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Wednesday, August 28, 2019
August 28, 2019 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 6:05 PM :: 5767 Views

LGBT activist: Kam School girls should change in nurse’s station if they don’t like boy in locker room

Batteries: Hawaii Ratepayers Give the Most to Elon Musk

HECO Demands $77.5M Rate Hike to Pay for More Useless 'Variable' Green Energy

Amemiya: Stop the Investigations Before they Nail my Cousin

SA: … Amemiya is a senior vice president of Island Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Island Insurance, Atlas Insurance Agency, Tradewind Capital Group, IC International and Pacxa.

(He was forced off the Police Commission in a graft scandal, but lets just ignore that.)

His is the son of former state Attorney General Ron Amemiya and cousin of city Managing Director Roy Amemiya Jr….

“I’m running for mayor because too many of our people are losing hope that we can meet our greatest challenges: stop the scandals, cost overruns and corruption,” he said….  (We have removes the filler words to enhance clarity.) 

IQ Test: Did you immediately think of Caldwell saying ‘It’s time to move on’?  

Shaprio: “He bristles at suggestions he’d be an extension of the Caldwell administration, in which his cousin, Roy Amemiya Jr., is managing director….”

Flashback:

read … Old Boy

Bought n Paid for by SHOPO: Amemiya Forced to Resign from Police Commission in Graft Scandal

CB:  Amemiya is the campaign treasurer for U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, according to the Federal Election Commission…. In the past, he served as an executive administrator and secretary of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents and as a member of the Honolulu Police Commission. In 2008, he resigned as vice chairman of the police commission amid a conflict of interest investigation by Honolulu Ethics Commission. Amemiya had accepted a $25,000 donation from the police union for a Hawaii High School Athletic Association fundraiser. Amemiya told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser at the time that he (insert excuses here)….

read … ‘Stop The Scandals’, LOL!

City Leaders: Plans For Rail Work Along Dillingham ‘Not Acceptable’

CB: … Impacts to businesses and homes near the narrow, busy street could be severe. City leaders say HART still hasn’t sufficiently prepared for that….Kalihi needs better drainage and sidewalks, Manahan said, and he suggested including those upgrades with the construction in order to gain some community support…..

read … City Leaders: Plans For Rail Work Along Dillingham ‘Not Acceptable’

Legislative Leaders Need To Crack Down On Their HART Appointees

CB: … The four members appointed by lawmakers rarely show up, weakening promised legislative oversight on a project that is wildly over budget….

read … Legislative Leaders Need To Crack Down On Their HART Appointees

Anti-Telescope Protesters to Occupy Bachman Hall until …

SA: … University of Hawaii-­Manoa students opposed to the Thirty Meter Telescope have launched a sit-in at the Bachman Hall administration building, demanding that the university drop its support for the controversial $1.4 billion astronomy project.

The students, who took up residence in the building’s lobby on the first day of classes Monday, have vowed to remain there until the UH Board of Regents discontinues its support for the TMT.

“We’ll leave when the TMT does,” said one of the group’s signs set up inside Bachman Hall on Tuesday….

There is a long history of student sit-ins at Bachman Hall, and university officials have pledged to keep the bathrooms and the doors to the lobby open.

“As long as there are no issues, they will be accommodated,” said Dan Meisenzahl, university spokesman.

Earlier, UH put out this statement: “The University of Hawaii is committed to the open exchange of ideas and affirms the rights of all individuals to engage in free speech. UH is proud to be a vibrant hub of disparate opinions, including those that oppose specific actions of the university.”…

read … UH students protest TMT in campus sit-in

Concerns plague Ala Wai project

SA: … Congress has approved a $345 million Army Corps of Engineers project to fortify the canal and upstream areas. But the release of some $220 million in federal funds hinges on signing an agreement at state and city levels for the money balance, and that is giving rise to some concerning unanswered questions.

Last week, despite opposition from several neighborhood boards in areas slated for mitigation construction, the City Council voted by a narrow margin to approve a resolution allowing Mayor Kirk Caldwell to move forward on the project.

At the state level, legislators rejected a bill to allocate $125 million for the project, saying it was a city issue. Gov. David Ige, though, has moved forward with a “certification of participation” — backed by investors, similar to bonds — that requires no legislative approval.

Prodding the hurried push forward is an ostensible Aug. 31 deadline to seal the deal or risk losing the federal dollars. But given the concerns, our local governments should seek a deadline extension, time needed to sort out the best path forward….

Under the current plan, local government is tasked with paying for 35% of construction, while federal government covers the 65% balance. The city envisions its role as spared from pitching in for construction, but on the hook for maintaining the upgrades.

While a project design study, now 35% complete, remains open to minor tweaks, major adjustments are apparently off-the-table — short of approval in federal circles.

Community members are rightfully concerned of a plan that locks in engineering strategy prematurely….

City maintenance of storm drains and culverts has been known to be spotty….

read … Editorial: Concerns plague Ala Wai project

Child Molester Cop Gets Probation—Could Have Gotten 80 Years

SA: … Deputy Prosecutor Loren Haugen said in state court today that he offered fired Honolulu police officer Teddy Van Lerberghe a plea deal in the sexual assault case against him involving a victim who was 5-year-old when the sexual assaults started because that’s what the victim wanted ….

Somerville sentenced Van Lerberghe, 45, to five years of probation for four counts of second-degree sexual assault and three counts of third-degree sexual assault, and did not order him to serve any of the five years behind bars, according to the terms of the plea agreement. She also ordered Van Lerberghe to pay $735 in fees into a state special fund for crime victims, $700 into a fund used to investigate and prosecute internet crimes against children and a $150 probation services fee.

In addition, Van Lerberghe must submit to sex offender treatment and register as a convicted sex offender for the rest of his life.

An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment in 2017 charging Van Lerberghe with four counts of first-degree sexual assault and the three third-degree sexual assaults. The state agreed to reduce the first-degree sexual assaults to second-degree sexual assaults. Van Lerberghe pleaded no contest in May.

He declined to make a statement before hearing his sentence. His lawyer, Victor Bakke, said after the hearing that Van Lerberghe took the deal because he was facing mandatory 20-year prison terms for each of the four original first-degree sexual assault charges.

“They’re class A felonies with open 20-year prison sentences. There’s no probation. So if you go to trial and you lose, its over. You go to prison and you die in prison,” Bakke said…. 

SA: Sex-assault plea deal questionable

read … Former Honolulu police officer gets probation in sex assault of 5-year-old girl

Moped riders pay to get their recovered stolen items back

KITV: … thieves love her scooters as well. Her last one was stolen and recovered three times.

"The first time Honolulu police got a hold of me at work and I immediately went and picked it up," said Esposito.

Last April a law change made Honolulu Police treat mopeds like any other recovered vehicle.  Which meant if officers can't get the registered owner to come to the scene, the moped gets towed.

"The second time it was stolen, they left a message which I got on my way into work. I picked it up after work and by then I'm pretty sure it was over $300 dollars for the 12 hours to pick it up," added Esposito.

Then there was the third time her old scooter was stolen.

Police weren't able to get a hold of her, so the city's Office of Customer Service mailed her a letter notifying her the moped had been recovered, towed and stored at a tow yard.

"By the time I got the letter and contacted the tow company the bill was over $800 dollars - which is more than a new moped!" exclaimed Esposito.

Not all tow companies handle recovered vehicles, but they all are required to follow state approved rates.

"The state makes a pay scale on how many miles a vehicle is towed and they have a fee for storage, hookup and mileage," said Fran Freitas, with VIP Towing….

read … Moped riders pay to get their recovered stolen items back

Pedestrian deaths continue to rise at record pace in Hawaii

KHON: … August is pedestrian safety month in the state of Hawai’i, and it couldn’t come at a better time.

The state is on pace to break a 16-year record for pedestrian fatalities in a year, a mark that was set in 2018. Department of Transportation data was only available dating back to 2003.

According to the DOT, Hawai’i has had 28 pedestrian fatalities in 2019 after a record setting 44 a year ago. The state is also on track for pedestrian deaths to match occupant motor vehicle fatalities. The only other time that happened was 2018.

“Unfortunately, as we look across the nation pedestrian fatalities are on the rise and the number one reason is inattentive behavior.” Walk Wise Hawai’i coordinator Lance Rae said.

According to CNBC, national pedestrian fatalities have soared by 41% since 2008. That time correlates with the rise of smart phones….

read … Pedestrian deaths continue to rise at record pace in Hawaii

Gabbard misses the mark to qualify for next presidential debate in 2 final polls

SA: Gabbard surpassed the threshold of 130,000 individual donors and achieved 2% in two out of the four required polls. …If she stays in the race, she can count this toward qualifying for the October debate, which has the same requirements….

read … Gabbard misses the mark to qualify for next presidential debate in 2 final polls

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