Is the US Department of Justice still ‘investigating’ the Maui Wildfires?
Hawaii is 2024's 6th Least Innovative State for Education
Dueling Parties and 20 years of DPP fines at Lawless Waianae Shooting Site
SA: … The city Department of Planning and Permitting has investigated at least 20 community complaints over the past two decades related to the house involved in Saturday’s Waianae Valley Road shooting.
Since the incident, Waianae Valley Road residents have questioned the legitimacy of the property owners at 85-1383-C Waianae Valley Road renting out their space for parties, given the area’s agricultural zoning.
On Tuesday a city spokesperson told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser the DPP has not issued a conditional use permit or any other land use permit for the over-19-acre property.
The Waianae Valley “neighbor-on-neighbor dispute” that ended with four deaths Saturday night began with complaints about cars speeding to and from a next-door commercial party site owned by a 58-year-old man who responded with a violent rampage.
The man, who shot five people — killing three — before being fatally shot, was businessman Hiram James Silva Sr.
(Fortunately, a lawful gun owner was on site and he stopped the mass shooter before more people were killed. >>> Police say Keamo-Carnate used his legally registered handgun to kill Silva who was armed with two illegal guns.)
Silva, who lived along Waianae Valley Road, frequently rented out his Quonset hut — known as the “Silva dome” — for large parties that often attracted hundreds of attendees, according to local residents.
On Saturday the Keamo family had its own gathering while Silva had rented out the dome for a party. …
While some Waianae residents, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, speculate that the Silva dome began operating during the COVID-19 pandemic due to other venues being closed during lockdown, Instagram posts trace the dome hosting parties back to July 2018….
Since 2001, DPP has received 20 investigation requests related to various issues, including grading, grubbing, stockpiling and operating an illegal commercial trucking business on agricultural land.
Five NOVs have been issued, with two still open for grading and the large tent — “Silva dome.”…
In 2015 the city put a lien on the property, which means it has a legal claim on it because the owner owes the city money. The fines for not fixing the violations have added up to more than $587,000….
read … ‘Silva dome’ linked to attacker in Waianae was unpermitted
Where is Jake Smith?
ILind: … A month ago, Jacob “Jake” Smith, complained that he had been assaulted three times since he had testified in the trial of his former boss, Mike Miske. Smith, through his attorney, asked to be transferred to house arrest at his parents’ home until sentencing in October….According to the inmate locator, he was “released” by the Bureau of Prisons on August 9, but nothing is said about where he was moved to, or where he is now.
This is different from what happened when other witnesses against Miske who were moved for their personal safety. Their records were erased from the inmate locator, as if they had never been held in a federal facility. Lance Bermudez, Wayne Miller, and Harry Kauhi simply disappeared, leaving no trace in the inmate locator.
When Bermudez entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors, the hearing where he would formally enter the guilty plea was held by video conferencing. During the hearing, Judge Derrick Watson stated that there were “security concerns” with attempting to bring Bermudez back to Honolulu from an undisclosed federal facility. At that time, his name and location information had already been scrubbed from the inmate locator system. Although Bermudez ultimately was not called as a witness, he remains in an undisclosed location.
Bermudez is scheduled for sentencing before Judge Waton on February 20, 2025. Whether that will be in person or in a video appearance remains to be seen.
Smith’s sentencing has been moved up a week to October 2, when he is scheduled to appear before Judge Watson. He faces a mandatory 10-year minimum on the drug charge. Meanwhile, his whereabouts in the prison system remains unknown….
read … Where is Jake Smith?
As Another Trump Election Looms, Hawaii Elections Commission Meetings Descend into Farce
CB: … Hawaii State Elections Commission meetings of late have been dominated by seemingly endless public testimony raising questions about “election integrity” and calls to oust Chief Election Officer Scott Nago. Many complaints have come from local Republicans and their concerns about possible election fraud parallel ongoing challenges to state election boards nationwide….
commission critics Karl Dicks and Brett Kulbis shared their manao (thoughts) over the pilau (dirty, filthy, stench). Dicks, an unsuccessful Honolulu mayoral candidate, accused the commission of electoral shenanigans that he said rose to the level of tyranny and treason….
(CLUE: The first thing anybody needs to know about election fraud it that the fraudsters do it only where they need to. Trump couldn’t win in Hawaii if he walked on water. Therefore anybody looking for ‘proof’ that Trump was robbed in Hawaii is a fool.)
Michael Curtis, the commission chair, said via email that the wrong URL on the meeting agenda was “a clerical error” but added that the correct URL was posted on the commission’s website.
“Whether this becomes an issue with Sunshine Law remains to be seen,” Curtis added.
Jennifer Brooks, a staff attorney with the Office of Information Practices that administers the Sunshine Law, said there may have been a violation: “Remote meetings require a remote link that works, and if there is a link provided that doesn’t work and people have to call the board to get the correct link, that would be a violation.”…
The meeting was held at Department of Land and Natural Resources Kalanimoku Building, but most attendees were on Zoom. By the time the meeting was well underway, over 100 people were tuned in….
Meanwhile this is Ignored because it is not about Trump: Long Lines Suppress Republican Votes on Election Day: City Clerk Plans to do it Again in 2024
FLASHBACK: Lawsuit: Libertarians Ask Federal Court to ‘Disband Hawaii Republican Party’
read … The Sunshine Blog
What a Loser! Clayton Hee Burned $167K on Failed Senate Race
CB: … former state Sen. Clayton Hee lost to Ben Shafer in a landslide, yet Hee spent five times more than Shafer — $167,607 compared to $28,454 — in the Democratic primary for Senate District 23, which runs from Kaneohe to Mokuleia.
Shafer, whose donors included “legislative aide” Mike McCartney (it’s true; McCartney, who has held just about every political and government job in the state, worked for Sen. Les Ihara this past session), now goes up against Republican incumbent Brenton Awa, who spent $702 in his unopposed primary. It’s a race to watch….
Meanwhile: 2408100.pdf (hawaii.gov) Al Hee’s criminality is still an emergency.
read … The Sunshine Blog
Some Small Businesses In Kailua Town Are Closing As Costs Continue To Climb
CB: … To Danny Casler, the closing of a taco joint in Kailua was symbolic of a bigger issue: what he and others say is a trend of small, independent businesses shutting down in the beachside community.
“Privately I was told it seems like no restaurants can survive in Kailua anymore,’” Casler wrote on his mykailua Instagram page, which serves as an alternative news source for Kailua, with 75,500 followers and news ranging from lost keys and pets to crime, weather and car accidents.
“We have seen so many leave and not renew leases in the last few months,” Casler added on his post. “This is just the beginning. Watch what the next 1-2 years is about to bring.” …
Before the pandemic, bars and restaurants operating at a high level might have enjoyed 10% profit margins, says Steve Haumschild, owner of Lanikai Brewing Co., which operates a brew pub in Kailua.
But a shrinking workforce and general inflation have increased the costs of labor, shipping and goods, Haumschild said. And not all of those costs can be passed on to consumers without increasing prices higher than people are willing to pay.
“The numbers to run a business — you can’t run those costs through and expect customers to pay for it,” he said.
The result is that businesses absorb some of the increased costs, and the best performers now might generate a 3% to 4% profit, Haumschild said….
“A bad lease is a kiss of death.” ….
read … Some Small Businesses In Kailua Town Are Closing As Costs Continue To Climb -
Council bill could ease housing shortage
HTH: … Bill 123, introduced by Councilwomen Heather Kimball and Ashley Kierkiewicz, would make it easier for homeowners to build ohana or accessory dwelling units in the county’s urban areas such as Hilo, Kona and Waimea.
It would do that by removing the requirement that anyone wanting to build an ADU on Hawaii Island must get an “ohana dwelling” permit in addition to a regular building permit.
The bill also proposes setting a maximum size of 1,250 square feet of living space for ADUs, and allowing up to three per lot, so long as the lot has adequate access to water and sewer.
Currently, there is no maximum size for ADUs, and the ADU limit per lot is one ….
HTH: Ohana housing bill advances: Council bill would create more options for ‘accessory dwelling units’ - Hawaii Tribune-Herald
read … Council bill could ease housing shortage
Roadside vendors bill stalls
HTH: … As written, Bill 184 would require roadside vendors to submit a valid business license and other documentation in order to receive a yearlong permit allowing them to operate at a specific point on a county roadway.
Tuesday was the second time the measure has been postponed, after an inconclusive discussion on Aug. 20. Similar open questions dogged both discussions, but no amendments have yet been made to the bill.
Department of Public Works Director Steve Pause acknowledged the measure follows up a state policy implemented last year when the Department of Transportation announced it would begin enforcing prohibitions on vendors along state roads. That policy, he said, seems to have had more bark than bite.
“At least on the east side, which I’m more familiar with, you still see vendors on state roads,” Pause said….
read … Roadside vendors bill stalls
‘Never heard about this level of domestic violence’ until Hawaii: Schofield resident
KHON: … A missing pregnant military wife and the dependent of a service member found dead inside a home on base are shining a light on what some fear is an increase in domestic violence in the military….
read … ‘Never heard about this level of domestic violence’ until Hawaii: Schofield resident
Chinatown Homeless: ‘It’s like the night of the living dead’
KHON: … The viral video shows a man with a stick darting across the street and hitting an elderly man in broad daylight. This was on King Street in Chinatown…
“When you have somebody that’s using the restroom outside your door and you expect people to come and wanna buy something from you, well it doesn’t leave a very good taste in your mouth to see something like that,” said Novey….
“What’s more disconcerting is you see the reality of the homeless people when nobody’s here,” said Novey. “Generally speaking after 5, 6, it’s like the night of the living dead.”…
SB: City rolls out CORE bus to curb Honolulu homelessness
KHON: C.O.R.E. bus rolls out to provide on-the-spot assistance for houseless | KHON2
KITV: City and County of Honolulu rolls out first homeless outreach bus
HNN: ‘Beds of many flavors’: City unveils new bus aimed at curbing homelessness
read … Business leader said Chinatown still safe despite recent incidents; wants more done
Massachusetts welfare dollars spent in Hawaii, Virgin Islands, Alaska: ‘What the hell is someone doing in Hawaii?’
BH: … The Department of Transitional Assistance data reveals that the single largest expenditure out of 32 in Hawaii was $378 in March of this year in Kahului on the island of Maui.
Another $351 was spent in Hilo, a region on the big island of Hawaii blessed with “dramatic waterfalls, fertile rainforests and blooming gardens,” in January. EBT money was also used in Honolulu, Pearl City, Princeville, Waikoloa, and Captain Cook according to the EBT data-entry list.
Princeville is known for “master-planned homes and condos on the north shore of the island of Kauai,” according to websites.
Captain Cook is a very similar spot and is famous for snorkeling and jungle hiking — giving visitors an “unspoiled Hawaii feeling,” one site states. The town is named after famed British explorer Captain James Cook, who was killed there.
As the Herald reported in 2019, EBT cards from Massachusetts were spent at 18 locations in Hawaii — including Princeville….
“What the hell is someone doing in Hawaii? We need this money to help feed families,” he said. “This tells me there’s a major problem with this system.”
He’s convinced new arrivals grab welfare handouts here and then bolt. That’s why he’s filed a bill to require residency for a year for welfare recipients.
“We need to take care of the veterans, homeless kids, teachers, fire victims and those who suffered a medical setback first,” Fattman added, “not people who walk off a plane or a bus who come to Massachusetts and leave.”…
read … Massachusetts welfare dollars spent in Hawaii, Virgin Islands, Alaska: ‘What the hell is someone doing in Hawaii?’ (msn.com)
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