National News

ROME: Finmeccanica: signed a contract worth USD 1,334 million for Honolulu driverless metro.

"... the seals are doing better in the main islands without a habitat designation .... "

Treasury and municipal bonds rallied Thursday as fears of European contagion spread ... Yields on the Hawaii bond deal were lowered as much as nine basis points, compared with levels offered earlier in the morning....

...perhaps this will mark the rise of the paleolibs?

The government says it would cost automakers $8.5 billion per year to comply, which means a spike in sticker prices of at least $2,000 to $2,800, according to official projections....

"The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and aims to expose how the richest 1 percent of people are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future."

There has been an ongoing debate about the depth of anti-Semitism within the OWS movement....

• UH Richardson Law School- Classroom 1
• Wednesday, November 30, 2011 11:45am-1:15pm
• Free Lunch & Speaker, Hon. Peter N. Kirsanow

At its December 9, 2011 conference, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether to review Corboy v. Louie....

The problem is not the size or scope of U.S. support, the problems lay within the ways that money is structured, allocated and managed....

... the Obama administration is approving just 35 percent of the oil drilling plans for the Gulf of Mexico so far this year ....

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These positions will be supported by $454,366 in unused year 1 personnel costs due to late hiring and $351,401 from pre-kindergarten subsidies ....

The Media Council Hawaii, joined by the Oahu County Democrat Committee, has been rejected by the FCC in the effort to push back on control of Honolulu media outlets by a non-Democrat company Raycom Media.

Google said it is dropping development of “solar thermal” electricity because solar thermal cannot keep pace with the rapid price decline of another solar technology – photovoltaics.  The solar thermal cut came as part of Google’s decision to axe its 4-year old Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative.... 

In his federal complaint, Partington says the conflict with JAG began in 2006 when he represented Stewart Toles in a Navy general court-martial for allegations of violating the "video voyeurism" statute....

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict ....

Last week the Treasury Department revised its loss estimate for the General Motors (GM) bailout from $14.33 billion to $23.6 billion....

Companies involved in developing smart electric grids -- nine big tech firms that are also in many other businesses -- have risen 54 percent....

“a broad array of economists in Puerto Rico have expressed concern that the Jones Act hinders the island’s economic growth...."

Matt Romney will be rallying support for his father at fundraising events hosted by local supporters in Honolulu and Laie December 9th and 10th....

For Charles, this was a day much like most others, but he was thankful to talk to the girls (they were on a lengthy communications blackout until last night) and to have some turkey for dinner.

In a world filled with ethnic antagonism and religious violence, the United States had found a paradigm for unifying the most ethnically, racially, and religiously varied population on the planet into a relatively tolerant and unified culture.

They also knew that, whatever church an American belonged to, he ought to give thanks to Almighty God. Not because we're living in some heaven on earth -- that's impossible. But because despite our problems, we're incredibly blessed. We live in a land that recognizes our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In a world beset with death, tyranny, disease and famine, that's nothing short of a miracle.

"We are extremely concerned by the point-shaving allegations involving University of Hawaii football student-athletes and have been in contact with the school since early November."

The Outdoor Circle now is considering how we might best support the broad based coalition of organizations and individuals which is challenging this project in court....

"...Observations do not show rising temperatures .... "

They came, they saw, and they debated....

“The #UNLV money line when it hosted #Hawaii opened at around +1600. By kickoff, it was around +700. Pretty mysterious movement at the time.”

Today’s Washington Post Style page offers up this beyond-satire account of Dylan Bozlee of Hilo, Hawaii, who ....

The CIA and U.S. Treasury Department have determined IHH and the Free Gaza Movement "have known terrorist ties," the bill says. (They also have extensive Hawaii ties--Editor)

Tonight at 8 p.m. ET (3PM HST), eight Republican presidential candidates will take the stage at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., to tell America where they stand on foreign policy and national security ....

The 2010 figures show that residents of Hawaii, Maryland and Alabama have a lot more to fear in their electric bill than folks living in Utah, New Mexico or Montana.

Lingle will benefit from what's likely to be a major schism in the Democratic field, as Rep. Mazie Hirono and ex-Rep. Ed Case battle it out in a late primary.

There are sensible proposals already available to cut federal spending, raise additional revenues and grow our economy. These include the balanced proposals offered by the Bipartisan Policy Center....

“This year’s schedule will make our nominating process more of a marathon than 2008’s sprint,” said former Hawaii Republican Party Chairman Willes Lee. 

the report finds that costs were high even in the "lowest" average-cost states. Premiums ranged from $11,379 to $12,409 in Idaho, Arkansas, Hawaii, Montana, and Alabama, the five states with the lowest average costs for private employer-based coverage.

• Senate: Fiscal 2012 Agriculture Appropriations
• House: National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011
• House: Fiscal 2012 Agriculture Appropriations
• House: Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States

It has improved the health of enrolled patients, achieved high patient satisfaction, and kept cost increases below average, saving Florida up to $161 million annually.

Failing to enact the plan by January 15, 2012, would result in automatic cuts to military spending--a scenario that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta describes as "devastating."

... bankrolled by secret interests who want to operate outside the norms of Hawaii's Ethics Commission; and designed by experienced labor and gambling industry lobbyists desperate for the appearance of "grassroots" support ....

...wind farms are interfering with military radar, making airplanes disappear from sight on screens and cluttering those same screens with the blade-rotation changes of turbine blades....

The Senate has been “in play” for months, but Republicans continue to expand the playing field by adding unexpected candidates in states from Hawaii and Michigan to Connecticut .... 

...companies affiliated with all three of Hawaii’s major water carriers—Matson, Young Bros, and Horizon—are guilty of price fixing in the Puerto Rico market. Is Hawaii next? ....

Several states make multiple appearances at the bottom of the three categories in this study, meaning they rank worst. These states include: Alaska, New Jersey, Hawaii, Connecticut, New Mexico, and Illinois.

Earlier today, Reps. Colleen Hanabusa and Mazie Hirono voted against a Balanced Budget Amendment. A bi-partisan majority, including 25 Democrats voted to support the measure, H.J. Res. 2, to balance the federal budget, but the measure fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass....

Former Governor and U.S. Senate candidate Linda Lingle released today the second in a series of videos detailing her positions on issues of importance to the people of Hawai'i.

The former executive director of the American Samoa Special Services Commission pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to steal more than $325,000 in AmeriCorps grant funds....

So what's Washington doing about it? Fighting over how high to raise taxes instead of getting to the root of the problem.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging In Chan Park, 53, of Honolulu, and Paige Teruya, 47, of Waipahu, Hawaii with fraud relating to identification documents....