Budget crisis not needed to solve housing crisis
Republican Reapportionment Update
VIDEO: How Hawaii Scares Entrepreneurs Away
Will Sylvia Luke’s Bid For LG Open Door to Oust Saiki?
CB: … On Sunday, Luke announced she is planning to run for lieutenant governor next year, which means she will abandon one of the most powerful positions in state government to launch her first statewide campaign.
But Luke is a critical player in the House leadership, and her decision has triggered speculation that dramatic changes could be in the works for the faction that controls the House, including House Speaker Scott Saiki….
Luke, who has been Finance chairwoman since 2013, invested time and effort into learning the intricacies of the state budget, which made her a helpful friend to some, and a formidable political opponent to others. At times she has been a scathing critic of Gov. David Ige.
“Sylvia took care of everything in the Finance Committee, which gave her the ability to help people who were on their team, in their leadership group,” said Rep. James Tokioka, a Democratic House dissident who has been opposed to the Saiki-Luke leadership slate for years.
… When asked if Luke’s departure might lead to a reorganization of the House, Tokioka replied: “We’ll just have to see what happens when we go through session. There’s certainly opportunities there, but we’ll just have to see what happens.”…
Luke’s favors for her friends in the House helped to stabilize the internal organization politically. It may also bode well for her future: Ilagan is now such an enthusiastic supporter that he plans to campaign for Luke for lieutenant governor in his home district in Puna.
But Luke’s departure next year will be a “huge blow” to Saiki and the House leadership, Tokioka said, adding that Saiki has “lost his main general.” And things have been unusually unsettled in the House recently, in part because of the state reapportionment process playing out….
SA: Sylvia Luke running in likely crowded race for Hawaii lieutenant governor
read … Sylvia Luke’s Bid For LG Will ‘Shake Things Up’ At The Legislature
More Video bolsters claims that officers took part in improper chase that led to horrific crash
HNN: … Newly released security camera footage shows a dark police SUV without its blue lights on in pursuit of a white Honda headed down Farrington Highway on Sept. 12.
The early morning video from the Makaha 7-Eleven also shows two blue and white cars joining the chase seconds later ― also without flashing their blue lights….
The 7-Eleven where the footage was captured store is at the corner of Farrington Highway and Makaha Valley Road, which is about a block away from the crash scene.
About a minute after the crash, the video shows two of the police cars arriving at the corner in front of the 7-Eleven ― apparently after leaving the crash scene and circling around on the back roads.
“They pull up even very close. It looks like clearly they’re talking to each other,” said Stern.
“And then the blue and white takes off with the SUV following and they both take a left on Farrington and going through a red light.”
Stern said the video backs up witness accounts that the officers left the crash without rendering aid then returned to the scene about five minutes later when an ambulance arrives….
CB: The attorney who provided the video says it shows three police vehicles pursuing a Honda at a high rate of speed on the Farrington Highway.
read … Video bolsters claims that officers took part in improper chase that led to horrific crash
Minority Leader Fevella opposes fifty dollar vaccine incentive program for inmates
KITV: … “I am writing to request the Hawaii State DPS cease and desist the start of its incentive program that pays $50.00 to qualified inmates who get fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus,” writes Senate Minority Leader Fevella. …
read … Minority Leader Fevella opposes fifty dollar vaccine incentive program for inmates
States With Highest Portion Of Their CO2 Emissions Coming From Transportation: California, Washington, & Hawaii
CT: … there’s another side of the coin — the non-transportation emissions. This is not a comparison of transportation-related CO2 emissions. It’s a comparison of the proportion of a state’s emissions that’s coming from transportation. So, the non-transportation emissions are critical to determining the final percentage. If a state had a coal power plant every mile, the transportation-related portion of CO2 emissions would be tiny….
read … States With Highest Portion Of Their CO2 Emissions Coming From Transportation: California, Washington, & Hawaii
Pro-Tourism Activism: Surfrider seeks hearing on shrimp farm permit
TGI: … Kaua‘i Shrimp, the island’s only shrimp farm, is seeking a new pollutant permit, which is raising concern from some environmentalists.
The proposed Hawai‘i Department of Health-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit would allow Kaua‘i Shrimp to discharge certain pollutants within certain parameters while complying with the federal Clean Water Act. It would not be the first five-year NPDES permit acquired by the farm, but Kaua‘i Surfrider members say this new permit is less stringent than previous iterations.
“They shouldn’t have a renewal of a permit, because it didn’t effectively stop the pollution for the past five years,” Surfrider Senior Scientist Carl Berg said, referring to claims of dead fish flowing from Kaua‘i Shrimp property into state-owned ditches, and ultimately the Pacific Ocean….
(Translation: Resorts pay us. This isn’t a resort.)
Gordon LaBedz, a founding member of the national Surfrider Foundation, lives in Kekaha.
“The dead fish build up in their tanks and ditches when they are released on the beach, the ocean turns brown and stinks to high heaven,” he said. “It is a wintertime surfing area and sometimes the discharge can blind sharks who will get confused and potentially bite a human by accident.”…
(IQ Test: Do you believe this?)
read … Killing Any Non-Tourist Business
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