Hawaii Reapportionment Case: Only Mark Takai Put his Name on the Line
Tax Hike Coming: Rail ‘Recovery’ Plan to Remain Hidden Until After Election
Even With Economy Booming, HART Claims GE Taxes Running Short of Projections
The Hawaii Legislature's Exercise in Short-Term Thinking
Jones Act Shipbuilders Fail Again: Navy’s latest aircraft carrier cannot be deployed
Darby: Hawaii and Maui County Shelters Open
Feds Nail $2M Tribal Scam–Thousands Got Free Hawaiian Homelands Cellphones
Tulsi Gabbard Votes Against Zika Funding
HART: Will Seek GE Tax Hike After Election, Feds Order Caldwell not to Build $280M Pearl Highlands Station
SA: …Formby added that the city could also reach out to state legislators and at least see whether “there’s an opportunity to come back next year” to pursue another extension to the general excise tax surcharge for rail or to find some other funding.
“We’re going to have discussions with the (House) speaker and the (Senate) president and hopefully come to some understanding of what our prospects will be,” he said.
The Legislature’s top two finance leaders, Sen. Jill Tokuda (D, Kailua-Kaneohe) and Rep. Sylvia Luke (D, Punchbowl- Pauoa-Nuuanu) have already indicated that rail officials should not return to the state for help next year after they underestimated project costs so badly last year.
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board and the City Council would need at least two months for the full process of recommending and then approving a rail recovery plan, according to city officials.
The city’s new deadline falls after the U.S. presidential election in November but before the next administration takes office. Caldwell and other rail officials have said the city would have to wait to lobby for more federal funds until next year, once the new administration is in place.
Flowers’ letter Thursday also cautioned the city to not take any actions that might “foreclose viable options” for the rail project in the future.
Specifically, Formby said, the FTA likely doesn’t want the city to award the contract to build the rail’s Pearl Highlands transit center, H-2 off-ramp and parking garage before all options are considered. That job was estimated to cost $207 million in 2012. Now it’s as high as $280 million, Formby said….
CD: Hawaii (15.9%, 6,700 jobs) had the biggest percentage construction job increase.
PDF: FTA letter to Mayor Kirk Caldwell
read … Tax Hike Coming
Will Darby Duplicate Iselle Impacts? -- Activists Eager for Damage to Geothermal Plant
IM: …Iselle knocked out HELCO transmission lines which caused Puna Geothermal Ventures (PGV) to shut down its Puna geothermal facility. None of the air emission monitors were working when the plant had an unscheduled release of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas.
Members of the Puna Pono Alliance reported that over 100 people experienced health impacts. Some blacked out. Civil Defense told residents who felt sick to leave the area but the roads were impassable.
Puna residents wonder if PGV will shut down ahead of Darby, or stay on-line risking another accidental emission which may further impact the health of Puna residents….
read … Will Darby Duplicate Iselle`s Impacts? -- Activists Eager for more Anti-Geothermal Hype
Ward Heeler Predicts Kim-Lau Runoff
WHT: It may not be the most scientific survey, but George Yokoyama said his political polling hasn’t been wrong in the 40 years he’s been doing it.
Yokoyama’s latest poll, mailed to 3,000 Big Island households in early June, showed former Mayor Harry Kim leading former county Managing Director Wally Lau by double digits, Yokoyama confirmed this week.
Yokoyama, who’s turning 90 this month, didn’t disclose other details about the poll, other than to say that most of those returning the poll were over 45 years old.
Yokoyma predicted a runoff between Kim and Lau in the general election. County candidates must get more than 50 percent of the votes cast in the Aug. 13 primary election to avoid a runoff in November.
He plans to do another survey before the general election.
“Everybody knows Harry, but not everybody likes Harry,” Yokoyama said.
(Translation: The old boys are hoping Kim doesn’t win with 50% plus one on Aug 13. This is their sales pitch.)
read … Runoff?
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