Ethics

... How effective were our reform efforts? Well, I am pleased to say that one of the first report cards has just arrived ....

... the affordable housing credits paid to Dowling are worth $1.4M to $20.6M over and above DHHL’s $10.8M parcel valuation ....

... I have to laugh because they mocked me as being sheep but, uh, they are the ones taking enough of a toxic substance made for sheep! ....

... Hawaii feed stores seeing spike in Ivermectin sales--One Person Poisoned ....

... top Corrections Official was Secret Arbitrator keeping mafia-connected HPD officers on the job ....

... SIC allowed third-party telecommunication carriers to use the Paniolo Cable Network without permission, without compensation to Paniolo and in violation of the Settlement Agreement ....

... what may turn out to be the biggest fraud wave in U.S. history ....

"We found the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has implemented 10 and partially implemented 1 of the 11 recommendations made in our report...."

... It’s been about 525 days since the first lockdown began ....

... Consequently, the UIPA and all its deadlines are back in full effect.  As OIP has advised agencies all along, it will be disinclined to grant any further extensions in pending UIPA and Sunshine Law appeals filed with OIP ....

... the repairs took several hours and occurred during state business hours and on state property ....

... I do not believe OHA Administration’s implementation plan satisfies the directive given to OHA via Act 29 ....

... property may be forfeited without a court hearing, without compensation, and at times, without even a criminal charge filed against the property owner. ...

... we are witnessing the breakdown in trust that occurs when there is not enough transparency in government decision-making ....

... rent for the property was $100,000 while subleases of the same property brought in $300,000 ....

... Federal prosecutors say she stole from Kamehameha Schools students needing financial aid and from Gates Millennium Scholars. The government also accuses her of stealing information from a non-profit mobile health unit for Native Hawaiians on Kauai ....

... the program was unable to accurately account for forfeited property ....

... Aalto's movies given major funding by rail supporters ....

... used his state computer and state email account to send an email to the Chief Executive Officer of a private health care facility in which he solicited the CEO to purchase personal protective equipment from a private company, M&W Suppliers ....

... What part of ‘mutually assured destruction’ did they not understand? ....

... Hawaii Non-Profit Executive Sentenced to 46 Months of Imprisonment for Embezzling Over $500,000 from AmeriCorps and for Agreeing to Receive a Bribe for Approving $845,000 in CARES Act Grants ....

... A total of 15 Hawaiʻi nonprofit organizations on five islands will receive a total of $1.77 million ....

“...the coronavirus pandemic has challenged the County to make many unprecedented decisions. One such decision was to reduce the Assessed Values of Hotel and Resort properties due to the catastrophic drops in occupancy experienced by that industry....”

... Cayetano and Kealoha have a lengthy professional relationship that includes serving together on the Board of Directors for the Hawaii Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation ....

"...the Governing Board failed to manage the financial performance of the school...."

... In order to steer a consulting contract to its former Board Chair, Colleen Hanabusa, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART), a federally-funded rail transit project, imposed the following narrowly tailored requirements on bidders ....

... the trial court sanctioned 'Judges for Justice' $17,000 for making the request ....

... Federal authorities, March 30, 2021, unsealed indictments charging six DPP employees in a bribery scheme going back as far as 2012.  Challacombe had been Deputy Director of the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting from 2013-2016, and then Acting Director in 2016-17 ....

... Hawaii businesses might be reopening, but Hawaii government agencies still have a ways to go ....

... The lawsuit seeks to end HPD’s continuing policy of allowing officers with conflicts of interest to abuse their police powers for personal benefit ....

... Hawaii Supreme Court is seeking to fill four attorney and two non-attorney positions on the Disciplinary Board ....

... the Agency has collaborated with the Nonprofit Corporations in the development of the content; and second, the Agency specifically encouraged the Employees to undertake this additional work ....

... Nickie Lum Davis pleaded guilty last year to aiding and abetting FARA violations in connection with the work ....

... data about Hawaii’s open records law collected by 284 state, county, and independent agencies on their UIPA Record Request Logs for FY 2020 ....

... A recently unsealed search warrant application shows the FBI believes a Hawaii defense contractor illegally funneled $150,000 to a pro-Collins super PAC and reimbursed donations to Collins' campaign ....

... The State Capitol has been closed since March of 2020 when the pandemic began, and unlike other State and government buildings across our State, the Capitol has remained closed to the public ....

... The NOVO was issued due to the licensee’s ongoing failure to submit annual independent financial audits ....

... Blangiardi: “I had nothing to do with that contract” ....

... Marked “Confidential (Not for Distribution),” the document contains analyses of both the original plan for the rail and 27 alternatives ....

... At least six other current and former members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation have supported such legislation one or more times ....

... They were authorized via special legislation approved by Congress, including members of Hawaii’s own delegation ....

... During the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers demonstrated strong interest in matters concerning the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) ....

...The Fumble or The Phantom Punch....

... This bill was so close to the finish line that the only question seemed to be whether Gov. Ige would agree to limit his power ....

... HB526 and SB1329 ....

... Court documents said Harleman used his firm, Precision Accounting Hawaii, to defraud an Oahu landscaping business out more than $415,000 ....

... a “potential catastrophe” enabling “abuse of discretion… (which) …will promote and enable favoritism and/or corruption in public procurement.” ....

... “We’re not proud of it.  But crystal methamphetamine is our gift to the nation. It started here.” -- Judge and Former US Attorney Ed Kubo ....

... and he pulls no punches ....

"...This is a great loss to OHA‘s beneficiaries. There are numerous questions of accountability and transparency which will go unanswered without the state legislative audit...."