Pay to Play: Hawaii faces constitutional challenge

Djou: Most independent, bipartisan member of Hawaii delegation

Aiona: My Appointed BoE would make Audit a top priority

Prevedouros: Case, Carlisle panic

GOP: Ed Case repeats losing three-way Special Election strategy

Mayoral race: Ed Case appeals for crossover votes

Carpenter: “I don’t think it ever gets healed over” between Hannemann, Abercrombie 

"Until the thing is over, it's war," said (Abercrombie backer) party icon George Yokoyama, who at 84 years old has studied and run more campaigns than just about anyone….

"I don't think it ever gets healed over," (State Democratic Party Chair Dante) Carpenter said when asked if the hard feelings can be healed that fast….

ILWU's Baker "sad" ... (I just wanna cry)

MORE REALITY: Larry Mehau supporting Neil Abercrombie

WHT: Kenoi's endorsement raises eyebrows

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Inouye: Abercrombie is a stranger -- Abercrombie: “same kind of result as 1986”

"I have my personal preferences," said Inouye, who added in an interview that Hannemann was a familiar presence in his office over the years and was "in a way" family. "I just don't ignore friends," the 86-year-old eminence said. As for all the years he worked with Abercrombie in Washington, Inouye said that the two were essentially strangers….

"When you are in Hawaii, you have to have five changes of shirts," Abercrombie said, explaining that he needed the appropriate shirt for the Okinawan Festival he'd attend later that afternoon. He exposed a pale paunch as he disrobed from the jacket, shirt and tie that he called "my disguise."

He took a seat in front of the Hawaiian flag and a dreamy photo of a humpback whale. He stuck mostly to talking points, casting himself as the unlikely insurgent against the establishment candidate who had everyone's backing. That includes unions, business leaders, political powerbrokers -- oh, and the editorial board of the Star Advertiser, Hawaii's largest paper. "The sniveling -- " he started saying about the paper, as his press aide, Jim McCoy, gestured for him to tone it down. "Well. You know."

He spoke happily about his friendship with Obama's father upon coming to Hawaii in 1959 from Buffalo to attend graduate school at the University of Hawaii, and said that Obama's imposing intellect drew only those like himself who were up for brainy combat. But, he added, "everybody's virtue is their vice. He was also overbearing. The sheer power of his person and personality turned people away."

Abercrombie draws parallels between this year's contest and a 1986 House race that he lost to Hannemann, who ran a negative campaign depicting Abercrombie as a weed-toking hippy from the mainland. That bitterness made an opening for a Republican to take the seat. "Now he is doing the same thing and it's going to have the same kind of result," Abercrombie said, adding, "He hasn't changed and people recognize that."

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Pfluegers, Others Indicted In Tax Fraud Case (hid assets during Kaloko case)

The indictment claimed James Pflueger tried to hide assets from the Internal Revenue Service at a time when he was being sued for the Kaloko Dam disaster on Kauai, which killed seven people. James Pflueger faces a manslaughter trial for the Kauai deaths in state court that’s still pending…

The indictment also claimed James Pflueger set up a trust in the Cook Islands -- located in the South Pacific -- to hide money from the sale of property in California in 2007.

"Proceeds from that sale of the California property went to the trust account which was located in Switzerland. Mr. Pflueger is also charged with not disclosing the existence of that account to the federal government," said Clare Connors, an assistant U.S. attorney in Honolulu who is prosecuting the case.

HR: Pflueger Inc. Owner and Former Owner Indicted for Tax Fraud

KGI: Pflueger indicted for tax fraud

SA: Pflueger, son, 3 others indicted on tax charges

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Hawaii students improve SAT scores as fewer DoE students participate

Compared with 2009, Hawaii's average scores increased 3 points in mathematics, 4 points in critical reading and 1 point in writing.

Some 59 percent of Hawaii's class of 2010, or 8,068 students, took the college entrance exam. Participation among public school students in the islands dropped by about 3 percent, to 4,733.

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BOE to vote on Molokai school consolidation

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Board of Education is meeting Thursday at the Maui High School cafeteria to vote on whether to consolidate Maunaloa and Kaunakakai Elementary Schools on Molokai.

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UHPA burns $305K mostly to back Abercrombie, HSTA ‘s PAC broke

The University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, the UH faculty union, appears to have been the most active during this reporting period, spending a whopping $305,739.85 and still ending with $145,849.49 in the bank.

UHPA contributed a total of $12,700 to candidates during the period, including $4,000 each to Dwight Takamine and Neil Abercrombie. But the bulk of its spending was for independent advertising in support of Abercrombie, including $57,202 for a major radio advertising blitz and thousands more for polls, ad production, mailing costs, and broadcast fees.

UHPA produced several video spots backing Abcrombie, including “Anything can happen“, “Endorsement“, and “Heart“.

From UHPA’s perspective, Abercrombie stands out for not only earning his degrees, including a Ph.D. (because he started out as an anti-American war activist and doesn’t feel any Pol Pot guilt just like the rest of the “enlightened, conscious, and progressive” crowd) at the Manoa campus, but also teaching….

The HSTA Government Relations Committee, the teachers union PAC, spent $173,239.64 but ended the period with a deficit of $68,467.76.  (This means that HSTA’s PAC will require an infusion of NEA money if it is to mount a campaign against the appointed BoE.  It is likely to receive the money.)

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Sen. Slom: Vote for Panos the Engineer

I find it ironic that some establishment politicians, witnessing Panos’ superior debate skills and direct connection with the voters during the past weeks, and sensing a possible surprise Panos upset victory Saturday, are now urging independent voters to vote for Peter Carlisle.

HR: Challenging Ed Case’s Endorsement of Peter Carlisle for Mayor

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Hannemann rolls the dice on GOP appeal

there’s no guarantee that all Republicans who cross over would vote for Hannemann. Many are furious about the $5.5 billion rail project he launched as mayor, and others took offense at his “I look like you, you look like me” speech. (Not to mention Hannemann’s promise to look at hiking the GE Tax—something he has already done to Oahu.)

Few Republicans have much aloha for the liberal Abercrombie, but some might vote for him on the belief that he’d be a better match for likely Republican nominee James “Duke” Aiona.

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City Council will vote on a measure to restore residential rates for 247 homeowners

The compromise tax rate, as well as the credit or refund, would be available only to those who already have applied to dedicate their property for residential use. Officials said 226 of the affected property owners had submitted the applications by the Sept. 1 deadline.

Residents also must certify that the property was in residential use during the last tax year.

The committee deferred a separate proposal, Bill 51-10, to specify that real property that is used as a residence is classified according to its actual use, and repealing provisions allowing for dedication of other classifications of property for residential use.

What about this? Hannemann’s property tax hike forces eviction of Kalihi non-profits

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Some Hawaii Kai voters still lacking corrected mail-in ballots

On Oahu, Hawaii Kai voters such as Kathryn Hallmark still had not received a new mail-in ballot yesterday after her original ballot failed to include candidates for the District 25 state Senate seat.

"I'm waiting for my replacement ballot," Hallmark said. Elections officials "said they sent a bunch of ballots on Monday," she said. "I'm worried it will even get here in time to be counted."

Hallmark has been voting by mail-in ballot for the past 10 years or so to avoid Election Day hassles at her assigned polling place, Hahaione Elementary School.

"It's too hot and too dusty," Hallmark said. "There are usually parking issues and they have no air con in that little cafeteria. I insist on voting because I have an opinion. But it sounds like this whole election is just so poorly run."

RELATED: Vote By Mail: “Tool of choice for voter fraud”

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Money flows to House, Senate incumbents

HTH: “Democrats aren't leading all the money races. The winner of the Hanohano-Marzi primary will still have to face Republican Marlene Hapai, who has committed $18,519 of her own money. Hapai has already spent $19,310, leaving $3,265 in cash on hand for the general election.”

This article carefully reviews the finances of every House and Senate candidate on the Big island except two Kona-Kohala Republicans running in the strongest GOP Districts -- 6 and 7.  Excellent work Tribune-Herald!  That’s the kind of reporting that makes you what you are.

Websites: Marlene Hapai  The two omitted Republicans: Becky Leau, Scott Henderson 

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Foreclosures hit all-time high—Hawaii 10th in nation

After three months of what looked like subsiding levels of property foreclosure filings statewide, volume in August soared to a new high.

A report from real estate research firm RealtyTrac Inc. said there were 1,629 Hawaii foreclosure filings last month, which eclipsed the prior record of 1,534 in December and was almost twice as many as the 869 filings in August 2009.

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Reports of gunfire in Chinatown uncover (well-known) suspected illegal gaming operation

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A bicycle officer responding to gunshots in Chinatown Wednesday afternoon led police to (bust) a suspected illegal gambling operation (they had known about for a long time). Officers descended on a North King Street building after residents reported hearing gunfire around 5:30 PM.

At one point at least eight men were detained by police. Police questioned several people, but no one has been arrested.

Just ignore this: Billy Kenoi Helped Pali Shooter, Billy Kenoi at Shooters—and the Pali shooter—the connections,  Malu Motta: “I need one governor so he can pardon me.”

Ignore this too: