Legislature to Reconvene on June 22
Veterans’ Health Administration Health Care System Leadership Change in Hawaii
COVID Count: Six New Cases out of 699 tests
COVID Count: Four new cases out of 1,122 tests
Coronavirus Restrictions: Hawaii vs Alaska
COVID-19 testing pre-departure may eliminate 90% of infectious passengers
Confronting Police Abuse Requires Shifting Power From Police Unions
6 in 10 mainland travelers say they’d be willing to be tested for COVID-19 to visit Hawaii
HNN: … Agrusa found that 63% of mainland travelers would agree to take a COVID-19 test before they landed in Hawaii and 61% would agree to taking it after they landed in the islands….
The study showed mixed responses for Hawaii’s quarantine, but less support once people found out a violation could mean one year in jail.
About 40% of travelers, meanwhile, said they don’t feel comfortable flying right now….
"We don't want the $199 round trip from Seattle person that's looking to buy peanut butter and jelly. We don't need that. That's not what we want," said Agrusa. “We are the premium diamond so let’s go back and have tourists have to pay a little more to get here.” ….
(These guys are still playing at social engineering while 1000s are unemployed.)
read … 6 in 10 mainland travelers say they’d be willing to be tested for COVID-19 to visit Hawaii
CVS to Provide 1,200 Hawaii Tourist COVID Testing Sites on Mainland?
CB: … Green said he has been in talks with the drug store giant CVS Pharmacy to set up a system where people flying to Hawaii could be tested at 1,200 sites nationwide. He said the system could be in place as early as July 15 ….
read … Experts: Test Passengers To Reopen Hawaii Tourism
Gambling Charges go to top of Big Island PD -- refiled against retired police captain
HTH: … A retired Hawaii Police Department captain accused of tipping off Hilo arcade owners prior to a 2017 police gambling raid made his initial court appearance Tuesday on refiled charges.
Douglas Halsted and Jamae Kawauchi, attorneys for 68-year-old Chadwick Fukui, went back and forth with Deputy Prosecutor Sheri Lawson about discovery in the case. In the end, Hilo District Judge Bruce Larson granted a defense request to delay arraignment and plea until 1:30 p.m. July 23.
Fukui is charged with obstructing government operations and two counts each of second-degree hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence, all misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail upon conviction.
Now retired Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura had previously dismissed the hindering prosecution and tampering charges, ruling records of calls made to and from Fukui’s cellphone were inadmissible as evidence because they were obtained by an administrative subpoena instead of a search warrant….
County Prosecutor Mitch Roth refiled charges on Feb. 21, and added the obstructing charge.
Fukui was charged in connection with an Aug. 10, 2017, raid on Triple 7 arcade in the Canario Building in downtown Hilo.
Fukui applied to be police chief in 2008, but then-Deputy Chief Harry Kubojiri was chosen for the department’s top job.
Fukui and a retired police detective, Brian Miller — who was still on the force at that time — are accused of tipping off Triple 7 owners Lance and Stacey Yamada.
According to a document filed by prosecutors, Miller called Fukui “after learning about the execution of the search warrant in the morning hours of Aug. 10, 2017.”
“Chad Fukui then made a series of phone calls to the Triple 7, Lance Yamada and so forth,” the document states. “Furthermore, the discovery includes video surveillance that corresponds to the time of the phone calls, video of the removal of the gambling devices, who did it and when the Hawaii County Police Department arrived at the Triple 7 to execute the search warrant.”…
AP: Guard Charged With Smuggling Meth Into Jail to Be Released
HTH: Big Island police chief talks George Floyd case, protests
read … Charges refiled against retired police captain
Lt. Gov. Josh Green warns of uptick in COVID-19 cases from mass protests
KITV: … He adds that if the state sees 30 new cases or more a day, it would lead to another shutdown of the economy,….
As expected, reopening Hawaii comes with consequences.
"Memorial day weekend and the end of the year parties that were associated with graduations though, we kind of had a rule against them, but it's human nature to get together and celebrate great moments," Lt. Gov. Green said.
The state reported 9 new cases on Saturday. And Lt Gov Josh Green expects more fallout from the recent mass protests….
“You're always going to get a little surge about seven to 10 days, maybe as late as 14 days after events like that," he said….
In Honolulu, some protesters reportedly flew from the mainland and neighbor islands, meaning they violated the mandatory 14 day quarantine.
Lt Gov Green says it reaffirms the need for a strong testing and contact tracking system for all travelers, especially when the interisland quarantine is lifted on June 16….
Meanwhile: Kim: No July 4 fireworks show
read … Lt. Gov. Josh Green warns of uptick in COVID-19 cases from mass protests
Unemployment office in limbo along with thousands of filers
KHON: … unpaid claims continue to pile up and the department director is on leave.
The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has not report updated pandemic-period claim numbers for more than a week, saying they’ve had to weed through unreliable data on an old system.
A deputy director is now in charge after DLIR Director Scott Murakami took a temporary leave of absence starting last week, having faced a barrage of threats including on his life. Murakami had a sheriff’s deputy escort for the past month. Overnight Monday, a vandal shattered a front door at the still-closed Honolulu labor office. Neighbor Island offices have had the National Guard on hand for weeks for extra security.
More than 125,000 people are still claiming weekly unemployment payments nearing three months into the COVID shutdown, and at last count more than 62,000 initial claims dating back to early spring were still unresolved….
read … Unemployment office in limbo along with thousands of filers
Just try reporting fraudulent unemployment payments
ILind: … A friend contacted me a couple of days ago about an apparent case of unemployment fraud.
Yesterday I got in the mail at my house three letters from the State Unemployment Office stating that a claim in my stepson’s name had been filed on 6/3 and okayed 6/4.
He doesn’t live here (he’s in Oregon somewhere) and the claim did not use his middle initial.
Who can I report this to?…
So I forwarded the information over to my friend.
“Thanks Ian,” she replied on Monday. “Phone number does not take messages (?) so sent email. It will be interesting to see if they follow up.”
And then today she added a follow-up.
Sadly, they do not answer the hot line and just told to call back and – of course, no reply to my email to the DOL with “Tax fraud” in the subject line.
I’ve called maybe 10 times and emailed twice ???
I think this is all probably much worse than we know or think and hopefully we have not paid out MANY claims to fraud…..
SA: Hawaii labor department sends letters to root out fraudulent PUA claims
May 23, 2020: Nigerian Princes Apply for Hawaii Unemployment
read … Just try reporting fraudulent unemployment payments
Hawaii DLIR pays out more than $594M in unemployment claims
PBN: … Hawaii has paid out more than $594 million in unemployment insurance claims as of May, according to recent data from the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
At the end of April, DLIR reported less than half that amount in unemployment payouts at $204 million, marking a significant increase in the number of payouts. Initial claims peaked in early April with more than 53,000 new claims filed the week of April 4, according to DLIR data.
Since then, the number of initial claims has gone down, with just 7,736 initial claims filed in the week of May 30…..
Other information is limited at this time due to DLIR's current efforts to obtain accurate data on the claims backlog, as well as how many have been processed, approved and paid out in recent weeks.
“The DLIR is in the process of extracting refined metrics out of the state’s mainframe system to report to the public," Kunstman said. "The department is reporting the initial claims and weekly claims as reported to the U.S. [Department of Labor] until better information is available.”…
SA: Glass door vandalized at Hawaii labor department office on Punchbowl Street
read … Hawaii DLIR pays out more than $594M in unemployment claims
Hawaii scrambles to prepare for all mail-in voting in primary election
HNN: … Hawaii elections officials are scrambling to prepare for the state’s first all-mail election: The primary election on Aug. 8.
In addition to alerting voters that ballots will be coming in the mail, the COVID-19 crisis means the ballots cannot be counted in the tight confines of the state Capitol.
Instead, the counting will be done at the Hawaii Convention Center.
There are also worries about possible infection of election staff handling hundreds of thousands of mailed-in ballots.
At a senate hearing Tuesday, elections officials said people uncomfortable mailing in their ballots will be able drop them off in bins set up at multiple locations.
There will also be in-person voting at a handful of Election Day voter assistance centers….
(This is going to be a disaster)
read … Hawaii scrambles to prepare for all mail-in voting in primary election
In the first mass testing on Oahu, Arcadia nursing home tests about 550 of its health care workers
SA: … An estimated 550 health care workers at the Arcadia Family of Cos. were tested this week for the coronavirus in Hawaii’s first mass testing program at nursing homes on Oahu.
The decision for broad testing comes as the Department of Health investigates three positive cases among workers at Oahu long-term care facilities: two at Kalakaua Gardens and one at Maunalani Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
(NOTE: This is the first time that Maunalani has been IDed as the 2nd nursing facility with a COVID case.)
“We’ve had three cases pop up in long-term care — that can go south really quickly. Many nursing facilities on Oahu share staff, which is a large concern with respect to the spread of COVID-19,” said Suzie Schulberg, president and CEO of Arcadia Family of Cos. — which operates Arcadia and 15 Craigside, which has 590 residents and another 170 home health and adult day care clients. “We have made the decision and commitment to the people we serve to do this and to protect them as best we can because we’ve seen the devastation that’s occurred on the mainland, and it’s heartbreaking.”
Premier Medical Group Hawaii, which has tested roughly 16,000 people at COVID-19 testing sites throughout the islands, conducted the nasal swabbing to detect active virus and has so far found no positive cases….
read … In the first mass testing on Oahu, Arcadia nursing home tests about 550 of its health care workers
First Hawaii resident charged with violating traveler quarantine
KHON: … Pian returned to Honolulu from San Diego on May 31 and was reported by a witness who allegedly saw Pian swimming in the ocean a few hours after her return, the Joint Information Center said.
Pian was also allegedly seen sunbathing with her husband and walking their dog.
Agents arrested Pian in the hallway of her condominium today.
(Good thing we let all those rapists and burglars out of jail so there will be room for this sunbather.)
Two other people were arrested Monday on suspicion of violating the state’s mandatory quarantine, the Joint Information Center said.
South Korean national Jin Wook Lee, 20, allegedly falsified his place of stay and was arrested at a Waikiki hotel Monday. Kady Swartz, 48, of Virginia, was also arrested as an accomplice. Lee arrived in Honolulu May 20 and was staying in the hotel with Swartz and her daughter.
(The regime has spies everywhere) Hotel personnel witnessed the alleged quarantine violations and called authorities. They reported Lee had violated quarantine from the day he arrived. Bail for Lee and Swartz was set a $2,000 each….
Today, the Kauai Police Department also reported two quarantine-related arrests.
Benjamin McGranahan, 25, from Canoga Park, Calif., was arrested at Lihue Airport Friday after refusing to abide by the 14-day quarantine upon arrival, Kauai police said. He posted $100 bail Monday and was escorted by KPD to a quarantine location on the island, where he will stay for the rest of his two-week quarantine. He will be checked on regularly by police and the Hawaii National Guard.
Sean Wade, 55, of Captain Cook on Hawaii island, was arrested Monday after allegedly violating the 14-day quarantine. He landed on Kauai earlier in the day and was arrested after trespassing on a property in Anini, police said. He returned to the Big Island today after being escorted by KPD to Lihue Airport.
read … First Hawaii resident charged with violating traveler quarantine
Many who received assistance to return home didn’t plan to honor Hawaii quarantine, nonprofit says
SA: … From April 6 to today, the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii has assisted 81 travelers, who don’t have a place to complete their quarantine, return home through the HTA funded COVID-19 Flight Assistance Program.
Jessica Lani Rich, VASH president and CEO, said most of the visitors that are referred to her knew about the quarantine but didn’t plan to honor it….
Hawaii still has a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for passengers; however, that didn’t stop another 529 visitors from coming into the state on Monday.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority reported today that 1,732 passengers arrived in Hawaii on Monday. The passengers, who came on 20 flights, also included 493 residents and 100 people who planned to relocate to Hawaii. Additionally, there were 180 airline crew members and 119 transit passengers who did not plan to leave the airport. There were 192 military members. Also arriving were 119 people who were exempt from the quarantine.
Visitors made up approximately 30% of the total arrivals on Monday. Most of the visitors, some 471, went to Oahu. There were 52 visitors that went to Maui, five to Lihue and two to Kona....
read … Many who received assistance to return home didn’t plan to honor Hawaii quarantine, nonprofit says
Drastic drop in immunizations during COVID-19 pandemic
KITV: … "Individuals should be reaching out to their providers to see what their healthcare needs are, make sure they are caught up on health maintenance - things like vaccinations," said Dr. Steven Hankins, a family medicine physician who also works with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. He said there appears to have been a significant drop in immunizations around the state.
Orders of doses from the federal Vaccines for Children Program, which is used by Hawaii providers, fell nearly 50% in April and were down by a third in May - compared to order for 2019. Those vaccines cover a wide range of diseases from hepatitis, to polio and measles
"We don't want to see increases in illnesses and death from other preventable illnesses that we can get folks vaccinated against. It will further strain our health system if we have to start responding to measles or mumps," stated Hankins.
"The things the vaccines protect my kids from are more dangerous than COVID 19, so I feel I want them to be protected from those things," said Kahalu'u resident Libby Tom….
read … Drastic drop in immunizations during COVID-19 pandemic
Hawai`i Supreme Court Issues Second Climate Change Ruling
CN: … The Public Utilities Commission in Hawaii failed to uphold its duty to consider all of the effects of greenhouse gas emissions of Hawaii Gas’ liquid natural gas projects when it approved a rate increase for the energy company, the state’s Supreme Court ruled. …
IM: …Hawai`i Supreme Court Issues Second Climate Change Ruling
Spouse of Abigail Kawananakoa among four seeking to become conservator
SA: … Three months ago, a judge determined that Kawananakoa, who has a $215 million estate, is mentally unfit to handle her own financial affairs and in need of a conservator to oversee her finances outside her trust….
During this morning’s hearing, attorneys for the Kawananakoas argued that the 93-year-old still wants a measure of control over her money and therefore the conservator should have limited oversight.
Attorneys for the trustee and the Abigail KK Kawananakoa Foundation said the conservator should be independent.
Among the four people nominated to be conservator is Veronica Gail Worth Kawananakoa, the wife (spouse) of Abigail Kawananakoa….
Background: Kawananakoa Estate: Sex, Drugs, and Inequality
read … Wife of Abigail Kawananakoa among four seeking to become conservator
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