Malia Zimmerman Beats Rap After Pushing Conspiracy Theory
Grassroot Institute releases report on fixing pension debt crisis
Beadie Dawson Endorses Sam King for OHA
VIDEO: OHA Candidate Forums Featuring Sam King for OHA
Home Care Agencies must apply for State License
WESPAC to Trump: Veto HR4528
Analysis of Candidate Position Statements on the Nov. 6 ConCon Referendum
Faking Socialism: Health Care Lobbyists Secretly Secure Hawaii Democrats’ Opposition To ‘Medicare For All’
CB: …A lobbyist group approached a raft of candidates for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District seat — then prepared internal dossiers on their positions…..
“Democrats running in a primary election will say they support ‘Medicare for All,’ but what do they say to lobbyists behind the scenes?” said Kaniela Ing (whose wife was a Corporate Lobbyist) ….
SA: 3 candidates dispute site’s take on their health care opinions
read … Health Care Lobbyists Secretly Secure Democrats’ Opposition To ‘Medicare For All’
Star-Adv: Big Isle will need long-term support (not one word about land for the displaced)
SA: The state has already chipped in $12 million for the county’s emergency response, as police, firefighters and others assist evacuated- area residents and tend to eruption-related safety concerns. More help will be needed. Legislators should weigh options for long-term relief — perhaps a tweaking of the transient accommodation tax would help.….
(This means legislators are discussing the agenda for a Special Session to be held after the Aug 11 Primary.)
Meanwhile: HRS 171-93: Law Allows Swap of Lava-Covered Lots for State Property in Zone 3
read … Big Isle will need long-term support
Hawaii County: Redevelopment Agency to Spearhead Housing recovery efforts
HTH: Hawaii County officials have begun drafting a resolution that would create a redevelopment agency to oversee Puna’s recovery.
Roy Takemoto, an executive assistant to Mayor Harry Kim, said the proposal would be presented for County Council consideration after state lawmakers and council members have weighed in.
“As soon as everyone gets on board with this overall concept — that’s the next big thing — we can quickly set it up,” he said. “And they (the redevelopment agency) will be the ones … to definitively define the path and to dive deep in implementation.”
Kim has talked about crafting such an agency to assist with the economic and housing recovery of Puna, where more than 700 homes have been destroyed by the ongoing Kilauea eruption, almost since the disaster started three months ago.
The idea is similar to the Kaikoo redevelopment agency formed to help Hilo recover from the 1960 tsunami.
The agency would have its own board and would be tasked with crafting and implementing recovery plans. Takemoto said it would have the power of condemnation and be exempt from certain county codes.
“After we get the buy in, we will follow up with extensive community engagement for the actual details of the plan,” he said. “This is just to enable the resources,” Takemoto added, regarding the current process. “It’s not to set the plan.”
He said solutions that could be considered include use of state land for housing, which state Sen. Russell Ruderman has advocated.
Funding for the redevelopment agency would be part of an aid package county officials plan to request from the state and federal governments….
Background: HRS 171-93: Law Allows Swap of Lava-Covered Lots for State Property in Zone 3
read … Housing recovery efforts advance
Soft on Crime: Family questions why mentally ill man accused of beating up their 5-year-old child is out on bail
KHON: A Kalihi man is arrested and charged for assaulting a five-year-old boy, and released the following day after posting bail of $100.
It's not sitting well with the boy's family, who says more serious charges should have been filed.
The suspect, 26-year-old Dustin Fabro, was charged with third degree assault which is a misdemeanor. His family says he also suffers from a mental disability, which could be why he wasn't charged with a felony….
by the time Barron turned around, she says Nico was already down on the ground. And her husband Brian had to rescue their son away from Fabro.
"A witness said that he was just repeatedly kicking my son in the head and when Brian found him, Nico was just laying in the fetal position trying to cover his head," Barron said.
Nico was rushed to the hospital, and now has eight staples on the back of his head. He also has cuts and bruises on his face. When the family asked Fabro why he did it, Barron says Fabro told them that Nico was looking at him funny….
(Really Obvious Question: Why is this person not incarcerated in a lunatic asylum?)
(Answer) Fabro was sent to a hospital in California for treatment, where he was accused of assaulting someone else. She adds that Dustin was found unfit to stand trial for that incident, so he was sent to the Hawaii State Hospital and was released after nine months. …
Related: Mental Health: Can Reform Solve Hawaii’s Homeless, Prison and Unfunded Liability Problems?
read … Soft on Crime
Privacy Rules Conceal the Mentally Ill in our Midst
KITV: …Barron wants to know why he was allowed outside in the neighborhood, especially with a school nearby.
"I mean I heard that he kind of off from his brain injury that he suffered, but his violent tendencies, I didn't know," Barron said.
State Representative John Mizuno says federal law prevents the public from knowing if someone in their neighborhood is mentally unstable.
"It would not allow to know, even if that person has a violent history," Mizuno said.
Mizuno says a new law may help.
"By the bill that we passed. Now, the court system, once they have hearing on him on her, and are going to release them back into society, the family and any others he may have tried to assault or attack, will be notified. It's not a perfect fix, but it's stronger than a band-aid," Mizuno said.
Barron says it's too little, too late.
"He was a friend. Honestly, I don't even hold him personally responsible. I think that given his history, he needs help and I think the system has failed him, this could've been prevented," Barron said. …
Privacy? HIPAA Privacy Rule and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)
read … Five-year-old allegedly beaten by his neighbor in Kalihi
Soft on Crime: Prosecutors decide not to charge man accused of assaulting elderly woman
HNN: Prosecutors have decided not to charge a 37-year-old man accused of hitting an elderly woman in the face on Oahu's North Shore.
The 74-year-old Waialua woman said the alleged assault had to do with her pet cat.
Donna Jo Pelekai-Canon said a lost cat appeared at doorstep about a year ago and she took it in as her own, and on Tuesday, a stranger came to her home in Waialua claiming that the cat was hers.
Pelekai-Canon said when she asked for proof, the woman left and came back with a man who then got into an argument with her 60-year-old boyfriend.
"I didn’t want fighting. I don't like fighting,” Pelekai-Canon said. “And he just hauled off, backed up his arm and then punched me dead in my face.”
Pelekai-Canon said the blow broke her nose and left her black and blue….
read … Prosecutors decide not to charge man accused of assaulting elderly woman
How Hawaii’s high electricity prices help Energy Profiteers Make ‘Green’
HNN: Hawaii pays the most for electricity by far, according to a report revealing Hawaii's prices are more than twice the national average. But those high prices seem to be pushing residents toward a sustainable future with rooftop solar, or photovoltaic, systems.
“Hawaii has the highest electricity in the nation. There is a financial incentive to install solar,” said Alan Yonan, communications officer for Hawaii State Energy Office….
(IQ Test: Does this make you happy? Are you Elon Musk?)
According to Peter Rosegg, senior spokesman for HEI, lots of people want to go green, but money is the real reason many are driven to get off the grid.
“The pocketbook is always the main (incentive),” Rosegg said.
"When HECO raises its prices, there's always an influx of calls," said Tanys Cabra, a senior authorized sale representative for Hawaii Energy Connection, and the makers of Kumokits.
Data from HSEO reveals a correlation between fuel oils and electricity price over time. …
read … How Hawaii’s high electricity prices may be helping the environment
Its About to Become More Difficult to Operate a Farm
SA: The federal government will help the state prepare small Hawaii farms to comply with upcoming produce safety regulations intended to reduce foodborne illnesses.
Hawaii’s Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that it will receive $1.9 million over the next three years from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help educate and assist small Hawaii farmers with meeting new federal rules that go into effect in 2019 and 2020.
The money also will be used by the state agency to establish farm inspection protocols related to produce safety regulations designed to establish science-based standards to safely grow, harvest and distribute fruits and vegetables for human consumption.
read … Federal money to help safety of Hawaii farm produce
A Tough First Year Comes To An End For This Innovative Oahu Charter School
CB: …Jackson was one of 14 teachers at Kamalani who had signed up for a journey they hoped would be as exhilarating as it would be challenging: Opening a new charter school.
But within a few months, Jackson was gone — along with a half-dozen other Kamalani teachers and several support staff by the end of the school year….
Nobody thought it would be easy, but the unexpected challenges in Kamalani’s first year reflect broader issues that many charter schools in Hawaii are grappling with. Kamalani’s governing board points out there is no hand-holding from the state agency that approved the school.
“We had no roadmap really for opening a school,” said Steve Davidson, vice chair of Kamalani’s governing board….
read … A Tough First Year Comes To An End For This Innovative Oahu Charter School
Smuggled money belongs to founder of megachurch
SA: …The hundreds of thousands of dollars a Hawaii representative of a Philippine-based megachurch is accused of trying to smuggle to the Philippines aboard a private jet belongs to the church founder and longtime friend of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, according to an indictment a federal grand jury returned Thursday.
The indictment charges Felina S. Salinas with bulk cash smuggling for failing to report that she was carrying $335,000 in U.S. currency and $9,000 in Australian dollars in February. The indictment also charges Salinas with helping Apollo Quiboloy avoid arrest and prosecution.
Quiboloy founded the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name in Davao City, Philippines, in 1985. The church claims to have millions of followers worldwide, its own global television channel, 17 radio stations and two newspapers. Quiboloy’s friendship with Duterte dates back to when the Philippine president was mayor of Davao City….
According to state records, Salinas was the Hawaii agent of KJC when she registered the church in December 2013 as a foreign nonprofit corporation. KJC’s business address is an office in Waipahu. Salinas listed her address as a million-dollar home the church owns in a gated community in Makakilo.
read … Smuggled money belongs to founder of megachurch
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