Secret Arbitration Revealed: How Espinda’s Girlfriend Kept Crooked Cop On The Job After FBI Raid
VIDEO: Dalai Lama Gets the Vax--Says You Should Too!
98.6% of State Employees Comply with COVID Mandate
Secretary of the Army appoints Ti Leaf Group President as civilian aide
Spying on You: Governor says Hawaii’s digital ‘vaccine pass’ could be ready by Labor Day
HNN: … Gov. David Ige said Wednesday that he hopes to have a “vaccine pass” system up and running for entrance to restaurants, bars, gyms and other venues by Labor Day….
…last week Lt. Gov. Josh Green indicated that Hawaii was eyeing a similar program. The governor said Wednesday a mandate could still be imposed, but stressed there are no immediate plans to do so….
Ige envisions modifying the state’s Safe Travels app to allow people to upload their vaccination cards and get a unique QR code that they can display at businesses.
(IQ Test: Can you see past the anti-vaxxer bs to perceive the danger of this system?)
It’s unclear how many Hawaii establishments would actually take the step of requiring vaccines without a government mandate. Several that have reported being met with strong backlash….
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read … Governor says Hawaii’s digital ‘vaccine pass’ could be ready by Labor Day
Cowden: Vaccine passports would become “simply a first step in the erosion of human rights.”
TGI: … Cowden said that constituents voiced a “clear fear” that vaccine passports would become “simply a first step in the erosion of human rights.”…
“Sharply defined was potential health concerns for children and an economic isolation for people who choose other pathways to protect their health from COVID-19,” Cowden said in a statement.
Cowden said demonstrators pled for the council to “intercede for freedom of choice without perceived coercion to take vaccinations in our county.”…
(Problem: Her only concern is anti-vaxxers. This is therefore really an argument in favor of Vaccine Passports.)
read … Councilmembers hear concerns from For Our Rights members
Sen Roz Baker: DoH Anti-Vaxxer Lorrin Pang Should Be Fired, Stripped of Medical License
CB: … state senator from Maui says she will call for Maui District Health Officer Dr. Lorrin Pang to resign or be fired on Thursday during a Senate floor session.
State Sen. Rosalyn Baker said she also called the Hawaii Medical Board on Wednesday and requested that it revoke his medical license.
“He’s the district health officer located in my island,” Baker said. “And if he is recommending that people take things that the FDA has said are potentially lethal if you ingest them, and that are not efficacious in treating Covid-19, then he should not be practicing medicine. He should not be representing the Department of Health. He should not be stationed in Maui.”
In a prepared statement, Hawaii Department of Health Director Libby Char strongly condemned the misinformation being perpetuated by Pang and a group he co-founded called The Pono Coalition for Informed Consent. But the department would not say what Pang’s behavior means for his job….
In a statement issued late Wednesday, Char pointed to the spread of the virus in Hawaii and the toll it is taking on residents, as well as the deaths of more than 500 people.
“The Pono Coalition for Informed Consent is spreading misinformation about these lifesaving vaccines,” Char said. “This is dangerous. The Coalition proliferates misinformation about the severity of the disease and the safety of the vaccines.”…
VIDEO: Roz Baker calls for antivaxxer Lorrin Pang to be Terminated
NR: Mayor Victorino issues statement about unapproved COVID treatments in Maui County
DoH: “The Pono Coalition for Informed Consent is spreading misinformation about these lifesaving vaccines. This is dangerous."
SA: Maui mayor condemns use of controversial drugs, including livestock dewormer, to treat COVID-19
read … Maui Senator: The County’s State Health Director Should Be Fired
Hawaii’s Lt. Gov. is fed up with vaccine critics who are taking opposition to the next level with death threats, harassment
HNN: … hey follow me and make death threats and film me through windows,” said Green…
Besides the death threats, posters were put up on the sidewalks outside his condo, with Green’s face and the word “Fraud” -- and racist writing about Green’s religion.
“So that gives you an idea who they are, what they’re like as people,” said Green….
Some critics have posted videos of Green, which have drawn threats from commenters. One of the latest videos showed an activist following Green and his security detail to his SUV, yelling comments and questions to him as he heads home….
When he gets home, protesters are often outside to greet him.
“You have individuals yelling hate speech toward me, shining lights into my apartment and the apartments around me, my neighbors.”…
Green said some of the threats are being passed on to local law enforcement for further investigation….
SA: Lt. Gov. Josh Green target of hate campaign
read … Hawaii’s Lt. Gov. is fed up with vaccine critics who are taking opposition to the next level with death threats, harassment
In online post, Hawaii nurse paints grim picture of his COVID patients’ ‘painful, lonely’ deaths
HNN: … Kenny Akamu has been a nurse for over 30 years.
And over the last year, he says he’s seen too many people of COVID and wants others to know just how dangerous the virus is.
“You barely, slowly suffocate to death and that’s really sad to see,” said Akamu….
“You die a painful, lonely death,” he wrote.
The nurse said patients also have no way to communicate if they’re in pain.
“The only way we can ventilate your lungs is by paralyzing you,” said Akamu.
“And sometimes, there is no way in which we can tell whether you’re suffering or not, we just guess, and hopefully we get the right guess.”…
“We’re just getting critical patients left and right, one right after the other,” said Marlita Marquez, respiratory therapist of The Queen’s Health System. “It hasn’t stopped.”
Marquez says a lot of the COVID patients she sees are experiencing shortness of breath….
“What I feel from them, they don’t expect it to be this bad. You know, they don’t, they think I’m just sick,” said Marquez. “But with COVID it progresses so fast that you know, one day you think you just have a cold and then not even one or two days later you’re on a ventilator.”
Akamu said they’re also seeing more young patients in critical condition….
read … In online post, Hawaii nurse paints grim picture of his COVID patients’ ‘painful, lonely’ deaths
Molokai family loses mom to COVID, urges others to take the pandemic seriously
KHON: … “Knowing that she was being sent to Queens (Medical Center) made me feel a little bit better because I know that Molokai don’t got the medical resources that we need for the COVID patients here,” Gregory Solatorio, Dianna’s youngest son, said.
Due to COVID, no one was allowed to stay with her or even visit her in the hospital. She was all alone.
“That was really hard. She’s been hospitalized several times, for illnesses. And we always make sure that someone was there,” Dudoit explained.
She took a turn for the worse seven days later. Only then would the hospital let her family visit. Four of her children flew to Oahu the next morning.
Five minutes after they landed on Oahu, the call came — mom was gone.
“I think nobody should go like that. Everybody should have their family around them,” Solatorio said as he held back tears.
They were able to take their dad to see their mom one last time.
“It was devastating. To hear him cry, and for him to look at you and ask, ‘Can I just kiss her one last time?’ and it was hard for me to tell him ‘you can’t, you know, you can’t touch her.’ I wouldn’t want to wish that on anybody,” Dudoit said.
“After spending your life with someone, for 58-59 years never being apart for the first time. It was devastating for him,” Solatorio added….
read … Molokai family loses mom to COVID, urges others to take the pandemic seriously
With more COVID patients and 911 calls, first responders say they’re pushed to the limit
HNN: … A spokesperson for Honolulu EMS reported 390 calls on a single day last week. Normally, crews respond to an average of 250 calls each day….
First responders said earlier this summer, crews would go days without a call for a COVID patient. Now, transporting people who have already tested positive for the virus is becoming a routine occurrence.
Lee said most of the volume is coming from town areas and that those crews are under the most stress.
He also mentioned that, compared to last year, the severity of cases and the type of patients his members are seeing has changed.
”We’re seeing sicker people, younger people that are getting sick and it’s pretty much all the Delta variant now,” Lee added.
read … With more COVID patients and 911 calls, first responders say they’re pushed to the limit
Ventilators from Hawaii’s emergency stockpile now in use as more relief nurses are on their way
HNN: … COVID hospitalizations in Hawaii hit another all-time high Wednesday with 413 patients admitted to facilities across the state. Records shows 87% are unvaccinated.
All of the additional stress on Hawaii’s healthcare system has resources stretched thin.
“There are some individual facilities that are running out of their ventilator capabilities,” said Hilton Raethel, head of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii. He added that while there are still plenty ventilators in the state, back-up supplies of emergency ventilators are now in use.
Raethel confirmed Kuakini Medical Center received four additional ventilators Tuesday from the Hawaii Healthcare Emergency Management stockpile….
Meanwhile, vaccination numbers are on the rise.
Officials say this past week an average of 5,100 shots were administered a day. That’s up nearly 40% from the previous week….
read … Ventilators from Hawaii’s emergency stockpile now in use as more relief nurses are on their way
Health officials look to field hospitals as potential relief amid surging COVID hospitalizations
KHON: … OVID-19 hospitalizations hit another record high in Hawaii on Wednesday, Aug. 25, with 413 patients admitted to facilities statewide.
Health officials are now looking at field hospitals as another option of relief amid the COVID surge.
According to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, 247 out of the 340 ICU beds are being used as of Wednesday, with 87 of those COVID-related.
“We are now at about 120 percent capacity for our intensive care units and our hospitals in general, for staffing,” said Lt. Gov. Josh Green, Hawaii’s COVID-19 healthcare liaison. “There’s so much COVID right now, of course, we’re worried.”
Emergency Medical Services already have supplies ready to roll out field hospitals. Green said these mobile facilities would be equipped with beds, air conditioning and medical supplies. They would also be able to service about 50 low-impact COVID patients each.
read … Health officials look to field hospitals as potential relief amid surging COVID hospitalizations
Covid-19 Is Surging Again At Hawaii Prisons but only 9 criminals are dead
CB: … The state Department of Public Safety announced Wednesday it had 103 active cases at the Kalihi jail. The next-highest case count in the state correctional system was at Maui Community Correctional Center, which had 74 active cases on Wednesday.
In all, more than 2,600 Hawaii inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus during the pandemic, and at least nine of those inmates have died….
The new data shows slightly more than 77% of DPS employees were fully vaccinated as of Aug. 16, compared with an average of 87.6% for other state employees….
As of Wednesday 312 staff members at Hawaii prisons and jails had tested positive for the virus during the pandemic, including 38 active cases. Twenty-two of those active staff cases were at OCCC….
A key problem identified by staff members was that inmates were shuffled in and out of living units and the quarantine module in seemingly disorganized ways that led to infected inmates being released into other parts of the jail.
“Basically they had a quarantine module, but they weren’t tracing or tracking the amount of time or the placements,” including with whom the quarantined inmates had contact, and whether every inmate spent the proper amount of time in quarantine after exposure, one corrections officer explained….
read … Covid-19 Is Surging Again At Hawaii Prisons
Kauai County: Rare special election to Select New Prosecutor
TGI: … The county is moving to allocate $475,000 for a special election prompted by the retirement of Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar.
Kollar, who is one year into his third four-year term as prosecuting attorney, will step down from office on Sept. 30. He publicly announced his departure in a series of tweets last month, stating he will relocate to the mainland to begin work at a nonprofit dedicated to justice reform.
The Kaua‘i County Charter mandates a special election be held to fill Kollar’s vacated position. Councilmembers praised the attorney for his years of service but expressed frustration with the costs incurred by his departure, during a special meeting held Wednesday.
“I think I have more of a message to send to Justin and anybody else in the future who would like to take a position like this: please be conscientious,” Councilmember Billy DeCosta said. “When you decide to leave in the middle of non-election time, it costs the taxpayers almost half a million dollars.”
CB: Special December Election Set To Replace Kauai’s Prosecutor
read … County to draw $475K for rare special election
Honolulu Fire Commission Still Stalled On Hiring New Chief
CB: … The Honolulu Fire Commission was expected to hear from the two finalists — Lionel Camara Jr., the acting chief; and Sheldon Kalani Hao, the acting deputy chief — and dozens of people tuned into the online forum.
Instead, it was Manuel Neves, the former chief who retired Feb. 28, that did most of the talking. He was invited by the commission to explain the department’s requirements on training and certification of fire fighters.
Afterwards, the commission voted to go into executive session for almost an hour, leaving the public in the dark. Fire Commission Chair Charlotte Nekota then announced that she had “no update” on the new chief and that commissioners will meet again Sept. 22.
Reached by phone, Nekota said the six-member panel remained deadlocked 3-3 on the candidates. A seventh position is vacant….
read … Honolulu Fire Commission Still Stalled On Hiring New Chief
New Maui County police chief expected to be picked in October
MN: … Chairman Frank De Rego outlined the proposed schedule for the selection process at an online commission meeting Wednesday.
The finalists are Capt. Everett Ferreira, commander of the Wailuku Patrol Division; former Assistant Chief Larry Hudson; Assistant Chief John Jakubczak, who heads the Uniform Services Bureau; Capt. John Pelletier, bureau commander of Major Violator/Narcotics for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; and Assistant Chief Victor Ramos, who heads the Investigative Services Bureau.
The closed-book written examination would be administered Sept. 27, followed by a virtual meeting for public testimony on the candidates the next day.
The commission would meet in closed executive session to interview three of the candidates Sept. 29 and the other two Sept. 30, with two hours allotted for each interview.
On Oct. 1, commissioners would deliberate on the final candidates and make a selection, subject to pre-employment requirements, including National Crime Information Center and other background investigations, a drug test, psychological evaluation and credit report, De Rego said.
He said the commission would deliberate on the pre-employment requirements at its Oct. 20 meeting, then vote on the final candidate. If that candidate isn’t selected, the commission would make a selection from the other four finalists or may decide to reopen recruiting for the job, De Rego said.
He said plans could change, depending on whether Mayor Michael Victorino approves a proposal for in-person testing and interviews of the final candidates….
read … New police chief expected to be picked in October
Newly reopened Waialua bridge needs replacement within 10 years, city says
SA: … The bridge reopened Friday after Sea Engineering, Inc. completed repairs. The cost for the design and construction of the repair project was estimated at $3 million.
Signs are posted in the area notifying the community of the bridge’s maximum allowable load limit of 25 tons per vehicle.
When asked via email whether the city has any concerns of the structural integrity of the bridge in the event of another flash flood or heavy rainfall, Milles said, “The city is always concerned when there is a potential for flooding. Having said that, the bridge would not have been reopened if DDC did not feel that it was safe to traverse with the maximum allowable load of 25 tons per vehicle.”
“Per standard operating procedures, all bridges that are suspected to be impacted by heavy rainfall will be inspected during each event and may require a post-event inspection as a result of the monitoring process,” he added.
Meanwhile, the design and construction department plans to design a new replacement for Bridge 605. A temporary bypass is expected to be available to the community during the construction period.
NR: Waialua Beach Road Bridge scheduled to reopen Friday, Aug. 20, 2021
read … Newly reopened Waialua bridge needs replacement within 10 years, city says
Senators hear praise of Gov. David Ige’s latest nominee to serve on the Intermediate Court of Appeals
KHON: … The state Senate last month voted down Ige’s first choice for the position, a white man, amid complaints that it had been decades since a Native Hawaiian had been appointed to the state’s appeals or supreme courts.
McCullen is Native Hawaiian and a Honolulu deputy prosecuting attorney, a role she has served in for a combined 11 years. She has also worked for the Crime Victim Commission and United Public Workers….
The committee is scheduled to vote on McCullen’s nomination Thursday.
UPDATE: New Appeals Court Nominee Advances To Final Senate Vote
The full Senate is due to follow on Friday….
NR: SENATE TO RECONVENE AND CONSIDER APPOINTMENT OF SONJA MCCULLEN TO THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS
CB: Hawaii Senate Committee Considers A New Nominee For Appeals Court
read … Senators hear praise of Gov. David Ige’s latest nominee to serve on the Intermediate Court of Appeals
Hawaii Has A Shortage Of School Bus Drivers, Leaving Some Students Stranded
CB: … The shortage follows a warning by a DOE official shortly before the school year began that there was an “alarming influx in driver resignations.”…
read … Hawaii Has A Shortage Of School Bus Drivers, Leaving Some Students Stranded
Punahou, alumni reach settlement related to sexual abuse claims involving former basketball coach
KITV: … Punahou School announced today that it reached a settlement with several alumni related to sexual abuse claims involving former basketball coach Dwayne Yuen.
Several former students, including MMA-world champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, her sister Mahina and former University of Hawaii Women's Basketball standout Shawna-Lei Kuehu claim Yuen sexually abused them while they were students in the early 2000s -- and that the school did nothing….
Details of the settlement are not being made public….
CB: Punahou Settles Lawsuits Alleging Sex Abuse By Former Coach
read … Punahou, alumni reach settlement related to sexual abuse claims involving former basketball coach
Schizophrenic Dead Because he was not Locked up in an Insane Asylum
HNN: … Dan Buckingham, 31, from Michigan, was hiding in a vacant home in Hilo when police responded to a reported break-in back in June.
Authorities say Buckingham lunged at the officers with two knives and cut one of them before officers shot him 13 times.
Buckingham’s family says he was schizophrenic…
CB: Lawsuit: Hawaii County Police Failed To Announce Themselves Before Killing Man
read … Family of man shot, killed by Hawaii Island police files wrongful death suit
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