Environment

All the public knows is that HSTA has accepted a six year contract with no drug testing.  Does anybody believe there is significant teacher accountability in the contract?

Otherwise, the Obama administration is going to look like it got chumped.

Gail Nagasako has done everything from starting an alternative school to writing articles on education to counseling parents in the Hawaii school system....

Hawaiian carried 8,666,319 passengers in 2011, the most in the company's history....

“This is not just an endorsement. It is a full-on commitment from us to play a major role in Gov. Lingle’s campaign for the next 10 months,” Ma’afala added.

A total of 22 injuries were treated at EDs in Hawaii. This was by far the lowest total over the 12-year period for which these injuries have been counted....

Dr. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr, will join Lt Governor James ‘Duke’ Aiona, and OHA Chair Colette Machado to headline a "Celebration of Life, Family & Religious Freedom" at the Koolau Ballroom Wednesday January 11, 2012 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM.

While they may have thought they were going to raise additional income with these higher rates on “rich” individuals, what they failed to realize is that these are the very people who probably took advantage of the very generous high technology tax credits and they will have little, or no, tax liability as a result of the offset of the tax credits.

"They actually started a shark-culling programme" to control 'problem sharks', she says. "It's not something they like to broadcast," she adds, because of the conservation status of sharks.

The free app is currently available for iPhones and Android-based systems, features campaign news updates, Morning Coffee with the General blog, campaign videos, public speaking event listings and photos as they occur....

HSTA has almost certainly killed RTTT and in pretending to save it, they have captured a contract “en passant.”

SCOTUS will slap this Hawaii Supreme Court Decision down 9-0 and order the Reapportionment Commission to count every human being....

HELCO hopes to add up to 50 megawatts (MW) more of geothermal power if the cost is lower for customers.

Without reforms, an increased burden will fall on the shoulders of family caregivers, who already provide the bulk of elder-care services.On any given day there are about 247,000 caregivers in Hawaii who provided unpaid services valued at nearly $2 billion in 2009 alone....

Saturday, January 7, 2012 - 5:30a.m. to 7:00a.m. at McKinley High School Auditorium

This bill contains no intent language as to the prohibited acts in regards to criminal and civil forfeiture.

Kahle’s own news release outlines all of the elements of the State and Federal felony known as extortion....

No one exiting the Hawaii Supreme Court courtroom yesterday after oral arguments in the redistricting cases should have had much doubt about what the court was going to do....

Another one bites the dust ....

" ... urges the legislature to pass legislation requiring motor vehicle insurance carriers to provide information to the counties for development of a system to easily identify uninsured drivers and motor vehicles .... "

Friday, January 13, 7pm to 9pm, West Hawaii Civic Center Community Meeting Room, Kailua-Kona

The national organization and local chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), one of the nation's largest construction trade organizations, today announced its endorsement of former Governor Linda Lingle for U.S. Senate in 2012....

“It will take five years before the state can report its findings.”

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state's tourism agency, has released its Airline Seat Capacity Outlook Report for the first quarter of 2012.

Due to budget cuts, the state Department of Agriculture has allowed the brown tree snake program lapse. The dogs used for cargo inspections were actually given away.

Briefings by department from January 4 through January 19, 2012.

The Aloha Order of Merit was established by the Hawai'i State Legislature in 1993 to honor individuals who have distinguished themselves nationally or internationally in their fields of expertise and who contributed to the attainment of statehood or who have provided extraordinary service to, devoted themselves to the betterment of, or brought honor to the State.

Public Comment Period for the Proposed Rule to Revise Critical Habitat for the Hawaiian Monk Seal Closes January 6, 2011

The Supreme Court in a unanimous 5-0 decision today ruled that too many of the human beings living in Hawaii were included for purposes of Legislative reapportionment.... Only a Federal suit can right this wrong. 

All Republican Presidential Caucus Voting Locations are Open Tuesday March 13 from 6-8PM.  District and Precinct boundaries are based on the State House District and Precinct lines used in the 2010 elections.

This is to suggest that the Democratic Party of Hawai'i host a series of statewide joint presentations with Mazie and me before primary election voting starts at the end of June....

Ha recently traveled to Iceland where he observed how the country recovered from the biggest financial crash in modern history. Ha stated, “They are recovering because they inoculated themselves from high oil prices by using low cost hydro and geothermal for 100 percent of their electricity and house heating.

Mr. Okamura previously served as House Majority Leader for nine years while a state representative from 1980 to 2000. He chaired committees on Hawaiian Affairs; Policy; Rules; and Energy, Ecology and Environmental Protection....

Lingle sees in the nation’s tourism industry an opportunity to bring immediate positive impact to the economy.

Two Christian churches filed a federal complaint to stop Hawaii's new civil union law in its tracks, claiming the legislation is unconstitutional.

PREL, the profitable non-profit which in 2001 helped then-DoE Sup’t Paul Lemahieu hire his semi-literate mistress as a DoE education contractor, reports the unsurprising fact that the DoE is continuing to fail native Hawaiian students. Its conclusion: “Further re$earch i$ needed.”

Yet another task force has come forward to recommend that lawmakers raise the “barrel tax” on all imported petroleum products by another dollar per barrel....

The meeting is at Dave and Busters Show Room in Kakaako, Tuesday January 17, from 11:30AM to 1PM ....

The 36th Annual SBH Business & Investment Conference will be held January 11, 2012, from 8am to 2pm at the Ala Moana Hotel....

On January 3 and 4, 2012, at 1:00 and 7:30 p.m. each day, the Honolulu Academy of Arts Doris Duke Theater is presenting the Hawaii premiere of Battle For Brooklyn, the Academy Award-contending documentary about the Atlantic Yards eminent domain fight....

The ICA relied on County of Hawaii v. C&J Coupe Family Ltd. P'ship, which held that if an eminent domain action is dismissed or otherwise fails, the property owner is entitled to recover the attorneys' fees and costs it incurs in the case....

"These projects were identified by members of the State Legislature."

Your ACT221 Tax Dollars at Work building the clean energy future, Hawaii ....

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is inviting applications from interested persons to become members of two of its forestry programs in Hawai‘i -- the Forest Stewardship and the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Programs.

...the Legislature has entrusted the Commission with increased authority and discretion in implementing the State's clean energy policies...the majority of the Commission‟s time and resources are devoted to this sector.

The news release is the usual HART fluff. The real information is found in the FTA's letter to HART....

Misuse of openly accessible social media by elected officials or their staff should be dealt with by voters at the ballot box, not censors in the Communications office....

Chief Operating Officer Richard Pezzulo was named interim Chief Executive Officer. The appointment takes effect Dec. 31 until a search for a permanent CEO concludes....

By shifting away from failed policies of central planning toward a consumer-driven program, the program has been successful on a number of levels.

The average buyer in Hawaii, based on the average loan of $677,299 and an APR of 4%, would have a monthly payment for a 30 year mortgage (1 point) of $3,234 before taxes and insurance. The average payment for Mississippi would be $655 based on the closed loan amount ....