February 3, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

February 3, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 12:46 PM :: 10818 Views

Wailuku DoE teacher arrested for meth in home: HSTA/DoE/BoE/ACLU still block drug testing

Bisera has been employed by the Department of Education since 1983 and has worked at other schools in the Maui District during her teaching career, Anderson said.

Capt. Gerald Matsunaga, commander of the police Vice Division, said police officers executed a search warrant at Bisera's residence on Molokai Akau Street at 6:40 a.m., finding 2.9 grams of crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia including a glass pipe commonly used to smoke ice, digital gram scales and a butane lighter.

Bisera was arrested at the residence, which is about 210 feet from Maui High School, well within the 750-foot distance required for the felony charge of promoting a controlled substance near a school, Matsunaga said.

LINK>>>Kubo nomination: Hanabusa, Souza tied to Pali Golf course shooters’ mob

LINK>>>Hawaii Scores “D” on Citizen Initiative rights

LINK>>>Dutch Hanohano: Aiona team introduces campaign manager

LINK>>>Abercrombie, Hirono sign new letter backing socialist single-payer health system

Pendulum now appears to swing in Kubo's favor

While Kubo's nomination appeared to be in jeopardy last week, now the pendulum appears to be swinging in Kubo's favor.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Brian Taniguchi says he changed his mind today, and now plans to vote in favor of Kubo's nomination, with reservations.

And this is huge because other senators usually follow the recommendation of the committee chair.

Final Senate vote set for Kubo nomination

HR: Senate Leaders Meet in Secret as Ed Kubo's Supporters Rally for His Judicial Confirmation

Hanabusa told Hawaii Reporter the accusation that her husband is behind a campaign against Kubo out of retaliation is not true.

Souza did call Slom, a personal friend, to say he liked Kubo but did not think he is qualified to be a judge.

But Hanabusa maintains that her husband didn’t lobby other Senators and is fond of Kubo. Souza did not return calls to Hawaii Reporter to clarify if he had lobbied either in person or by phone against Kubo.

Hanabusa told Hawaii Reporter she is independent and no one's puppet, but she added that as always with her committee chairs, she would support Taniguchi on his decision whether or not to confirm Kubo.

Letter: Deeply Troubled by Senate Leadership's Lack of Support for Judicial Candidate Ed Kubo

HR: Hold Placed on Akaka Bill in U.S. Senate

Steven Duffield, former policy director to Sen. Jon Kyl, closely tracks the Akaka Bill. He says: "Republican leadership in both the House and Senate remain strongly opposed to the Akaka bill's creation of a race-based government and are highly unlikely to allow this bill to go forward without a very long debate and many amendments."

Lawmakers Move For More School Days

HONOLULU -- Hawaii parents want school furloughs to end right now, but two state Senate committees are looking to the future to make sure Hawaii's public school children are never again robbed of any classroom time.

They gave first round approval on Tuesday to a bill to require a minimum of 200 school days each school year….

The bill, approved by two senate committees, would guarantee 200 days each year, but it said nothing about lengthening school days. Some parents said they would like to see 7-hour school days….

Another bill in the legislature talks about making the yearly requirement the 180 school days Hawaii used to have.

The lawmakers also wanted to prohibit any collective bargaining agreement from shortening a school year to less than 200 days.

But they rejected that section of the bill after legal experts (WHO?) said it was unconstitutional.

(How to pay for this? Seize HSTA and DoE HQ. Disinfect--and then convert them to condos.)

Legislators’ Plastic Bags Law Could Cost Customers 20 Cents (WITHOUT EIS!!!)

Supporters said they want to charge 20 cents even for bio-degradable bags already used in some stores because even those bags do not always break down in landfills.

Members of the House Environment Committee are expected to approve the plastic bag tax bill on Thursday.

COMPLETE DEBUNK: http://www.savetheplasticbag.com/ReadContent461.aspx

Highest paid in nation: Lawmakers Propose Taking manini 3% Pay Cuts: Salary Reductions Would Last 1 Year Starting July 1

Currently, lawmakers and state executives have agreed to cut their salaries 5 percent.

The bill now advancing would require an additional 3 percent cut, making the total salary reduction 8 percent. That higher pay cut would kick in July 1 and last for a year.

REALITY: Hawaii Legislators’ pay tops nation

Maui News: Election season officially under way

Monday didn't offer many surprises. But County Council Member Mike Victorino quashed rumors that he'd challenge first-term Mayor Charmaine Tavares….

"As we know, government is all about the money," Victorino said. (Great quote for future reference)

Victorino was the only incumbent council member to file on the first available day.

Three mayoral candidates filed on Monday, none of whom has held office before. They are Harold "Hap" Miller, Orion "Ori" Kopelman and Valarie Lehuanani Aquino. Both Aquino and Miller have campaigned for mayor before in recent years without a win. Kopelman is a noted Upcountry Republican.

Four other people, including Tavares, have declared that they intend to run for mayor: Alan Arakawa, a one-term mayor who lost to Tavares almost four years ago; Chris Hart, a former county Planning Department director and successful private consultant; and Kalani Tassill, a community volunteer and auto salesman.

None of them filed their nomination papers Monday, but all have been openly campaigning for months. Arakawa announced his intentions way back on July 4.

ML&P to cease retirees’ medical (thanks, OHA)

Maui Land & Pineapple Co. will cease paying for life insurance and medical coverage for all its noncontractual retirees.

ML&P also has shrunk to the point where it has more noncontractual retirees than active employees, not to mention the much larger number of retired union employees.

Durkin said about 400 retirees and their survivors were affected by the cancellation of their group life insurance; and a little over 100 by cancellation of medical coverage.

Cash sales crackdown (solving the budget problem one farmer at a time)

Through Dec. 18, the program cost $14,849, nearly all of which was for equipment, and raised $147,000 in "direct revenues," according to the department's Dec. 21 annual report to the Legislature.

(Story describes farmers, market vendors and small businesses being targeted by tax collectors. No drug dealers being hit for non-payment of taxes.)

New geothermal well hoped to meet contract demands

Blocked wells have left Puna Geothermal Ventures falling behind on its contract with Hawaii Electric Light Co., plant manager Mike Kaleikini said Monday.
The geothermal energy provider is contracted to provide 30 megawatts of power to HELCO but recently has generated only 17 megawatts, Kaleikini said.

Falling behind on energy production, which is created by steam rising from hot brine and turning an underground turbine, incurred penalties for the company, as well as
lost revenue, Kaleikini said. The company, however, has not had to lay off any employees, he added.

(Of course no such requirements are given to wind energy providers….)

RELATED: http://www.wind-watch.org/

Neil Abercrombie (D-Hezbollah) gives love to Ron Paul (R-Hamas)

Last year, as Congress discussed health care reform, a group of protesters emerged saying they stood for limited government and against taxes. Their opinions on health care are often based on misinformation spread by powerful private interests. I strongly disagree with their methods, which are meant to intimidate people and stifle dialogue. They believe government is the enemy; I believe our government is our responsibility as well as our opportunity.

But in some ways, I understand where they are coming from.

All people need to feel confident that their government is working and their tax dollars are well spent. It’s not a partisan idea. When my friend and colleague, U.S. Representative Ron Paul, introduced a bill to audit the Federal Reserve System, I joined a bipartisan group of eleven original co-sponsors of the bill.

(Of course he did, the Audit the Fed Bill has the potential to exponentially increase the power of comrade Obama. But what else do these two have in common? See links below.)

AT: The Ron Paul Campaign and its Neo-Nazi Supporters

FPM: Neil Abercrombie, D-Hezbollah