Ige: Tourism Reopening Pushed back to Sept 1
The scuttling of Trump’s modest Jones Act reform
Hirono: Trump supporters are “white supremacists”
COVID Governors: Ige Best Performing Democrat in USA
UH legislative update as session adjourns during COVID-19 pandemic
Exemption for out-of-state students part of extended quarantine
HIDOE Distance-Learning Survey Insights and Findings
UH Regents: Use COVID Emergency to Re-write Labor Contracts
UH Survey: Hawaii Residents Assess COVID Restrictions
After Extending Quarantine, Ige Must Veto pay raises
SA Editorial: … The governor should be laser-focused on the state’s sinking revenues, and on how to adjust.
One logical adjustment seems even more advisable now that accelerating spikes in coronavirus cases have convinced Ige to delay until Sept. 1 the pre-travel COVID-19 testing program to waive the 14-day quarantine.
Although this step reflects concern for public health and worries about testing supplies, it will suppress economic recovery as well. The slower that goes, the lower the chance that the state can recover some of the projected $2.3 billion budgetary shortfall.
And that bolsters the argument for the governor to veto one of the costlier items passed by the 2020 Legislature: a raise for specific groups of public workers….
SA: Gov. David Ige’s decision to delay plans to reopen Hawaii tourism extends economic woes
SA: Governor David Ige to extend ban on housing evictions as growth in state slows
read … Veto pay raises, new school agency
Police: Video Show Sovereignty Activists Lied About Home Depot Takeover—Framed Pahoa Man
HTH: … Video evidence reportedly cleared a Pahoa man arrested July 7 after a 24-year-old Volcano woman reported finding a zip tie on her vehicle in the Hilo Home Depot parking lot, leading her and others to use vehicles to block the lot’s entrances and exits.
According to a statement Monday by Hawaii County Prosecutor Mitch Roth, misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault and second-degree unauthorized entry to a motor vehicle were dropped against 55-year-old Angelo A. Valentino.
review of video made available by the store showed that Valentino, after shopping, got into his car and attempted to leave the parking lot, but couldn’t do so because of vehicles blocking the exits, according to Roth’s statement.
The video, according to Roth, shows Valentino getting out of his car to see what was going on. Valentino was seen knocking on the driver’s side window of the woman’s car, opening the door to look inside the vehicle, then stepping away from the car.
The video shows the woman who reported the assault attacking Valentino from behind, Valentino defending himself — and then a man tackling Valentino, Roth said. (Assault)
Roth said the man who allegedly tackled Valentino wasn’t Michael “Mikey” Glendon, a 38-year-old candidate for Hawaii County mayor. In a Facebook video that garnered thousands of views, Glendon said the woman was his girlfriend, and she called him to tell him a zip tie had been attached to her vehicle. (Criminal conspiracy.)
Glendon admitted in the Facebook video that he, the woman and others — without first calling police — used their vehicles to block the parking lot and then went through the lot to search for an alleged would-be abductor. (Criminal conspiracy. Kidnapping. Assault.)
Glendon said he saw Valentino attack his girlfriend, and his friends acted to protect her and hold Valentino for police…. (Kidnapping.)
Roth said neither police nor Home Depot security saw a zip tie on the woman’s vehicle. (False police report.)
According to Roth, security said people in the parking lot were talking about an alleged active shooter during the incident…. (Terroristic threatening.)
Glendon has twice in the past decade been acquitted of criminal charges by reason of mental incapacity, including for a nonfatal stabbing in 2011. If he is charged with a criminal offense in connection with the alleged incident, Roth won’t be the prosecutor — because he, like Glendon, is running for mayor in a crowded primary election race.
read … Charges dropped in bizarre Home Depot incident
Drug Addicted Criminal Released for COVID back in Jail Again
HTH: … Richardson is accused of entering a Hawaiian Beaches home Nov. 30, assaulting a 56-year-old woman resident, stealing her cordless phone, then taking a swing at the woman’s husband and missing — before leaving with the phone.
According to the complaint, Richardson later tried to take a motor vehicle from a 70-year-old man by force, damaged the vehicle in an amount exceeding $500 and took the man’s car keys.
Richardson’s $76,000 bail was reduced Dec. 2 to $50,000 by Hilo District Judge Kimberly Taniyama, despite the objection of prosecutors, who also ordered Richardson to undergo a mental examination by three doctors and stay away from the victims.
His bail was reduced from $50,000 to $25,000 on May 12 by Hilo District Judge Jeffrey Hawk, again despite the objection of prosecutors. Richardson’s bail was posted May 21 by Aloha Bail Bonds.
That prompted a letter expressing alarm over Richardson’s release on May 22 from Prosecutor Mitch Roth to Daniel Foley, a retired appeals judge appointed by the state Supreme Court as a special master to oversee an orderly population reduction in the state’s correctional facilities to prevent a coronavirus outbreak inside the lockups.
In the letter, Roth described Richardson as dangerous. He wrote that a mental examiner found Richardson’s “dangerousness was not the result of a mental disorder, but rather a longstanding criminal disposition and substance abuse problems that the defendant has not shown he can control when unsupervised.”
Richardson was arrested and charged June 27 for unauthorized control of a stolen vehicle while out on bail, apparently prompting the $500,000 bail on the indictment warrant ….
read … Grand jury returns indictments in murder, home invasion cases
Third COVID-19 death tied to small private care homes raises concerns
KITV: … The Department of Health reports three COVID-19 deaths are linked to small private care homes, and since June 1st, 20 cases have been connected to six different home care operations.
Unlike large nursing home operations like Hale Nani and Pearl City Nursing Home, these small care homes are run out of a caregiver’s personal home and house anywhere from one to eight patients, depending on the license they get from the state.
AARP says there are about 1,200 such homes across Hawaii…
"If the state could just have one facility that could take positive COVID patients from the care home, you know, where they could stay for two weeks until treatment or whatsoever. That would be a good thing to do at this time," she said….
TGI: Kaua‘i resident dies of COVID in Arizona
SA: New infections include Kona hospital worker
read … Third COVID-19 death tied to small private care homes raises concerns
DOH: Clusters at Hawaiian Airlines, local gyms involve same patient
HNN: … At least 44 cases of coronavirus that have been confirmed in Hawaii over the last several weeks can potentially be traced back to a single individual, the state health director said Monday.
The cases were spread out over three separate clusters ― one amongst employees who participated in a Hawaiian Airlines training program last month, and two involving exercise facilities around Oahu.
“In this case, it was a gymnasium. (An) individual did attend two different gym classes in two different gyms, and now we have 20 cases associated with that,” said Dr. Bruce Anderson. “That individual also happened to be associated with the Hawaiian Airlines training program, so there is a relationship between the two.”
Anderson says the Hawaiian Airlines cluster now stands at 24 total cases ― 16 staff members and eight other close contacts, many of them family members, according to the Department of Health.
At least 60 people involved in the training program were asked to self-isolate….
read … DOH: Clusters at Hawaiian Airlines, local gyms involve same patient
State, teachers union come to agreement on what social distancing will mean at public schools
HNN: … Under a deal announced Monday, public schools will need to get special approval if they want to configure meeting spaces or classrooms with less than 6 feet of social distancing ― and those requests must be submitted as contract exceptions no later than July 21 ….
read … State, teachers union come to agreement on what social distancing will mean at public schools
Hawaii’s Charter Schools Are Listening To Parents When It Comes To Reopening
CB: … The state’s 37 charter schools are relying heavily on parent feedback for reopening in the fall but are also worried about funding if the state cuts back its budget….
read … Hawaii’s Charter Schools Are Listening To Parents When It Comes To Reopening
Revisit trust lands to allot for homesteads
SA: … It’s time to revisit state and county agencies that have in their inventories undeveloped lands that could be designated for homesteading…
Flashback: Prince Kuhio’s Fight to Americanize Hawaii
read … Revisit trust lands to allot for homesteads
HB285: Here's Why The Police Misconduct Bill Is So Important
CB: … Gov. David Ige will end decades of secrecy if he signs House Bill 285. It's a critical step to bring more transparency and public oversight to police practices….
read … Here's Why The Police Misconduct Bill Is So Important
Par Hawai`i Refinery using COVID to reopen HECO, Gas Co Contracts
IM: … The Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission is fast-tracking a proceeding on the future of the relationship between the Hawaiian Electric Companies and the Par Refinery due to time pressure imposed by Par, a company which asserted that it can break the contract with HECO without PUC permission due to the financial strain caused by covid-19.
The Consumer Advocate, Life of the Land, and the State Energy Office filed Information Requests to Hawaiian Electric yesterday.
Par is imposing similar conditions on the Gas Company.
Par Hawaii Refining, LLC (PHR) sent a letter to The Gas Company, LLC dba Hawai`i Gas (HG) on July 10, 2020, notifying them that the Petroleum Feedstock Agreement signed on August 31, 2016, would be terminated at the end of the year.
“Pursuant to Section 1 of the Agreement, PHR hereby provides written notice to HG of its intent to terminate the Agreement, with such termination effective on December 31, 2020. Please be advised that pursuant to Section 1 of that certain Services and Emergency Supply Agreement dated as of August 31, 2016 by and between the Parties (the `Services Agreement`), the Services Agreement shall terminate simultaneously with termination of the Agreement.
“It is not the ultimate intention of PHR to terminate our long-standing supplier relationship with HG, but rather this notice is issued to prevent an automatic, one-year extension of ±e Agreement. PHR commits to initiating discussions with HG at your earliest convenience, with the objective of arriving at a new agreement well in advance of December 31, 2020.”…
read … Par Hawai`i Refinery Threatens Hawai`i Gas Fuel Supply
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