Bishop Silva: "To Discriminate Regarding Marriage is NOT Unjust"
Hawaii to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of "I Have a Dream" Speech
Call for nominations for UH Board of Regents
Atheist 'Enemies List' Published -- 126 Hawaii Churches
ILind: Mitch Kahle and Holly Huber have made available a list of 126 churches that were using public school facilities based on documents they have been able to obtain for the 2011-2012 school year.
"Some of the churches have left the schools since our investigation began. For example we have evidence that both Lighthouse Baptist at Naalehu Elementary and The Wave at Enchanted Lake have stopped using school facilities once the proper charges were imposed. New Hope has stopped meeting at Ala Wai Elementary as well as Farrington High and Kapolei Middle schools."
PDF: List of 126 churches meeting in public schools.
read ... Hit List
Reporters Say What they Really think About Politicians
HP: Guiterrez, on stilts as Mufi Hannemann, delivered the best line of the night in a sketch about Abercrombie’s paranormal experience with the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, who visits from the afterlife to chide the gov for ignoring his dying wish to install Rep. Colleen Hanabusa as his successor.
Other politicians taking their licks were “Manic Mayor” Kirk Caldwell; Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui of Maui, who writes “A Letter From Camp” to his boss a la the Alan Sherman classic; a preening Tulsi Gabbard who touts her instant celebrity in “Call Me Tulsi,” from the Carly Rae Jepsen hit; former Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, who is “Suddenly Senator” (borrowing from “Little Shop of Horrors”); and charisma-free Sen. Mazie Hirono, who gets roasted by the boy band Wrong Direction in “We Don’t Care You’re Really Dull.” Ouch.
And just when the audience was beginning to worry that Donalyn Dela Cruz wouldn’t be channeling the bad-ass Hanabusa as she has in past Gridirons, out popped Bill Sage with the opening “what, what”’s to Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop.”
Dela Cruz was hella kickin’ it as the hip-hopping congresswoman, rapping: “I’m in D.C. like, wassup, no can stop / My poll numbers, they going up to the top / Neil’s still the gov, he’s our top donkey / Eh, he’s one cold-blooded honky.”
read ... Gridiron 2013 at Diamond Head Theatre
36% of City Tax Revenue to go to Rail, Debt
KITV: ..."So either you raise taxes, you cut services, or you do a combination of both," Cayetano told KITV4. "I think that the mayor and the City Council are going to have to deal with that."
According to the rail project's financial plan, subsidies for The Bus, Handi-Van and rail will reach 17 percent of the city's general fund through fiscal year 2030. If you add Honolulu's current debt service of 19.2 percent, that's more than 36 percent of the city's annual tax and fee collections going toward those two items alone....
Read ... About the Future
Hawaii tourism Expects US Slump in 2014
SA: The visitor industry expects slumps in European and U.S. arrivals and spending...
AP: Hawaii aims for 30% growth in China travel
read ... Hawaii tourism in 2014 will lean on Asia-Pacific
25,000 Customers Could be Shocked by Water Bills
KHON: Kahea Kauhi, her husband Kaui, their three kids, and aunty live across of Waimanalo Beach Park.
Their combined water/sewer bill usually runs them about $150 a month.
But two weeks ago, they got a bill for $958!...
The Board of Water Supply has 166,000 accounts across Oahu, and 15-percent of them have been getting estimated bills. (166K x.15 = 25K)
“Due to deferred maintenance, we were unable to get good meter readings and that led to some estimated bills,” Board of Water Supply Spokeswoman Tracy Burgo said.
read ... Waimanalo family gets big bill despite no water leak
Kauai Council Committee OKs property tax Hike
KGI: Among other things, the bill eliminates a property tax cap, which has protected some resident homeowners from climbing real estate values....
The bill originally proposed a $100,000 tax exemption for resident homeowners, which are taxed $3.05 per $1,000 of assessed value. Those between 60 and 69 years old would get a $120,000 exemption, which would increase to $140,000 at age 70.
The amended bill now increases those exemptions to $160,000, $180,000 and $200,000 respectively.
Owners of transient vacation rentals, which are taxed $8 per $1,000 of assessed value, will still get the resident homeowners’ exemption, as long as they live in the house for six months or more per year.
A change in the law this year divided taxpayer classes by use rather than zoning. Despite notices sent by the county to each property, some taxpayers were caught by surprise when they saw their homestead rates, at $3.05, become commercial rates, at $8.
An amendment to the bill will allow homes that have day-care centers operated by licensed providers to still qualify for the cheaper homestead rates.
Credit unions, as nonprofit organizations, currently pay the minimum $25 annual tax. The original bill proposed an across-the-board $1,500 tax for credit unions, but the amended version sets their share as 10 percent of the value of their property.
The bill eliminates all property taxes for Hawaiian homesteaders, who currently pay $25.
read ... Tax Hike
Councilwoman Ford’s Extreme Approach to GMOs
BIN: Like a clumsy bull charging into the middle of an 18th century duel between gentlemen, Councilwoman Brenda Ford has vaulted herself in between the various adversaries in Hawaii’s GMO fight....
read ... Extremist
Kihei Charter rated low; student proficiency high
MN: Although its students achieved high reading, math and science proficiency scores, Kihei Charter School's low 51 percent on-time graduation rate dropped it to the bottom 5 percent of schools statewide under the public schools' new Strive HI Performance System.
Kihei Charter's Strive report card shows that it was automatically classified as a "priority" school in need of "very high" levels of state intervention and involvement. Thirteen other public schools are "priority" schools, with none of those in Maui County.
State Department of Education spokesman Alex Da Silva said that any school with a high school graduation rate of less than 70 percent over three consecutive years is classified as a priority school.
read ... New System Strange Results
City hauls away nearly 8 tons of waste in sidewalk sweep
SA: ...city officials this week collected 12 bins of personal items and hauled away 7.79 tons of waste picked up at Iwilei and Kalihi.
City crews from the Department of Facility Maintenance and Department of Parks and Recreation also made another effort to clear tents and other items used by (de )Occupy Honolulu at the corner of Beretania Street and Ward Avenue, fronting Thomas Square, at 4 a.m. Thursday. The protest group has been at Thomas Square since November 2011.
Following the sweep on Thursday, protesters returned by Friday morning and erected two tents.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the city’s efforts targeted public sidewalks used by the homeless at Kuwili, Pine, Sumner and Kohu streets.
read ... Keep Pushing them into Shelters
Idiots Continue to Waste Time, Money on "Creating Language for the Homeless"
SA: Jon Lewis, 24, said he has done design work for nonprofit companies before, but "nothing like a ‘let's get a bunch of people together and brain dump' (where) nobody's walking away from it not fulfilled."
Kippen said he was met mostly with blank stares from council members after he and Lum proposed designing a visual language to reach out to the homeless.
"It was a hard sell," he said. "The difficulty was they couldn't make the translation to what we were talking about; they couldn't see that what we were trying to do was create a holistic picture and show how everything relates to everything else. Instead, you know, they're all segmented.
read ... Doing anything EXCEPT pushing the homeless into shelters
City Keeps Towing vendor, Makes Excuse
SA: The city has decided to stick with a single vendor to handle police-initiated vehicle tows on Oahu.
Despite problems that plagued the city's initial attempt with the one-vendor system, it has issued specifications for a new contract that the city hopes to award later this year.
Leeward Auto Wreckers was awarded the initial contract about 10 months ago but from the beginning encountered problems, including overcharging customers the first few months. The city and the company recently agreed to terminate the contract once a new one is signed.
read ... Single Vendor Stays
Cook Evaluates Senate 2014
CPR: The chart below displays our current calculations on how the race for Senate in 2014 is shaping up. At this early stage in the cycle it is worth noting that all underlying assumptions are subject to change as the political environment develops further.
read ... The Chart
Churches Changing Bylaws to Protect Against Gay Atheist Harassment
AP: Worried they could be sued by gay couples, some churches are changing their bylaws to reflect their view that the Bible allows only marriage between one man and one woman.
Although there have been lawsuits against wedding industry businesses that refuse to serve gay couples, attorneys promoting the bylaw changes say they don't know of any lawsuits against churches (yet).
read ... About What's Coming
State Seeks to Expel Church Group from Waiahole Valley
SA: Pacific Cultural, an organization comprising dozens of churches and community volunteers, teaches traditional and sustainable farming to at-risk youth. Its farm in Waiahole Valley is used as an outdoor classroom to grow breadfruit, mangoes, avocados and other fruits and vegetables.
In the last two years, nearly 100 youth have participated in the organization’s programs through its partnerships with other organizations such as the Youth Challenge Academy and Goodwill Hawaii.
“It is a very rewarding experience for these kids,” said board chairman Loia Fiaui.
The organization also collaborated with TJ Mahoney & Associates to provide rehabilitation for recovering addicts at the site with cultural programs and health and wellness education workshops.
Pacific Cultural provides food grown on the farm to the homeless and area churches and communities. It also allow families to farm the land and take home what they plant.
read ... Pacific Cultural Institute has not kept up with payments on its Waiahole Valley property
Felon escapes through work furlough program
HNN: Authorities say 35-year-old Bronson Keola Gouveia left OCCC to go to his work furlough program, but he failed to return Friday night.
Gouveia has multiple felony convictions, including robbery, assault, weapons and drug charges. He had been in prison since 2009, and was going to be eligible for parole next year.
read ... Another Day, Another Escape
OHA Grants for Diabetes, Weight Control
SA: This past week the Office of Hawaiian Affairs announced it awarded a $433,000 grant to the Queen's Medical Center to work with Hawaiians suffering from obesity to encourage physical activity and healthy diets in a culturally sensitive manner. OHA has awarded almost $3.6 million in grants for community-based programs from 2012 to 2015.
read ... Obamacare Coming
Star-Adv: Trade Pohakuloa for Makua Valley
SA: The Army announced this week a record of decision — the final step in the environmental impact statement process — that stated its intention to build a $29 million Infantry Platoon Battle Course on 110 acres of land at the vast, 133,000-acre Pohakuloa Training Area.
However, the Army's EIS includes a caveat: The proposed battle course at Pohakuloa won't eliminate the need for company-level live-fire training in Makua Valley.
While Pohakuloa offers some advantages, such as night training and use of tracer ammunition, the EIS said that it would be too expensive to transport to Pohakuloa a company, which consists of three or four platoons.
"It would be unlikely that a company would travel alone to (Pohakuloa) to train," the EIS said. "Rather, it would have to travel with its larger parent unit," driving up costs.
read ... Don't return Makua Valley to line of fire
Lawmakers must do more to fight cancer in Hawaii, report says
WHT: “How Do You Measure up?: A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality,” released this month, evaluates each state’s activity on issues crucial to winning the fight against cancer. The report found Hawaii measured up to benchmarks in five of the 10 measured areas: tobacco tax and price increase, tobacco tax increase rates, tobacco prevention and cessation funding, and Medicaid expansion.
Link: Report
read ... Cancer
QUICK HITS: