Feds Coming to Hawaii to Discuss Indian Tribe Plan--15 Public Meetings Set
VIDEO: Interior Department CNHA Tribe Bribe
Grace for Waikiki: Ethics Commission Should Ban Sledgehammer Purchases by Legislators
Rep Hastings: Obama's Ocean Zoning Will Shut Down Tuna Fishery
High Tech Development Corp still relying on carbon paper and typewriters
Six New Ways to Visualize Hawaii Campaign Spending Data
Anti-GMO Councilman Challenges Conversion of Urban Land to Agriculture
KGI: In a letter to Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., Councilman Tim Bynum outlined the alleged violations, which include landowners and their lessees failing to properly adjust real property taxes and obtain conservation plans for new operations.
“If a thorough examination of these apparent abuses truly paints the picture as it seems, the implications are staggering,” Bynum wrote May 28. “There may be millions in unpaid tax liabilities.”
In his research, Bynum focused on three Tax Map Key properties. On one of them, along Ahukini Road between the Lihue Airport and Walmart, urban-zoned land was reclassified as ag dedicated in 2010 “without any evidence that required dedication petitions were received and processed in a timely manner,” he wrote. (Yup. He's upset because some urban-zoned land has been taken out of development and made available for agriculture.)
“On just one parcel alone the loss of county tax revenue starting in 2010 is over $250,000 per year or over $1.096 million dollars from 2010 to 2014.”
The landowners are listed as Visionary LLC and Haili Moe Inc, both affiliated with Grove Farm Company. The lessee on the parcel in question is genetically modified organism producer Pioneer Hi-Bred International.
The other two properties are in Puhi, south of the Kauai Humane Society, owned by Cumberland and Western Resources LLC and operated by Dow AgroSciences, and another in Lihue, near German Hill, owned by Grove Farm and operated by Pioneer.
Bynum says the law requires a change of use petition when use or lessees change, and calls for the repayment of back taxes....
The Kauai County Council’s Finance and Economic Development Committee is scheduled to take up Bynum’s bill, Bill 2456, during its meeting today beginning at 8:30 a.m. Large ag companies and landowners have begun voicing opposition to the bill, which would establish “agronomics” as a new and separate real property tax class and exclude lands used primarily for crop research or parent seed production from the county’s definition of “agricultural use.”
read ... How Dare They Farm When We Could Build More Condos!
Aiona Proposal Will Divert Homeless to Social Services, not Jails
SA: Portland, Tacoma, San Francisco and Seattle have banned sitting or lying down on public sidewalks in certain neighborhoods during certain times of day, with varying success against lawsuits claiming that such laws, known as "sit-lie ordinances," are unconstitutional and criminalize poverty and homelessness.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Seattle's sit-lie law, on which Mayor Kirk Caldwell has wisely modeled the laudable measure he proposes to prevent people from sitting or lying on public sidewalks in the Waikiki Special District.
The proposed ban, which would be in effect 24 hours a day, provides numerous exceptions, including for parades and "expres- sive activity," a nod to protest speech protected by the First Amendment.
A second Caldwell bill would prohibit urinating and defecating in public areas, including privately owned areas open for public use, in that district.
The timing is right for such legislation on Oahu, and it is reasonable to start in Waikiki, the engine of Hawaii's tourist economy. The city began its "compassionate disruption" campaign with crews clearing Oahu sidewalks of homeless people's property; those efforts have not been enough. These new proposals would give police the tools they need to confront chronic loiterers. If successful, enforcement could expand to Chinatown and other areas with serious problems associated with homelessness; the goal should be to divert offenders to social services, not jail, a promising idea floated separately by GOP gubernatorial candidate Duke Aiona.
Background: Aiona Proposes Homeless Court, Veterans Outreach
read ... ‘Sit-lie’ bill a good beginning
Scientist: Obama Plan has no conservation benefit other than to penalize US fishermen
HNN: Expanding the marine preserve out Western would mean including areas around the deepest point of the ocean, the Marianas Trench, near the island of Guam.
But it would also push into areas where Hawaii's long liners and other U.S. fishermen fish
near Johnston atoll, Palmyra Island as well as Jarvis and Holland.
"It has no conservation benefit other than to penalize.U.S, fishermen,” said Paul Dalzelle, senior scientist for the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.
Scientists of the council met in Honolulu Tuesday.
It was a prelude to next week's full council meeting which will include members from Guam and Samoa.
It is expected to take a strong position against the marine preserve plan.
Members argue that expanding the no-fishing zone is not only bad for businesss, but will not help tuna and sharks that migrate.
"There are already 50 nautical-mile closures around those areas. It’s called part of the marine national monument. They are already protecting the coral reefs, all the near shore fish, precious corals, coral reef fish and sharks pushing out to the 200 nautical miles. It will have no major conservation benefit," said Dalzelle.
The council believes the move could also leave much of the protected areas open to fishing from foreign fishers who are already banned from U.S. waters.
Fewer U.S. fishermen in the area, means fewer eyes on the water.
Also: Rep Hastings: Obama's Ocean Zoning Will Shut Down Tuna Fishery
Read ... Fishermen Say No to Obama
Manhunt for escapees ends with shift change because of resources
HNN: About a dozen Sheriff's deputies flooded the Kalihi area after a prison break Monday.
But sources tell me that intense manhunt for 23-year old Daniel Skelton ended at 3 in the afternoon, when the Warrant Squad's shift ended.
The Warrant Squad is the only group that tracks fugitives for the Sheriff's Department and without new leads, they were not authorized to get overtime....
The Warrant Squad was already looking for another OCCC escapee (until 3pm when they quit). Allan Abihai, a convicted sex offender who walked away from the work furlough program less than a week earlier....
"I would have spent the money," says State Representative Bob McDermott, who is on the Public Safety Committee. "I would keep them out there, because it gives the community comfort to see all the armed officers patrolling the neighborhood looking, trying to pick up a lead."
"It's a tough call," says State Representative Gregg Takayama, who is also on the Public Safety Committee, "We're asking public safety to minimize overtime." ... (These escapees are voters, you know.)
read ... I'm sorry. Why are we supposed to close the prison in Arizona?
Juvenile detention workers forced to work 16-hour shifts; complain of attacks
HNN: Front-line staff at the state's juvenile detention facility in Kapolei are routinely required to work 16-hour and occasionally even 24-hour shifts because of staff shortages, something that some staff said creates an unsafe environment for the troubled kids they are supposed to protect.
The facility, opened in 2010, serves as "jail" for boys and girls across the state aged 13 to17. They are supposed to be held there for short amounts of time while awaiting trial or placement in programs for the mentally ill, and those addicted to drugs.
Three juvenile detention workers came forward, and five others told Hawaii News Now similar stories, complaining of what they call an unsafe environment at the facility because of short staffing and inexperienced employees there.
The youth facility suffers from a 13-percent vacancy rate and 33-percent turnover in front-line employees who've been fired or quit over the last three years.
read ... I'm sorry. Why are we supposed to close the prison in Arizona?
Expert: OCCC Escape Exposes Failure, After Failure, After Failure
KHON: Joe Gunja of SIMCO Consulting says the most prominent sign is that guards at the towers failed to spot Skelton when he got up on the roof, when he jumped down and when he got through the fence.
“All I can assume is they just missed the guy,” he told KHON2. “Somebody didn’t see him up there. They even admitted the fact that he was on the roof and he dropped down.”
There are four guard towers surrounding OCCC and a spokesperson says the prison was fully staffed at the time, but would not say how many guards were in each tower.
Gunja points out that it would have taken Skelton some time to get out.
“It’s odd that the towers wouldn’t see a guy on the roof, plus going through the fence,” he said. “It’s not like going through the fence takes 10 seconds. I mean, that takes work.”
Once Skelton got near the fence, Gunja says an alarm system should have been activated and the fence should be checked regularly for any weak spots.
A DPS spokesperson said corrections officers routinely check the fence several times a day, and there are cameras and lights along the fence area, but no alarms.
Gunja also wonders why the guards watching the security cameras didn’t see anything and questions whether the guards were monitoring them closely.
As for punching a hole through a roof in the bathroom, Gunja is baffled that it can happen in a prison and that nobody heard it.
read ... I'm sorry. Why are we supposed to close the prison in Arizona?
Schools superintendent's pay increases to $200,000
SA: The salary for public schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi is going up by more than 30 percent to $200,000 -- her first pay increase since taking office in 2010, and the first time in 14 years the salary for the Education Department's top position has been increased.
The pay raise was made possible with Gov. Neil Abercrombie's signing this week of House Bill 2257, now Act 90, which raises the maximum potential salary for the superintendent to $250,000 from $150,000.
The previous $150,000 statutory cap -- set by lawmakers in 2001 -- has kept Matayoshi's salary at that level since her hiring, while a few school principals earn more than she does.
read ... $200,000
Kahoolawe Commission Burns the Last of its Money
MN: The Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission unanimously approved Tuesday a $2.89 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, while acknowledging the possibility of having to shut down restoration efforts on the island when the trust fund runs out in 2016.
The commission's approved budget for the 2015 fiscal year, which starts July 1, is only about 1.4 percent less than the current budget of $2.93 million.
Some commissioners suggested that KIRC should cut back its spending to try and stretch whatever little money it has left in the trust fund in hopes that the state Legislature would pass a funding mechanism in years to come. On May 2, the legislative session ended, and a bill to set aside 10 percent of the state conveyance tax revenue for Kahoolawe restoration efforts died in conference committee just minutes before a 6 p.m. deadline.
Background: Audit: Kahoolawe Money Gone After 18 years Without a Plan
read ... Cronies Siphon off the remainder
Cabanilla Posts Campaign Signs Without permission
HNN: Some homeowners in Ewa Beach are complaining that political campaign signs and banners are popping up on their private property without permission.
"Sometimes when no one's home we just see signs coming up. We don't know who was here or if anyone was here," Lerma Gamiao said.
House candidate Matt Lopresti was stunned to learn about the abuse when he was going door to door asking permission to place his signs.
"On one occasion they asked me who my opponent was. They took that sign down and put mine up instead just because I asked permission," he said.
(Lopresti's Dem primary opponent is Rep Rida Cabanilla)
read ... Another Rida Cabanilla Story
Malama Solomon Complains Too many Whales in Hawaii
CB: “When I started in the Legislature in the Ariyoshi administration, we had 1,000 whales going through our channels. ‘K, we are in control of those 3 million acres of water, the state of Hawaii is, not the federal government. We now have 20,000 whales that are going through our waters. You know, this poses a problem, poses a threat. We are an oceangoing state. We enjoy our marine waters. And right now, the way NOAA is set up you hit a whale, you are to blame. The whale is blameless. OK, I have a problem with that.”
read ... One is Too Many Malama Solomons in Senate
Dive Tour Operators Humane Society Team Up to Attack Aquarium Divers
HR: The Snorkel Bob Foundation today announced a grant of $31,650 to match funds committed by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) for the campaign to protect Hawaii reefs and wildlife from continuing aquarium-trade devastation. (blablabla)
read ... Dive Tourism Industry
Campaign News:
Will Espero envisions space tourism in Hawaii
Seafarers union endorses Abercrombie for Hawaii governor
CB: Should Mufi's Mid-Week Column be Censored?
Ballot Status Challenged for two Maui Mayor Candidates
Marriage debate drives many key races (rehash of last week's PR column)
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Another way that HECO blocks renewable energy
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Obamacare Insurance Impact Map
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Let's make University of Hawaii the best it can be