Man allegedly scams taxpayers for 14 years, FBI says
Survey: Hawaii 24th in Opportunity Index
House Informational Briefing on Same Sex Marriage Oct 23
Gay Marriage: HIRA Responds to Abercrombie Admin
House Informational Briefing on Same Sex Marriage Oct 23
Court Orders Abercrombie Admin to Pay Lawyers who Forced him to Reveal Names of Judicial Nominees
Judicial Selection Commission Announces Vacancy and Three Petitions for Retention
Senators, Reps: Abercrombie Lied to us About Special Session
Borreca: According to legislators in the House and Senate, who asked to speak about the issue anonymously, Abercrombie met with Senate President Donna Mercado Kim and House Speaker Joe Souki on Aug. 27, the day before Abercrombie was to address a Martin Luther King Jr. rally.
Legislators said while Abercrombie initially wanted a special session, lawmakers proposed having the Senate introduce the gay marriage bill that Abercrombie was working with as the first piece of legislation in 2014.
Senators said the bill had the votes to pass the Senate and the bill had a slim majority in the House. The three leaders, according to legislators, then shook hands on the deal. Kim and Souki then told their respective Democratic caucuses that the special session was off.
But the next morning, Abercrombie announced that he was actually still considering the deal and wanted to hear from more people.
Souki and Kim were not available to speak on the record about the meeting and Abercrombie is saying there never was a deal....
"He never committed to such an agreement, nor shook hands over such an agreement," said Abercrombie's communications director (who is quitting and fleeing the state). "What was clearly expressed back then to the Senate president and House speaker was that the governor would consider their proposals, but would need to discuss everything with his staff, including (homosexual) Deputy Chief of Staff Blake Oshiro, who was out of the country at that time.
read ... Matter of trust between gov, legislators does matter
50 local Organizations Unite Against Gay Marriage
KHON: With one week left before a special session that could legalize same-sex marriage, opponents are ramping up their lobbying efforts. A new TV ad was released Monday to state their case.
The public can expect a lot of lobbying through rallies and sign waving, but also a good amount of money from outside sources.
"The heritage of Hawaii's people is rooted in family, mothers, and fathers united in marriage caring for each other," the commercial stated.
The commercial, which started airing Monday on the major networks as well as cable news channels, was paid for by the non-profit group Hawaii Family Advocates, which is part of the Coalition to Let the People Decide on Marriage.
"Which is made up of about 50 different interest groups in town that do not want to redefine marriage through a legislative process. We want to vote on it through a constitutional amendment," Hawaii Family Advocates President Jim Hochberg said.
read ... same-sex marriage issue
200 Congregations, 179,000 Members say no to Changing Family Structure
PR: With aloha for all the people of Hawaii, we, the Hawaii Pastors Roundtable, are fully committed to God's plan found in Genesis 1:27-28 and elsewhere in the Bible that marriage is a lifelong commitment between one woman and one man. We also declare that The Bible is God's Word and that is the highest law in the land.
We are faced with one of the most divisive issues of our time with Same Sex Marriage. And although our hearts are broken by the strife and conflict caused by this controversial debate, we are also compelled by our love for the people of Hawaii to uphold God’s original design, marriage between one woman and one man, which best promotes healthy families and a stable society.
We affirm that people with same-sex attraction are a part of our community and they deserve dignity and respect. As this very important discussion continues at the Legislature, in the public square, and in homes all across our State, let us remember to treat each other with kindness and compassion.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." Genesis 2:24
Read: Atheist Advertiser using this to portray opposition to gay marriage as 100% church-based
Why it matters? Lessons from France on Defending Marriage
read ... Hawaii Pastors Roundtable
VIDEO: Transsexual Teacher Recruits in Hawaii Elementary School
HuffPo: In Kumu Hina's school, a young student who decides to wear both male and female leis at a school performance is not sent to the principal's office or the guidance counselor as would likely occur at a school in the continental U.S.A., nor are the other students derisive or hostile, much less violent. Instead they are, well, a little envious of this studentʻs special place in the middle! ...
We hope that the premiere of the film in 2014 will launch a new national conversation about gender and youth and lead to the creation of more sensitive and inclusive environments for all people across the wide and diverse gender spectrum. After all, if this welcoming and encompassing approach to education with aloha works so well in Hawai'i, why not make it work on the continent and everywhere else?
Related: Transsexual Harasses, Sues Charity Providing Real Females with Free Mammograms
read ... A Transgender Teacher in Hawai'i Makes a Place for Every Student
Poll: Schatz 38% Hanabusa 36%
CB: Incumbent Brian Schatz has a 2 percentage point lead over challenger Colleen Hanabusa, 38 percent to 36 percent, in the race to be Hawaii's next U.S. senator.
But more than one-fourth of likely Democratic primary voters (26 percent) still aren't sure which Democrat they will back in the Aug. 9, 2014, primary.
The latest poll numbers are similar to Civil Beat's June survey of the contest, which showed Schatz up 36 percent to 33 percent....
Another interesting survey result: Thirty-nine percent said they would like to see others in the race. As of this writing, no other Democrat has declared their intentions to compete against Schatz and Hanabusa, while only one Republican, the little-known Cam Cavasso, is running.
Fitch and Merriman analyst Brendan Hood said the 39 percent likely reflected the survey's high undecided number of voters rather than voters wanting other candidates to jump in the race.
In terms of the gender and age of voters, neither candidate has a clear edge. But Schatz does better among Caucasians, Filipinos and Latinos, while Hanabusa does better among Japanese, Hawaiians and Chinese. Of those groups, Hood said the Caucasian and Japanese numbers are the most significant because Merriman polled more of them.
Schatz is Caucasian and Hanabusa is Japanese-American.
In terms of ideology, Schatz scores higher marks among liberals, progressives, moderates and independents, while Hanabusa does better among conservatives. Union and military households are roughly split in their support for the candidates.
Other differences: The more income a voter earns, the likelier they are to favor Schatz. Schatz also does better than Hanabusa on Windward Oahu, Maui and Kauai, but Hanabusa prevails in urban Oahu and the Big Island
CB: Hanabusa Campaign Weighs In On Civil Beat Poll "A few days ago, Brian Schatz released a statement declaring he will be easily elected because he can raise a lot of money, he has a lot of endorsements, he has an “All-Star” campaign team and “progressive Democrats” and voters who “migrated” to Hawaii in the 1990s will overwhelmingly support him. This poll suggests the people of Hawaii feel differently and care about a few more issues than Brian’s campaign does. While he would like Hawaii voters to believe that they don’t have a choice, the people of Hawaii deserve options."
read ... None of the Above Running Strong
Sen J Kalani 'Powdernose' English Made Taxpayers Fund Tahiti Trip
CB: Most senators used virtually all of their allowance last year and are on track to do the same this year. In 2012, Sens. Glenn Wakai, Malama Solomon, Les Ihara, Carol Fukunaga and Kalani English maxed out....Slom, the Senate’s sole Republican, hasn’t spent a dime of his allowance since being elected in 1996. By his accounting, that has saved taxpayers $118,037....
It covers big expenses like (convicted cocaine dealer) Kalani English's trip to Tahiti last year for an Asia-Pacific forum ($2,173) and Les Ihara's travel to D.C. for a legislative summit ($3,227). And smaller expenses like garlic salt ($3) for Sen. Maile Shimabukuro and hand towels ($24.17) for Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz's office.
Sen. David Ige used his allowance to buy an area carpet for the kitchen ($24). Sen. Roz Baker bought personalized stationary ($528). And Sen. Will Espero bought gifts for Japanese orphans ($42).
Lawmakers will have more to spend next year when their legislative allowance increases again.
LINK: Hawaii Senate Legislative Allowance 2012-2013
read ... State Senators Spend Allowances on Everything from Salt to Travel Abroad
Another Abercrombie Fundraiser, This One in Florida
CB: Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who is running for re-election next year, held a fundraiser Saturday in Indian Creek Village, Fla. The suggested contribution was between $2,000 and $6,000.
read ... Another Abercrombie Fundraiser, This One in Florida
Progressive vs Moderate Dems Argue over Closed vs Winnowing Primary
PR: An interesting story in the New York Times on Saturday suggests that the political climate in California has improved because of election reforms, including a change to the primary system.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2000 in California Democratic Party v. Jones that the state's blanket primary system was an unconstitutional violation of the party's free association rights. The Democratic Party of Hawaii is relying on the court's ruling in its challenge to Hawaii's open primary system....
California's response to the court ruling, however, was not closed primaries. California's nonpartisan primary system now sends the top two candidates, regardless of party, to the general election.
Bart Dame: it is not apparent that the California blanket primary system produced more "moderate" legislators than the previous, closed primary system. I know these goes contrary to commonly held assumptions, but that's why we have the social sciences, to prevent our unexamined assumptions from leading us astray.
My friends Google found this regarding the effect of "open" versus "closed" primaries on the voting behavior of members of the US Congress:
"[A study by] Hirano, Snyder, Jr., Ansolabehere, and Hansen (2010) analyzes more than sixteen thousand House elections from 1932 to 2006 and finds little evidence that members of Congress subject to primary elections vote more extreme than members not subject to primaries."
NYT: California Sees Gridlock Ease in Governing
read ... Primarily
Verdicts conflict in death, injury of HPD officers
SA: The jury's mismatched findings on the degree of negligence may require dismissal of one charge
read ... Mismatch
Star-Adv: Water board must institute reforms
SA: Imagine if this were to happen in the private sector. You purchase an ongoing service, and month after month the bills come. You pay them.
Months later, another bill arrives and declares that all the previous bills were wrong and that you now owe a substantial additional payment. The phone lines would burn up with calls from angry customers who now were confronting an unaffordable bill.
This is, in essence, what has been happening with Oahu residents who have been dealing with revisions to their water bills, some of which had been based on estimates rather than clear meter readings. But while the public relations problem now faced by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply is not unexpected, it can't be tolerated for much longer.
The board has embarked on a set of changes that has not been smoothly executed, to put it mildly. The semiautonomous agency has shifted to a monthly billing system, resulting in an increase in total service charges on top of the monthly usage bill.
There have been equipment issues with the metering system, too, and that has produced a high rate of bills going out based on estimated charges....
Councilwoman Kym Pine has proposed a charter amendment that would be put to a vote at the next election, effectively barring the practice of sending out bill adjustments to correct bad estimates.
Amendments to county charters or state constitutions should not be the first course of action in correcting what is essentially bad business practices by a government agency.
As written, the resolution sets an especially tough rule for the water board by disallowing all retroactive billing adjustments. Pine's staff modeled its proposal on the practice in other states, such as California, where the public utilities commission bars retroactive billing going back more than three months.
read ... Water Board
HECO: 80% of Circuits Still Open for Solar
CB: ...more than 80 percent of circuits on Oahu have room for more solar without the need for detailed safety and reliability studies....
read ... HECO
Foodstamps Only Going up 3.4% this Year
HNN: A reduction in the federal food stamp program means about 98,000 Hawaii families will see a smaller cost of living increase in the next year, state officials said Monday.
Last year, Hawaii food stamp families received a 19.5 percent cost of living increase. But this year, because the recession-era boost in food stamp funds expires at the end of the month, that cost of living increase for Hawaii families will be just 3.4 percent.
About 192,000 people in Hawaii receive food stamps from the federal government.
read ... An article titled, "Hawaii food stamp families affected by benefits cut"
Hawaii to sell $852 mln of GO bonds Nov 4 week
R: The State of Hawaii is expected to sell $851.71 million of general obligation bonds during the week of Nov. 4, a market source said on Monday.
The sale will consist of $635 million of new general obligation bonds, $171.915 million of refunding general obligation bonds, and $44.795 million of taxable general obligation bonds.
The lead manager of the sale is Bank of America Merrill Lynch,
read ... Debt
The battle over GMO seed farms in Hawaii
WT: The battle over GMO seed farms is heating up in Hawaii, concentrating on the island of Kauai. Residents of the Garden Isle are taking on biotech companies in the latest battleground in the war over genetically modified crops.
read ... Washington Times
Some Honolulu Harbor tenants miss pipeline inquiry deadline
HNN: Here is a statement from the Hawaii Department of Transportation:
The Hawaii Department of Transportation Harbor's Division is working closely with its pipeline tenants to ensure that they are adhering to the terms and conditions of lease easement agreements which stipulate that they are required to maintain and inspect their pipelines.
As part of this process, a letter was sent to all pipeline tenants reminding them that are required to have an inspection plan to properly inspect, maintain and test pipelines and related facilities to ensure its integrity and safe operation, and to maintain and implement a spill response plan.
HDOT Harbor's Division is currently in the process of reviewing the information that has been submitted from pipeline tenants and following up with those that requested for an extension.
read ... Molasses mess
Former Waipahu elementary principal pleads no contest to record-tampering charges
SA: The state alleged the crimes were committed on Nov. 12, 2011, and the following week on Nov. 19, while Smith was serving as principal of August Ahrens Elementary. The complaint did not include any details of the alleged crimes.
Smith last month had pleaded not guilty to the charges and her case was scheduled to head to a jury trial.
She had been placed on administrative leave in January 2012 as the state investigated allegations against her. Sources told the Star-Advertiser at the time that Smith was investigated for allegedly directing a teacher to file a per diem reimbursement claim for training that did not occur.
Seitz said Smith explained to the judge that she had made efforts to get compensation for some of her teachers who were doing extra work but couldn't get paid for it.
The payments amounted to $200 for each of nine staff members.
read ... Another Day in the DoE
Fired charter school chief charged in $100K theft
HNN: A financial statement first reported by Hawaii News Now in February of 2012 showed the school spent $107,860 on travel, including airfare, hotels, meals and car rentals for administrators in the year that ended July 1, 2011. Most of that travel money was for Piontek and his vice principal, Ana Matsumoto, who was placed on leave in late 2011 and also left the school.
An audit of the school's finances found "abuse, waste or fraud is likely to have occurred."
Piontek declined an on-camera interview in early 2012, but defended the trips he took, saying they were opportunities to spread the news about the school he headed for more than three years and promote Hawaii as a place of innovative learning.
At the time, Piontek said he was not worried about being charged with a crime.
"There's nothing I did that I've done that's a criminal offense," Piontek told Hawaii News Now in February 2012.
Sources said Piontek used the school credit card to purchase thousands of dollars in gift cards and gift certificates at non-school related outlets, including Chilis restaurants, Marriott hotels, Ala Moana Center and Spafinder, the web site that allows people to book body treatments such as massages, facials or pedicures at 7,000 spas around the world.
read ... And another
Young law breakers: 75% Reoffend, So We Need Less Punishment
KGI: Jail versus probation?
When is it appropriate to give a perpetrator a second chance over locking them up?
Should Kauai keep them here or send them away?
Members of the PEW Charitable Trust were on island Monday at 5th Circuit Court to figure out those questions and more, as more than 30 stakeholders gathered to learn how to more effectively work with youth in the criminal justice system.
The neighbor island feedback is to be included in a report to the 20-member state Juvenile Justice Working Group.
A leading concern was identifying when it’s necessary to keep a youth on probation and when to send them to Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility on Oahu. The $199,320 annual cost of housing a juvenile at HCYF is one reason the state wants to reduce incarceration without placing public safety at risk. (The one thing we absolutely cannot do is ask why and how the cost got so high. It must simply be accepted as part of the terms of debate.)
“Seventy-five percent wind up re-offending within three years at this stage, said Barbara Pierce Parker, a managing associate with the Crime and Justice Institute in Boston, who provided a presentation on system assessments and probation officer surveys and HYCF data. The report blamed lack of appropriate resources in part.
read ... Young Lawbreakers
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