Foster Children in Hawaii and Their Right to Counsel
The real enemy of aloha is uncertainty
Ige: Vaccinated US Visitors Return Nov 1, Int’l Nov 8
FB: …I’m encouraged by the continuing trend of lower case counts of COVID in our islands. Our hospitals are doing better and seeing fewer patients. This gives us the ability to move forward in our economic recovery and safely welcome back fully vaccinated domestic travelers.
We’re continuing to seek information from the federal government about plans for international travel and will have an appropriate plan in place prior to Nov. 8.
As always, we will continue to monitor case counts and hospitalizations in the islands and adjust as needed while prioritizing the health and safety of our residents.
read … Ige’s FB Announcement
Police commission following unknown process for picking new HPD chief
HNN: … It has been six months since Susan Ballard announced that she was retiring as Honolulu’s police chief.
And the Honolulu Police Commission is still struggling to name her replacement.
There have been multiple delays in the hiring process. The panel is still working to hire a consulting company to help narrow down the list of candidates.
Commissioners have also said they want to involve the public more than in past years, but details on how they’ll make that happen are not clear….
The Honolulu Police Commission meets again Wednesday and will update the status of the consultant.
read … Police commission pledges plenty of sunshine in process for picking new HPD chief
Anti-Telescope Protesters Harass Lassner at his House
SA: … Some one hundred people marched on University of Hawaii President David Lassner's home in Palolo on Tuesday to protest the 2,400 days since equipment had been moved to Mauna Kea to construct the Thirty Meter Telescope….
SA: TMT foes march to University of Hawaii president’s home
read … University of Hawaii President David Lassner meets with TMT opposition
Tupola and Tsuneyoshi Invite Anti-vaxxers to Address Honolulu Council
HNN: … Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters blasted several speakers Tuesday for promoting what he called “dangerous views” about COVID treatments.
The speakers were invited to Honolulu Hale by Councilmember Andria Tupola, who opposes the city’s vaccine mandate.
During a meeting of the Council’s Committee on Executive Matters and Legal Affairs on Tuesday, Waters singled out one of the speakers ― a mainland statistician who touted vitamins and minerals ― for pushing unsafe practices.
“I actually think what this person is testifying to is actually dangerous and irresponsible,” said Waters.
The mainland speakers include Mark Crawford, the statistician, Dr. Robert Malone of Virginia, who has been critical of the vaccine’s effectiveness, and Dr. Robin Armstrong, of Texas, who advocates the use of monoclonal antibodies.
“I just want to make clear that what this person is testifying to ― and for that matter Dr. Armstrong or even Dr. Malone ― is not something the Council as a body is endorsing, is supporting or is in any way legitimizing.”
But City Councilmember Heidi Tsuneyoshi disagreed.
“I don’t see how it’s dangerous to just give people information on how to better their own health and wellness,” she said.
Committee Chair Andria Tupola defended her choice of speakers, saying the mandates have outlived their usefulness.
She also urged the city not extend or issue any more emergency orders without first getting community input. …
(Thus tying efforts to undo emergency orders to anti-vaxxer idiocy. Clue: Anti-vaxxers are working for the regime.)
read … Council chair criticizes speakers for promoting ‘dangerous views’ about COVID
Debunking Anti-Vaxxer Nonsense: How COVID deaths are counted in Hawaii
KHON: … There have been 876 COVID-19 deaths in Hawaii, and confusion over how those deaths are counted has led to some misconceptions.
If a patient dies in a hospital, the cause of death is determined by the physician who pronounced the death. If not, pathologists at the medical examiner’s office make that determination….
“One of those theories out there is, people are making money off of putting COVID on the death certificate. Our doctors are paid by the city and county. Their salaries don’t change depending on what they put as a cause of death,”…
Hospitals do get a 20% add-on from the federal government to cover the cost of COVID patients on medicare, but Raethel says there are no financial incentives to inflate COVID deaths….
read … How COVID deaths are counted in Hawaii
Nearly 90-percent of County employees vaccinated since mandate deadline
KITV: … Only five individuals of the county's 10,000 person work-force have been fired for refusing the vaccine.
Not a single one of them, part of the city's emergency first responders.
"Not one police officer has been terminated. Not one firefighter has been terminated. Not one ambulance person has been terminated. Not one life guard has been terminated..." said councilman Tommy Waters. …
Meanwhile, 948 employees have submitted requests for religious, medical, or both religious and medical exemptions….
As of today, 370 exemptions have been approved. 106 require additional information to be processed and 358 are still currently under review….
read … Nearly 90-percent of County employees vaccinated since mandate deadline
Favorable reception for new TAT tax
HTH: … Most — if not all — Hawaii County Council members support tacking an extra 3% tax on hotel, timeshare and transient vacation rental charges, but a bill to do that was postponed two weeks by the Finance Committee on Tuesday to work out more of the details….
Stephanie Donoho, administrative director for the Kohala Coast Resort Association, urged the county to establish a special fund to ensure transparency and to direct the funds to support infrastructure that benefits residents and visitors such as roads, park maintenance, lifeguards and sewer systems and to address larger-scale infrastructure needs such as mass transit and workforce housing….
South Kona/Ka‘u Councilwoman Maile David said the pause in tourism demonstrated the importance of protecting resources from tourist impacts. The county needs money to do that, she said.
“I’ve never seen a more healthy environment for shoreline and beaches as I’ve seen during COVID,” David said. “If we’re really thinking about addressing those impacts and how tourism impacts our environment and our culture, this is a way of putting our money where our mouth is.”
read … Favorable reception for new TAT tax
County: ‘Love Island’ filming mostly illegal
HTH: … At a meeting of the Hawaii County Council Committee on Governmental Operations, Relations and Economic Development, Doug Adams, the county’s research and development director, acknowledged that certain steps were not followed properly in the leadup to the production of the reality show, which filmed its third season at a villa in Ninole throughout July and August.
“Understatement of the century, but things did not go the way we would have liked them to,” Adams said.
Adams said the Big Island Film Office, which is managed by Research and Development, did not do proper diligence in connecting the “Love Island” production with various county agencies that would have required permits.
For example, Adams said, the Film Office did not realize the production should have required a Special Management Area permit. The County Planning Department, which issues such permits, was only made aware of the production through local news coverage as the shoot was happening, despite Research and Development knowing about the production as early as last November, he said.
In addition, certain temporary structures at the shooting locations were determined to not require building permits, which Adams said “was not a correct determination.”
The “Love Island” production — the largest film project on the island since the 2007 production of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” — was contentious among Ninole residents, who endured frequent truck traffic on private roads insufficient for such heavy use, disruptive helicopter flyovers, loud cast and crews and bright lights.
read … County: ‘Love Island’ got a free pass
Homeowners Try to Save Their Homes With Sand Burritos. The State Is Cracking Down.
PP: … “It looks like a trash heap,” said Ocean Lemus, a beachgoer who stopped to stare at the mess. “Not something you would assume to find on Sunset Beach, which is the premier surf spot.”
Indeed, it’s not supposed to be there. But the people responsible are some of the most well known in the community, and with state permissions to dump these elements expiring, Hawaii authorities are now poised to crack down….
read … Rich Homeowners Have Endangered Hawaii’s Beaches With Sand Burritos. The State Is Cracking Down.
State lawmakers seek answers into possible cover-up of Red Hill fuel leak
HNN: … Thousands of gallons of fuel were recovered near the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center last year.
It was found that the fuel was coming from a pipe which was connected to the Navy’s underground facility at Red Hill.
HNN partner Civil Beat obtained documents, including emails, that suggested navy officials didn’t want the spill connected to the Red Hill facility while the health department was taking evidence about the safety of the system….
read … State lawmakers seek answers into possible cover-up of Red Hill fuel leak
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