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Saturday, February 27, 2021
February 27, 2021 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:52 PM :: 2674 Views

Rep Har DUI Arrest: Smelled of Alcohol, Yelled 'Black Lives Matter'

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In internal video, police chief says 263 officers abused overtime policy

HNN: … Honolulu’s police chief said in an internal video message to rank and file on Friday that overtime abuse within the department involved hundreds of officers.

“Between Sept. 29, 2020 to Nov. 20, 2020 of last year, 263 officers worked in excess of the departmental set ceilings,” said HPD Chief Susan Ballard.

The video was sent to officers Friday morning on the department’s private communication channel.

After Hawaii News Now inquired about the video, HPD officials said it will be posted online for the public to view on Monday.

“The chief wanted to do an internal notification first,” said HPD Spokeswoman Michelle Yu.

In the video, Ballard said she made one rule about overtime when it came to the federal CARES funding the department received to enforce COVID-19 violations last year.

“And that was that officers could only work up to 20 hours a week initially, and then we changed it to 24 hours per week,” Ballard said.

Records months ago showed that 49 officers logged between 130 and 198 hours of overtime, eight more clocked between 200 and 256 hours of OT, and two recorded more than 300 hours of overtime.

Ballard said out of the 263 officers who violated policy, four cases were turned over to the state Attorney General’s Office for criminal investigation. However, those cases were declined….  

KITV: She also says the department is still investigating whether 11 officers actually worked the overtime hours they claimed they did.

Related:

read … In internal video, police chief says 263 officers abused overtime policy

Report recommends no salary increases for Honolulu’s top officials

SA: … The mayor and City Council members won’t be getting salary increases, according to a report presented by a group within the Honolulu Salary Commission.

The commission is responsible for setting the salaries of Honolulu’s top officials, ranging from the mayor to deputy department heads.

The commission’s Permitted Interaction Group, which consists of three of the commissioners, was tasked with analyzing the consumer price index and historical salary adjustments to make a recommendation Friday to the full commission….

read … Report recommends no salary increases for Honolulu’s top officials

Anti-GMO Whack-jobs Target ADC -- Farm development agency may be plowed under by Hawaii lawmakers

SA: … On Thursday the House Finance Committee unanimously passed House Bill 1271, which would abolish ADC and transfer its staff to the state Department of Agriculture with the exception of ADC boss Jimmy Nakatani, a former watercress farmer who once led the Department of Agriculture.

HB 1271 has elicited a bumper crop of testimony — 197 pages submitted for a Feb. 17 hearing by the House Agriculture Committee, which advanced the measure in a 7-1 vote.

Most testifiers endorsed abolishing ADC, which can issue bonds to acquire land and invest in agricultural enterprises.

Support for the bill outweighed opposition by a 5-1 margin.

Many bill supporters argued that ADC has mismanaged its roughly 18,000 acres on Kauai by largely leasing the land to seed corn companies, which employ genetic modification technology, instead of more food producers.

“The ADC with so much power and so much control over all this aina has failed,” Josh Mori, a Kauai organic vegetable farmer, (Translation: A tourist trap) said in written testimony. “They have failed our communities by supporting the companies that have poisoned our waterways and poisoned our air.”…. (blablabla)

If the full House approves HB 1271, the bill would advance to the Senate where a bill is under consideration to have ADC lease at least half its land to local food producers by the beginning of next year.... 

TGI: Bill aims to end Agribusiness Development Corporation

HPR: Challenges Getting Small Farmers on State Ag Land

read … Farm development agency may be plowed under by Hawaii lawmakers

Flip-Flop or Head Fake?  DOE considers plan to reopen elementary schools for full, in-person learning in late March

HNN: … Kishimoto said her leadership team, in collaboration with the state Department of Education, is putting together a plan to discuss at the March 4 Board of Education meeting.

The announcement is in stark contrast to the superintendent’s position earlier this week.

On Hawaii News Now’s Sunrise, she said Hawaii schools were unlikely to fully reopen until the fall, despite CDC guidance that suggested it is safe to welcome students back with precautions.

The Education Department has said that as of quarter 2, roughly 12,000 of Hawaii’s 162,000 public school students are receiving full in-person learning….

MN: Maui High School welcomes back staff, 650 students

read … DOE considers plan to reopen elementary schools for full, in-person learning in late March

Bills to create Hawaii commercial rent relief program advance

PBN: … Two bills that would use federal Covid-19 stimulus funds to create a commercial rent relief program are moving in parallel to final passage in their respective chambers after passing the key money committees in the House and Senate this week.

Senate Bill 946 and House Bill 1324 would each create a commercial rent relief program administered by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Each has passed second reading.

SB 946 passed the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Friday, and HB1324 passed the House Finance Committee on Wednesday. …

read … Bills to create Hawaii commercial rent relief program advance

How Reliable Is Your Hawaii Electric Utility?

P: … See how well utility providers in the Honolulu area and across HI serve their electric customers….

read … How Reliable Is Your Hawaii Electric Utility?

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