Help Stop CNHA Grab for Charter School Funds
Hawaii GOP Calls on Schatz to Return Money
Nominees Sought: Four UH Regents
Hawaii Uninsured Rate Drops 4.36% Since 2010
HART: Feds Freeze Rail Spending on Land Buy
SA: …A month after local business Honolulu Hardwoods became the first official casualty of rail eminent domain, the city has missed the deadline to pay its owner the balance he’s owed.
That final $450,000 installment, part of a $3.15 million court settlement reached last month, was due Aug. 29 to Honolulu Hardwoods owner Bryan Hoernig. But Hoernig hasn’t been paid because the Federal Transit Administration, the city’s partner on rail, has not yet approved the deal, according to the parties in the recent condemnation trial.
Instead of a check, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation sent Hoernig a letter Aug. 29 saying it may be 30 days late because the agency needs the federal approvals — even though that step was not mentioned at the time of the settlement, according to Hoernig’s lawyer, Dennis King.
HART, meanwhile, says it “was not made aware that FTA concurrence was required on this particular settlement until after the agreement was made” in court….
read … City fails to pay for land it took for rail
Concern grows after construction workers unearth 2 sets of iwi
HNN: "One was not in a coffin and one was in a coffin. Obviously we have some historic burials,” said Hina Wong-Kalu, chair of the Oahu Island Burial Council….
"I don't see how we can have a decent protection for these burials because they're planning to put a ... station over them,” said native Hawaiian activist and attorney Mililani Trask.
But officials with the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation said they immediately notified state historical preservation officials of the finds.
They said cultural and archeological monitors were on site during the excavation.
Wong-Kalu, of the burial council, said she (he) believes HART handled the situation the right way.
"In terms of the HART project and burials, we have had a relatively positive engage with them,” she (he) said.
The burial council must now come up with a plan for the iwi. That could involve leaving them in place or re interring them elsewhere….
2015: Oahu Burial Council Chair on Payroll of Kakaako Developer
read … Concern grows after construction workers unearth 2 sets of iwi
Honolulu to consider paying homeowners to house homeless
HNN: A City Councilman is eyeing as much as $15 million in city funds for a project that would pay homeowners to build a rental unit on their property for the homeless….
"We'd probably start with the same baseline that LA does with $75,000 per ADU or per unit," Manahan said. "We do have $5 million in our budget to start low-barrier programs."
On top of that there is another $8 to $10 million in the city's capital improvements budget that Manahan says could go towards the project.
Those funds will lapse if they're not used by the end of the year….
This proposal is set to be up for discussion at the City Council on Sept. 27….
read … Honolulu to consider paying homeowners to house homeless
Rep Tupola: Sex trafficking is a big problem in Hawaii
KITV: …Hawaii State Representative Andria Tupola closed her statewide conference on sex trafficking Friday.
Tupola says she, along with several non-profit organizations spent the week visiting neighbor islands, training case workers and teachers about laws of sex trafficking and what signs to look for.
According to Tupola, sex trafficking is a big problem in Hawaii and she says it can happen to anyone.
"Trafficking is no respect of persons. We see it in women, we see it in men, we see it in young kids... In some of the older massage parlors, sex trafficking rings, we see it in older women, that have been in it for years,” Tupola said…
read … Trafficking
How one Hawaii school is helping kids succeed by making sure they get to class
HNN: …As part of the program, school officials meet with judges at the Kapolei Family Court House each month.
"And from there, we dialogue, we have lots of conversations on what we can do and we start talking about specific students," said John Wataoka, principal at Waianae Intermediate School.
And for those students who are chronically truant, one of the main features of the program is relationship building.
"What we notice is as we start building relationships we find out more about our students, we find out more about our families situations," Wataoka said.
The program then finds support services to help stabilize and strengthen the families.
"And in return the result is students start coming to school on a more consistent basis," Wataoka said.
The program is now in its second year.
And early intervention is key. It's been expanded from 67 students to nearly 80 this year because students are making strides. And the state and Family Court are hoping to expand the program to more schools.
"We've had some students who, absent for like 80 days, now they have perfect attendance coming to school," Wataoka said. …
read … How one Hawaii school is helping kids succeed by making sure they get to class
Solar installation warranty died with Honolulu company
SA: We had our photovoltaic installed on our roof about four years ago. We purchased the system from Bonterra. Recently we heard that the company had gone out of business. My attempt to contact them through phone or online was unsuccessful. My question, if you can help: I would like to find out if any other company is taking over for Bonterra and who might I contact for service. We were supposed to have a 20-year warranty….
SA: Brennon Morioka: The former HART deputy director leads HECO’s efforts to expand use of electric vehicles
read … Just a Scam
Today’s Police News: Assault, Road Rage, and Cyberstalking
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