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Tuesday, September 30, 2014
September 30, 2014 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 7:28 PM :: 5946 Views

For Second Day In A Row, Ige Under Fire For State Hospital Mismanagement

Six Council Members Bought Off by Lobbyists, Key Rail Votes may be Nullified

VIDEO: Ige Led the Way to Higher Taxes

Total Arrivals Decline 1.3 Percent

Solar City Horror Stories

Wind Turbine or Tree? Certain Bats Might Not Know

1,400 Older Special Ed Students May Benefit from Class Action Lawsuit Victory

Veterans in Politics Announces Campaign Endorsements

Rate Hikes Coming as HECO Plans to Waste Big Money on Batteries

Hospital Reform?  Randy Perreira's "F*** You" Makes Star-Advertiser

Borreca: The state hospital system is running out of money. There has already been one round of layoffs and another is envisioned.

Public workers are losing their jobs, services are being cut back, and becoming seriously ill on Maui, Kauai or Hawaii for many means being sent to Oahu for care....

"The Democratic majority in the Legislature, bowing to pressures within the party, has failed to act," Hannemann said in his issue paper on the problem....

...former Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona then went after Ige because there was a new bill stalled during the recent legislative session that would have sped along some sort of process to help the hospitals by making it easier to transfer the state hospitals to a private system.

"You were chair of the most powerful committee in the Legislature; if anyone wants to move a bill you can," said Aiona. "You never moved this — why did you not see the urgency in this issue?"....

Randy Perreira, HGEA executive director, boasted at the public employee union's annual conference this year that he killed the bill and that was that.

"Is HGEA responsible for the failure of that bill to advance? Yes, and I am damn proud to admit that," Perreira told his union members.

Warming up to the topic, Perreira blasted the HHSC board, calling them "a bunch of jokers who don't know how to manage a hospital system."

"People who look to sell out jobs from under us, people who look to outsource our services, people who look to deny us what we have earned, try to cut our wages, and keep us down, I have a very simple two-word reaction: ‘ ---- you," he said (http://goo.gl/MnPMzR).

Background: Hospital Reform? Randy Perriera Says "F*** You"

read ... The power of public unions is still a significant issue

Police chief needs to explain his role in family dispute

SA: Kealoha has been named a government witness in a criminal case arising from the dispute, which has also spawned a civil lawsuit.

The civil case names the chief's wife, Deputy Honolulu Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha, and it concerns money she allegedly took from a reverse mortgage on her grandmother's home.

Katherine Kealoha requested personal leave from her job, said Dave Koga, spokesman for the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney. He added that the department has not launched its own inquiry into the matter, but declined further comment.

The suit was filed by her uncle, Gerard Puana, and is scheduled for trial in December. Also that month, a related criminal case is expected to be heard in federal court: Puana is being charged with the removal of the Kealohas' Kahala mailbox, a federal offense....

The amounts of money involved in the civil case are substantial. The reverse mortgage on Katherine Kealoha's grandmother's house, according to the lawsuit, was to help pay for Puana's condominium, with $148,514 left over and Katherine Kealoha holding power of attorney. There are records for expenditures such as car expenses, shopping, restaurants and nearly $24,000 for the chief's inaugural breakfast in 2010.

read ... Police chief needs to explain his role in family dispute

HPD: No criminal case for sergeant in abuse probe

AP: The Honolulu Police Department has concluded there's no criminal case against a sergeant investigated for domestic violence.

Chief Louis Kealoha says an administrative review continues.

The case is before prosecutors who could decide there should be criminal charges.

DN: Honolulu police chief likely to be grilled at legislative hearing Sept 30

read ... No Case?

DoH Cesspool Proposal Will Double Cost of Construction

KGI: It would prohibit individual wastewater systems for developments with greater than 15 subdivided lots, and no longer exempt developments with one dwelling unit per acre or greater to use individual wastewater systems.

“This will virtually rule out subdivisions with 16 to 50 lots as they will become cost prohibitive. In a 16-lot subdivision you would virtually double the cost of a unit,” Realtors said in the press release.

Persons desiring to speak at the public meetings are asked to submit two copies of their statement before or at the hearing. Written statements will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 17. Submit them to Wastewater Branch, Environmental management Division, State Department of Health, 919 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 309, Honolulu, HI 96814-4920.

Copies of the proposal are at the Kauai office of the Chief Sanitarian, DOH, 3040 Umi Street, Lihue, and online at LINK. For information, contact the Wastewater Branch at (808) 586 4294.

read ... Unaffordable Housing

More Hawaii Co Property Tax Hikes on Agenda

WHT: ...Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille thinks she may have found the way to eliminate fraudulent use of the homeowner property tax exemption.

Wille, who has been serving on the county’s Real Property Tax Task Force, is proposing that the credit only be available for people who file a Hawaii state income tax return listing themselves as full-year residents of the island. That way, Tax Division employees can just compare the list of people claiming the exemption with a list of tax return filers, Wille said. The tax list wouldn’t say how much tax the homeowner paid or reveal any other information....

Ford said she had several questions about another Wille proposal, Bill 294, which would increase the basic property tax exemption from $40,000 to $60,000. All property owners are exempted from paying taxes on the first $40,000 in property value right now. Across the island, a number of homeowners would drop down to paying just the minimum $100 tax if the exemption was $60,000, Ford said.

“While the intent is probably OK, this is going to lower the revenue coming into the county,” Ford said. “If it was net neutral, it might be different. It’s not.”

read ... More Tax Hikes

Justice: Sovereignty Mortgage Scammer Loses House in his own Scam

HTH: The owner of Laulima Title Search and Claims believes land titles in Hawaii are defective since they don’t recognize the Hawaiian Kingdom.

He initially tried to raise that issue when he was charged with second-degree trespassing for not leaving his property following eviction. The trespassing charge was dropped in July before he said he had the chance.

Gumapac lost his Hawaiian Paradise Park home to foreclosure after he stopped making mortgage payments after he said he became aware of the alleged defect. He expected his lender to seek an insurance claim to address the title issue, but instead it pursued foreclosure.

After the charge was dropped, Gumapac returned to the home, which was sold through foreclosure, and he was arrested again for alleged trespassing.

read ... Sweet Poetic Justice

HELCO Wants West Hawaii Geothermal, not Puna

PBN: HELCO is not serious about procuring an eastside geothermal resource, which would negatively affect the probability of having a successful procurement.

Alan Oshima, the incoming president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric Co., the parent of HELCO, told PBN recently that in its new plan, HECO wants to develop a geothermal project on the Big Island's west side, where most of the growth is happening.

HELCO said in a recent letter to Hawaii regulators that it plans to issue an RFP on Oct. 27, with selection of a developer anticipated on Feb. 14.

It also expects to file its application for approval of a power purchase agreement with Hawaii regulators on April 30.

HELCO said in a recent letter to Hawaii regulators that it plans to issue an RFP on Oct. 27, with selection of a developer anticipated on Feb. 14.

It also expects to file its application for approval of a power purchase agreement with Hawaii regulators on April 30.

About a year ago, HELCO expected to issue a contract for the project with at least six companies in the running to develop it.

Trask Loses: Geothermal: Hundreds Denounce Mililani Trask

read ... Lava Interrupts

Jack Wong New KSBE CEO

KHON: Wong joined KS in 1997 as senior counsel specializing in commercial real estate. He was promoted to director of KS’ Endowment Legal Division in 2000, and subsequently helped lead Kamehameha’s defense of its Hawaiian preference admission policy. In 2013, Jack was named Vice President for Legal Affairs.

read ... New CEO

Professor claiming contract breach sues UH

SA: A University of Hawaii at Manoa chemistry professor who secured a million-dollar grant for a world-class astrochemistry laboratory six years ago is suing the university, claiming UH breached its part of the agreement by failing to fund a $75,000 tenured position for the lab.

read ... Another Blunder

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