College and Career Readiness—How Did Your School Do?
Please Get Me Job in Sanitation Department
604 Dead people Found on Kanaiolowalu Voter Roll
ICT: …Of the five commissioners on the Kanaʻiolowalu roll commission, three, Naʻalehu Anthony, Mahealani Wendt and Lei Kihoi, along with the roll commission’s executive director, Clyde Namuʻo, have chosen to run as candidates for the Naʻi Aupuni convention….
the Native Hawaiian roll does not reflect the will of the people, and because the State of Hawaiʻi has backed the institutions and provided the funding that manufactured this roll – the voice of unregistered Native Hawaiians,the majority, remains unheard and uncounted….
The commissioners failed to remove the names of deceased Native Hawaiians from the various lists that they incorporated into the new Native Hawaiian roll. As a result, there are deceased individuals on the list – at least 604 by our count. We expect this is probably an undercount of the true amount as we could only search back to 2010 because the online obituaries do not extend further back than that….
read … Manufacturing Consent
NextEra Prevents Rate Cuts Until 2020s
IM: The Hawaii Electric Companies are required to file rate cases every three years. NextEra proposed taking over the HECO Companies and imposing a four year moratorium on rate cases….
The Consumer Advocate, a state agency, has asserted that the next round of rate cases would lower rates. Thus a rate case moratorium would allow NextEra to receive unreasonable windfall profits….
The 2015 HELCO rate case had another rare 2-1 vote. HELCO asked for a one-year delay in filing the rate case. The PUC voted in favor of the delay.
By delaying the initial start of the proceeding until December 30, 2016, the rate investigation would start after the merger docket was over. If the merger was conditionally approved with various conditions and a moratorium, then there might not be a rate case until the 2020's.
Thus determining how much consumers are being overcharged, and whether and by how much rates should be lowered, would be delayed.
The Consumer Advocate found the delay acceptable. The PUC approved the delay on November 19.
Chair Iwase dissented. Iwase noted that a rare case could lower rates for consumers.
read … No Rate Cut
Drug Court Forces Homeless Addict to Clean up, Get Job
KGI: Joseph Birtodaso, who has been in the drug program for 18 months, said he began his path to sobriety by “kicking and screaming” but eventually learned he had to change his mind, change his behavior and push through.
“I went from being homeless on the beach to not having any future at all to being partnered with a multi-billion dollar company and being regional manager for the company,” Birtodaso said.
He faced 22 charges, many of them felonies, and more than 100 years in prison before, the Kauai Drug Court program turned his life around….
read … Sufficient Force Applied
Will Vets Keep Access to VA Choice Program?
SA: Last week this column covered the Veterans Health Administration's new Choice Program, which enables veterans to obtain health care services in the civilian sector. Since then there has been a flurry of mixed comments and questions about the program.
Many veterans, including some who have been treated here at Manakai, have expressed relief and gratitude at the enhanced access to collaborative, multidisciplinary diagnostics and treatment. This includes not only conventional medicine and specialty care such as sleep studies, but also acupuncture, chiropractic and medical massage therapy. Others in the community have complained of continued delays in authorization for care under the new program. Many veterans have asked about whether they might be eligible and how to access Choice benefits. Much remains to be done and information must still be disseminated, but the Choice Program is beginning to help millions of veterans nationwide to obtain timely access to needed health care.
The Choice Program was authorized in 2014 as a $5 billion, temporary two-year program. However, the Department of Veterans Affairs is streamlining community care programs and now envisions a program like Choice continuing for quite some time, particularly in areas where access to health care is a major issue. That includes Hawaii.
read … Choice
Tire Recycling Fee Boosts Dengue Spread
HTH: All 22 of Hawaii County’s solid waste recycling and transfer stations are now accepting tires as the dengue fever outbreak continues to spread.
Since the announcement of the outbreak in late October, health officials have specifically named old tires as one of the leading culprits behind the spread of the mosquito-borne disease. (Now they admit it.) When left outdoors, they collect rainwater and provide perfect places for the little bloodsuckers to breed. (No kidding?)
When Hookena and Honaunau were first identified as likely areas where the disease has been transmitted between humans and mosquitoes, the county began accepting tires free of charge at the three nearby transfer stations.
Typically, the county does not accept tires at all. (Idiot enviro policy.) Instead, residents had to pay fees — usually about $5 — for private recycling companies to dispose of them. (Translation: They got dumped in the jungle.)
Now that the disease has likely gained a foothold in other areas around the island, the county will be accepting tires at all transfer stations, (Better late than never, eh?) said Bobby Jean Leithead Todd, director of the Department of Environmental Management.
(Out of sight out of mind environmentalism. These idiots will go back to the old ways when the crisis passes.)
read … Idiots
State Supreme Court will decide if police misconduct records should be released
HNN: Assault, theft, lying on police reports, all crimes Honolulu Police officers were disciplined for last year. But details of those crimes are not made public. While many call that a problem, the Hawaii State Supreme Court will decide if that should change….
Currently, HPD only reports disciplinary information to lawmakers once a year. The information is put together on one long chart and details allegations and penalties, but the names the officers involved are excluded.
Other Hawaii counties have been much more forthcoming with information. Kauai, the Big Island, even Maui police recently starting moving toward providing more access.
MPD's chief notified the media about the arrest of two of his officers last month. It was unsolicited information that MPD Chief Tivoli Faaumu detailed in an online video and press release which was accompanied by mugshots and background information on the officers. Many are calling this move by Maui's Chief, refreshing….
It's important to note, that HPD is not fighting the case currently at the State Supreme Court. HPD submitted a statement of 'no position'. Only SHOPO, the police union is, is arguing against the release of records….
read … Decision
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