Tulsi Gabbard Running for Vice President
Federal Prosecutors Fight Back After Judge Orders Return of $167K Seized from Maui Resident
OHA Funded Waikiki Anti-Telescope March, Contributed Red Nai Aupuni Shirts
CB: Many organizations contributed to the march. What’s different about OHA’s support is that it is a quasi-state agency using money designated for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.
CEO Kamana‘opono Crabbe explained in an internal OHA memo dated Aug. 13, four days after the Aloha Aina Unity March, that he approved the funds because “the goals and specific planned outcomes of the march were directly supportive of OHA’s strategic priority results related to aina and moomeheu.” ...
Robert Lindsey, board chairman, directed Civil Beat’s media inquiry to Crabbe. In an email statement, Crabbe said:
“The Aloha Aina March brought attention to many land use issues important to Native Hawaiians. OHA was approached by beneficiaries concerned about the health and safety of our kupuna and others involved in the march. After reviewing the information available to me at the time, I approved funding for trolleys to allow kupuna to safely participate in the march, along with water, parking and food.
“OHA did provide other incidental expenses as we would customarily do for a march similar to this. OHA’s support was intended to protect the health and safety of those involved in the march and to ensure all voices were given an appropriate venue.”
Trustee Colette Machado ... requested a breakdown of OHA’s expenses for the march ....
"T-shirts (from storage), no cost"
The red shirts read, “E Ala, E Alu, E Kuilima Kakou,” which translates as “rise, together, join hands.”
The shirts featured a triangle symbol that is also featured on a website for Nai Aupuni....
The funds for the unity march came after Crabbe said he received an “urgent request” from march organizers to help them out.
Crabbe himself participated in the march, as did Kuhio Lewis, OHA’s community outreach manager, and other OHA employees. As Crabbe explained in his memo, staff assistance in the march was conducted during non-work hours....
Reality: Telescope: For OHA, it’s all About the Rent Money
read ... OHA Funded
Star-Adv: Homeless Crisis Should be Milked for COFA Money
SA: ...Jason Espero of Waikiki Health, one of the organizations that conducted the study, said about a third of the families are from Pacific island nations that are part of the Compact of Free Association. That includes citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau, all of whom are able to come to the U.S. without a visa.
Right there is the nexus for increasing the federal investment in Honolulu’s problem. The influx of Micronesian migrants, who arrive in a Western society for which they’re unprepared, is the result of a federal policy, a compact put in place in the interest of national defense, and that should be paired with significant federal response.
In addition, there are federal housing allowances given to military personnel, and this has simply added strain to an already devastating shortage of housing units....
read ... Federal Money
First-Ever Head of Hawaiian Education Foresees ‘Revolutionary’ Changes
CB: Dawn Kaui Sang’s new role brings big challenges as she looks to redefine language immersion programs and make sure every student in the state learns about Hawaiian culture — something long mandated by a constitutional amendment but with “varying degrees of implementation.”
read ... Changes
Bike-sharing program is Excuse for More Lane Eliminations
KHON: ...Bikeshare Hawaii president and COO Ben Trevino says there will be 200 Bikeshare stations between Waikiki and Downtown, but there is one key element missing for it to safely work.
“We definitely need to work on improving our infrastructure,” said Hawaii Bicycling League planning director Daniel Alexander. “We at Hawaii Bicycling League think we need a minimum of protected bikeways all throughout urban Honolulu that will get you from mauka to makai.”
Trevino says BikeShare is working with the city to fix the issue.
“One major area of development is mauka-makai routes,” Trevino said. “We have King Street that cuts through town, the city wants to make several connections. A few other locations, like South Street, is a candidate for a protected bike lane in the near future.”
Alexander added a few more suggestions: “Waikiki really needs something, Kalakaua. Another is University Avenue. We have 20,000 students there, and most are biking.” ...
Alexander says the City’s Department of Transportation Services will hold a public meeting on Sept. 1, unveiling plans for building a network of protected lanes. It will be held at the Blaisdell Hawaii Suites between 6 p.m. to 8 p.m....
read ... Concerns still exist as bike-sharing program just months away from debut
Council Opposes HART Use of Eminent Domain to Seize Blood Bank for Rail
SA: ...The Council’s Executive Matters and Legal Affairs Committee, which is composed of all nine Council members, on Tuesday approved a resolution that objects to the rail agency’s using eminent domain to take part of the blood bank’s primary donor center on Dillingham Boulevard.
The resolution, 15-221, goes further and instructs HART to suspend any condemnation activity for the blood bank property. It now goes before the full Council for final approval.
“I hope they can reach a resolution” without eminent domain, Council Chairman Ernie Martin said Tuesday....
read ... A Resolution
Lawyer: Homosexual Dismembered Boyfriend's Body Before Fleeing to Mainland
SA: ...The accused murderer of a man whose body was found in pieces along Mililani Memorial Park Road is expected to tell a jury that he dismembered the victim's remains but did not kill him.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the state court murder trial of Bryan Suitt, 47, for the September 2013 murder of (his gay boyfriend) 34-year-old Alex Gonzales.
"The fact that Mr. Suitt dismembered the body, we're not contesting that," defense lawyer Lee Hayakawa said in pretrial hearings this month...
On Sept. 15 and 16, 2013, Honolulu police found Gonzales' remains in trash bags along Mililani Memorial Park Road and buried in a shallow grave. Police said they also found flesh in a hard-shell suitcase that Suitt purchased from the Walmart Keeaumoku store....
2013: Man dismembered romantically linked to suspect
read ... Gay Murder
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