National Report Sees Hawaii Drop to 42nd in Economic Competitiveness
Senator Sam Slom to Undergo Heart Surgery
Hawaii Congressional Delegation: How They Voted April 11, 2016
ACLU: Legal Tools to Keep the Homeless, Homeless in Honolulu
Rep Takai Again Calls for Military in Hawaii Reapportionment
Slom hits Bad Bills—Reckless, Wasteful Legislation
Don’t Let the Opt-Out of Common Core Testing Movement Fool You
Rail: What are we going to do with this Turkey?
Borreca: The question is not whether the city’s over-budget, $6.57 billion rail project is good or bad; the question is what are you going to do with this turkey?
The problem, Slater said, is that the route should be shortened, but that won’t happen unless “a mayor is elected this fall who is willing to take on the ‘Rail Establishment.’” ….
The UH’s Prevedouros expanded the thinking about the rail system. He said if he were running the rail line, he also would stop the rail line at Middle Street. Then he would “negotiate with FTA (Federal Transit Administration) and instead of the four miles downtown I’d propose adding about 5 miles in the other direction to fully serve Kapolei, Honokai Hale and Ko Olina, including a 4,000-stall park and ride structure for the Waianae Coast commuters. Half of this rail extension could be done at ground level for a much lower cost per mile.” ….
If the former governor were in charge, the new rail system would be changed into a combination rail and bus system.
“I’d ask the HART board to commit to stopping rail at the Middle Street bus hub and begin planning for a bus rapid transit system running on a dedicated existing lane on King Street to downtown, Ala Moana Center and, if feasible Waikiki,” Cayetano said.
Also, Cayetano would work on a plan to satisfy the federal requirements for spending the transit money without a penalty for changing the plan.
“I would recommend that whatever federal funds have not been used for rail be returned to the FTA ASAP,” Cayetano said.
The existing plan and its execution, Cayetano said, “is a disaster,” but he thinks there is still a way out.
“A bus rapid transit system running on an existing, dedicated lane will avoid the enormous costs of an elevated, heavy-rail system running through downtown; no condemnation of real property will be needed, the huge costs of relocating HECO’s underground utility lines will be avoided and the city’s environment and beauty preserved.”
read … Rail critics offer ideas on how they would do it better
One Down, One to Go: Caldwell, Hanabusa Take Aim at Grabauskas
SA: …Caldwell, flanked Monday by HART board allies Colleen Hanabusa and Director of Transportation Services Mike Formby, said that Grabauskas needs to do a better job communicating to them. Grabauskas is currently undergoing his regular employee evaluation by HART board members — a process that could take a couple of months. Caldwell encouraged the board to look “long and hard” at what he felt were recent communication snafus.
Formby and Hanabusa said they felt that weren’t getting all the details that they needed under Grabauskas’ leadership on significant issues facing rail.
Hanabusa, a former Hawaii congresswoman, said it wasn’t until she and Formby “invited themselves” to sit in on meetings with the project’s independent consultants — despite being told those meetings “weren’t available to (board) members” — that they learned the true scope of rail challenges such as Hawaiian Electric Co. utility clearances along the guideway.
Formby, meanwhile, vented that HART staff did not consult the board before canceling what he said was a $240-$260 million contract to build a critical parking structure and transit center at Pearl Highlands. Formby called that structure vital to keep ridership numbers sound.
“There was no discussion brought to the board on that issue,” Formby said Monday….
read … Next to Fall
US Hedge Fund Sues over Hitachi/Ansaldo deal
FT: US investment fund Elliott has asked an Italian court to rule that the price paid for a controlling stake in Italian signalling firm Ansaldo by Japan’s Hitachi was too low in an escalating activist battle over the deal.
Japan’s Hitachi bought 40 per cent of Ansaldo last year for €9.50 per share. Elliott which has a nearly 30 per cent stake in Ansaldo has argued the price was too low and has been pushing for it to be raised, writes Rachel Sanderson, Milan correspondent.
In a statement Elliott said it has appealed to a regional administration court to rule the price should be raised to €15 per share.
R: Elliott asks Italy court to raise Ansaldo bid price to 15 euros
read … Pay More
SB2816: Clear Homeless Drug Addicts Out of Boat Harbors, Freeways
SA: …Senate Bill 2816, which is up for a House floor vote, would give the state a tool that parallels Honolulu’s law banning sitting and lying down on sidewalks, which has helped reduce the number of homeless visible in Waikiki, downtown and other areas.
The city used its ordinances to dismantle encampments in Kakaako last fall, but many of those who were displaced simply moved to nearby state land, including Kakaako Waterfront Park and Kewalo Basin. The state has had little success in reducing the homeless population in those areas, and more clarity in the criminal-tresspass laws could bolster its efforts.
Currently, criminal-tresspass laws don’t apply to improved state lands — land that’s built or improved in some way — and it’s unclear whether Hawaii’s trespass laws apply to state land under freeways or in boat harbors. Those who drive past the airport viaduct or visit the Waianae Boat Harbor know that those areas have become magnets for hundreds of unsheltered individuals and families, and that has increased problems of public access and safety….
SA: Advocates hope to coax homeless away from H-1
read … Homeless
Supreme Court decision could impact Hawaii election districts
ILind: …Thomas was quick to tie the decision back to the awkward case of Hawaii, where legislative districts are apportioned based on “permanent resident population,” which excludes most military personnel and students who maintain legal residence elsewhere.
Thomas was lead attorney in a legal challenge to Hawaii’s most recent reapportionment. The plaintiffs in that case sought to force the state to include military personnel and students in the base population for purposes of reapportionment (Congressman Mark Takai was one of the plaintiffs). The challenge was rejected, but Thomas now raises the question of whether this latest Supreme Court ruling will change the outcome in any future case….
Congressman Takai issued a press release immediately following the court decision.
“Today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that states should be using the “one person one vote” methodology, and not excluding anyone during the reapportionment process. Hawaii continues to wrongfully leave out more than 108,000 military members, their families and university students. It is time to bring our reapportionment practice in line with 48 other states, and ensure everyone is included equally,” Takai said.
It’s worth reading through some of this, as the questions will undoubtedly be front and center when reapportionment time rolls around again.
read … Impact
Pesticide Report Group Unravels
KE: The Joint Fact-Finding Group is continuing to unravel, with Sarah Styan and Gerardo Rojas resigning from the panel amid allegations that the process was biased and poorly managed….
In his resignation letter to fact-finding consultant Peter Adler, president of ACCORD-3, Rojas wrote:
Having members of the group participate on assumptions of their personal opinion and allow their views to be accepted against countless studies provided by the public is simply wrong. Members stating publicly a lack of trust in a Federal organization, what documents or information could be submitted, who can and cannot submit data because of their 2491 affiliation, should have been handled better by you or your team. The fact that it wasn’t, is unacceptable.
It is my conclusion that this JFF group under your direction has failed in its mission to remain “fact based”.
In her letter, Styan wrote:
The mission of the group and the way in which the process was conducted were so far removed from what I believe the State and County taxpayers expected, that I believe there is no way that the community will receive a fact‐based, unbiased, useful report. For that reason, I cannot continue to support this process.
I truly tried to be a neutral and engaged part of the fact‐finding process. I worked hard over the course of the year, educating myself about health issues associated with pesticides, about health issues on Kauai and elsewhere, and about how pesticides are used and regulated. However, the bias, the imbalance, the lack of integrity, and the disrespect shown to me and other members who attempted to ensure that facts were contained in the report, prevent me from continuing as a member.
read … Integrity
DOT backs ferry feasibility study
HTH: …In hopes of keeping the ferry issue afloat, the state Senate passed a resolution last year asking transportation officials to study whether Washington state’s ferry system could be used as a model for Hawaii.
After seeing no action, the Legislature appears to be ready to do the same again, though this time with a mandate and funding to go with it.
Sen. Lorraine Inouye, one of the co-sponsors, said the House will today take its final vote on Senate Bill 2618 before sending it to conference. The Senate already approved a version of the bill.
Unlike the resolution, the bill would require the state Department of Transportation to conduct the study. While funding would be provided, the amount to be allocated remains blank in the bill.
In its written testimony, the department says it strongly supports the measure.
Inouye, D-North Hawaii, said officials would be required to have a report ready for the 2017 legislative session….
read … DOT backs ferry feasibility study
FORMER OHA TRUSTEE - DONʻT RATIFY THE NA`I AUPUNI CONSTITUTION
FH: Originally, 40 participants were to be elected (during the Na`i Aupuni `aha) and meet for two months to create a constitution. Instead, 130 of us unelected participants met for one month. A paper constitution was railroaded through the attendees in a few weeks.
This `aha was designed to make us an Indian tribe, federally recognized by the Department of the Interior. The DOI rules, introduced months before the `aha, state the federal and state governments have sovereign immunity and cannot be sued by Native Hawaiians….
read … Don’t Ratify
HPD fires recruits, reassigns officers after cheating scandal
HNN: The Honolulu Police Department has fired three police recruits and reassigned officers after a scandal that rocked the police academy.
The recruits are accused of getting the questions for upcoming tests.
In a letter to the three recruits, HPD Chief Louis Kealoha said, "There was sufficient evidence to support the allegation that you cheated on an examination."
Sources say that one of the recruits, a female, was dating an HPD sergeant. That sergeant is now under investigation for providing test questions to the recruit, who shared them with others during a study session….
Each recruit is paid $5,386 per month during training. And the class was just weeks from graduation.
Recruits are not protected by the police union so terminating them is not a difficult process.
read … Cheating
Missteps with Arnold will guide UH on Ganot raise
SA: The last time the University of Hawaii went about rewarding a rookie men’s basketball coach it ended up shattering the athletic department piggy bank.
The coach was Gib Arnold and what started out as the promise of a “modest bump” in pay turned into a $104,000 raise to a school-record $344,000 basketball salary by the time papers were signed….
read … History Repeats
Governor extends emergency period to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses
HNN: Governor Ige signed a supplemental proclamation Monday afternoon to extend the state’s emergency period for mosquito borne illnesses, such as dengue fever, Zika virus and chikungunya.
While these diseases continue to spread in multiple regions around the world, the Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) has been working diligently with its partners in the counties and other state agencies, such as the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA), to protect Hawaii as warm summer months and the state’s peak travel season quickly approach….
read … Emergency
Honolulu Middle Class Life Expectancy 3 Years Less than US Average
PBN: Lower-income residents in Honolulu live shorter lives than people in similar circumstances elsewhere in the nation, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The life expectancy for 40-year-olds with household incomes below $28,000 is 78.2 years in Honolulu, c, according to the study, which was analyzed by The New York Times.
Meanwhile, Honolulu residents who are making more than $100,000 per year will live about seven years longer, according to the study….
The report also said Honolulu residents of all incomes have a lower life expectancy than the national average. Those making $89,000 in Honolulu live almost three years less than their peers across the nation. However, those making $1.5 million only live 0.7 years less….
read … Life Expectancy
Will ‘pot’ become too pricey? Some fear dispensaries will limit access and be cost-prohibitive
HTH: …“I can’t afford to buy pot,” said Corcoran, who said she currently gets weed through a caregiver on the island. “I’m 72-years-old, disabled and living off Social Security … if they had $10 (for an eighth of an ounce of marijuana), I would. If they would make it affordable and my insurance would cover, of course I would. But that’s not going to happen.”
Medical marijuana has been legal in Hawaii since 2000, but the state’s never established a way for patients to purchase it. Proponents of the up-and-coming dispensary system hope the medical pot shops will, for the first time, create a way to do that.
But statewide only 16 dispensaries can open initially. Meanwhile, the number of registered patients in Hawaii surpassed 13,620 at the end of March and continues to grow each month. More than half of those patients resided in Hawaii County, more than any other island including Oahu, and yet four dispensaries can open on the Big Island initially.
Marijuana also remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance not covered by insurance companies.
Some in the industry worry — based on what other states have experienced after launching dispensary programs — that high demand coupled with a capped number of dispensaries will lead to prices few can actually afford.
In New York, which approved up to 20 dispensaries through its newly established medical marijuana program in 2014, less than half of the state’s more than 2,000 patients had actually obtained the drug about three months after it began in early January, according to information from New York’s Department of Health.
Last year in Minnesota, two months after the state launched its medical cannabis program, about one-fifth of roughly 500 registered patients had not returned to buy more medication, state data shows.
“Excessive pricing, (excessive) taxation and (excessive) legislation all lend to feeding the black market,” said Don McKay, owner of a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based dispensary….
AP: Last-minute rush for Hawaii dispensary applications
read … Crony Weed
Hawaii drug treatment centers see opiate addictions soar
HNN: "We're seeing people in treatment who are over 50, which we hardly saw. And we're seeing a lot more youth who are getting into their parent's medicine cabinet," said Alan Johnson, president of Hina Mauka.
He said 7 percent of adults treated at Hina Mauka admit to being addicted to opiates, like Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Percocet or Vicodin. A few years ago it was less than 1 percent.
read … Seven-fold
Hawaii DoE Targeted: Parent Demands 2nd-Grade Tranny be Treated as Female
HNN: Wendy said her daughter (sic) Kai is now 7, but (allegedly) has identified as a girl since the age of 2. ….
"With Kai, she (sic) knows. She (sic) knows that she's (sic) a girl. She (sic) knows that she (sic) was born with the wrong body. And if she (sic) makes the decision to going back to being a boy, we make another transition -- even if it's another hard, long road. It's our road. I'll still support her (sic) no matter what," said Wendy, whose last name Hawaii News Now is not using to protecting her daughter's (sic) identity.
Kai often dressed as a girl at home, but never publicly.
Wendy says Kai has been seeing a psychologist since the beginning of the school year…
Reality, for those who can handle it: MDs: Gender Ideology Harms Children
read … Child Abuse
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