Fake Indian Tribe: OHA Legal Shell Game Copied from Southern Segregationists
Rail: Caldwell’s Flip-Flop Opens Door to Lawsuits by Property Owners Targeted by HART
Hanabusa Defeats Ethics: Free Teacher Travel can resume
Hanabusa: Grabauskas Should be Blamed Because Caldwell and I Have Been Lying About Cost of Rail Since 2014
HNN: Hawaii News Now has learned that in 2014, federal transit officials told rail planners the project could cost as much as $7.6 billion dollars.
But the following year when those planners made their pitch to state lawmakers to extend the half percent rail surcharge, they only asked for enough to cover $6.8 billion.
"What is troubling about that is, why then would the city and HART go in for $910 million more, because at that point in time, you know it's about $2 billion," HART chair Colleen Hanabusa said.
Had the city asked for $2 billion dollars more in 2015 -- and received it -- the project would have enough money today to build all the way to Ala Moana Center and not stop short at Middle Street.
"It's a credibility issue and a truthfulness issue and no matter what number they're giving us, I think they have a big problem in trying to convince the public what is the true number now," said House Finance Chair Sylvia Luke.
"Clearly HART knew and we're assuming that someone in the mayor's office knew or should've have known."
But the Mayor's officer tells us he didn't know, and was only informed about the higher cost estimate this week by Hanabusa. (IQ Test: Do you believe that?)
"It should have been brought to the attention of the board and the mayor and city council that this is what we're talking about," Hanabusa said. (Translation: Grabauskas will be next sacrificial lamb.)
Rail CEO Dan Grabauskas was out of town and unavailable for comment but a spokesperson said the figures, which were available on the project's website (thus blowing Caldwell's lie), represent a worst-case scenario….
The lack of transparency has been a growing frustration with city lawmakers, as the rail project slipped further behind budget and schedule. This and more will likely be considered as Grabauskas undergoes a scheduled job performance review by the rail board. (See!)
(Hanabusa Campaign Slogan: “I was HART Chair for 1 month and look what I did! Imagine what I could do in Congress!)
read … Hanabusa Admits Lying
Chief Kealoha Sues Against Ethics
KHON: Honolulu’s police chief Louis Kealoha, his wife, Katherine, and their daughter filed a lawsuit against the city late Friday afternoon.
The suit alleges corruption and what they call “vindictive and illegal investigations” by the Honolulu Ethics Commission.
The suit also names as defendants Chuck Totto, who resigned as ethics director this week, and former investigator Letha DeCaires, a retired Honolulu police captain….
read … Kealohas file lawsuit against city, former ethics director, investigator
Pine: Eliminate Some Stations Rather Than Shortening Line
HNN: …Honolulu City Councilwoman Kymberly Marcos Pine is requesting an analysis of ridership numbers to see what the impact will be if stations closer to each other are eliminated instead of stopping at Middle Street.
(Problem: If some stations are eliminated and rail is completed to Ala Moana, it will be harder to use this crisis to raise taxes.)
“My phone has been ringing off the hook. They want someone to fight for the west side, and they want the HART board as well as the city council as well as the mayor to come up better options,” she said. “People won’t get on on my side of the island just to go to Middle Street.”
It’s still not clear when HART will hold a public hearing to discuss this issue….
read … Rail Rip Off
Fake Halt: Caldwell Orders City to Keep on Buying Rail Route Properties
KHON: The city needs about 850,000 square feet worth of whole and partial properties if it gets to building the last City Center segment of rail. They’ve already bought about a quarter of it.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell says they should keep buying it up. (Translation: I can use this to raise GE Taxes again. I know it.)
“By the time we get to the properties that we are going to need, we will have the answers on funding so I’m not saying we should slow down on purchasing properties or that we should slow down on planning TOD (transit-oriented development) for the full 20 miles,” Caldwell said. “Our departments will continue to do that.”
HART tells us it will complete any active negotiations and hold off on others until they finish a recovery process with the Federal Transit Administration which includes a new financial plan due in August.
As for condemnations — forced takings by eminent domain — beyond Middle Street, HART says two judicial actions will be wrapped up and others suspended until the FTA recovery.
read … Fake Fake Fake Fake
Caldwell’s Rusted Lampposts Falling into Streets
KHON: Drivers experienced quite a scare Friday after a pole carrying multiple traffic lights fell across N. King Street….
According to city Transportation Services director Mike Formby, the pole was rusted at its base, and that rust helped contribute to the fall….
“There is debris inside, which means someone has stuffed cigarette cartons and some other materials in there. What that does, it blocks the weep hole (that allows rainwater to drain out), so it ends up collecting at the base and over time it corrodes,” he said. “This one had a plate on it, but it appears at some point, someone had put material down inside the pole.”
We went to other areas in town and saw similar situations where poles weren’t necessary rusted, but the electrical covers were taken off and wires were mixed with trash.
This is the third time in the last three years that a city pole has fallen. Officials estimate the pole’s weight at 500 to 1,000 pounds….
In April 2014, a city light pole fell on Opehu Street in Waipahu, narrowly missing cars. Residents told us a gust of wind knocked it off its rusted base.
read … Rusted Out Again
Tulsi Gabbard Says She’s Not Prepared to Back Clinton
BR: …today she told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that she is not abandoning Bernie Sanders to endorse Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary.
“I’m not prepared to do that,” said Gabbard when Blitzer asked if she would back Clinton. She also said there are a number of issues she still has concerns about.
“There are a lot of things I’m looking at. In particular, the issues that Clinton has not moved on at all in this campaign, which is this commitment to continue this interventionist regime change policy in Syria that is proving so disastrous,” said Gabbard.
read … Tulsi Gabbard Says She’s Not Prepared to Back Clinton
Homosexuals Adopt 6 year old boy, Raise Him as Girl
HNN: Mr Bo Frank and his partner Mr Thomas Luna were there when little Sakoda Frank was born six years ago. They adopted the baby boy and raised him as their own….
"And then when I was five, I became a girl!" exclaimed Sakoda, sitting in Frank's lap.
"She said, 'Dad, I am a girl,'" Frank continued. "And at this point, you know -- stuff got real."
(Question: For you, is political correctness more attractive than child abuse is repulsive?)
Meanwhile: HSTA commends DOE for transgender student guidelines
read … All About Gay Marriage
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