July 10, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Saturday, July 10, 2010

July 10, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 12:49 PM :: 8342 Views

“Why I left Jihad” Ex-terrorist to speak at Calvary Chapel of Honolulu

Abercrombie Campaign ties six Hannemann operatives to AtomicMonkey site

Thieves Celebrate Independence Day by stealing Aiona, Finnegan campaign signs

Seeking 10 more candidates, Hawaii GOP highlights record of unchallenged Legislators

Rep Jessica Wooley: Disrespectful for Republican to operate video camera

The red flag for Wooley came after she saw Kealoha arrive with Richard Fale, Wooley’s likely Republican opponent in November.

“I would probably handle it differently next time,” Wooley said. “It was a nice set up.” (It was only a set up if Wooley was stupid enough to react.)

Wooley said Olelo was recording the town hall event, so she was comfortable with anything she said being recorded. But she said she worried about people in the audience being recorded without their knowledge, especially if it was going to be used for political purposes by the GOP.

“They never asked permission. They never made it clear that they were filming private residents who are interested in participating in the political system,” she said. (No transparency at MY meeting, says the conscious, enlightened and progressive ONE.)

Wooley conceded, however, that she may have overreacted. “I thought it was disrespectful to the people I had invited to my community meeting to have them be filmed by the Republican Party for political purposes,” she said. (That doesn’t sound like she is conceding anything. That sounds like she is digging her heels in.)

SEE VIDEO: VIDEO: Rep Jessica Wooley tries to shut down videographer at Ahuimanu Elementary school forum

On civil unions, Neil's a yes, Duke's a no, Mufi's a show

Of the candidates for governor, James "Duke" Aiona said he'd veto a civil unions bill, and Neil Abercrombie said he'd sign it. Mufi Hannemann says he has a consistent position -- and he'll let us know what it is as soon as he gets an hour on ESPN like LeBron James.

HERITAGE: A Veto from Hawaii: Marriage Debate Needs More Than Last-Minute Legislative Maneuvers

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U.S. Rep. Charles Djou files for re-election

Djou filed his candidacy papers today at the state Office of Elections' headquarters in Pearl City.

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5 candidates dip their toes in mayoral waters

City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle, city Managing Director Kirk Caldwell, City Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz, University of Hawaii engineering professor Panos Prevedouros and City Councilman Rod Tam are vying to fill the two years that will remain in Mayor Mufi Hannemann's term once he resigns July 20 to run for governor.

All but Prevedouros supported completing the rail transit system.

Carlisle told audience members it was their time for traffic relief after paying taxes that went toward road projects for East Oahu and the Windward side.

"Those of us who live on other parts of the island owe a debt to people who are on this side of the island," Carlisle said. "It is your turn now."

CB: Mayor’s Race: Five Men, One Job

HFP: Prevedouros: Help the homeless, Ban the bums

It's go, no go, again for trash shipments

A news release Thursday from the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (which represents stevedoring workers) said company President Michael Chutz would be giving an update yesterday on the shipment, "which has tentatively been scheduled to take place this weekend." (ILWU vs Waimanalo Gulch vs PVT?)

Federal agricultural officials inspected the containers yesterday and recommended approval of the shipment, but the company said late yesterday afternoon that it still needed to receive a formal go-ahead and that an agricultural official who would make the decision to lift the suspension had left for the day. Now that decision will not be made until at least Monday.

The next opportunity to send a test shipment will be in about three weeks when the next barge is available, the company said. (Shipping contract designed to fail.)

PBN: BP disaster draws attention to Jones Act

The Jones Act surfaced after elected officials called on President Obama to waive the act to allow foreign-flagged vessels to assist in the cleanup of the oil spewing from the damaged undersea well in the Gulf.

There also have been numerous attempts in Congress to reform or repeal the law. The latest came last month when Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, introduced legislation that would do away with the act, which he said hinders free trade and “favors labor unions over consumers.”

State To Borrow To Pay Unemployment

The state's unemployment trust fund is expected to run out of money this fall. So, for the first time in more than 30 years, the state will have to borrow from the federal government to keep paying unemployment benefits.

Hawaii's unemployment fund has just $65.6 million remaining as of this week, state officials said. Officials said they expect that money to be depleted by Oct. 18. In comparison, there was $552 million in the fund at the beginning of 2007, which was an all-time high.

Hawaii joins 31 other states that borrowed money from the feds because their unemployment funds have gone broke.

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Hui puts farmers on ag land

Kunia Loa is being developed under a law that allows subdividing farmland without complying with county subdivision standards -- which typically require such things as sidewalks and street lights. The parcels are restricted to farm uses. Homes are expressly prohibited.

The law, passed as Act 271 in 2006, was aimed at helping to reuse former plantation land by making it easier for large landowners to lease property to small farmers.

Though the law is limited to leasehold property, C&C with guidance from local attorney Ray Iwamoto structured the subdivision to meet the leasehold provision while conveying ownership. The hui formed a nonprofit corporation that owns the land and serves as a cooperative. Farmers buy shares in the corporation that give them a proprietary right to a lot lease that's perpetually renewable.

C&C might be the first entity to use Act 271 to subdivide and sell ag land to farmers.

BoE pretends to seek new DoE superintendent

the board is asking the public to complete an online survey on what attributes and priorities the superintendent should have.

Kathryn Matayoshi has been serving as interim superintendent since January, after longtime Superintendent Pat Hamamoto resigned on New Year's Eve.

Matayoshi is expected to apply for the permanent position.

For information on applying for the job, or to fill out the public survey, go to www.hawaiiboe.net. In the blue bar, click on the tab "Superintendent Search."

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Hawai‘i Welcomes F-22 Raptors

A ceremony held at Hickam Air Force Base marked the beginning of a partnership between the Hawai‘i Air National Guard and the active duty Air Force flying the “fifth generation fighter” at Hickam.

A total of 20 F-22 Raptors will be stationed in Hawai‘i and flown by pilots from the 199th Fighter Squadron, 154th Wing, Hawai‘i Air National Guard and active duty Air Force pilots from the 19th Fighter Squadron, 15th Wing. The aircraft will also be maintained by a combination of Hawaii Air National Guardsmen and active duty Airmen.

KHON: Most powerful fighter jet

SA: Raptors find new home with Hawaii Air Guard

~~Medical~~ Religious Marijuana Dope dealers peddle 1/2 pound per day in Hilo: Roger Christie's THC Ministry was raided, and federal authorities took hundreds of plants ,13 arrested

SA: Pakalolo promoter indicted along with 13 colleagues

The indictment charges the defendants with possessing as few as two marijuana plants to as many as 1,108 plants. It also seeks the forfeiture of $21,494 that county and federal law enforcement officials seized in a raid of the ministry's downtown Hilo offices, and from Christie's Hilo apartment and Big Island property owned by Turpen, Ignacio and Policicchio.

Christie and St. Cyr manufactured, distributed and sold marijuana at the ministry assisted by ministry employees Fiore and Friend, according to the indictment. Christie also allegedly recruited Friend and Mann to start up a marijuana cultivation operation for the ministry.

The indictment also charges Turpen with manufacturing and possessing with the intent to distribute 1,108 marijuana plants; Sudbury, 856 plants; Gibson, 152 plants; Ignacio, 80 plants; Policicchio, 72 plants; Bouey, 26 plants; and Shapiro, two plants.

SA: U.S. attorneys say an operation disguised as a religion was a major drug-trafficking group

In intercepted telephone conversations, Christie indicated he went through more than half a pound of marijuana serving 60 to 70 customers per day at his ministry, Nakakuni said. He also identified some of the other defendants as his suppliers, she said.

KHON: New details in the major marijuana bust on the Big Island.

HTH: Marijuana advocate Christie, 12 others arrested; charges to be detailed today

Christie and St. Cyr are former board members of the Peaceful Sky Alliance, a marijuana advocacy group that drafted the initiative passed into law by Big Island voters last November making adult use of marijuana on private property the "lowest law-enforcement priority."

(Yep. This gang of alleged dope dealers has been directing the policy of Hawaii County, the PD and the County Council.)

Honolulu mayoral candidates weigh in on fireworks ban debate

Carlisle said making an example of a person arrested for firing up illegal fireworks is the key.

"Once you find who that is, if you succeed in getting them, then you make darn sure in front of a judge, whose gonna make their life miserable for at least a year, including incarceration," he said.

Panos Prevedouros says he'd ban fireworks on July 4th, 2011, as a one time experiment to see how the community reacts.

"Then at that point, I will work with the council, HFD, HPD to craft a permanent solution," he said.

Young Solomon Islander to represent State of Hawai’i

A YOUNG Solomon Islander residing in Hawai’i has been selected to represent the State of Hawai’i at the U.S. National Young Leaders Conference in Washington DC.

She is 15-year-old Germaine Saqanapure Kabutaulaka, a Grade 10 (Form 4) student at St Francis Catholic School in Honolulu.

Ms Kabutaulaka was invited by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council to participate in the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) to be held in the U.S. capital in the coming fall 2010.

In an invitation letter, the Dean of Academic Affairs for the NYLC, Dr Marguerite C. Regan, said that Ms Kabutaulaka was “nominated to serve as a National Scholar” in recognition of her as “an outstanding individual who has achieved academic excellence and possesses leadership potential.”