because they are dying of avian malaria brought on by mosquitoes….
read … On Politics: Hoping against extinction of Hawaiian honeycreeper
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