Justice Department Will Not Oppose Alaska-Hawaiian Air Merger
Hacker Breaks into Hawaii Death Registry System to Fake Own Death
Hawaii DNC delegation is #1 for Anti-Semitism: 7 members still uncommitted because Harris unwilling to surrender Israel
HNN: … The protestors had a permitted marching route, but some arrests were made Monday and the perimeter was breached, delaying people coming into the hall and through security checkpoints.
Hawaii’s delegation is actually the most divided over Gaza, with seven of 31 not voting for Kamala Harris on Tuesday. They will instead be voting “present” as a protest….
“I think it’s going to be bittersweet,” said Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who is also the head of Harris delegates….
read … Hawaii DNC delegation divided over Gaza, with 7 members still uncommitted to Harris
Star-Adv Still ‘Pushing to finish rail on time, on budget’
SA: … Full funding grant agreement with the FTA, 12/19/2012: 20 miles, 21 stations, completed to Ala Moana by 1/31/2020, total cost $5,121,693,163. Ooops….
read … Editorial: Push to finish rail on time, on budget | Honolulu Star-Advertiser (staradvertiser.com)
PUC Wildfire Secrets: Do Solar Panels Enegize ‘Deenergized’ HECO Lines?
IM: … The California Public Utilities Commission developed the Public Safety Power Shutoff program to de-energize lines during specific circumstances over the course of a decade. California utilities only adopted PSPS after the Commission approved the program.
In contrast, KIUC and the HECO Companies have adopted similar programs without any authorization, oversight, or regulation by the Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission.
Instead, the Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission is using dockets opened in the re-fire era to ask questions. These existing dockets with established parties, intervenors, and procedural orders, prevent questions being asked by anyone but the commission.
Whether this effort by the commission -- to ice all stakeholders out of the regulatory process addressing all fire related issues -- is legal will probably be eventually determined by the Hawaii Supreme Court….
The commission asked questions about the PSPS in a distributed energy resources proceeding. One of the Information Requests references a document submitted confidentially in a non-docket that is not available to the public:
“PUC-HECO-IR-284 Reference: Non-Docketed Case No. 2024-01930, Letter From: K. Katsura To: Commission Re: Non-Docketed Case No. 2024-01930; Status Updates in All Open and Suspended Dockets; Hawaiian Electric Companies' Update, filed on June 17, 2024.”
The commission asked HECO four questions about the PSPS on August 19, 2024. Answers are due on September 9, 2024.
“Please discuss how Public Safety Power Shutoff... aligns with the Companies’ DER-related tariffs.”
“Please discuss whether the Companies plan to propose revisions to any tariffs to align with PSPS or to develop a standalone PSPS tariff.”
“Please discuss if grid service actions called or scheduled during a PSPS for impacted PSPS areas will prohibit a customer from using their resources for self-resilience purposes.”
(TRANSLATION: Will solar panels somehow be made to shut down as part of the PSPS order?)
“Please discuss to what extent Hawaiian Electric evaluated the amount of DER customers and scale of DER generation on circuits identified as high-risk in the Companies’ PSPS planning.”
(TRANSLATION: When HECO depowers lines during ‘Red Flag’ wildfire conditions, will wind and solar farms or rooftop solar panels also somehow be disconnected from the grid or depowered? Or will they continue to pump electricity into depowered grids?)
July 15, 2024: Kauai: Hanapepe Fire Approaches Kaumakani, Immediate Evacuations Ordered – “KIUC has de-energized lines in Hanapepe and Kaumakani due to the brushfire. The rest of the west side is being powered by other generation sources.”
IM: HECO Companies Detail Purchases From Third Parties | Ililani Media
read … How Does HECO`s De-energization of Electric Lines Interface With Rooftop Solar
HPD whistleblower alleges sexual discrimination
SA: … A Honolulu police officer filed a lawsuit against the department Friday alleging whistleblower retaliation after she reported male training academy staff who allegedly discriminated against female recruits and engaged in sexual relations with others.
The civil action, filed Friday in Oahu Circuit Court, also names the city and Lt. Bienvenido Villaflor II, Maj. Paul Okamoto and Maj. Manuel Hernandez III, who all were assigned to the Honolulu Police Department’s Ke Kula Makai training academy in Waipahu at the time the alleged discrimination took place between May 2022 and September 2023.
Sgt. Sheri Taflinger was assigned to the training academy and was in charge of the 207th recruit class and the Field Training and Evaluation Program. FTEP takes new recruits out into patrol districts and pairs them with on-duty officers….
Villaflor is allegedly the subject of five sexual harassment complaints and was reassigned to police District 4, which covers Kaneohe, Kailua and Kahuku….
KITV: ‘Frat House’ Culture | HPD faces lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, discrimination
read … HPD whistleblower alleges sexual discrimination
HNN Investigates reveals which Oahu communities lack fire hydrants and the practices in place for their protection
HNN: … According to BWS standards, there should be a hydrant every 250 feet in areas zoned multi-family residential, commercial or industrial. In single-family residential areas, there should be one hydrant every 350 feet. While land that’s zoned as agriculture should have a hydrant every 700 feet.
But the utility confirms there are some older neighborhoods in the Metro-Honolulu area that don’t meet those standards — places like Kaimuki, Paoa, Palolo and Manoa….
Meanwhile, in undeveloped areas between communities where the Board of Water Supply doesn’t serve, Pahinui says hydrants are limited. Examples include places along the Kaiwi Coast, between Wahiawa/Whitmore and Waialua and Kunia Road, north of Royal Kunia….
The Board of Water Supply told HNN Investigates it’s working to adjust the spacing of hydrants in communities where they’re too far apart. Saying the issue is most often addressed when a watermain needs to be replaced.
“We’ve had projects recently in Manoa. We’ve got a couple projects in the Diamond Head, Kaimuki areas,” said Pahinui….
read … HNN Investigates reveals which Oahu communities lack fire hydrants and the practices in place for their protection
Pandering to 5G Paranoia: Proposed measure would increase cell tower construction regulations
HTH: … In response to community concerns about telecommunications antennas and towers being constructed near or within their communities, (5G paranoia) Kohala Councilwoman Cindy Evans will introduce a measure today that will require more material from telecom companies in order to get their building permits approved….
read … Proposed measure would increase cell tower construction regulations
County bill would establish permit system for roadside vendors
HTH: … County Bill 184 would change that by establishing a permit system allowing for temporary commercial use of a road, including a series of regulatory standards with which vendors would be required to comply.
County Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz, co-introducer of the measure, said the bill is responding to a crackdown last year by the Department of Transportation in collaboration with the Hawaii Police Department and the county Planning Department. In Dec. 2023, the three agencies began enforcing a state ban of the use of state and county roadways for commercial activities, with violators facing criminal prosecution.
“That affected a lot of people’s livelihoods,” Kierkiewicz said. “And we realized there wasn’t any permitting process for people to use county roads.”…
The bill’s other introducer, Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba, said the measure is intended to ensure that people still have an opportunity to make a living safely.
“It’s meant to open up an avenue for economic development,” Inaba said. “If someone isn’t able to afford a store front but they have things to sell, why wouldn’t we try to support local workers?”
Kierkiewicz said she envisions the process to work similarly to state Department of Health placards: vendors will be granted an easily-visible permit that proves they’re authorized to sell at a particular location.
Under the measure, applicants will be required to submit several documents in order to be granted a permit, including a valid state business license, a waste management plan and an agreement indemnifying the county from all claims or legal action arising from the commercial activity.
Applicants must also have a certificate of insurance and proof of a public liability insurance policy with a minimum coverage of $1 million per occurrence. Inaba said this coverage amount is the minimum required for other events planned at county facilities.
Permits will be issued for up to one year and are location-specific. If a vendor wants to set up at a different location, they will need to apply for a new permit….
read … County bill would establish permit system for roadside vendors
Harm Reduction Activists Want to give free Needles to Overdose Patients
CB: … It took him a few minutes to realize what had happened and understand that if paramedics had not administered the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, he would have died.
“I thought I was waking up from a nap,” the 35-year-old said.
It’s during these often disorienting moments post-overdose that outreach workers with the Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center want to be present.
The nonprofit is pursuing a formal partnership with the Honolulu Emergency Services Department that would allow it to be notified whenever first responders attend to overdoses in public places, like sidewalks or parks. Through this collaboration, the agencies hope they can reach more people immediately after an overdose, connect them to resources, and, hopefully, get them into treatment (more naloxone.)
(IDEA: ‘Just say No.’)
“It’s trying to take something that could be one of the worst days, which is an overdose, and leverage it for more access to resources, support and for folks to, If they’re ready, willing or able, to get into treatment, (our free needle program with a couple of extra hits of naloxone so they can do it again and again)” …..
read … Overdoses Kill More People Than Ever. Advocates Want To Be There For Those Who Survive
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