AG Opinion: Hawaii Gun Laws Not as Restrictive as they Seem
Evacuate? 'High Risk' Nuuanu Reservoir--What is Caldwell Administration Hiding?
Council Passes Bill 53--Calls for Demolition of Affordable Housing 'Monsters'
Debt is the No. 1 source of financial stress in Hawaii
Paris Accord: Ige Promises to Keep Raising Taxes and Electric Rates
End 'gut and replace'
VIDEO: 'Problematic' HSTA Rental Tax
Opposition rises to tax proposal
KGI: …The question asks: “Shall the Legislature be authorized to establish, as provided by law, a surcharge on investment real property to be used to support public education?”
Because of how the act is written, there’s no guarantee that monies collected would go directly to teachers and students, opponents say. They say the ballot question itself is written in a way that makes it sounds good, but doesn’t paint the entire picture of what the amendment would do if passed.
“The Constitutional Amendment says or reports that it will support public education, but that’s simply not the case. The way the bill is written, the way the amendment is written, it’s very vague,” said Mark Perriello, president of the Kauai Chamber of Commerce. “It doesn’t actually guarantee any more money to our school systems and it will really raise the cost of living for folks here on Kauai and throughout the state.”
Even if residents don’t own a home, the passing of this amendment will cause a ripple effect, said Kauai resident Marissa Sandblom.
If anyone on Kauai rents property, they might not be aware, but they’re probably going to feel the consequences when their landlords receive this increase in their property tax, they’re going to have this difficult choice of taking it on themselves or passing it onto their tenants,” she said.
Perriello, Sandblom, Realtor Chad Deal and business owner Dennis Esaki met with a reporter and editor of The Garden Island newspaper on Thursday to share their concerns about the amendment.
Consumers would also see an increase in costs, she said
“A lot of our shopping centers could be considered investment properties so a lot of shops will see their cost of doing business increase,” she said.
The Kauai Board of Realtors doesn’t support this amendment.
“You’re going to be paying for this. It’s either going to be an increase in rents or an increase in mortgage payments,” said Deal.
Esaki, who owns Esaki Surveying and Mapping, said the bill harms people it’s designed to help because teachers pay mortgages and rent….
VIDEO: 'Problematic' HSTA Rental Tax
read … Opposition rises to tax proposal
In Effort to Impose Gay Agenda via anti-Bullying Programs, ‘Gay Dad’ gets $10K Nuisance Money from DoE
CB: …In addition to the monetary payment, the July 27-dated settlement requires the DOE to complete and implement policy changes — the same changes that are in motion under an agreement reached with the federal government in late 2017 following a years-long U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights investigation into bullying in Hawaii schools that began in 2011.
The settlement requires the DOE to update Chapter 19, its student misconduct code, to cover bullying against protected classes; come up with an actual complaints and investigation process; hire equity specialists for each complex area; and develop a web-based “standardized training program” on DOE procedures.
Such training, according to the settlement, would not necessarily be mandatory for all employees. “DOE will aspire to make this training mandatory, subject to applicable labor-management consultations, negotiations and/or other applicable conditions,” it states.
The DOE recently presented proposed revisions to Chapter 19 to the Hawaii Board of Education, which must sign off on the changes. The board postponed a vote, saying it wants to see some clarifications and specifics added to the code.
Franklin, who this summer moved with his two sons to California, said he was pleased with the settlement….
read … Department Of Education Settles Bullying Lawsuit for $10,000
Star-Adv: Keep teens from Vaping Tobacco-But Encourage them to Vape Marijuana
SA: Federal law prohibits selling e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes to anyone under age 18. In Hawaii, the age limit for both sorts of cigarettes is 21. Hawaii’s Legislature has also put in place commendable tough takes on public use, requiring smoke-free beaches.
And this year, smoking and tobacco use, including vaping, was banned on all University of Hawaii’s campuses, though the new law does not prohibit possession. It serves as a sensible response to findings that while tobacco use has declined in Hawaii, vaping has been rising rapidly, especially among youth.
It should be noted that not all vaping involves nicotine. For example, in July, Hawaii’s marijuana dispensaries started selling cannabis oil cartridges so that patients can legally take the drug through vaping. And it’s possible, as e-cig advocates and others claim, that vaping is less harmful than cigarettes and can help smokers quit tobacco….
read … Editorial: Keep teens from avoiding tobacco tax by vaping
Damage to Hawaii county infrastructure caused by Lane totals about $20M
HTH: …Damage to county facilities from the flooding late last month caused by torrential downpours from Hurricane Lane totaled about $20 million, said Managing Director Wil Okabe on Thursday.
Okabe said the damage estimate is for county infrastructure and doesn’t include damage to state infrastructure, such as schools and highways….
read … Damage to county infrastructure caused by Lane totals about $20M
Enviros Renew Push for Garbage Tax
HTH: …A pay-as-you-throw bag-tag rubbish program could be revisited after it was rejected first in 2009 and again in 2015.
The Solid Waste Advisory Committee, a group convened every decade to update the county’s Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, is again recommending a program where people would have to purchase tags or stickers to throw away garbage at county transfer stations and landfills.
The committee on Wednesday began sifting through the first 93 recommendations from the 2009 plan, to update old recommendations, strike through obsolete ones and perhaps begin adding new ones.
As the county moves toward its stated goal of zero waste, giving people incentives to reuse and recycle rather than throwing out so much trash has to include a mix of policies, the committee said. Several committee members said that has to include making it easier and cheaper to recycle rather than simply toss it in the trash.
“I think this is so critical. … We’ve got to find a way,” said committee member Barbara Bell, who was director of the Environmental Management Department during Mayor Harry Kim’s first term in the early 2000s. “We’ve been talking about it since the mid ’90s. …This makes it another 10 years.”…
read … Pay-as-you-throw rubbish program eyed again
What New Census Data Says — And Doesn’t Say — About Hawaii
CB: Incomes are slightly up, rents are still sky-high and more families are in poverty in Hawaii compared to 2016.
That’s according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau this week….
The median family income in Hawaii was $91,460 last year, a 3 percent increase from 2016. It wasn’t a statistically significant increase but still made Hawaii rank sixth highest in the nation.
But higher incomes are offset by higher costs, particularly housing. The Aloha State has had the highest median home value nationwide since 2007. Home values in Hawaii continue to grow — the 2017 median home value was $617,400, a 4.3 percent increase over the previous year.
Mortgages have stayed about the same — $2,337 — but Hawaii residents still bear the third highest mortgage cost….
read … What New Census Data Says — And Doesn’t Say — About Hawaii
Soft on Crime: Triple Murder ’Schizo’ given Free Pass to Mental Hospital
HNN: …Mau was charged with a total of 21 counts, from first-degree murder to assault to robbery, in connection with the crime spree on July 6, 2006.
Prosecutors said Mau fatally shot his taxi driver and then a couple taking photos of the city lights at a Tantalus lookout. Mau later broke into a nearby home, bound its three occupants at gunpoint, and stole their car, according to court documents.
Defense attorneys for Mau, now 36, had long pointed to his history of mental illness and violence toward family members and others. In 2002, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Earlier this week, after a long string of hearings, the court determined that Mau would never be fit to stand trial….
Flashback: Killer Randall Saito having lots of sex at Mental Hospital
read … Will be Out Soon
Following Campaign Cash In Hawaii Just Got Easier
CB: A new digital tool lets users see a massive amount of data with just a few mouse clicks — no Excel experience necessary….
Finding out who is funding whose campaign has never been easier in Hawaii, thanks to the state Campaign Spending Commission’s new online dashboard for the 2018 election….
read … Following Campaign Cash In Hawaii Just Got Easier
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