Bumpy Kanahele's lawyer tops an Associated Press list of worldwide COVID conspiracy quacks and cranks
Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted February 13, 2021
Honest budgeting practices? Loans are not revenues
Grievance: HGEA Supervises 'Learning Hubs' While HSTA Hides in Empty Classrooms
Rail News: Schatz to Chair Senate Transportation Subcommittee
Did Miske-owned Longliners Run Drugs to Hawaii?
ILind: … In December 2010, Kamaaina Holdings LLC bought the ship from Pelagic Fisheries Inc., a company registered in the State of Washington, and one of its principals, Clint Funderburg, a prominent Oregon fisherman. The purchase price was not reported.
Kamaaina Holdings LLC filed its Articles of Organization and registered with the state’s Business Registration Division on December 7, 2010, six days after the date of the bill of sale documenting the transfer of ownership of the vessel to Kamaaina Holdings, according to records from the National Vessel Documentation Center. The company initially listed a single controlling member–Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control, which was in turn wholly controlled by Miske.
In January 2011, just a month after registering Kamaaina Holdings with the State of Hawaii, Miske submitting paperwork adding Clint Funderburg as the second member of the company. Funderburg was listed as a member the company until August 2014, state records show.
There have been rumors that the ocean-going Rachel, which regularly fished the Pacific from the west coast of the U.S. and Mexico to Guam and the Northern Marianas, with stops in Hawaii, could have been used by Miske’s criminal group to move illegal drugs to and from Hawaii. However, none of the drug-related charges in the 22-count indictment of Miske and ten co-defendants has yet included any reference to use of the ship.
In August 2014, Miske was one of three members who registered a new company, Laura Ann Fisheries LLC, to take possession of and operate another tuna longliner, the F/V Laura Ann. The company was initially registered using the same Queen Street address as Kamaaina Termite, Kamaaina Holdings, and other Miske-controlled companies. The company initially was organized by Jon Dahl, Mike Miske, and Jill Perry.
The following year, Miske was dropped from the list of LLC members, and the company’s business address was moved to Perry’s residence in Kuliouou.
Dahl and Perry had gone into business together a decade before. State business records show the two were among the members of Transpac Freight LLC, which registered to do business in March 2003. The business was short-lived, and it was administratively terminated in December 2006. Perry is the wife of Bruce Perry, a former stevedore who faced high profile trial on assault charges in the 1990s stemming from the beating of a co-worker while working on the Matson docks.
Dahl and Miske also knew each other. Dahl is the owner of Hawaii Film Trucks & Equipment LLC, which provides transportation and equipment rentals for films being made in Hawaii, while Miske was reportedly a Teamster driver during movie productions. In 2009, Miske and Dahl teamed up to register another new company, Kamaaina Rolloffs LLC, also using the address of the Kamaaina Termite office. There is no indication the company every actually did any business, and it was terminated in 2012, state business records show.
In May 2011, Miske’s Kamaaina Termite made a $550,000 mortgage loan to Dahl for purchase of a home in Hawaii Kai, according to mortgage documents filed with the Bureau of Conveyances. The loan was apparently repaid in a matter of months, and a release from the debt was filed in October 2011.…
RELATED: Miske Mob Were All Union Drivers on Set of Hawaii 5-0
read … Court orders sale of Miske-owned tuna longliner
Survey shows Hawaii’s long-term care facilities vaccination plan outpaces rest of the nation
PBN: … A recent survey by the Healthcare Association of Hawaii showed the state’s skilled-nursing and long-term care facilities are vaccinating an average of 78% of their staff for Covid-19, or 40% more than the national average at 38%.
So far, three local facilities have completely vaccinated all staff, while 13 facilities saw vaccination rates of 90% or more; the average vaccination rate for facility residents in Hawaii was 90% compared to the national average for nursing homes of 78%, according to HAH findings….
read … Survey shows Hawaii’s long-term care facilities vaccination plan outpaces rest of the nation
Homicide cases pile up as pandemic drags on
HTH: … Since the coronavirus pandemic struck Hawaii last March, no high-profile homicide cases have gone to trial on the Big Island.
Hawaii Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald issued an order stating jury trials could resume in Big Island circuit courtrooms in mid-November 2020.
With higher-profile cases — particularly homicides — the road to a jury trial can take years, especially in Hilo. And while that was true prior to COVID-19, the pandemic has highlighted the backlog of homicide cases.
Jury selections in high-profile cases require enough space to socially distance prospective jurors — with jury pools averaging 50 to 80 individuals, or more.
In addition, trials are public, and Kim said accommodations have been made should a high-profile case go to trial before the pandemic is declared over.
“They set up a Zoom link in the (law) library, which will be turned on in case there’s overflow of people who want to watch, and for the media, if there’s no space. It’ll be live in that room,” he said.
One change of plea in a Hilo murder case has occurred, although sentencing in that case will be postponed.….
read … Homicide cases pile up as pandemic drags on
Unions: Eliminate GE Tax on Groceries
CB: … Thousands of unemployed workers in Hawaii have drained their checking and savings accounts, lost their health insurance and are on the verge of eviction. SB 614 (and its companion bill HB 26) provides an opportunity to turn the tide of this communally endured economic hardship.
SB 614 retroactively “exempts from state income tax, unemployment compensation received from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. Requires the department of taxation to retroactively refund state income tax deducted and withheld from individuals for unemployment compensation during that time period.”….
SB 608 (and its companion bill HB 27) would exempt over-the-counter drugs and groceries that typically qualify for SNAP and WIC from the General Excise Tax and could provide a boost to working families that are struggling to put food on the table….
If the state exempts the regressive GET on groceries, working families could save more than $500 a year and spend the additional money elsewhere in the economy. This is a win for working families and a win for many businesses throughout Hawaii. Currently 32 states plus the District of Columbia exempt their groceries from sales tax….
SB608: Hearing Feb 16
read … Hawaii Workers Need Immediate Economic Relief
Are House Lawmakers Out To Get Josh Green?
CB: … When the Hawaii Legislature passed a bill last year prohibiting governors and mayors from holding any other employment other than the one they are elected to, some folks at the Capitol and elsewhere called it the Kirk Caldwell bill.
After all, as mayor of Honolulu at the time Caldwell was pulling in a six-figure salary from Territorial Savings Bank – a result of his earnings as a bank director and through exercising stock options.
Caldwell, who received approval for the side gig from the Honolulu Ethics Commission, said it involved only a few hours a month of his time and dismissed any suggestion of a conflict of interest. But the arrangement drew criticism from media pundits and political opponents.
Gov. David Ige let the bill become law without his signature.
Now, new legislation is moving through the state House that would ban Hawaii lieutenant governors from holding second jobs. Some folks are already calling House Bill 1075 the Josh Green bill, because the sitting LG is a medical doctor who works a 48-hour shift twice a month in the emergency room of tiny Kohala Hospital in Kapaau….
The ban on mayors and governors does not go into effect until Nov. 1, 2022, so Caldwell (who completed his second and final full term at Honolulu Hale in January) was not impacted. HB 1075, the ban on additional employment for LGs, would also go into effect at that same time, meaning Green can continue wearing his scrubs for the time being….
What does Green think about HB 1075?
“I am honored to be a physician and to care for my community as I have for decades,” he told me Thursday. “Being a physician makes me a better lieutenant governor. Assuming this bill is not meant to begin until the end of 2022, then I suppose it’s not aimed at me.”
KHON: Lt. Gov. Green vows to remain doctor despite house bill banning second jobs
read … Are House Lawmakers Out To Get Josh Green?
Sugary drink taxes can create systemic inequities by giving back to activists pretending to represent communities.
SA: … Best Comment: “What we really need is a tax on elitist busybodies from the mainland who come to Hawaii and try to micromanage our lives for us. In Daniela's case that tax should be 100% of everything she earns for life. That would reduce the "systemic inequity" that occurs when I am just living my life, minding my own business, but then another clown from California thinks of a new way to steal from me.”….
read … Tax Hike Sales Pitch Debunked by Commenters
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