Beyond Obamacare: Solving Hawaii's Healthcare Cost Problem
Guilty: Physical abuse, exploitation, and barbaric security measures at Maui Pineapple
Heritage Foundation: Program offers HOPE for repeat drug offenders
Senate Informer: Life of a Bill
Video: Are You Being Told The Truth About Plastic Bags?
Connector Celebrates 4th Anniversary of Health Care Law, Urges Consumers to Apply
Report: Hawaii Tops List of Unaffordable Rentals
Closed Primary Lawyer Tony Gill to Be Next Democrat Chair?
Borreca: So far, there is one definite candidate looking to take Carpenter's place: Tony Gill, an attorney, three-time chairman of the Oahu Democratic Party and son of Tom Gill, former congressman, lieutenant governor and patriarch of the liberal wing of the local Democratic Party.
Gill has led the push to change Hawaii's primary elections so that only registered members of a political party can vote in that party's primary election.
Gill and the Democrats filed a federal lawsuit claiming Hawaii's open primary system is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment right to free association. The suit was unsuccessful and Gill is working on an appeal.
Meanwhile he is running for party chairman.
The Democratic Party is a membership organization," Gill said in an interview.
Background: Republicans: Our Primary Will Remain 'Open' as Hawaii Democratic Party Sues for Closed Primary
read ... Meet the Closed Party
Honolulu Mayor May Seek Joint Obama Library Bid
NBC: While neither mayor is speaking on the matter, a recent report from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser indicated the two officials discussed collaboration on the bid last week, however, both mayors' offices denied that claim.
The two men had a meeting in Septemeber in Emanuel's office, according to a report from Crain's Chicago Business, where a spokesman for Caldwell said they discussed "a wide range of subjects, including a presidential library." Mayor Emanuel's office, however, said that was not the case.
Several previous reports have hinted at potential collaboration, with the Chicago Sun-Times reporting that officials from the University of Chicago met with Cladwell and Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie in Hawaii in January, and the Hawaiian delegation toured the South Side.
(Proving that he doesn't believe in sea level rise, Obama installs the legacy of his Presidency at Kakaako, elevation 3' above sea level.)
read ... Joint Bid
Judge Considers Whether Eco-Terrorists Should be Given Targeting Information
HTH: Does requiring farmers growing genetically modified crops to register with Hawaii County result in the release of proprietary information? (To eco-terrorists working for the phony natural supplements industry?)
Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille, who introduced the anti-GMO bill, attended the hearing but did not testify. She said afterward the registry is needed for disclosure and that she thinks general information about where GMO crops are grown should be made public. (So anti-GMO morons can obtain targeting information.)
Meanwhile: Most Wanted: FBI Searching Big Island for Anti-Biotech Terror Bomber
read ... Eco-Terror Hit List
HR71: Audit the HCDA
CB: The House Committee on Water and Land approved a resolution Monday to require a financial and management audit of the Hawaii Community Development Authority.
read ... House Panel Approves Resolution Requiring Audit of Hawaii Development Agency
City seeks member on HCDA board
KITV: State lawmakers are considering a bill that would reshape membership on the HCDA board while providing Kakaako residents a process to appeal decisions. However, the latest version of HB 1866 stripped away any representation from the city and county of Honolulu after reaching the Senate.
"It's a disservice to the people of the City and County of Honolulu and it's time that we get better treatment from our state Legislature," said Anderson.
The Windward Oahu councilman and chairman of the Zoning Committee would like the council to directly appoint three members to the HCDA board while allowing the DPP director to also cast a vote.
The mayor on the other hand would be satisfied with the DPP director sitting on the HCDA board as a non-voting member.
read ... HCDA
Kauai Council Districting denied
KGI: The Kauai County Charter Review Commission rejected three proposals Monday that would have let county voters determine whether County Council districts, and the election of those seats, should be changed.
read ... Districting denied
Maui: TAT Will Fund 11% Hike in Spending
MN: Mayor Alan Arakawa proposed a $622.6 million budget for 2014-2015, which includes hikes to real property taxes, water rates and residential trash collection fees, in order to pay for new employee contracts as well as maintenance of roads, water systems, parks facilities and construction of affordable housing.
But Arakawa said the real property tax rate hikes could go away if the state lifts the cap on the counties' share of the hotel room tax.
"If the state removes the cap, there should be no property tax increase," Arakawa said in his budget address to the Maui County Council Tuesday morning in Council Chambers....
The 2014-2015 budget at $622.6 million is a $63.3 million or 11.3 percent increase from the 2013-2014 adopted budget.
The Maui County Council has until June 10 to pass its version of the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
read ... Budget
U.S. Approves LNG Exports from Oregon Plant
ME: The order is the administration's first approval of LNG exports from the West Coast and would allow shipments of up to 0.8 billion cubic feet a day from the Coos Bay, Oregon facility....
The project needs approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before construction can begin, and could be several years away from actually shipping any LNG.
Veresen has said the facility will offer low-cost shipping benefits to markets in the Asia Pacific region, as well as South America, Hawaii and Alaska.
SoSad: Former U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu lashes out at Hawaiian Electric (because his green energy cronies are going to make less)
LIUNA: Approval of Jordan Cove Energy Project Puts Thousands of Good Jobs in Reach
Reuters: Oregon plant LNG exports approved as U.S. pressured to flex energy muscle
read ... Cheaper Fuel & Electricity for Hawaii
Consumer Advocate Barred from Challenging Windfarms
IM: The PUC’s Champlin ruling stated that “the Consumer Advocate is directed to …"organize and hold conferences on problems affecting consumers of utility services."
But Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) states that, “The consumer advocate MAY … organize and hold conferences on problems affecting consumers of utility services.” (HRS §269-54(b))
There is nothing in the factual record to indicate that the Consumer Advocate has ever organized a single consumer conference....
There is nothing in the factual record to indicate that the Consumer Advocate has ever reconciled competing interests.
In fact, there is nothing in the record of any PUC proceeding regarding how the Consumer Advocate determines its position.
The real issue of concern for the PUC was Life of the Land’s 25 page analysis attached to their Motion to Intervene.
The PUC dismissed this analysis in a single sentence. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes, the “Consumer Advocate is directed to …consider the long-term benefits of renewable resources in the consumer advocate's role as consumer advocate."
read ... The PUC rejects community concerns and wind externalities
Locklear: US Attack Submarine Needs Going Unmet in Pacific
DN: Under the Navy’s latest shipbuilding plans, as noted during a Tuesday hearing by Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., the American attack submarine fleet is slated to dip to 42 by 2029, down from today’s 55-submarine fleet.
Ayotte and other senators say they are concerned that as China increases its submarine force and overall Navy fleet, America is shrinking its attack sub fleet to dangerous levels.
“They’re not all being met,” Adm. Samuel Locklear told Ayotte when she asked if all of his attack-submarine requirements are being fulfilled.
read ... Unmet
Flood Insurance Hikes Will Drive Down Property Values
KHON: On Oahu, 22 percent of policyholders face premium increases, and on the Big Island, 36 percent of policyholders could see a hike.
“Some people just can’t afford to pay $20 grand in an insurance policy, so they’re going to sell their house,” Possedi said. “And who’s going to buy it? … lt’s a negative chain reaction.”
read ... Chain Reaction
Moanalua High field replacement project delayed by Red Tape 2 years
HNN: There are large chunks of brown dirt exposed in the middle of the field and uneven ruts and pot holes all over.
And when it rains, the field turns into a swamp.
"You'll see algae and mosquitoes and bugs growing in the water, that's how horrible it is," Martinez said.
The Department of Education awarded a $1 million contract to re-do the field starting in December of 2012, scheduling the project to begin right after football season to displace the least amount of student activity.
"The permitting process in either of the counties in this state is cumbersome for a reason. But it takes time to get through those and we missed a few marks on those," said Ray L'Heureux, assistant superintendent for the Department of Education's Office of School Facilities and Support Services.
L'Heureux said the DOE ran into delays getting a runoff permit from the state Department of Health in the fall of 2012.
Since school officials didn't want a delayed start date to displace marching band and football practice over the summer so they postponed the project for another year and it was supposed to begin right after football season again last year, but they ran into delays getting that same runoff permit again as well as a city grading permit.
read ... Red Tape Drives Up Costs
Easy for Visitors to Give Drugs to Inmates at Hawaii Prisons
KHON: Ted Sakai, director of the Dept. of Public Safety, says more criminals are getting their hands on contraband items.
“We’ve seen an increase in recent months,” Sakai said. “Drugs, cigarettes, cell phones, spice, which is a type of synthetic drug.”
The state is looking to tackle the problem by changing the visitation rules at Halawa Correctional Facility. Soon, inmates will no longer be able to have physical contact with their visitors.
The non-contact visitor room being built at Halawa will have one-on-one cubicles with phones, so visitors can talk to and see the inmates without physical contact....
It’s not just a problem at Halawa. Sakai says visitors have also brought contraband into Oahu Community Correctional Center.
“We’ve had at least two instances in the past month and a half of drugs coming in through visitors and we’ve got to address that,” he said. “Right now, we’re addressing it through just making more thorough searches.”
For security reasons, state officials cannot reveal how they’re doing that, but right now, employees are expected to search visitors’ bags and pat them down. As for the non-contact visitation room, the facilities at Halawa and Maui will be the only ones in the state to include them.
read ... Prison visitation rules tighten after increase in illegal activity
Homosexual Pleads not guilty to Murdering his Lover, Chopping Up Body
SA: A man accused of killing and dismembering his victim gay lover then disposing of the body parts near Mililani Mortuary appeared in a Hawaii courtroom for the first time Monday morning, albeit from Oahu Community Correctional Center by videoconference.
Bryan Suitt, 46, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. He remains in protective custody at OCCC in lieu of $5 million bail....
The U.S. Marshal Service arrested Suitt in San Diego on Dec. 2 at his family's residence on Coronado Island.
Suitt spend the next three months unsuccessfully fighting extradition to Hawaii. Honolulu police returned him to Oahu last Wednesday.
A couple looking for recyclables in a trash can on Mililani Memorial Park Road found parts of Gonzales's body in a bag on Sept. 15. Police found other body parts in a ravine nearby.
2013: Waikiki Homosexual Murder Ends in Conviction
read ... Another Gay Murder
Vegan Religious Dogma Behind Rise in Obesity
SA: QUESTION: How did we get into this "good" and "bad" way of thinking about food?
ANSWER: Before 1977 there was more focus on consuming the right variety and proportions of foods to meet essential nutrient needs. That's what the food group systems were designed for. If you eat a variety of foods from each of the groups (fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy, along with meat, chicken, fish, eggs, beans and nuts) in the recommended amounts, you should get enough of all the essential nutrients.
Then, in 1977, when most of us were leaner and more active than now, a government committee published the "Dietary Goals for Americans." Also called the McGovern Report for the senator who headed up the committee, it played a major role in launching the good- and bad-food concept. It recommended eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less added sugars and less food high in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol — foods such as eggs, butter, red meats and higher-fat dairy foods.
The loudest message that people heard was to cut the fat and cholesterol. Of course, many low-fat food options hit the market.
People who questioned the scientific validity of the report when it was released have pointed out that the document was written by a staff member who happened to be a vegetarian and had no background in medicine or nutrition research. Scientists who questioned the validity of the report were told by McGovern that "senators don't have the luxury that a research scientist does of waiting until every last shred of evidence is in."
Q: Did cutting fat and cholesterol improve health?
A: After the McGovern Report, obesity and diabetes increased substantially.
read ... Focus on good and bad foods has unintended consequences
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