Supreme Court: Aquarium Fisheries Sacrificed on Altar of Tourism
Enrollment: DoE Down 1% -- Charter Schools up 5%
Hawaii taxes block prosperity
Hurricane Irma: Hawaii Red Cross Volunteers Heading to Florida
Honolulu to hold 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony
U.S. waives Jones Act before Hurricane Irma hits
Caldwell to Meet With Rail Car Manufacturer
BLNR Approves Boating Rule Changes
Hirono Spews Anti-Catholic Bigotry in Senate Hearing
Rail Operations Timed to Provide Excuse for Next Tax Hike
HNN: …it's time to get serious about the other elephant in the room – the annual cost to operate the system.
It's expected the bus and rail system will need well over $100 million a year from taxpayers for costs beyond the income from the fare box. The Mayor brought that up last week when he was asked whether he was finally going to seriously consider other sources of revenue, like getting money from developers and property owners along the line. He didn't hold out much hope for a big money there.
But time is short. HART is scheduled to begin operations between Kapolei and Aloha Stadium in three years.
No one says this out loud, but it is likely that once the train is running and people are using it, city leaders will come back to ask once again that the excise tax surcharge for rail be extended indefinitely….
read … Planning for Next Tax Hike
Names: Five Local Candidates for HPD Chief
HNN: Here are five of the nine candidates that Hawaii News Now has confirmed received the letter from the Honolulu Police Commission:
Major Susan Ballard: Ballard has been with HPD since 1986. Ballard made history in 2004 as one of the first two women to become finalists for the chief's job.
Kauai Police Chief Darryl Perry: Perry spent 30 years at HPD before taking the top job on Kauai a decade ago. He's credited with being the first to implement the use of body cameras in the state.
Retired HPD Major Kurt Kendro: Kendro was in charge of the Traffic Unit before heading the Leeward Oahu area. He was awarded the Silver Medal of Valor for saving a woman from a house fire.
Retired HPD Assistant Chief Kevin Lima: Lima was head of the Narco/Vice unit for many years before being promoted to Assistant Chief.
Retired federal agent Thomas Aiu: Currently heads corporate security for Hawaiian Airlines and recently has been teaching criminal justice at Chaminade.
Four other candidates (buncha nobodies from Mainland, we’ll eliminate them next round) got emails confirming that they are moving on to the next phase of the search….
(Meanwhile HPD keeps raiding gambling dens to keep up the pressure for a ‘correct’ selection who will put an end to the pain and suffering of the local mafia….)
VIDEO: HPD Officer Asks Police Comm for Help Against Retaliation
read … HPD Status Quo
Two more names emerge as candidates for HPD's next police chief
HNN: …Sources confirmed for Hawaii News Now that Gary Yamashiroya and Paul Putzulu are in the running for the position.
Yamashiroya is a former Chicago Police officer who now lives in Hawaii. He was also a finalist in the run for job against former Chief Louis Kealoha, who ended up securing the position.
Putzulu, also a former finalist who lost to Kealoha, served as Interim HPD chief for a short time. That gig ended when the department hired Kealoha full time.
Both have come out of retirement to apply for the position. …
read … Two more names emerge as candidates for HPD's next police chief
Homeless Male Dies on Freeway Because he was not Forced to Accept Shelter
KITV: …The 69-year-old victim was rushed to the hospital in critical condition where police say he later died. Police believe the man may have been living in a nearby homeless encampment.
"We are investigating reports of the same male pedestrian walking across on the westbound lanes, but we're still trying to locate witnesses. It's unknown why the man was in the middle of the freeway, but there are some homeless encampments in the area, so it is possible he was coming or going from a homeless encampment," Lt. Andre Peters with the Honolulu Police Department, traffic division said.
AP: With Hurricane Coming Miami Forcibly Commits Homeless to Insane Asylum
HTH: County looks to expand homeless tent city
read … Homeless Tent Cities Kill
Soft on Crime: Lifelong Doper Gets Another Joke Sentence
MN: …Citing a defendant’s long criminal history, a judge Friday ordered a five-year prison term for a man who was arrested with drugs last year.
Johnathan McQueen, 38, of Wailuku had asked to be placed on probation. He said he hadn’t been given that opportunity before….
He was terminated from the program in December 2010 after being implicated for selling drugs while in the program, according to court records. In August 2011, he was sentenced to a 10-year prison term.
On Friday, attorneys had asked that McQueen be sentenced to jail and probation, based on a plea agreement between the defense and prosecution. McQueen had pleaded no contest to two counts of third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug and possessing drug paraphernalia in connection with his arrest Feb. 11, 2016.
In three other cases, McQueen is awaiting sentencing for firearm and drug offenses, as well as abuse and driving a stolen vehicle….
read … Soft on Crime.
Gary Hooser Admits: ‘Harsh and Ugly Rhetoric’
KGI: …“If you don’t support my issue, then I will never vote for you,” is about the least effective comment you can make to someone in public office when testifying on an issue.
The first thought that goes through the mind of the politician is something to the effect of, “You probably don’t vote for me anyway — why should I even care?” The second thought that passes through is probably not suitable for a community newspaper.
Threatening not to vote for someone during public testimony is at the top of the “Do not do list” when it comes to public advocacy 101. It is right up there with publicly calling the lawmaker a crook or implying that because someone related to the issue gave them a campaign donation, they are somehow corrupt. While all of this may (or may not) be true, making these statements as part of testimony on any issue will only hurt the cause.
A room full of committed citizens requesting that the legislative body “do the right thing” and backing up that request with solid facts, is intimidating enough on a political level. Harsh and ugly rhetoric is unnecessary and counter-productive.
Conversely, if the policymaker is offered solid facts supported by genuine but reasoned passion and presented by a broad community coalition, they may indeed seek ways to alter their original position….
(Hooser doesn’t realize he is talking about himself and his anti-GMO mob here. Hilarious!)
read … Hooser Hypocrisy
More Rat Poison Hysteria on Kauai
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