CB: Kahuku Leads Way in New Wind Technology
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Gov. Lingle on veto of civil unions bill: "I was very comfortable with my decision"
"Well I was very comfortable with my decision, although it was a difficult one because of the extreme emotions that were involved," said Lingle. "I've been very supported in my decision. I think almost everyone I talked to feels it's a good idea to let the people decide these major issues that affect society so deeply."
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SA: Overhaul troubled Sheriff Division
Hawaii's Legislature tried more than two decades ago to broaden and consolidate the state's public safety functions but the effort has been a failure. A new audit of the Public Safety Department's Sheriff Division finds "confusion" and "pressing problems" under "ineffective leadership." The bedlam calls for a drastic overhaul in operations and mindset of the inefficient Sheriff Division.
For many years, the state sheriff's office was an arm of the Judiciary, serving bench warrants and providing security at state buildings, but it became scandalous for fixing traffic tickets and engaging in improper political activities. The Legislature transferred it in 1989 to the Public Safety Department and gave the division of nearly 300 deputy sheriffs the authority to engage in as wide an area of law enforcement as the department's director wants.
SHERIFF REALITY: Hanabusa, Souza tied to Pali Golf course shooters’ mob, Fireworks, dirt, and stolen trucks: Colleen Hanabusa and the Honolulu Raceway deal
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HNN: Exclusive: Police sergeants under investigation for alleged overtime scam stripped of badges, guns
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The investigation into allegations of false reporting by two Honolulu police sergeants who oversaw DUI enforcement has widened to include half a dozen officers who worked under the pair. Hawaii News Now has learned that all eight have been stripped of their badges, guns and police powers pending the outcome of the investigation….
The sergeants are accused of filing police reports that said they were present at DUI roadblocks when they were not in a fraudulent attempt to rack up overtime….
Sources say the Restriction of Police Authority -- or ROPA -- was ordered Monday, after Hawaii News Now broke the story about the allegations late last week.
An HPD spokesperson would only say, "Yes, more officers are being investigated. Yes, they have been ROPA'd."
Prosecutors say they've already thrown out of court at least a dozen drunken driving cases involving the sergeants.
The city prosecutor's office says it's still in the process of reviewing the cases. Possible criminal charges include tampering with a government record and theft.
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Maui Prosecutor’s office hit with lawsuit
In September 2007, according to the lawsuit, Tate asked Kosegarten to do him a favor by promoting a deputy prosecutor she supervised and he was believed to be romantically involved with. After Kosegarten declined, she learned that Tate was referring to her in derogatory terms, making her "the subject of office ridicule and mockery as a result of Defendant Tate's name calling," the complaint says.
The following month, after Tate became romantically involved with another deputy prosecutor supervised by Kosegarten, he demanded she recommend the deputy prosecutor for a promotion, the lawsuit alleges. Kosegarten declined.
In October 2007, after Kosegarten reported to management that Tate had demanded the two deputy prosecuting attorneys be promoted, Tate filed a complaint against Kosegarten claiming she was jealous and had discriminated against the two women, leading to an investigation against Kosegarten, according to the lawsuit. It also alleges that Tate spread rumors that Kosegarten had referred to the two deputy attorneys as "idiots" and "morons" - a claim Kosegarten denied. She was threatened with discipline or employment termination for name-calling, the lawsuit alleges.
(Just another day in the nei.)
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Hawaii's tax revenue slips in recent fiscal year
According to the Department of Taxation, individual income tax collections rose 14.5 percent in the fiscal year that ended June 30, compared with the same period a year earlier. Similarly, corporate income levy receipts increased 10.2 percent.
Moreover, the state's hotel tax collections rose 6.4 percent in fiscal year 2010.
At the same time, however, general excise tax receipts fell 4.4 percent, an indicator that consumer spending is still lagging.
Collectively, the state's general fund revenue dropped 0.5 percent for the fiscal year, the tax department reported.
The agency cautioned, though, that some tax refunds that normally would have been paid by June 30 were held back until the start of the new fiscal year, a moneysaving move instituted by Gov. Linda Lingle.
With that taken into account, state revenue for fiscal year 2010 actually jumped almost 4 percent, the agency noted.
HNN: Hawaii's FY10 tax revenues are down slightly
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Census: Hawaii leads nation in ‘minority’-owned businesses
HONOLULU — HONOLULU (AP) - A U.S. Census Bureau report released Tuesday shows Hawaii leads the nation in minority-owned businesses.
Hawaii is one of the most ethnically diverse states. In 2007, more than half the businesses on the islands - 56.9 percent - were minority-owned, according to the report, called "Preliminary Estimates of Business Ownership by Gender, Ethnicity, Race and Veteran Status: 2007."
Hawaii was followed by the District of Columbia at 40.2 percent, and California at 35.6 percent.
Hawaii is one of four states and the District of Columbia with minority populations that exceed 50 percent.
CB: UPDATE: Hawaii Has the Highest Percentage of Minority-Owned Businesses
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Charter School Faces Eviction
Windward Community College has offered to let the charter school use a new building nearby, but charter school officials said it's not big enough and will need a construction upgrade.
“We've been very much supported by our community and especially Windward Community College which has offered a site that is near here, but we need time to make that site a real possibility for the functioning of our school,” said charter school administrator Keliko Hoe.
Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo points out charter school officials were notified in 2005 that they would have to move. Okubo said the school has been using the property rent free for those five years, but the charter school wants more time.
“We would like to have the ability to stay in this facility while we're doing the planning permitting process," said charter school representative Charlene Hoe.
The eviction notice demands the school vacate the property by July 31. Classes are due to begin July 27.
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Rep Brower Proposes Homeless 'Safe Zone' at Kakaako
Brower would like the first safe zone to be in the former industrial area of Kakaako close to downtown Honolulu.
Homeless safe zones would be tent cities offering the homeless bathroom facilities, lockers and security.
Brower said,"We cant allow homeless to be everywhere. That's what we have now. I am suggesting these safe zones so we could better manage homelessness and give them the proper treatment they need."
Joe Damrell, a homeless man from Indianapolis, has been living at a park bench at Kapiolani Park for three years. Damrell likes the idea of a safe zone.
Damrell said,"I am for that 100 percent. I would like to see designated areas where the people could be treated humanely because I feel we are being ostracized out here." (Another out-of-state homeless person playing propaganda tag-team with legislators. Who is getting these bums for the Legislators?)
CB: Lawmakers, the Homeless and the Media
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Gift disclosures document unreported lobbyist expenditures
There’s AlohaCare, near the top of the list alphabetically, with several gifts in 2009 and 2010. Flip to the company’s expenditure reports, and they report “0″–zero–for gifts.
Aloha Petroleum. A small gift, a coffee mug and candy. Probably given to other legislators as well. Their report for the period–no expenditures for gifts.
Jump to Rep. Roy Takumi’s gift log. Gifts from many of the same lobbyists, and others.
There’s the Hawaii Insurers Council with a gift back in December 2009, but, again, no gifts are listed on the council’s expenditure report.
Senator Hanabusa and Speaker Say both report receiving bottles of wine from Matson, which is registered as a lobbying organization. But Matson doesn’t report spending anything for gifts.
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Shapiro: Politics by cheap attack
In a continuing attempt to discourage organized anonymous attack politics, I’ve been checking on a new group that’s popped up on Facebook called “Hawaii Residents Against Mufi.”
It’s run by an anonymous creator who goes by the alias “Anyone But Mufi” and says it’s “dedicated to preventing Mufi Hannemann from becoming Governor in 2010.”
It has 17 members, including state Republican chairman Jonah Kaauwai.
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Hemmings' wife gets probation after guilty plea on theft charge
State Sen. Fred Hemmings' wife pleaded guilty in state Circuit Court yesterday to three counts of misdemeanor theft, in exchange for one year of probation and no jail time.
Lydia Hemmings, 53, was facing three counts of second-degree theft, which are class C felonies punishable by up to five years in prison for each count.
But in a plea deal with the state attorney general, Hemmings pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree theft. Hemmings also agreed to pay a $4,500 fine ($1,500 for each charge), restitution and community service.
According to the indictment against her, Hemmings stole money from Blueprint for Change, a nonprofit organization, between May 2005 and August 2006. At the time she was the organization's executive director. She now works for the state.
The state says Hemmings received double reimbursements for payments of $718 and $500 to hotels where Blueprint conducted workshops and for the purchase of three computers at more than $4,000.
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Planned Parenthood will host open house
Attendees must present identification upon entry.
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