Individual Income Taxes -- Hawaii Ranks 47th
COVID Count: 118 new cases out of 5,223 tests
Ala Wai flood control project Gets Even More Expensive with Addition of Four Story Ala Wai Pump Station
SA: … The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has made dramatic changes to its Ala Wai Flood Risk Management Project, which increase costs and add a four-story pump station to the historic Ala Wai Canal, where controversial walls and berms already are planned.
The USACE is holding four virtual scoping meetings over the next four Saturdays to get input on the changes…
Honolulu City Councilwoman Ann Kobaysahi isn’t sold on adding a four-story pump station to the Ala Wai Canal or surrounding portions of the canal with large walls. She hopes USACE will instead consider incorporating an August 2020 proposal from the city’s technical consultant Oceanit into its plan. Oceanit’s recommendation, Subsurface Watershed Inundation Flow Technology, uses two 12-foot tunnels — one for Manoa and one for Palolo — “to remove water from the upper watersheds, bypass the lower watershed and the Ala Wai Canal, and discharge directly into the ocean.”…
(Better Idea: Cancel the entire project. We don’t need this. There isn’t a flooding problem in Waikiki.)
AP: Changes To Honolulu Flood Project Raise Cost, Add Station
SA Editorial: Another Ala Wai plan
Reality: Ala Wai? Corps of Engineers has Long History of Corruption and Cost Overruns
read … Ala Wai flood control project tweaks add costs, pump station
Charter school commission criticized for ‘erroneous’ rejections of new applicants
HNN: … At a time when demand for charter schools are on the rise, the agency that regulates charter schools has come under harsh criticism for denying applications from new schools.
The state Board of Education has ordered the Hawaii State Public Charter School Commission to conduct new reviews of applications submitted by the Maui Academy for Arts and Sciences and the Lima No’eau Career Academy on Oahu.
The BOE said commission staffers should not have rejected the schools’ applications because their preliminary forms were incomplete.
“The commission’s staff based their decision on an arbitrary and capricious interpretation,” wrote BOE Chairperson Catherine Payne….
read … Charter school commission criticized for ‘erroneous’ rejections of new applicants
SHOPO suing to stop release of names of disciplined officers
HNN: … The lawsuit says Kauai’s chief intends to follow a new law, and release names and disciplinary records of suspended and discharged officers.
Union leaders are fighting to prevent that, saying the law is unconstitutional, adding the release of personnel records violates officers' rights to collective bargaining and due process….
CB: SHOPO Tries Again To Keep Officer Misconduct Secret
PDF: SHOPO Lawsuit vs Kauai
read … SHOPO suing to stop release of names of disciplined officers
Hawaii Deputy Sheriffs Finally On Track For National Accreditation
CB: …Hawaii’s Department of Public Safety makes progress in accrediting state deputy sheriffs nearly decade after state law required it….
read … Hawaii Deputy Sheriffs Finally On Track For National Accreditation
Vet learns the hard way that the VA isn’t a 'trusted partner’ in pre-travel testing program
HNN: … There are more than 1,200 Veterans Affairs clinics and hospitals nationwide, but a negative COVID-19 test result from any of those won’t help a visitor or returning resident avoid Hawaii’s quarantine.
That’s what Eric Jacobson learned the hard way.
Jacobson is a Vietnam veteran from California who is visiting his daughter and grandchildren on Oahu.
He said he went to the VA clinic in San Jose ― 72 hours ahead of his flight to Hawaii ― as directed by the pre-travel program. “I asked them if their test was covered, they said of course it is, all military personnel coming to Hawaii have the exact same test,” Jacobson told Hawaii News Now.
But when he arrived in Honolulu and showed airport officials his negative result, he was told he still had to quarantine for 14 days because the VA is not a trusted partner in the pre-travel testing program….
read … Vet learns the hard way that the VA isn’t a 'trusted partner’ in pre-travel testing program
Dozens rally outside Honolulu Hale, call to resume outdoor teams sports on Oahu
SA: … Dozens protested and sign waved in front of Honolulu Hale this afternoon in support of resuming outdoor organized sports on Oahu.
About 80 or so people gathered along the sidewalks near or at the intersection of Punchbowl Street and King Street as a growing number of people are now calling for permission to play outdoor sports again.
Non-college games, along with practices involving more than a handful of people, have been prohibited for almost as long as the COVID-19 outbreak has affected the island, and supporters of the cause argue the long hiatus is affecting the mental and physical health of people of all ages who participate in organized sports….
Thousands of others have already signed an online petition to get Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Gov. David Ige to understand how important outdoor sports is to the well-being of children….
Under Caldwell’s current tiered reopening strategy for Oahu, organized team sports outside that require permits won’t be allowed to resume until the city reaches Tier 4 — the most relaxed and most difficult-to-reach tier….
read … Dozens rally outside Honolulu Hale, call to resume outdoor teams sports on Oahu
Over Half Of Hawaii’s Workers’ Comp COVID-19 Claims Are Initially Denied
CB: … Coronavirus-related claims are being denied at higher rates than other claims because it’s hard to prove whether an employee caught the virus at work….
read … Over Half Of Hawaii’s Workers’ Comp COVID-19 Claims Are Initially Denied
DOH releases new data showing current capacity at intensive care units
KITV: … New data released by the Department of Health on Wednesday shows intensive care units across the state are almost at 60% capacity. But only 16 of the 143 beds occupied are being used for patients who tested positive for COVID-19….the use of ventilators is down to about 14% capacity and only one is being used on a patient infected with the coronavirus….
read … DOH releases new data showing current capacity at intensive care units
340 high rise buildings have to be inspected by May 2021, HFD reports the process hasn't started in nearly half of them
KHON: … If inspections aren't competed by the deadline, management of those buildings could face citations for not meeting the the fire-code….
There's a bill currently going through the Honolulu City Council that would extend the inspection deadline by one year to May 2022. It already passed a second reading.
KITV: High-rise fire on Hawaii Kai Dr. reignites fire sprinkler debate
read … 340 high rise buildings have to be inspected by May 2021, HFD reports the process hasn't started in nearly half of them
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