Democrats, unions crank up drive for tax increase, raid on Hurricane Fund
(Abercrombie has tried this fake "I'll do something from Washington" maneuver so many time we've lost count. Since when has the DoE been in anything other than a race to the bottom?)
All of this is the preparation for Tomorrow's rally and beyond....(see next articles)
RELATED: Furloughs: How Unions and the DoE aim to co-opt protesting parents
Schools seek to swap training days to keep classes going for students
The deadline to file waiver requests with the Department of Education for such schedule changes is the close of business today. Jill Zodrow, educational specialist for the School Community Councils, said yesterday afternoon that she couldn't estimate how many schools have filed requests.
"They are coming in fast and furious," she said. "We have no idea at this point how many. We haven't taken time to count. We're just processing."
(The average school Principal is not part of the DoE/HSTA scheme to make furloughs as inconvenient as possible. So they are trying to undo the DoE's manufactured chaos.)
RELATED: Furloughs: How Unions and the DoE aim to co-opt protesting parents
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Two lawsuits seek to halt 'furlough Fridays' at Hawaii public schools
(The DoE/HSTA purposefully 'defected' the HSTA contract to bring this lawsuit about.)
A class-action suit filed this afternoon by attorney Eric Seitz and others contends that furlough Fridays present a breach of contract, have a discriminatory impact on students, and violate special education law as well as equal protection provisions.
Shortly before midnight yesterday, a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of nine special education students, who were not named, was filed in U.S. District Court. It was filed by attorneys Stanley Levin and Susan Dorsey, of the Levin Education Access Project, and attorney Carl Varady.
The suit alleges that the furloughs are an unlawful change in programs and services the disabled children receive. Federal law allows changes to such special education services only if parents agree or a hearing officer or court finds the change appropriate for the child.
Attorneys in both suits said they planned to follow up with requests for temporary restraining orders. (This editor bets they get it in nothing flat.)
"We'll ask the judge to have a hearing or to rule on it before Friday," Seitz said. If successful, he said, the suit would immediately affect the people named in it.
(If the DoE/HSTA are prevented from solving their budget problem on the back of children, they will go all out for a tax increase and raid on hurricane fund. The one thing that is absolutely unacceptable to both DoE and HSTA is any cutbacks in contracts awarded to favorite crony contractors.)
ADV: Lawsuit filed for disabled children over Friday furloughs at Hawaii schools
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Furlough Fridays fail to invest in kids (Democrats, unions crank up drive for more taxes)
As Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser said in a recent commentary, "This is just plain unacceptable." He's right.
(No. Hooser's only ideas are tax increase and raid on hurricane fund.)
RELATED: Kawamura on budget: Hooser "out of touch with reality"
Dawn Morais Webster is president and chief executive of Loomis-ISC, a marketing firm in Honolulu.
(Looks like 3 Point has a competitor in the bidding war to grab the union campaign for tax increases.)
RELATED: Furloughs: How Unions and the DoE aim to co-opt protesting parents
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Honolulu awards first construction contract for rail-transit project
Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced today that Kiewit Pacific Company was awarded the design-build contract for construction of the first segment of Honolulu's rail-transit project and that it will save the city $90 million. (Spin it Mufi!)
The city will seek proposals Nov. 18 for the next phase of the project, two years earlier than planned to capitalize on favorable market conditions.
SB: City awards $483 million contract for first phase of rail project
(Awarding this contract creates substantial liability for the City and possibly for the State if a lawsuit shuts this project down.)
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ADV: Iwi present a challenge for rail project (ADV editors display gift for understatement)
The burial council refused to sign the agreement, saying the city should have surveyed the area before deciding on the Downtown/Kakaako segments of the route; the council prefers to push the route further mauka along either Beretania or King streets.
That's a bad idea. While the possibility of encountering iwi may be higher along the Halekauwila Street route, the city's route selection was based on careful planning and engineering studies.
Those studies underscore the existing route will not only yield the preferred ridership but also create less impact on adjoining properties, resulting in lower land acquisition costs and traffic delays. These are critical factors in planning the $5.5 billion public works project.
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Hurricane warning remains in effect for Papahanaumokuakea
(So lets raid the Hurricane Fund.)
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More Hawaii speeding cases overturned on laser-gun issue
Citing a controversial Hawaii Supreme Court ruling last month, a state appeals court yesterday dismissed three excessive speeding convictions on the grounds that prosecutors failed to prove the accuracy of laser-gun readings used by police to catch speeders.
The cases were reversed by the Intermediate Court of Appeals.
(Hawaii Supreme Court's Job security program for judiciary, trial lawyers.)
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White in Council Race
John White, a former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, is running for the Honolulu City Council seat covering Mililani and the North Shore. The seat is open next year because Donovan Dela Cruz -- who is running for mayor -- is term-limited.
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City will not put up Kaimuki Christmas Tree this year
After 25 years, the residents and concerned people of Kaimuki have been informed that the City will not come to the Top of the Hill and put back the parts that make the tree shine for the season. They were told that the cost for the crew for several hours would be $10,000.
Citizens and organizations who contributed thousands of dollars over the past several years to pay for new lights and parts, and one individual, Leonard Tam, who did all the on-the-ground labor to restore the tree by himself, are unsure of where the figure of $10,000 could be coming from.
The City's kokua on their project, in their City park, is required to lift the parts from the ground and install them on the pole that sits atop the hill. The parts are all new or restored, as are the lights, due to community contributions of both time and money.
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Girl, 10, arrested on assault charge
A 10-year-old girl was arrested yesterday morning after her 8-year-old brother reported being assaulted.
(This is what the police are doing while hordes of legislators and judges run rampant in Hawaii?)
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Hamakua land sale garners support
Hawaii County should attempt to sell 737 acres in Paauilo mauka to help finance government operations, according to an initial 5-4 vote by a County Council committee Tuesday.
Here's a look at some of the people opposing the sale: Kuleana Plots Saved from the 'Stewards of Jesus'
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TMT letter gets response from OHA crony
I have questions regarding the so-called $50 million that have been pledged by the TMT toward our children's education. Who are the "carefully selected" community members that will have power to determine where the funds will go, and who chooses these individuals?
(Apparently not OHA)
TOTALLY RELATED: Telescope: The Shakedown begins , Thirty Meter Telescope Selects Mauna Kea -- Let the looting begin
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Kauai council approves deal to obtain oceanfront land
Asing described the parcel as a "unique coastal resource" special to him personally after years of fishing and said the "free and clear ownership" — at no financial cost to the county — was "a win-win situation" for the public and the developer that made the land available.
In exchange for the transfer, Kauai Lagoons was granted four land use amendments to expand its development project in Nawiliwili or Kalapaki, depending on who you ask.
(Imagine that! Using land swaps or in this case land-for-zoning swaps to acquire "Open Space" at no cost to taxpayers.)
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12,100 in Hawaii lost insurance in 2009 (thanks, Obama)
The Families USA report noted between 2006 and 2008 Hawaii's uninsured rate for working adults was 10.6 percent.
It estimates the number has risen as Hawaii's unemployment surged from an average 4 percent last year to 6.9 percent this year. The report said that laid-off workers can be eligible for continued health care coverage under the COBRA program, but that this coverage is often unaffordable for people without a paycheck.
(The more Obama talks about health insurance, the fewer people have it.)
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