July 17, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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July 17, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 12:00 PM :: 10831 Views

Prevedouros: Ten Billion Dollars and Counting Spells MISMANAGEMENT

Featured on Glen Beck: Wallbuilders’ David Barton to speak in Kahului

VIDEO: Djou calls for peace in Thailand

Gov. Lingle appoints Charlie Jencks to LUC

VIDEO: Djou on CNBC Worldwide Exchange

Djou co-sponsors “Hawaiian Home Ownership Opportunity Act”

Hannemann would veto civil unions (finally takes a position)

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said yesterday that he too would have vetoed the civil unions bill rejected by Gov. Linda Lingle, describing it as "tantamount to marriage."

Hannemann said that if he were to be elected governor in November, he would work with state lawmakers on expanding the state's reciprocal beneficiaries law so gay couples could have additional benefits. But he said he would use his veto power if lawmakers sent him an identical civil unions bill.

"If that bill continues to be tantamount to marriage -- between a man and a man or a woman and a woman -- I could not sign it," he said at a meeting with Star-Advertiser editors and reporters. "I would not sign it."

Pressed on exactly what he would have done had the bill reached his desk as governor, he said, "I guess I probably would have vetoed it."

Until yesterday Hannemann had declined to say how he would have handled the civil unions bill. He has consistently opposed same-sex marriage but has also said he is open to greater rights for gay couples. After Lingle vetoed the bill this month, calling it same-sex marriage by another name, he agreed with the governor that the issue should be placed on the ballot as a constitutional amendment for voters.

May 13, 2010: Gay Civil Unions: Mufi still refuses to oppose HB444

Abercrombie accuses Hannemann of holding "an orgy of self-promotion."

"This is just Mayor Mufi being Mayor Mufi and hopefully Mayor Mufi can be Governor Mufi," said Hannemann.

Former U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D), Hannemann's main opponent in the primary election, Friday said he can't wait to challenge Hannemann on his executive experience.

"I think it is pitiful," Abercrombie said Friday about Hanneman's multiple news conferences. " I think it is sad that he is using the city, milking it for every last political advantage he thinks he can derive before he walks out and dumps all the problems he has caused on the next mayor the next council and on the tax payers for years to come."

Abercrombie chided Hannemann for stepping down to run for governor before finishing the remaining two years in his mayoral term.

He said Hannemann has spent millions of dollars of city money to fight federal agencies to avoid having to upgrade the Honolulu sewer system, and now that the issue is settle just before he leaves office, Oahu residents are left with huge increases in their sewer bills.

Abercrombie called Hannemann's series of news conferences, "an orgy of self-promotion."

(The words “Duke Aiona” appear nowhere in this article.)

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Lingle to appoint replacements as Bunda, Hooser resign

State Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser and state Sen. Robert Bunda resigned today so they can campaign in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor.

Both Democrats still have time left on their Senate terms, so Gov. Linda Lingle will appoint interim replacements to fill the vacancies until new senators are elected in November. State Sen. Norman Sakamoto, another senator running for lieutenant governor, does not have to resign because his term expires this year.

Under state law, the political parties — in these cases, the Democrats — come up with lists of three recommendations for each vacancy for the governor. The party has 30 calendar days to provide the names; Lingle has 60 days from the time of the vacancy to make the appointment.

KGI: Hooser resigns, has to wait to Monday to file lt. gov. papers (Lets just freeze this moment in time.)

HNN: Senator resigns and plans to run for lieutenant governor

REALITY: Sen. Gary Hooser campaign website linked to Holocaust deniers

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Hawaii Politburo Political Report to make big Media Splash (What progressives expect Abercrombie to do?)

Ilind: …the editors of “The Value of Hawaii” are doing a tremendous job of using the book to create public discussion of the issues it raises.

Q--“I wonder if this book will be similar in tone and approach as Mast’s “Autobiography of Protest in Hawaii” published in 1996. Meda was in that one as well.”

ILind: “Quick answer: No. This book focuses on policy suggestions.”

There’s already a fledgling blog, which includes a listing of public events, and a discussion group set up on Facebook.

Chaminade University will be hosting a monthly series focusing on selected issues from the book, featuring the author(s), a respondent, and moderated by Chaminade faculty. The first program is tentatively set for Thursday, September 16, on the topic of “the economy”.

Civil Beat is also weighing in with its own plan to publish substantial excerpts from fourteen of the book’s essays. CB then will be hosting online discussions of the topics with the authors and CB subscribers. These are set to launch on July 26. In addition, CB is also planning open discussions with some of the authors on Thursday evenings, beginning on August 5. I’ll watch for more news about these sessions.

MORE: UH Manoa Teach in which launched Save our Schools immortalized in book

Rail tax collections reach record high

Transit tax collections rebounded to their strongest month ever in June to top $18.6 million.

The city needs to average only $14.5 million in monthly transit tax collections to meet its target of $174 million for the current fiscal year, which ends March 2011.

Despite the strong showing in June, rail tax collections in the first three months of the fiscal year trailed year-ago figures as well as current-year projections. From April through June, the half-percentage-point general excise tax surcharge raised $36.6 million, or an average of $12.2 million a month, based on figures provided by the state Department of Taxation. During the same period a year ago, the tax raised $41.1 million, or an average of $13.7 million a month.

The city's target for rail tax collections was revised lower last year because revenue was coming in below projections made in 2008.

(And we are supposed to celebrate the fact that they dug deeper into our pockets than last month?)

Trash might sail in 2 weeks — cross your fingers

The company said federal Department of Agriculture inspectors in Hawaii had approved the shipment but because of the time difference with the national USDA office in Washington, D.C., were unable to obtain the final approval in time to get the containers loaded onto the barge.

A USDA official said federal inspectors suspended the shipment after discovering some plastic-wrapped bales of waste had punctures and tears, and that Hawaiian Waste needed to re-wrap the bales.

The next available barge is scheduled to arrive in Hawaii in two weeks, and Chutz said he expects the final USDA approval to happen at any time before then.

The test shipment will include five to 10 containers, each containing up to 28 tons of baled garbage, Chutz said.

Chutz said any bales discovered to have holes in the wrap will be repaired prior to shipping. Sealing the bales is intended to kill insects or larvae contained in the garbage.

He said the company also was able to meet a deadline set by Mayor Mufi Hannemann to have all operational documents turned in to the city by yesterday. Hannemann said that without those documents -- ensuring that the company had the approvals to ship to a mainland port -- he was prepared to begin exploring the city's options toward canceling the contract.

Also: Nanakuli Park: Hannemann pounds Hanabusa in proxy fight between Waimanalo Gulch and PVT Landfill

UH Computer Hack Likely Affected 53,000 Members

Gregg Takayama, the University Spokesman, said that the hack resulted in a virus insertion into a PC server at UH Manoa that stored parking office data. Consequently, it facilitated the hacker to gain admission into data for approximately 53,000 people, as reported by Khon2 on July 6, 2010.

Takayama added that the investigation into the hacking incident revealed that a Chinese website was involved, but that didn't essentially imply that the attacker operated from China.

According to the University, the people affected were mainly staff members and faculty of the 1998 batch; anybody who had business with the parking personnel during January 1, 1998-June 30, 2010 and buyers of parking permits such as employees of the UH Foundation, University of Hawaii's Research Corporation, and the East-West Center; and anybody visiting the campus with a vehicle and requesting a citation for parking, as reported by Staradvertiser on July 6, 2010.

Big Isle farmer now tallies papaya loss at 13,000 trees

Since then, Julian said he has re-surveyed the damage while waiting to be interviewed by Big Island police. The case has been turned over to the county police's criminal investigation agency, a spokeswoman said. A conviction could mean a maximum prison term of 10 years.

The vandalism was the second known case in two months at a papaya farm. In May, 397 of 500 papaya trees were chopped down at a Mililani farm operated by Jerry Punzal. A Honolulu police spokeswoman said that investigation is still open.

Julian and other supporters are offering a $3,000 reward leading to the arrests of the culprits.

(Anti-GMO activists?)

Maui Chamber endorses anti-Superferry Protesters’ Single-member districts Scam

It is said that voter participation and turnout are important indications of a democracy's health, and we all know that the voter turnout in Hawaii and Maui is painfully low. Therefore, we believe this issue should be up to the voters and have asked council members to put the issue on the ballot.

While the matter is not dead, council members deferred the matter to when a Charter Commission would be established by March 2011, and cited the need for more related education and discussion with Hana, Lanai and Molokai residents. At this week's meeting of the Committee of the Whole, there was no discussion about what could take place in the meantime to further educate the public and discuss the issue. However, the deferral next will go before the full council. Stay tuned.

Anti-Superferry protesters complain about Jencks appointment

Jencks will hold an at-large seat on the nine-member LUC. The commission makes decisions about land use and development.

Although the 670-acre, 1,400-unit Honua'ula development in South Maui has already received from the LUC the urban district designation it needs to proceed, at least two steadfast project opponents disapproved of the selection.

"I guess I would say it seems like an unwise choice considering the large project that he's trying to develop," said Maui Tomorrow Executive Director Irene Bowie. "I'm surprised."

"I think our governor is about to shut the door and leave the light on (before she leaves office at the end of 2010)," Bowie said.

Honua'ula opponent and Hawaii Sierra Club leader Lucienne De Naie said she wasn't surprised by the appointment, considering Lingle's pro-development politics.

"It kinda looks like she asked the fox to guard the henhouse," De Naie said.

(Bowie & De Naie are the intended beneficiaries of the Maui Single member District plan)

Brewbaker: Real estate at low; hard times gone

WAIKAPU - If Maui real estate prices haven't already hit rock bottom, they're not going to get much lower, economist Paul Brewbaker said Friday.

He told the Realtors Association of Maui that his take-home message was that people shouldn't wait too long to buy if they're hoping to find bargains.

GTMO Greenwell pushes to halt export of aquarium fish

But he wants to import alQaeda.

Meth Dealer arrested by Feds after hunting accident in Hilo

On June 19, just before 7 a.m., police and fire personnel responded to a report of an accidental shooting on farm land owned by ML Macadamia Orchards, located behind the Mauna Loa Mac Nut factory in Kea’au.

Officers learned that the victim, 32-year-old Jarret Kaneshiro of Mountain View, had been illegally hunting pigs on private land with four other hunters when he was accidentally shot by one of the other hunters. He was taken to Hilo Medical Center and subsequently flown to Oahu in critical condition.

Kaneshiro was on federal probation at the time and a federal warrant had recently been issued for his arrest. Following his medical treatment at The Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Kaneshiro was arrested on the federal warrant and transferred to the Federal Detention Center on Oahu. Additional federal cases were initiated against him for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He remains incarcerated on Oahu with his probation revoked.

Following the shooting and while it was being investigated, officers from the Hawaii Police Department executed a search warrant on the vehicle Kaneshiro had been operating and recovered 11.8 grams of marijuana buds and rounds of ammunition.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Oct/12/ln/FP610120433.html

http://www.hawaiipolice.com/archives/Archive2002/jul02/hilo_ice_bust_07-23-02.htm