Legislative races: Mainland “Gay Victory” money flowing to molester’s buddy Joe Bertram and HB444 sponsor Blake Oshiro

Duke Aiona: “Creating jobs now”

Anger over civil unions: Hawaii Dems predict loss of 3-6 seats in legislature

Democrats outnumber Republicans 45-6 in the House and 23-2 in the Senate, lopsided advantages that even many Democrats privately concede are out of balance with the electorate. Democrats have been expecting losses for the past three election cycles under Gov. Linda Lingle, a Republican, but they have instead made gains due largely to national trends and the inability of Republicans to field high-quality candidates.

Democrats predict they could lose three to five seats in the House and possibly one seat in the Senate this fall. Republicans have set the modest goal of doubling their numbers in both chambers. The GOP has found recruits for all but three races - after sitting out more than two dozen in 2008 - including many from the faith-based community who could harness concerns about civil unions among religious conservatives….

"The GOP's faith-based candidates might also benefit from a separate voter education and outreach movement being organized by religious conservatives unhappy with the state Legislature for passing a civil unions bill, vetoed by Lingle….

"I think the faith-based community is looking to get more involved, and there's really only one party for them to be involved in and that's the Republican Party," Nonaka said.

Playing defense: Legislative races: Mainland “Gay Victory” money flowing to molester’s buddy Joe Bertram and HB444 sponsor Blake Oshiro

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KHON profiles TEA Party candidate for State Senate

Joe Pandolfe worked in construction his entire life and started a company from scratch….

"Well the Tea Party was exciting, it was good to see people energized but I realized that that wasn't going to make a difference. The only way to make a difference is to get involved in government so that you can be there when the legislation comes down to vote yes or no," said Joe Pandolfe, a Senate District 25 candidate.

"I'm happy for this anti-incumbent feeling. I think that we need new people across the board," said Pandolfe. "Let's just flush it out, let's get new people onboard."

"And they don't know how businesses function; they don't know what it's like to meet a payroll; they don't know what it's like to have to cut back," said Pandolfe.

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SA endorses lawsuit to enact HB444

The lawsuit asks that the court correct the problem by giving same-sex couples "the same protections, rights, benefits, duties, responsibilities and obligations ... that the state affords different-sex couples through marriage." Essentially, that would amount to putting into effect the civil unions bill, giving same-sex couples the same rights and protections as married couples.

The governor was wrong in saying this minority-rights issue be put to voters. And should the lawsuit fail, the Legislature should make it a priority next year to ensure that the rights promised under our laws are equally accessible to all citizens.

REALITY: Lambda: Hawaii Civil Unions suit demands recognition of new family structures, not “equality”, Beyond Marriage The Confession: Hawaii Gay marriage advocates let the polyamorous cat out of the bag

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Students, Fridays return to schools: As educators begin the new year, they face curriculum shifts and higher standards

Furlough days: None for students, who lost 17 school days last year. Teachers have six or 10 furlough days, all on previously scheduled noninstructional days.

Standards tests go online: Schools will roll out online testing for reading and math proficiency, and for the first time students will be able to take the assessment up to three times, with the highest score counting.

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Foreclosures hurt condos: Many face higher fees as some owners fail to pay

"If all owners don't contribute their share, then their neighbors are left holding the bag," said attorney Bryson Chow, whose firm is handling about a dozen recently advertised nonjudicial auctions for the 400-unit Palm Court in Ewa Beach.

Some projects have raised fees by double-digit percentages or are planning to do so in the next budget cycle. When fees are increased, more homeowners tend to fall behind because of the higher payments, putting additional pressure on condo boards to raise fees again. That can trigger a snowball effect.

"Foreclosures are the No. 1 issue," said attorney Chris Goodwin, who represents 88 condo associations, half of which have raised fees—some as much as 30 percent—because of the delinquency problem. "At 90 percent of our projects, that will be the only issue discussed."

At one Maui beachfront project, which has a lot of mainland investor-owners, roughly 25 percent of the units are in foreclosure, according to Emery, the Hawaii First president. The foreclosure problem has been a factor in home prices there falling about 50 percent since 2008, he added.

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Fishpond protected by law may yet be sold: The DOT might use an older law to help in auctioning the land

DoT tangles with OHA, UH Manoa sovereignty activists who are intent on continuing ownership by the same State which destroyed the pond in the first place.

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