August 20, 2009 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Thursday, August 20, 2009

August 20, 2009 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 11:23 AM :: 9300 Views

MUFI's COVERUP: City estimated that Oahu rail funding may fall $500M short

May 1 report with options to make up for shortfall not disclosed to City Council

Cliff Slater, chair of www.honolulutraffic.com, and Rich Ubersax, a local resident opposed to the project, obtained the report through the Freedom of Information Act and made it available to The Advertiser.

During the June 10 hearing, Yoshioka said an updated financial plan would be made public as soon as it was ready.

Yoshioka said again in a July 27 memo to City Council member Charles Djou that there was no updated financial plan.

LINK: Letters, memos and email pertaining to Rail Transit

50 | A Statehood Journey 1959 ~ 2009

No state fought harder than Hawaii to become a full-fledged member of the United States, and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin beat the drum for the movement from the beginning. Within five years of annexation, the Territorial Legislature passed a statehood resolution. The first bill seeking Hawaii statehood was introduced in Congress by Territorial Delegate Prince Kuhio in 1919.

(Unlike the Advertiser, the Star-Bulletin reprints dozens of its original stories covering Statehood as it occurred.)

Subdued tribute reflects dissent

"It's quite interesting and telling that state agencies have decided to low-key this," said Jonathan Osorio, a professor of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii

(He should be interested to observe the entire State grovel at the feet of the Gramscian construct which he heads.)

But at least the Star-Bulletin got Oz Stender and Kekuni Blaisdell to admit they were "elated" about Statehood in 1959. LINK

HGEA wants Hawaii state layoffs blocked until union is 'consulted'

The Hawai'i Government Employees Association has filed a prohibited practices complaint against Gov. Linda Lingle and several of her department directors, claiming the state has not adequately consulted with the union on the layoffs of more than 1,100 state workers.

The complaint asks the Hawai'i Labor Relations Board to find that the governor and her directors have acted in bad faith and to prohibit the layoffs from going forward until the board is satisfied that the state has properly consulted with the union.

Proposal would benefit laid-off state workers on verge of retirement

In a notice to its 40,000 members, the HGEA said the state has offered to make the retirement option available for those who have submitted the paperwork stating their intention to retire at the end of the year. Potential retirees would have to waive their rights to "bump" less senior members, and they would not be able to change their mind.

The state has issued 1,100 layoff notices, but it was not immediately known how many workers had planned to retire.

The state Employees Retirement System estimates there could be as many as 2,250 state workers retiring Dec. 31, well above the usual 500 to 600, the union said.

Hawaii elections office to pay bills first, leave 4 key positions unfilled

"We have to redesign how to run the 2010 elections," Cronin said in an e-mail.

(This is a Democrat scam designed to get vote-by-mail)

Gov. Linda Lingle has said she will not allocate more money to the elections office because the state cannot afford to.

But Cronin said administration officials have told him they will try to persuade the Legislature to free up some of the money now reserved for buying new voting machines. Lawmakers reconvene in January.

But he stressed that the longer the elections office goes without those four key supervisors, the more likely that next year's elections will go awry.

(So the Chief Elections Officer says he can't guarantee the next election won't "go awry"?? Fire him.)

Senate confirms Craig Nakamura as chief judge on Hawaii appeals court

The state Senate voted unanimously today to confirm Craig Nakamura as chief judge on the state Intermediate Court of Appeals.

HawaiiReporter: UPDATE: State Senate Unanimously Confirms Craig Nakamura as Chief of Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals

Hawaii scuba instructor finds plastic clogging Pacific

(This is special, you are witnessing the birth of another anti-capitalist eco-campaign.)

Hamakua land sale still on hold

But when Deputy Corporation Counsel Gerald Takase returned before the finance committee Tuesday at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa, he said the county owned the land based on information provided to him by a title research company.

That answer didn't please the six or seven Native Hawaiians attending the meeting who testified before the committee asking them not to sell the land and to look into the title.

(And so, for now, more land is dead in the hands of the government rather than being put to work by private owners. And Hawaii continues to have the nation's lowest rate of home ownership.)

RELATED: Hamakua land sale delayed

Albert Kahiwahiwa o Kalani Haa Jr. said the lands were leased from his great-great-great-grandfather. There is a cloud on the title and there have been court cases pertaining to some of the parcels for at least nine years, he said....

Shelley Stephens, of Mountain View, added that "the baby sitter shouldn't sell the baby."

Hemmings' refusal to run again could erode GOP's Senate ranks

"Life is too short to be on a monolithic political crusade. I've done my time," said Hemmings, who fought for smaller government, lower taxes and the environment. "We need to have a two-party system, so it's frustrating being a Republican."

One of the reasons Hemmings is stepping down was due to the "tremendous strain" created by the legal troubles of his wife, Lydia, he said.

Lydia Hemmings has pleaded not guilty to (politically motivated, trumped up) charges that she stole at least $300 on several occasions from Blueprint for Change, a nonprofit organization where she was executive director.

Kidani should avoid conflict in state votes

That's the case with the mayoral appointment of state Sen. Michelle Kidani to a temporary post as a community relations specialist for the city Neighborhood Commission. Kidani, D-17th District (Mililani, Waipi'o) started Aug. 10 and will work through Dec. 31.

Ethical conflicts can arise when elected leaders face issues in which they have a personal interest. Lawmakers' decisions on matters affecting the counties could be skewed if they themselves are county employees.

For example, the Senate Ways and Means Committee, on which Kidani sits, could have to vote on how tax revenues that now go to the counties could be redirected to cover the state's budgetary shortfall.

(Still writing this without using the word "Mufi".)

New Kaua’i Indicators Report released

Not mentioned as top public concerns: Superferry, turtles, seals, and iwi. To view or download free copies of the 100-page report, visit the Publications section of KPAA’s Web site at www.kauainetwork.org.

Kauai Council still probing Web tampering

The day following the announcement of the investigation, Lani Kawahara called it “ridiculous” and said she believed it stemmed from a recent authorized change to the council’s e-mail system that distributes electronic correspondence from the public sent to councilmembers@kauai.gov and counciltestimo-ny@kauai.gov to all council members rather than to only Nakamura and his staff.

Comments sought on depleted uranium issue

The NRC will hold a public hearing in Kona on August 26 and in Hilo on August 27 from 6 -to 8:30 p.m. at Hilo High School.

RELATED:

Bananas More Radioactive than Depleted Uranium

Depleted Uranium: Radioactive Propaganda

The Depleted Uranium Scam

ADVERTISER: Creative solutions to help schools

BLASTED by Randy Roth, the Advertiser comes back with...

"In less than a month, the high-profile Save our Sports campaign to support public school athletic programs has raised more than half of its goal of $1.2 million — an amount cut from the state education budget because of economic hard times."

(Hey, we're the monopoly here, nobody reads the SB anyway so if we act like Randy Roth doesn't exist, he won't.)