Council Coup: Kym Pine Tries Again to Explain
Poverty Trap Hawaii: 75% Low Income Renters Spend More Than 50% on Rent
DoH: Tobacco Prevention Saves Hawaii $1B
SB648 Amended to Increase Sister Islands TAT Share
How the ‘Trump Tax’ affects Hawaii
Telescope: Is April Deadline Slipping?
PBN: …Attorney David Kopper, representing Native Hawaiian practitioner Kalani Flores, argued the TMT sublease interferes with Flores’ right to exercise his cultural practices and is entitled to a contested case hearing.
Attorney Clyde Wadsworth, representing the state of Hawaii, argued the circuit court erred in concluding that Flores was entitled to a contested case hearing on the board’s consent of a sublease between UH and TMT.
Wadsworth further argued the sublease consent will not affect Flores’ right to exercise his cultural practices and there is no risk that the sublease would deprive him of that right.
It’s not clear how long the justices will take to decide the case.
“TMT is grateful that the legal process is moving forward, and we remain hopeful of court decisions that will allow us to resume construction on Maunakea,” TMT spokesperson Scott Ishikawa said in a statement. “We remain respectful of and will follow the legal and regulatory process, just as we have for the last 10-plus years.” …
Meanwhile, the April deadline set by TMT officials to begin construction of the $1.4 billion project nears.
Officials have named La Palma on Spain’s Canary Islands as their alternative site should the Big Island project fall through, but remain adamant that Mauna Kea is their preferred choice.
“Maunakea is still our preferred site for the Thirty Meter Telescope, and we continue to assess the ongoing situation both in Hawaii and the Canary Islands while working toward a decision,” Ishikawa said…
read … Hawaii Supreme Court hears arguments for Thirty Meter Telescope sublease
Judge: Hawaiian heiress abuse investigation must continue
SA: …A state probate judge refused today to replace the existing trustee of Abigail Kawananakoa’s trust.
Lawyers for Kawananakoa’s wife Veronica Gail Worth and Kawananakoa’s longtime friend Betty Lou Stroup had asked Circuit Judge Robert Mark Browning to approve the appointment of Worth, Stroup and Kawananakoa’s accountant Arthur Warren Duryea as successor trustees.
Browning appointed Kawananakoa’s former lawyer James Wright as trustee of the Campbell Estate heiress’s more than $200 million estate last September after Wright expressed concerns over Kawananakoa’s ability to handle her financial affairs. The 91-year-old Kawananakoa suffered a stroke last June….
In court documents, Wright alleged that the heiress’ wife, Veronica Gail Worth, physically abused her. However, Kawananakoa’s current attorneys said in court papers the abuse claims are false and that Kawananakoa fell and “struck furniture, which caused the bruising, which is not uncommon at someone her age.”
Kawananakoa contends she’s fine.
The judge in September appointed a special master — a lawyer not involved in the case — to independently investigate her mental capacity and the abuse allegations. Lawyers for Kawananakoa and Worth requested that the abuse allegations not be part of the special master’s probe because they are untrue. Browning denied the request, saying that the allegations are relevant to the case and require further investigation.
A doctor has examined Kawananakoa but has yet to submit a report….
read … Judge: Hawaiian heiress abuse investigation must continue
Retired Navy captain takes helm of embattled HI-EMA
SA: …The beleaguered Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has hired a new administrator, as state officials try to restore public confidence in the agency responsible for the Jan. 13 false missile alert.
Retired U.S. Navy Captain Thomas Travis was selected from 10 applicants, who were winnowed down to four by HI-EMA’s human resources department, HI-EMA spokesman Lt. Col. Charles Anthony said today. State Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Joe Logan selected Travis, who received Gov. David Ige’s approval earlier this week, Anthony said. Today is Travis’ first day on the job….
read … Retired Navy captain takes helm of embattled HI-EMA
Original Rail Budget Included Bogus Numbers For Station Designs
CB: …HART officials say their predecessors made “placeholder” estimates without studying their legitimacy…..
Millions of dollars set aside years ago for station design work were actually just “placeholders” with no real study of whether they were sufficient. But they were included in Honolulu rail’s official budget anyway.
Project officials acknowledged that Thursday while presenting the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board with a $5.7 million change order for continued design work on the nine west side stations, from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium.
The board approved the order to more than double the “design during construction” funding for those stations. It awards another $3.5 million to the design firm AECOM for six of the stations, and $2.15 million to Anil Verma Associates for the remaining three stations….
read … Original Rail Budget Included Bogus Numbers For Station Designs
HB1801: Green Energy Scammers Rant Against LNG Conceals Push for Higher Electric Rates
CB: House Bill 1801 HD1 so that Hawaii Gas and other gas utilities are included in the renewable energy standard mandate. We can make sure that LNG is not considered as a bridge fuel for energy or transportation — ground, sea and air….
Reality: Clean Energy Fail: While Most States Clean Up, Hawaii CO2 Emissions Rise Since '08
read … Guard Your Wallet
Bill Would Set 6-Year Term For Office Of Information Practices Chief
CB: A bill to give the Office of Information Practices director more job security has sailed through the Legislature so far.
OIP Director Cheryl Kakazu Park is charged with enforcing open meeting and records laws.
Senate Bill 2735, which was written by the OIP, comes as Park faces pressure from lawmakers and media outlets to shorten complaint response times. A report by the Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest found the average response time to complaints had quadrupled in recent years….
“This bill is not about me, it’s about OIP as an institution,” Park said. (Know them by what they deny!)
Flashback 2011: Park Appointed to head OIP (Fascinating Factoid: 2018-2011 = 7)
read … Bill Would Set 6-Year Term For Office Of Information Practices Chief
HPD helped cover up officer's abuse, suit filed by ex-wife says
HNN: …A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is accusing her ex-husband, a Honolulu police officer, of years of abuse.
And she says the Honolulu Police Department helped cover it up.
Donna Garcia and officer Ronald Lombardi divorced in 2011 and she has since moved to the mainland with their two children.
However, her attorney says he continues to harass and threaten her and HPD is failing to keep her and her kids safe.
"This guy is basically making threats, harassing her, disrupting her life years after they separated and the police department seems to think that's OK," said attorney Eric Seitz.
This lawsuit filed on Thursday alleges a decade of emotional and physical abuse by Lombardi.
According to the department, Lombardi is still on full duty in Wahiawa.
The lawsuit says TROs filed by Garcia in 2008 were mishandled and ignored by Lombardi's fellow officers and supervisors.
According to the lawsuit, "Lombardi was allowed to abuse his position as a police officer to proclaim his innocence and to enlist the aid of his fellow officers in a campaign of harassment and intimidation.”
Many of those officers are named in the federal lawsuit…..
PDF: Lawsuit Text
read … HPD helped cover up officer's abuse, suit filed by ex-wife says
City wants more protected bike lanes — with parking as the price
HNN: …Work will start later this year on Pensacola Street. The plan is to have a two-way bike lane on the Diamond Head side of the road from Wilder to Waimanu.
Then, in early 2019, the project will expand to Ward Avenue. One-way bike lanes will be added in both directions from King Street to Ala Moana Boulevard….
The price for the protected lanes? Seventy on-street parking stalls….
But critics believe the new bike lanes won't get enough use while drastically reducing already limited street parking.
The city estimates Pensacola Street will loose 30 stalls. Another 40 spaces would also be removed from Ward Avenue.
"How many bikes are going down the street right now? Hardly any. And the people who live here. They don't have parking spaces in their apartments. Where are they going to park," said Matt Gushiken.
Gushiken is an avid cyclist but isn't happy with the way the city has set up the protected lanes so far.
"It's very dangerous," said Gushiken. "A lot of cars are turning into the driveways or coming out and you can't see them because it happens so quickly."
The public is invited to weigh in on the new bike lanes at a workshop on March 22, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Blaisdell Center's Pikake Room….
SA: Bike lanes show signs of success
read … City wants more protected bike lanes — with parking as the price
Lawsuit: Maui County Allows Sand Mining to Re-Start
MW: …Mālama Kakanilua and members Clare H. Apana and Kaniloa Kamaunu filed suit against the Director of the Department of Public Works for extending the grading permit for Maui Lani Partners’ sand mining operations with Maui’s Environmental Court on Wednesday afternoon.
The members are represented by Maui attorney Lance D. Collins.
According to Mālama Kakanilua officials, days after Maui’s Environmental Court issued an injunction severely restricting Maui Lani Partners’ ability to continue its sand mining operation, the County renewed Maui Lani Partners’ grading permit for one year for unspecified “good cause” and without review or concurrence from the State Historic Preservation Division.
In its letter responding to Mālama Kakanilua’s concerns, the group reports that the County said it had requested comment from SHPD but had not received a response….
MN: Grading permit extension triggers lawsuit
read … Lawsuit
Legislative News
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