August 21, 2024 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

August 21, 2024 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:41 PM :: 2585 Views

Lahaina 'Settlement' behind insurance price jump?

Nigerian Prince Busted in Hawaii COVID Scam

Dye Pack: Six Hours from Cesspool to Ocean

Green’s fake Settlement -- $1.33B for Lawyers

CB: … Lawyers for Maui fire victims are pressing to sign up additional clients as (before) a ~~tentative~~ (fake) $4.04 billion settlement ~~moves closer to becoming final~~ (is blown out of the water on appeal) ….

While the settlement still is ~~technically~~ (LOL!) not final, lawyers for wildfire victims are pushing forward with advertisements as if the agreement were a done deal….

(TRANSLATION: More clients = More money for lawyers.)

Jesse Creed, who serves as one of four liaison counsel for the plaintiffs, said that, while the settlement might not be ~~technically~~ (LOL!) final, the defendants are obligated to pay when certain conditions are met. He said it was important at this point in the process for victims to have lawyers to protect their interests.

(TRANSLATION: More clients = More money for meeeee.)

How much the plaintiffs’ lawyers will be compensated for their work also remains to be seen. While defense lawyers usually are paid by the defendants and get paid regardless of a case’s outcome, plaintiffs lawyers generally work on a contingency fee. That means the lawyers work for free until there’s a settlement or jury award and then take a percentage.

(TRANSLATION: Ca-chiiing!)

Guzman said the contingency fee is typically about 33%. That would mean a collective paycheck of more than $1 billion for the plaintiffs’ lawyers based on the $4.04 billion settlement. Guzman said Cahill has indicated he will ask the lawyers to reduce their contingency fee to around 25%....

(Re-Do THE MATH: $4.04B x.33 = $1.33B for lawyers. $4.04B x .25 = $1.01B for lawyers.)

(NOTE: Insurers would only get $600M.)

read … Facing Potential $1 Billion Payday, Wildfire Lawyers Advertise For More Clients

Companies get $2 million contract to help fix Honolulu's major permitting problems

KITV: … The City and County of Honolulu has awarded two companies a $2 million contract to help its Department of Planning and Permitting to reduce its major permitting backlog.

Island News has learned that Bureau Veritas North America and Jason Addison Smith Consulting Services has won the contract for building permit plan review services. The project is being supported by federal funds.

The DPP has experienced a significant backlog due to understaffing, outdated technologies and lack of streamlined processes, which has resulted in excessive permitting times….

The average building permit processing times are six months for residential permits and 10 months for commercial projects….

read … Companies get $2 million contract to help fix Honolulu's major permitting problems

DHHL apartment purchase plan draws demonstrators on Kauai

SA: … A contentious plan by the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to buy a Kauai apartment complex for homesteading attracted demonstrators Monday and Tuesday outside a Hawaiian Homes Commission meeting in Wailua.

Some residents at the 82-unit Courtyards at Waipouli complex, along with advocates, displayed signs critical of the pending acquisition, which stands to displace about 300 people, and also testified during the two-day meeting….

read … DHHL apartment purchase plan draws demonstrators on Kauai

Hawaiʻi’s single parents caught in beleaguering cycle

KHON: … When asked what would make their job search easier, 40% of single parents in Hawaiʻi said that flexible scheduling would be a game-changer….

CM: Balancing Careers and Parenting: The Struggle for Single Parents [2024 Study] | Careerminds

read … Hawaiʻi’s single parents caught in beleaguering cycle

(Again) Officials pretend to ‘grapple’ with the decision of where to put Oʻahu's next landfill

HPR: … It’s been almost five years since the state Land Use Commission ordered the city to close Waimānalo Gulch Landfill, located in West Oʻahu, by 2028.

“It's not an issue to close it,” said Honolulu Department of Environmental Services Director Roger Babcock. “What is the challenge, of course, is to open a new landfill, which means you have to secure a site.”

(TRANSLATION: The plan is to nominate four impossible sites. Reject them all and remain at Waimanalo Gulch.)

The city was supposed to pick a new landfill location by the end of 2022. However, after passing that deadline, the Land Use Commission said the city now has until the end of this year to make a decision….

The city faces the issue of complying with a state law that restricts where a landfill can be placed.

Act 73 says it cannot be in a state conservation district and it must be at least half a mile from any residence, school or hospital.

In addition, the city cannot place a landfill in the Board of Water Supply’s “no pass zone,” as it could threaten the island’s groundwater.

The city’s landfill advisory committee has also rejected all proposed sites for the landfill in 2022.

(CLUE: Exactly as intended.)

However, Babcock said the city is considering other options.

“We are looking at the things that essentially our landfill advisory committee recommended, which was to look at military land possibilities with respect to modifying or repealing Act 73, and then looking at eminent domain,” he said….

read … Why officials are grappling with the decision of where to put Oʻahu's next landfill

Who Needs Collective Bargaining? Bill 197 Gives Money to SHOPO

SA: … A plan to reimburse Honolulu Police Department officers for the cost of purchasing uniforms, extra firearms and other on-the-job policing equipment is under scrutiny.

Based on a proposed third-party contract via California-based CP Plus Inc., the so-called accountable reimbursement plan would see HPD establish a pretax spending account that officers could contribute to from their paycheck each pay period….

The withheld pay would be placed in a spending account and, upon making qualified purchases, HPD officers could then be reimbursed for the cost to pay for job-related expenses. Such costs are currently not reimbursed at HPD….

read … City objects to proposed HPD reimbursement plan | Honolulu Star-Advertiser (staradvertiser.com)

Big Island Police Try One Strange Trick—Arresting Drug Dealers

HNN: … Buyten said the vice unit does operations almost weekly to take dangerous drugs off the streets.

The Big Island was the only county that showed a decrease in drug overdose deaths in 2023.

Hawaii was the only county that bucked the trend. Overall, the state saw a rise of 6%, with Maui County showing the biggest jump.

Fentanyl is increasingly responsible for the statewide drug-related death numbers ….

read … Hawaii police target fentanyl smugglers with intercepted drug packages

Oahu fisherman shaken by off-duty sheriff's alleged gun threat

KHON: … Stanford Hokoana was throwing net at Maili Beach Park when he noticed a man recording him on his phone around 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 19. Hokoana asked the man why and started to approach him.

“And he told me, ‘Oh, that’s illegal.’ This and that,” Hokoana said. “He lift up his shirt and he grabbed a gun. He pulled it out and he told me if I no step back, he’s going to use it on top of me.”

“He did not ever once identify himself as a sheriff.”

Hokoana said he ran to warn other fishers after the man angled the weapon toward him. Police reports state multiple witnesses called HPD — officers responded and placed the man into custody on suspicion of second-degree terroristic threatening.

The Department of Law Enforcement director confirmed on Tuesday that the man was an off-duty deputy and said they are investigating….

Police took the weapon in as evidence and later determined it was actually a pepper ball gun…

DLE officials said they opened an internal administrative investigation; the deputy was charged and posted $100 bail….

KHON2 asked the DLNR if net fishing is legal at Maili Beach Park, officials sent a list of State-regulated fishing areas that Maili is not mentioned on….

SA: Off-duty sheriff’s deputy allegedly points gun at fisherman | Honolulu Star-Advertiser (staradvertiser.com)

read … Oahu fisherman shaken by off-duty sheriff's alleged gun threat (khon2.com)

What Happens To HawaiianMiles and Credit Card Amidst Alaska Deal?

BH: … With the merger poised to now proceed, it’s important to note that the logistics of integrating the two airlines’ loyalty programs and other customer-facing systems are still unclear.

It’s expected that HawaiianMiles will eventually be converted to Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio. That was confirmed to Beat of Hawaii by Alaska Airlines. However, the exact timeline and details of this conversion are still pending, and both systems could continue to operate separately for some time during the transition period….

read … What Happens To HawaiianMiles and Credit Card Amidst Alaska Deal? - Beat of Hawaii

Lahaina Fire News:

Hawaii Failed To Change The Way It Builds After Earlier Disasters. Will Lahaina Spur Reform? - Honolulu Civil Beat

Election News:

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