The Treasury acquired the shares this year as part of the Hawaii-based bank holding company's recapitalization. The stock was trading around $29 a share at the time of the Treasury's investment...and closed Tuesday at $14.13.... The stock is down 64% in the past year.

The downgrade reflects the state's minimal financial cushion against risks inherent in an economy dominated by the volatile tourism sector following the depletion of previously large balances as well as the state's significant and growing long-term liabilities.

...the state of Hawaii has temporarily suspended many general excise tax exemptions. The suspended exemptions include certain transportation and maritime support services such as stevedoring. This means that the state will tax carriers for a portion of the cargo costs that had previously been exempted, and the cost to carriers serving the state will increase.  Effective July 10, 2011, Matson will implement a General Excise Tax Arbitrary to recover these extra costs.

As everyone who follows news about energy knows by now, in the last decade the technique of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," long used in the oil industry, has evolved to permit energy companies to access reserves of previously-unrecoverable “shale gas” or unconventional natural gas.

Five days from now, our country will reach the 90-day mark from the notification to Congress regarding the commencement of the military operation in Libya, which began on March 18, 2011.

According to Christoph Gabler, Senior Vice-President for AEGON USA Realty Advisors, LLC, the Towers at KPT are the first phase of a 1,025 community being redeveloped by the Michaels Development Company in partnership with Vitus Group and the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

As President Barack Obama swung through North Carolina yesterday, he did all he could to show that he cares about the U.S. economy, its 9.1 percent unemployment rate, and the 13.9 million Americans who remain out of work. Well, that is, until he let a bit of honesty slip off his tongue....

...the unemployed are not just economic statistics, but are real Americans looking to support themselves and their families....

Despite governmental mandates for renewables, if their electricity production is converted to equivalent tons of oil, then their share is only 1.3% in 2010....

See her announcement....

Please join me this Wednesday evening, June 15th, from 7pm to 9pm, for a very important town hall meeting at the brand new Ewa Makai Middle School in Ewa Beach....

Under the law, all children are required to be proficient in math and reading by 2014—a standard that could leave three-quarters of U.S. schools labeled as failures, leaving them at risk of losing federal funding.

Senator Slom addresses a luncheon at the Hawaii Venture Capitol Association – May 26, 2011 at the Plaza Club, Honolulu Hawaii. The subject: State budget, deficit, spending, taxation, economy, more.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s statements against the Pro Bowl last Thursday revealed the severity of the vision deficit facing our state.

• Effective immediately and until further notice, all new Fannie Mae foreclosures in Hawaii must be commenced as judicial foreclosures.
• Effective immediately, all pending Fannie Mae non-judicial foreclosures in Hawaii that have not proceeded to sale should be dismissed and converted to judicial foreclosures.

Abercrombie’s bizarre attack on the Pro-Bowl is part of Progressive Democrats’ ongoing war against Mufi Hannemann, Dan Inouye, and the “old-boy” Democrats. And this is not Abercrombie’s first attack on Mufi’s new base in the Hawaii tourism industry....

The Oahu Advisory Council of the Reapportionment Commission will meet Wednesday June 15 at 8AM in the State Capitol Conference room 329. Public testimony will be accepted.

The Naval Air Museum Barbers Point (NAMBP) will be hosting Hawaii Youth Challenge Graduating Cadets for a time of exploring real aircraft, beginning at 1300 through 1530 on Monday, June 13, 2011.  

Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission Chair Paul Kuramoto and four other commission members moved to dismiss their appeal on Thursday after the 9th Circuit upheld an injunction that same day against a similar campaign finance law in San Diego...

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it has proposed the removal of more than 30 Honolulu International Airport (HNL) TSA employees following an extensive investigation into allegations of improper screening of checked baggage. 

“since taking office six months ago, Tax Director Fred Pablo has reviewed the department’s operations and noticed unusual reporting in monthly tax revenue reports. Pablo immediately addressed these concerns by conducting and completing an internal investigation and analysis of the revenue reports.”

Will Hawaii be saddled with the second-rate already failed ACO/Medical Home scheme promoted by Gov Abercrombie? The Washington Post is already debunking this failure before we start:

The Democratic candidate for governor was always a loud-mouthed hippie who had all the answers. I didn't forget....

"It's Time We Get Our Priorities Straight," a message from Governor Neil Abercrombie, June 10, 2011

Growing evidence from both sides of the Atlantic indicates that performance models based on wind data often promise levels of generation substantially above actual wind power output.

Sorting through different groups and deciding who to include, or who not to include in consideration for representation, I believe should be a non-issue. All should be included.

 Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has acquired two missile warheads capable of being armed with a nuclear weapon. And a recently leaked U.N. report described suspected ballistic missile technology exchanges between North Korea and Iran....

Hawaii’s per pupil expenditure climbed to $12,399 in 2009, ranking it as the 11^th highest in the nation, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report. This new rate marks a 12% increase compared to the previous year.

Some Democrats have advocated counting rapists, child molesters, pimps, drug dealers and other convicted felons and prison inmates but not counting the military personnel who put it all on the line to defend America.   The final decision was postponed until the next meeting.

Moving forward on his plan to invest in young children, Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced Terry Lock as the Governor’s Early Childhood Coordinator....

Your bargaining committee met with representatives of management for collective bargaining talks on May 24 and May 25. Darren Carroll, of TNG-CWA, was our chief negotiator. Ron Leong, an attorney, was management’s lead negotiator....

Ratings may be helpful during election periods .... 

Turnaround on vacant units was slow, adversely impacting families on the waiting list as well as rent collections. As of February 15, 2011, the authority had a total of 233 vacant units that either had pending maintenance work or were available for rent; overall, these units had been vacant an average of six months.

The meeting is on Saturday, June 18th at 1:00 PM at the Kona Vistas Pavilion.

 In 2010 we garnered 19% of the vote after having a vibrant campaign with less than $100,000 for advertising. But if each of our 38,439 voters had contributed ten bucks we would have had the funds for competitive advertising ....

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) took action to improve operations at its State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) and ensure federal compliance. The Department awarded a contract to Solutions Pacific, LLC to implement recommendations of the National Park Service’s Corrective Action Plan.  

In November of 2011, MMNA will launch the battery-powered electric vehicle Mitsubishi i ....

Leon Panetta, President Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, will go before the Senate tomorrow for questioning on how he would shepherd the department into the future. The American taxpayers deserve some answers from Panetta....

The economic news keeps getting worse for America. Last month, the unemployment rate went up to 9.1 percent, the economy added only 54,000 jobs, and the average length of unemployment rose to more than nine months, the longest since the Labor Department started keeping track in 1948.

In anticipation of the CIO’s arrival, OIMT has begun an assessment intended to provide an overview of technology across the state. OIMT selected Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to lead this assessment.

Upcoming celebrations include:

• June 8-9th – Annual ʻAha Na Kai ʻEwalu all-state Association of Hawaiian Evangelical Churches Conference Kaumakapili Church
• June 25th – Sanctuary Centennial Celebration 6pm-9pm – Sheraton Waikiki Resort Ballroom
• July 16th – 40th Annual Benefit Luʻau 8am-2pm – Kaumakapili Church

See the announcement . . .

The American Medical Group Association said a survey of its members found that 93 percent wouldn't enroll as ACOs in the main proposed Medicare program.

You irresponsibly abuse the public’s trust in your organization and their concern for the health of their loved ones by falsely claiming that USEPA has not set a standard for Cr VI in the drinking water and demanding that it do so. This is a blatant lie. ...  Any high school student with access to the internet could have determined this. Given that EWG has been working on this issue for years, I can’t believe that your staff is incompetent enough not to know this.

Ours is the greatest country. Not just our founding principles, but our history and our continued promise. Our freedoms, balance of majority rule and minority rights, inclusion of new peoples. It’s not always easy being an American. We make mistakes, get out of balance, rarely take a straight path to a better future. But our foundations are sound, we self-correct, and we have bettered our world at great sacrifice. By staying true to our principles and heritage in a changing world, we will prevail.

Freedom Rankings for Hawaii

• #47 Overall
• #46 Economic
• #43 Personal

The report was produced by the Hawaii State Data Center, a part of the Research and Economic Analysis Division of DBEDT, from data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2010 Redistricting Data ....

Arraignment and plea is scheduled for Tuesday, June 7, 2011, at 8:30 a.m., in Courtroom 7C before the Honorable Randal Shintani.