September 26, 2009 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Saturday, September 26, 2009

September 26, 2009 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 12:52 PM :: 9538 Views

Hawaii teacher furloughs leave school trips, activities in limbo (DoE choice of furlough dates Creating Chaos for 2010)

Field trips for thousands of students statewide are among the activities hanging in the balance as administrators juggle calendars and try to figure out how to accommodate the 17 planned furlough days for the school year.

The issue is particularly acute for schools and parents who have already paid large sums for planned national or international trips — and would lose that money if the trips are canceled.

(Team Chaos 2010 is VERY pleased with this article. The DoE has helped Democrats immensely by making these furloughs as inconvenient as possible--in contrast to EVERY other school district in the nation.)

Economic growth in Honolulu at 1.4%

The total value of goods and services produced in Honolulu last year, before adjusting for inflation, was $48.1 billion, ranking it as the nation's 51st most productive metro area. Honolulu ranked one place ahead of Rochester, N.Y., and one place behind Raleigh, N.C.

The bureau's analysis found that the biggest contributor to Honolulu's expansion last year was government spending, which accounted for about 1 percentage point of the 1.4 percent growth rate.

WHT: Hawaii health care could use major surgery

Yes, but by a doctor, not a mortician.

Couple alleges medical cover-up

Areerat Teanglum had a double mastectomy for a breast cancer that she did not have, but that is not why she is suing.

She says it is because her doctors hid the mistake from her for 10 years.

She learned about the cover-up in 2005 when another doctor looked at her medical records and told her she never had breast cancer and that doctors did not need to remove her breasts.

Teanglum and her husband, Bundit, are suing Pan Pacific Pathologists, Maui Medical Group and others for an undisclosed amount.

Dr. Barry Shitamoto, the pathologist who allegedly misdiagnosed the breast cancer, did not return a call for comment. Neither did the attorney for Pan Pacific Pathologists.

(And what is the relationship of Shitamoto to Maui Memorial? Read: http://www.mauihospitalfoundation.org/index.php?news/articles/031507 )

SB Priority: Move on medical marijuana

A private study group is embarked on a review of the issue of medical marijuana that legislators had assigned to a task force that the Lingle administration refuses to create. In its absence, the private group should devise a method of distributing marijuana for medical purposes and hope the next governor appreciates the need.

State Sen. Will Espero said the group doing the work intended for the medical marijuana task force will try to "put together some suggestions and recommendations for the Legislature, and maybe for our federal government as well."

The first step should be to review the effectiveness of legal distribution of medical marijuana in California and some cities in Colorado. Any distribution system to be authorized by the Legislature — and probably await installation of a new state administration — should include transfer of the medical marijuana program from the Department of Public Safety to the Department of Health and Human Services.

(SB's priority for the Legislature: Legalize a drug which creates more liberals.)

Kamehameha School puts teacher on leave

A Mainland Catholic order that sanctioned one of its friars for alleged sexual misconduct said Kamehameha Schools did not contact it when the school decided to hire him as a teacher at its Kapalama campus.

Thomas Gardipee, a Kamehameha Schools teacher since 2002, had been suspended from his job as athletic director at St. Lawrence Seminary, a Roman Catholic prep school in Wisconsin, in December 1992....

Kamehameha Schools officials said Gardipee "remains an employee in good standing" but has been placed on leave, pending its investigation into the matter. School officials said they followed the school's normal hiring process and conducted criminal background and reference checks when they hired Gardipee.

Ann Botticelli, the school's vice president of community relations, said Gardipee has been a "valued and well-respected member" of the school's faculty.

"The allegations in question occurred 22 years ago," Botticelli said. "We have not received any questions that indicate there are more recent allegations."

Isle divorce rate among lowest

About 9.1 percent of isle residents were divorced. That puts Hawaii in a tie with Massachusetts and behind North Dakota (8.1), New Jersey (8.2) and New York (8.4).

Nevada had the highest percentage of divorced residents at 14.2 percent, followed by Maine (13.6) and Oklahoma (12.9).

Of Hawaii residents over 15 years old, 50.6 percent were married, 6.4 percent widowed, 1.2 percent separated and 32.6 percent never married.

Honolulu may appeal 3-year limit on use of Leeward landfill site: 'Game of chicken'

A three-year extension the city was granted on closing the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill will not be enough time to establish an alternative landfill, a city official said yesterday.

The city will "more likely than not" need to return to the state Land Use Commission to ask for more time, city Environmental Services Director Tim Steinberger said.

Steinberger said city attorneys are reviewing their options including a possible appeal.

Commission members said they picked a three-year extension as a compromise. Opponents of the landfill wanted it closed on Nov. 1, which was the date the commission gave when the city last asked for an extension in May 2008.

SB: Shipping out garbage to Washington

Kauai: Salaries freeze for top county officials

LIHU‘E — Previously approved 7 percent salary increases for the county’s top appointed officials will be pushed back for one year under a proposal by the Carvalho Administration....

County spends $77K on off-island trips

In all, employees took 34 trips during the first three months of the fiscal year, with 22 of them taken by Public Safety employees such as police and prosecuting attorneys. Seven of the police trips were to conferences in Las Vegas, while an attorney with Corporation Counsel went to Vegas for a seminar on "Bargaining in Hard Times."

SB: Watada discharged

ADV: Army to discharge Hawaii soldier who took stand against Iraq war

Here's the real story: Dishonorable Watada: Military should overthrow Congress, President