Hawaii Family Forum Call to Action to Defend Natural Marriage
Clinic Owner: With Medicare and Medicaid, ‘Your Practice May Not Last Long’
Mental Health Top Cause of Hawaii Hospital Admissions
Kailua HS, Kealakehe HS Winners at International Underwater Robotics Meet
Anti-biotech activists would the let Hawaiian papaya go the way of the Dodo
Analysis of Kauai County Anti-GMO Bill #2491
UPDATE: Puerto Rico Jones Act report needs public review
Abercrombie Signs 9 Bills: Wind Farms Must Pay for Decommissioning
Hawaii GOP Promotes Recycling, Raises $5000
HNN: List of July 4th fireworks shows in Hawaii
Celebrating Independence Day, Star-Adv Cries for Defeated Islamist Dictator of Egypt but Takes Solace in Gay Marriage
SA: The most incendiary example of recent days, of course, is found in Egypt. The first freely elected president, Mohamed Morsi, has been toppled after a populist uprising, with the backing of the military.
In the context of that country's sectarian divisions, just how Egypt's armed forces will fare with its suspension of the constitution will only be clear in the coming days. Its last dictator was overthrown only two years ago, and the establishment of full democracy in that country is an unfinished project.
Before anyone can too easily dismiss the turbulent wake of the "Arab spring" as failed freedom-fighting, we need to consider our own history, too.
Full rights for anyone other than white property owners were accorded only gradually in 19th- and 20th-century America. States dropped property ownership as a qualification to vote, slavery was abolished, women were granted suffrage, the Civil Rights Act passed. The Voting Rights Act also became law, but even now, with a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, that effort to ward off discrimination at the ballot box has entered a new transitional phase.
We are still battling over many issues, not the least of which is another determination by that same court on same-sex marriage. The majority opinion of the court was that the federal government could not justify giving benefits to one legally married couple and not another, on the basis of gender.
read ... How They Celebrate July 4th
Abercrombie Mulls Special Session to Change Marriage into Something it never has been
PR: (edited for accuracy) Gov. Neil Abercrombie said Wednesday that it is premature to say whether he might call for a special session of the Legislature on gay marriage. But the governor suggested a decision could come soon.
The governor said his administration is still reviewing the U.S. Supreme Court's rulings last week on same-sex marriage to determine the impact on a pending federal court challenge to the state's marriage law....
"If we can get an understanding as to what the direction is and an agreement about what to do, then we'll take up the question of whether we should move before the next legislative session is formally required," Abercrombie said.
(Translation: I think my lawsuit can be used by SCOTUS to invent mandatory gay marriage nationwide and I don't want to blow myself out of court by enacting gay marriage in Hawaii and thereby losing by cause of action.)
"Because when you're talking about issues of equality and justice, you don't want to delay them unnecessarily or arbitrarily. (Because we have a stampede of lemmings who are so stupid that they think gay marriage is a civil rights issue, they might wise up if we wait too long.)
"So the question of whether or not we move sooner rather than later will be answered very shortly."
Some lawmakers (fearful that voters will toss them out if they act just before next year's election) and (mainland) gay rights activists (attempting to create the illusion of a nationwide gay marriage landslide) have called for a special session to take up gay marriage rather than wait for the next regular session in January.
Two-thirds' votes in the state House and Senate are required for lawmakers to initiate a special session. (and they don't have the votes) The governor, however, has the power to call lawmakers back to the state Capitol.
AP: Teen Boy Arrested for Defending Himself Against his 33 yr Old 'Boyfriend'
read ... Forcing Hawaii
New law requires health benefit payments
SA: Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed into law Wednesday a measure to require the state and counties to make annual payments toward a $16 billion unfunded liability in the Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund, putting the state on a more stable financial path.
The law for the first time commits the governments to a payment schedule and, starting in fiscal year 2018, authorizes the state budget director to divert the counties’ share of general excise tax and hotel room tax revenues if the payments fall short of targets set by an actuary.
Abercrombie said the law sends a message to credit-rating agencies and potential investors that the state takes its financial obligations seriously....
Kalbert Young, the state’s budget director, said Hawaii could be the first state to commit to a payment schedule in law. He said the state has been rated poorly in the past for not adequately dealing with its health care and pension obligations.
Lawmakers and the governor already included $100 million in the state budget for fiscal year 2014 and $117 million for fiscal year 2015 toward the health care fund for public employees. Financial experts have estimated that the state would have to pay $500 million a year for 30 years to satisfy the liability.
Related: Creative Insolvency: EUTF to Enter ‘Shadow Insurance Industry’?
read ... Required
Act221 Finale: Bankrupt Hoku in Trusteeship, Assets Being Stripped,
IS: Kelly officials are concerned items from the plant have been removed since construction efforts stopped. Kelly holds liens for about $24 million in unpaid construction costs.
A meeting of lien holders in the Chapter 7 bankruptcy has been slated for July 31 in the Federal Courthouse in Pocatello.
In addition to the millions owed to JH Kelly, Tianwei Energy Holdings of China has liens for $114 million in loans given to Hoku as it struggled to complete the Pocatello plant.
The list of creditors in addition to Kelly and Tainwei Energy includes 30 other entities. The city of Pocatello is also an interested party in the bankruptcy because it purchased the property where the Hoku plant exists — 67 acres for $900,000 — and leased it to Hoku Materials for 99 years at a cost of $1 per year.
read ... Hoku files for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy: More Material Misrepresentations from Hoku Execs
PBN: “[We are] currently working with [our] customers, vendors and partners to proactively address open issues and complete all remaining work,” Hoku Corp. (Nasdaq: HOKU) President and CEO Xaioming Yin said in a statement prepared several weeks ago. A former spokeswoman for the company could not verify the statement on Wednesday, and company officials were unavailable for comment.... (Chapter 7 means shut down and liquidate. Hello? Hello?)
Hoku Corp. invested hundreds of millions of dollars into building the polysilicon plant in Idaho, which was never completed mainly because the price of polysilicon plummeted.
In documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Idaho on Tuesday, Hoku Corp. reported estimated assets of between $100,000 to $500,000 with estimated liabilities of between $500 million and $1 billion.
Meantime, Hoku Solar reported estimated assets between $1 million and $10 million with estimated liabilities up to $50,000.
Hoku Materials reported estimated assets between $1 million and $10 million and estimated liabilities of $500 million and $1 billion.
read ... Billion Dollars in Debt
WSJ: Obamacare 'Fiasco for the Ages'
WSJ: These columns fought the Affordable Care Act from start to passage, and we'd now like to apologize to our readers. It turns out we weren't nearly critical enough. The law's implementation is turning into a fiasco for the ages, and this week's version is the lawless White House decision to delay the law's insurance mandate for businesses, though not for individuals.
read ... The Wall Street Journal
Billion Dollar Rate Hike in Store as HECO moves to install controversial smart meters
HNN: But critics are worried about potential health risks, loss of privacy and increased costs.
"You add billions of dollars to their rate base. They'll be making profit on all of that but it's not clear yet whether the consumer will benefit from it," said Henry Curtis, executive director of the nonprofit Life of the Land.
The new smart meters will replace hundreds of thousands of odometer-like meters that are manually read monthly by HECO employees.
These new meters rely on wireless technology to transmit customers' billing information to HECO offices and service trucks and allow customers to review their electrical usage on a real-time basis, allowing them to make adjustments when costs rise....
Life of the Land's Curtis says he's worried about the lack of detail.
"They've taken what appears to be a very high level bird's eye view of where they are going minus the details," he said.
"Without the details, you shouldn't be spending a billion dollars.".
HB: Balancing Hawaii's energy supply and demand
read ... HECO moves to install controversial smart meters
Furloughs: Obama Slashes Military pay
SA: More than 1,100 National Guard soldiers and airmen in Hawaii will be living with 20 percent less pay over the next three months as the Defense Department carries out automatic federal budget cuts.
read ... Obamanomics
Waihee: Akaka Tribe Will Accept Verbal Confirmation of Hawaiian Ancestry
RA: John Waihe'e, Native Hawaiian Commission chairman, has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat his commission has decided to accept both verbal and written confirmation sources.
"We have a series of possible verification standards including birth certificates, enrolment in Kamehameha schools, enrolment in any Hawaiian program and the like," Mr Waihe'e said.
"Birth certificates are the easiest. Hawaii birth certificates list their ancestry. There is no blood column.
"People who don't have a birth certificate have the ability to prove their ancestry by witnesses... You need somebody to say that yes, I was born a Hawaiian and my grandmother was a Hawaiian."
Meanwhile: Akaka Tribe: We Can Kick Out Anybody Anytime for Any Reason
read ... Anybody they want to let in
Eco-terrorism theories raised in papaya vandalism cases
SA: Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu said the case was classified as second-degree property damage, a Class C felony that carries a maximum of five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. No arrests were made and the case was closed.
Ross Sibucao, president of the Hawaii Papaya Industry Association, said the destructive acts prompted affected farmers to patrol their property frequently, worried more trees will be destroyed. Sibucao said he increased patrols at his 8-acre farm in Puna as a precaution.
Some believe the vandalism at Hawaii island farms that grow genetically modified papayas was agricultural terrorism because of the controversy surrounding GMO issues.
Researchers developed genetically modified papayas, including the “Rainbow” variety, after the ringspot virus devastated Hawaii papaya farms in the 1990s. On Oahu, “Kamiya” and “Laie Gold” are also genetically engineered.
The development saved the industry, said Dean Okimoto, president of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, adding that the industry would falter without biotechnology.
Okimoto said he believes vandalism on Hawaii island could be linked to ecoterrorism. “You’re affecting the livelihood of the small guys,” he said.
read ... Eco Terrorism
Maui water rates hike measure is deferred again
MN: A bill that would give the county water director, with the consent of the mayor, the power to impose higher rates during water shortages was deferred yet again by members of the Maui County Council's Water Resources Committee on Wednesday.
Council members unanimously voted to defer the bill, which was first introduced in January and has since been bounced between the committee and the full council to allow for more testimony from community groups, small and large farmers and water users.
"The public's a little afraid of giving the ultimate power to the director and the mayor," Committee Chairman Michael Victorino told The Maui News during a recess Wednesday.
read ... Rate Hike
Public elections financing pilot program halted for lack of funds
HTH: A program aimed at leveling the playing field by providing public funding for Hawaii County Council candidates will not continue next year, after the program’s bank account dipped below the $3.5 million threshold set by state law.
The pilot program, which began in 2010 only for Hawaii County and was to continue through the 2014 election, was generally considered a success in bringing new blood into council races. It was also supported in recent voter polls, an advocate said.
Last year, a majority of winning council members benefited from public campaign financing. More significantly, in every County Council race where at least one publicly financed candidate entered, that candidate won. All three publicly funded candidates who failed in their quest to seek office lost to other publicly funded candidates.
read ... Designed to Work Like This
Chinatown Hair Salon Robbed Twice
KHON: What was once a 70 member strong citizens patrol in Chinatown has not only dwindled, some week’s it’s non-existent, and one member of that group is crying out for help.
Enough was enough for Otto Cake! The bakery owner no longer felt safe on Smith Street.
Years of dealing with crime outside his shop pushed him over the edge, so he moved out.
“Miss him already, i’m so sorry he leave but what can we do,” Linda Dang, owner of Yes Barber and Hair Styling said.
Linda Dang understands his fear. Her Hair Salon has also been targeted by criminals.
“I’ve been robbed 2 time’s the fist time they take the second I caught them,” Dang said.
But it’s not just their street that is seeing crimes.
“For June there were 12 assaults, 5 burglaries,” Sgt. Jon Castro with the Honolulu Police Department said.
read ... Despite repeated crimes in Chinatown, few turn out for Citizens Patrol
Kakaako high-rise in jeopardy while retail complex advances
HNN: The proposal calls for demolishing industrial buildings and constructing 192 apartments with parking for 198 vehicles. The income requirement for a family of four would need to be about $80,000 to $120,000. Critics collected more than 1,700 signatures on a petition to stop the project. Many living in neighboring buildings oppose the plan since the height would be nearly three times the maximum limit.
"You have seen for yourself in a site visit how this project will adversely affect the lives of residents who already call Kakaako home by allowing a building that is 284% taller and 70% closer than the current rules allow," said Imperial Plaza resident Bernard Nunies.
HCDA members determined that the building height and proximity exemptions being requested would adversely affect the neighborhood. They took the unusual step of voting to adopt staff suggestions to deny MJF Development Corporation's permit application. The developer has not decided if it will submit additional arguments before a final decision is made on August 7.
Meanwhile, another developer received a show of support. Several people testified in favor of Kamehameha Schools' $30-million dollar retail complex. "Salt at Our Kakaako" would transform an entire block bordered by Coral, Keawe, Auahi streets and Ala Moana Boulevard.
read ... Kakaako high-rise in jeopardy while retail complex advances
Labor deal struck with bus drivers
SA: Morton and city Department of Transportation Services Director Michael Formby declined to provide details on the new contract because it hasn't been inked yet.
Morton did say the tentative contract came after successful, late-night bargaining, which he described as "typical" of the process.
Teamsters representatives did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Pay for TheBus' drivers currently ranges from $20.15 to $27.43 an hour, Morton said Wednesday.
OTS, a nonprofit corporation that acts partly as a city entity and partly as an independent contractor, has made two five-year deals with the Teamsters bus drivers since 2003 — the last time the drivers went on strike, Morton said.
(And now you know why the Council was discussing the reorganization of TheBus. And why the subject will now be dropped.)
read ... Teamsters
Waianae residents demand answers for run-down police substation
KHON: HPD announced three years ago that the substation will be demolished and replaced by a 26,000-square-foot, two-story building.
HPD said back then that the current building is deteriorating and much of it was beyond repair....
A spokeswoman for HPD says the city is still finalizing the arrangement to move the communications equipment.
read ... Three Years
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