Djou Raises Another $435K
OHA Trustees Vote to Proceed with ‘Aha in Six Months
Where the U.S. wiretap hotspots are? Not Hawaii
City to hold Airport TOD Plan community workshop
TOD Plan to Bulldoze Mayor Wright Homes
Phony Environmentalists: Sierra Club, Surfrider Back Resort Against Dairy Farm
KE: There's the irony of a resort that applies restricted use pesticides to its landscaping and links, thus creating a possible pathway for these toxins to enter the groundwater, using the ever-popular fear-mongering tactics to imply the dairy's waste will contaminate groundwater and cause fatal blood disorders in babies.
There's the irony of a golf course that applies fertilizer, with its nitrogens, to its ever-green oceanfront links claiming the dairy's nitrogens will harm waterways and fish.
There's the irony of a brightly-lit oceanfront resort directly in the flight path of Newell's shearwaters, a resort that sits on a once-wild coastline frequented by monk seals and turtles, claiming that it's worried about “harm to endangered species.”
There's the irony of a resort that took over Mahaulepu coastal land many of us hoped would be turned into a park using the National Park Service's rationale for making Mahaulepu into a park as ammunition in its lawsuit against the dairy.
There's the irony of a resort that uses tons of imported food fighting an agricultural use that is trying to increase local food production.
There's the irony of a law firm that argued the Hawaii Superferry did not need to conduct an environmental assessment now arguing that a dairy on ag land must conduct an EA.
There's the irony of groups like Sierra Club, Malama Mahaulepu and Surfrider — groups that used to oppose golf courses and resorts on ag land — aligning themselves with the tourist industry and against agriculture on ag land.
KGI: Dairy suit splits island
read ... Ironies Abound
World Upside Down: Kauai Resort Sues to Block Dairy Farm in name of 'Environment'
KGI: A neighboring resort filed suit to stop a proposed dairy farm.
The suit says progress on the dairy operation should cease until its developers can prove it won’t negatively impact the surrounding environment. Grading began on the property when the County of Kauai approved an agricultural exemption to conduct grubbing and stockpiling related to agricultural operations in March.
Kawailoa Development LLP filed suit in 5th Circuit Court on July 10 against Hawaii Dairy Farms, which is developing a 582-acre dairy with 1,800 milking cows on leased Grove Farm parcels in the Mahaulepu valley and coast. Kawailoa is the Hawaii-based owner of the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, and the Poipu Bay Golf Course — the nearest neighboring landowner less than three miles away.
Kawailoa is claiming its business, recreational, environmental and aesthetic interests would be adversely affected by the wastewater treatment unit, the dairy farm and its effluent ponds. It claims the harm could be avoided with the preparation of an environmental assessment to assess the effects of discharge, odors and other pollution that could diminish the properties, and pose a potential health risk to employees and guests, endangered species and the natural environment.
Hawaii Dairy Farms spokeswoman Amy Hennessey called the suit “deeply disappointing,” and a “malicious attack on local food by commercial resort interests.”
Shill: Dairy poses threats to environment and economy
read ... Kauai. Surprised?
Hawaii Milk Price Controls Promote Mainland Milk
HTH: The state’s largest milk producer is seeking the state’s permission to sell its milk at a price lower than the law currently allows.
Big Island Dairy LLC has requested a waiver from the state Board of Agriculture to sell its milk for less than the $3.06 minimum price set for wholesale milk processed on the Big Island, and less than the minimum for Oahu-processed wholesale milk, which ranges between $2.36 and $2.71 per gallon, based on California wholesale prices and transportation costs plus $1.05.
The Ookala dairy, formerly known as Island Dairy Inc., is one of only two local commercial dairy farms left in the state. The other is Cloverleaf Dairy in Hawi.
A public hearing on that request is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at the state Department of Agriculture’s Waimea Irrigation System Branch conference room at 66-1220B Lalamilo Farm Lots Road.
A gallon of Meadow Gold milk was $7.99 Monday at Sack ‘N Save and $8.39 at KTA Super Stores, while KTA’s Mountain Apple brand milk was $5.49 a gallon and Best Buy mainland milk was $5.69 a gallon at Sack ‘N Save.
read ... Price Controls
Djou's congressional effort has raised $435,000 so far
SA: Djou, who is expected to win the GOP nomination, reported having $401,000 in cash on hand, and 88 percent of it had come from Hawaii donors. He noted that the total represents fewer than 90 days of campaigning.
Djou, who won a special election in 2010 to fill the remainder of the term vacated by Neil Abercrombie, who resigned to run for governor, before losing in the general election that year to Democratic U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, announced his campaign April 3.
"I think it shows the breadth and depth of support of my campaign, and it shows how strong and competitive our campaign is," Djou said.
Hanabusa is making a bid for the U.S. Senate, creating the vacancy in the 1st Congressional District (urban Honolulu).
Background: Djou Raises $435K
read .... $435K
Winerways: Schatz Backers Caught Lying About Social Security
PR: The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare has dropped three fundraising appeals in Hawaii since the group endorsed U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz over U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in the Democratic primary for Senate.
In two of the mailers, the national seniors' group urges residents to contact Hanabusa and tell her not to privatize or undermine the entitlement programs. In the third, it urges residents to contact Schatz in support of a bill the senator has co-sponsored to expand Social Security benefits.
Max Richtman, the group's president, forcefully complained to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser after the newspaper ran a story about one of the mailers and concluded it implied Hanabusa might privatize Social Security.
PR: Schatz Keeps Babbling About Social Security
read ... Winer At Work
Abercrombie takes credit for Legislature's frugality
Borreca: Ige contended that if he and other legislators had approved everything Abercrombie asked for in his budgets, the state would be in serious trouble.
"We cut the budget. We cut more than a billion from the governor's requests," Ige said during the debate.
State Rep. Sylvia Luke, the House Finance chairwoman, speaking during a seminar on the state budget earlier this year, discounted the idea of an Abercrombie surplus.
She said that the $844 million surplus was mostly already spoken for, because $600 million was already pledged for the new public employee contracts.
The irony is that Abercrombie today is campaigning on a projected surplus, which only appeared because Ige and Luke wouldn't approve everything in the governor's budgets.
read ... An Ige Commercial by Borreca
Star-Adv: Abercrombie wrong to cancel on AARP, seniors
SA: ...the public has the right to feel disappointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie's decision to cancel three political matches from a shrinking list of remaining opportunities to assess the two main Democratic gubernatorial candidates. It's a decision he really should rescind in the coming days.
AARP Hawaii had scheduled four community discussions on Social Security and senior policy issues and then, once the candidates had committed, paired each of these with a forum spotlighting the gubernatorial candidates. Although the public policy discussions will go on as planned, no debates will happen at three of them: Abercrombie backed out of the Hilo, Kahului and Honolulu pairings with his Democratic primary challenger, state Sen. David Ige.
Bruce Bottorff, AARP spokesman, said it would have been hard to cancel the fourth, slated for Kona, because the governor will be on Hawaii island anyway, for a forum sponsored by the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce....
Background: "Disrespectful to Kupuna" Abercrombie Cancels Debates
read ... Abercrombie wrong to cancel on AARP, seniors
The Rundown (primary money 2014)
PR: We have updated our rundown of potentially competitive state House and Senate races with summaries of the most recent state campaign-finance reports. We will reassess the lineup after the primary and again in the weeks before the November general election.
read ... The Rundown (primary money 2014)
26 Quit Boards and Commissions to Avoid Disclosure
KITV: "The one thing that Google does not have is the conflicts of interest where you are making money from a certain source, and you are making rulings that affect that is the one thing. That is difficult to find on Google, that is the one thing that this bill would disclose," said Life of the Land’s Henry Curtis.
The latest exodus of board members includes four from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii that leaves a nine-member board with five-- just barely enough for quorum.
Last week the list of resignations included five members from the State Land use Commission, leaving the nine-member board with just three members.
There were also four departures from the Agribusiness Development Corporation and the four resignations from the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.
Similar bills to require the public disclosures were vetoed by previous administrations. Gov. Neil Abercrombie let the bill go into effect without his signature.
Life of the Land wasn’t surprised about the departures, but said the new law is about accountability at all levels.
"Why should the regents be protected, but the deans disclose? it makes no sense." said Curtis.
read ... Something to Hide?
Hawaii State Hospital gets new administrator amidst safety controversy
KITV: Taking on a job at Hawaii's state hospital means taking on an investigation into everything from allegations of patients attacking staff, overtime abuse, mismanagement and nepotism.
“It's all interrelated,” he said.
With only one week on the job, May said he is unwilling to come to conclusions, but already sees the cracks in the system.
“Every building on the ground at the Hawaii State Hospital has blind spots,” he said. “It's spread out. It's big, which leads to gaps in observation."
May said a new building is in the works.
And he said he's formulating plans to speed up the hiring process.
There are currently 53 nursing staff vacancies.
May is also preparing to retrain staff to better protect themselves, not only physically, but through education and planning -- as he did in Colorado.
“It's not just how do I block a punch, but how do I not get into a situation where a patient is going to even consider punching me,” May said. “That constant monitoring, keeping your finger on the pulse of every patient, really produced dramatic improvement.
read ... Crisis Management
Senate committee subpoenas Hawaii State Hospital administrators
PBN: The Hawaii Senate's special investigative committee on the Hawaii State Hospital has subpoenaed adult mental health division Administrator Mark Fridovich, acting Hawaii State Hospital Administrator William Elliot, and Linda Rosen, director of the Hawaii State Department of Health, to testify at a hearing in Honolulu on Friday.
The hearing will address workplace safety for psychiatric workers and allegations of administration improprieties and failure to conform to established employment policies and practices at the hospital....
The hearing and testimonials start at 11 a.m. in room 16 of the Hawaii State Capitol.
SA: State Hospital administrators to testify on workplace safety
read ... Hearings
Patient accuses paramedics
SA: The paramedics sat Stella Ching up in "this little wheelchair" they used to take her out front, he said. After throwing together items for the hospital, Dustin Ching said, he was stunned when he walked outside to see his wife sitting upright in his truck instead of in a proper emergency vehicle.
"They had me sign this electronic form and said, ‘You can take her,'" he said.
When they arrived at Queen's West Oahu, he said, emergency room workers chided him for "not calling 911" and said he could have made her injuries worse by driving her himself.
read ... Paramedics
State Rep Calls For One-Way Plane Tickets For Hawaii Homeless
HMB: SB515 (2013), signed into law as Act 222 (SLH 2013) by Governor Abercrombie in June 2013, created and appropriated $100,000 for a three-year ‘Return to Home’ pilot program, an initiative to provide one-way airfare tickets for eligible homeless individuals to return home to their families on the mainland. However, the Department of Human Services—the coordinating department as written in law—declined to establish and administer the program.
CB: Homelessness Industry Says Homelessness isn't affecting Tourism
read ... One Way Ticket
City wants public input on Complete Streets program
KHON: Officials will review Honolulu’s Complete Streets Ordinance, introduce the community to complete streets concepts, review existing complete streets projects, discuss a proposed complete streets’ manual for the City and County of Honolulu and respond to questions and comments from the community.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Neal Blaisdell Center, Pikake Room.
read ... City wants public input on Complete Streets program
PRP Helps 6 Hawaii County Council Candidates
HTH: The Pacific Resource Partnership, a super PAC consisting of private construction contractors and carpenter union leaders, spent $7,925 for a “campaign training workshop” and to consult with the council candidates, including three incumbents, one of whom is running unopposed.
Council candidates Robert Gonzales, Dru Kanuha, Greggor Ilagan, Maile Medeiros David, Valerie Poindexter and Tiffany Edwards Hunt accepted training or consulting, according to campaign funding reports filed with the state Campaign Spending Commission. The reports cover the first six months of 2014.
read ... Well Trained
Storm clouds on the Horizon Line in Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska
ST: Since product tankers have occupied much of the ink, bytes and talking time devoted to Jones Act matters, a new BB&T Capital Markets analysis of the Jones Act container shipping markets makes for fascinating reading.
The report, authored by Kevin Sterling and his team of analysts, based on Richmond, VA, looks carefully at the dynamics of these trades. At the highest level, Horizon Lines has an enormous debt load, at more than $500m, and operating lease obligations of nearly $140m, compared to BB&T’s valuation of the company’s fleet at $215m. The authors conclude: “If Horizon Lines cannot refinance their debt obligations, which come due in 2016, we believe the balance of supply and demand will tip in favor of the remaining vessel operators.” ...
“Any way you slice it, Horizon Lines is looking at a significant capex spend the next couple of years just to bring all of the company’s vessels into compliance with current environmental laws….”
The analysts also note that: “The company’s Alaska vessels have been converted from steam to diesel but are still not in compliance with the 0.1% sulphur content requirement beginning in January, 2015.” Additionally, ten of the company’s 13 vessels are steam powered, and the BB&T analysts also bring up the numerous uncertainties surrounding the “Steam Exemption”, good until 2020 for trading in US waters.
Another ominous sign is the departure, in late June, of Sam Woodward, who has now resigned as president and ceo with a year still remaining on his contract.
read ... Sea Trade
Solar Shakeup: RevoluSun in Decline
PBN: California-based SolarCity has taken over as No.1 on the list of photovoltaic firms in Hawaii, a spot that has been held by either Honolulu-based RevoluSun or Kailua-based Sunetric during the past several years, according to The List of the top 20 photovoltaic providers published in the July 11 print edition of Pacific Business News. PBN research ranks companies according to kilowatts installed.
Sunetric and RevoluSun managed to stay near the top at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
But the top two firms, SolarCity and Hawaii Energy Connection shot up from No. 7 and No. 6, respectively, when comparing year-over-year rankings.
read ... Exporting our money to California
Queens, Moanalua only top-rated Hospitals
PBN: The Queen’s Medical Center was listed No. 1 in Hawaii on the 2014 U.S. News & World Report regional high performers Best Hospitals list.
The Kaiser Foundation Health Plan & Hospitals' Moanalua Medical Center came in second, the only other Hawaii hospital to make the regional list of 581 hospitals.
Neither Hawaii hospital made the nationally ranking list of 144 hospitals, or the honor roll list of 17 hospitals.
The ranking was determined by each facility's “high performing” score in areas such as pulmonology, orthopedics, cancer and geriatrics. Queen’s had 10 specialties listed, compared to Kaiser’s five.
read ... Queen's Medical Center ranked No. 1 in Hawaii
Survey: Honolulu 8th Best Retirement Center
8. Honolulu, Hawaii: This tourist destination is also a favorite place for retirees — nearly 18% of Honolulu’s population is over 65, the largest percentage of any major city in the country. Although the cost of living is high, the tropical weather, beaches and many attractions help retirees enjoy a relaxed lifestyle. The Aging and Disability Resource Center in Honolulu offers services and assistance to improve quality of life for seniors.
read ... Number 8
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