Environment

Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced the recent appointment of Jo Ann Uchida Takeuchi as deputy director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). She fills the vacancy left by Everett Kaneshige....
 

"The campaign's real slogan is: 'No Debates; Just Watch My Commercials'.

"I'm glad to see this small business bill pass the House, with the support of 18 Democrats, and disappointed that Congresswoman Hanabusa voted against it," stated Former Congressman Charles K. Djou....

... the public utilities commission shall consider the costs and benefits of a diverse fossil fuel portfolio and of maximizing the efficiency of all electric utility assets to lower and stabilize the cost of electricity....

Saturday, April 21 9AM at Kaka‘ako Gateway Park

 According to Opensecrets.org ....

2012 graduation dates, times, and sites for Hawaii's regular public, charter, and adult community schools ....

U.S. and British officials were deeply suspicious of this outfit, observing that the AASF – though backed by singer (ands Communist Party member) Harry Belafonte and actor Sidney Poitier – had links to a Kenyan nationalist leader….

The Hawaii State Board of Education (BOE) today unanimously approved three policies related to performance evaluation systems for teachers and principals....

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...these laws were passed primarily to restrain politicians from being reckless with public resources, not to restrain the private sector....

“Voters have a legal right to choose who represents them,” Thielen said. “A small group in a Party cannot secretly and arbitrarily veto that choice. I am a member of the Democratic Party. Hawaii law allows me to run for public office as a democratic candidate.”

We have spoken with two Oahu based hospitals and have not been able to come to an agreement with them at this time....

Bishops from California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah began their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican with prayers for courage in defending religious freedom and in sharing faith in the risen Lord.

Tibet's spiritual leader says China's 'totalitarian' policies sparked Tibetan self-immolations....

The 4th annual Honolulu Tea Party Tax Rally will be held on Monday, April 16, from 4-7 p.m at the Hawaii State Capitol....

• HSTA: “You Cannot Expect Better Results”
• Inouye, Akaka, Hirono, Hanabusa: "Hawaii is making Significant Progress"

The Hawaii/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center (AHEC) has established a database of actively practicing non-military physicians in Hawaii....

This bill blatantly violates several constitutional protections, such as protection of Hawaii’s streams and consideration of cultural impacts. If passed, litigation may be inevitable.

I will advocate for meaningful, comprehensive tax reform that brings down the rate for all taxpayers while retaining the most important deductions such as the mortgage interest and charitable contributions. Through these reforms, we will actually collect more revenue with a much broader tax base ....

One of the reasons why there is growing taxpayer cynicism about the work of lawmakers is the earmarking of revenues for specific programs which in many respects has little relationship to the source of the funding....

In the same week that Gov. Linda Lingle hosted Sen. Susan Collins, one of the nation’s most bipartisan leaders, Mazie Hirono has opted to campaign with Congressman Barney Frank - the poster child for the hyper-partisanship in Washington, D.C....

The annual Rich States Poor States report is out. Hawaii ranks 15^th for economic performance and 46^th for economic outlook.

DOA (Department of Agriculture) concerned that overnight accommodations would dramatically alter concept of agricultural tourism as originally intended and could cause agricultural tourism to be primary, rather than secondary, land use....

OEQC further noted that this measure is unnecessary and because of its ambiguities, omissions and conflicting purposes will cause confusion in the manner in which Chapter 343 is interpreted and administered, which would as a result, lead to an increase in future lawsuits against the State....

Ed Case has accepted ten Senate debate/joint appearance invitations from media and community organizations across Hawaii, while his opponent, U. S. Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, has accepted none ....

On Wednesday, April 4, the naked truth behind this land grab was revealed at the State of Hawaii Cable Advisory Committee hearing in Oahu. The members, made up of appointees from each county, did not like what they saw. Let’s just call it, Oceanic Time Warner’s dirty little secret.... 

In order for government agencies such as Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit Administration (HART) ... to be effective, they must first keep the lines of communications open to the citizens they serve.... Promotional products are an integral part of this process....

Days after the Hawaii Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor replaced anti-dogfighting language from a House bill designed to deter dogfighting with a broad range of regulations for dog breeders and pet stores, the Hawaii State Senate is expected to vote on the new measure ....

The seven credit card companies that have been named as defendants are Bank of America, Barclays, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Discover, HSBC, and their subsidiaries....

The campaign raised $1,351,876.38 between January 1 and March 31, 2012, bringing the total funds raised in this election cycle to $3,119,186.27. 

Sunday, May 20th, 2012, at "Skygate Park," the festival grounds fronting the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building - Koko Head side of Honolulu Hale.

Blas's resolution asks Congresswoman Madeline Bordallo to introduce legislation exempting the non-contiguous states and territories from the provisions of the Jones Act....

... a Supreme Court decision protected out-of-state businesses from revenue-hungry states. But a new bill working its way through Congress would change all that ....

The national yearly cost for assisted living has increased 5.7 percent a year over the past five years, while long term care costs in Hawaii have increased 13.4 percent a year....

At the conference, Defendants agreed that substantial questions of constitutionality require the convening of a three-judge court....

"True leaders would not exempt themselves from a law they are creating for others to follow," said Rep. Kymberly Pine, Minority Floor Leader....

“Horizon Lines moves forward today from a stronger financial position that will enable us to better focus on customers in our core Jones Act trades and to invest in the future of our business....

This bill has the wrong title. It should be called Relating to Closed Government. Passage of SB 2858 will roll back more than 20 years of openness and sunshine ....

At present, the new biorefinery is expected to churn out five barrels a day...thanks to ... the $25-million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant that made the project possible....

For some 400 years before European settlers arrived, ancient Hawaiian societies caught as much fish as modern fishers or more - without fishing the reefs to depletion....

As of the end of February, the Hawaii GOP had $29,000 in the bank in federal funds and was carrying over $100,000 in debt.

An investigation by the inspector general of the General Services Administration found rampant abuse of an employee awards program of the agency’s Pacific Rim region, the same region that has come under fire for spending more than $800,000 on a Las Vegas training conference for 300 employees. 

Unlike most states, Hawaii taxes working-poor families deeper into poverty, and it charges them higher tax bills than all but four other states....

Despite the campaign rhetoric lawmakers chant over and over during the campaign season that Hawaii voters can trust them as representatives of their constituents, it seems that there is a growing cynicism that lawmakers cannot be trusted.... 

"... S1409, the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act, would create greater oversight and accountability in federal spending .... "

A zero score would indicate that the Member of Congress approved every spending proposal and opposed every pro-taxpayer reform....

We are left to guess the initial refining partner – though it is not difficult to surmise that Tesoro has been the test partner to date, and presumably would be the first to license and deploy the process....

The State of Hawaii has a long history of refusing to count military personnel and their families for purposes of reapportioning the state legislature. A lawsuit filed today asks a three-judge federal court to enforce the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution and require the State to count all residents of Hawaii.