Ige Releases Supplemental Budget--Boosts Spending 12.2%
DoD Inspector General to Investigate Red Hill
VIDEO: Trump and O'Reilly Denounce Anti-Vaxxers
DPP Online System to let Solar Contractors Bypass DPP Grifters
Feds Bust Two Restaurants for Failure to Pay Overtime
Honolulu: Largest percentage of homes with inadequate kitchens
Ban on Large indoor gatherings being discussed as COVID clusters continue
KHON: … Gov. David Ige says large indoor gatherings are being discussed after multiple clusters have been reported and investigated by the state health department.
On Sunday the DOH said 30 COVID cases were linked to The Republik nightclub. All attendees were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken 48 hours before. They believe about 2,000 people attended on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11.
(CLUE: You can party in person at ‘The Republik’ but you can’t meet in person with your Legislators in the real republic.)
Ige said he spoke with county mayors about large gatherings Monday morning, but didn’t say if he was leaning towards restricting indoor events.
“Having an event with people in close proximity even though they are vaccinated or tested, does increase the possibility of getting infected with the virus,” said Gov. Ige. “It has significantly increased the numbers that we’re seeing.”
“We are questioning do we need to dial back large gatherings, especially those that are indoors,” said Hilton Raethel, Healthcare Association of Hawaii….
Hospitalizations are on the rise. The state has just below 60 COVID patients in beds.
“It has jumped about 20 patients a day since the end of last week,” added Raethel….
DOH NEWS RELEASE: CONCERT ATTENDEES URGED TO GET TESTED
read … Large indoor gatherings being discussed as COVID clusters continue
Ten Days Wasted: DoH Ordered Navy to Keep Oily Water in Lines rather than flush it out
SA: … in Pearl City, Navy officials and state personnel along with contractors from AECOM and Clean Harbors Inc. began using newly delivered granulated activated carbon filtration systems — or GACs — to extract water from a hydrant in a housing area as the flushing process continues. The Navy has an emergency contract for 25 of the large devices. It’s a process that officials say will take time and will have to be methodical.
(Normally the dirty water is flushed raw out of the system as quickly as possible. But this is Hawaii so …)
“We’re talking 30 to 45 days, and that comes in multiple steps,” said Lt. Cmdr. John Daly, an engineering officer working on the Navy’s response efforts.
The filtered water extracted from a house was released into a nearby grassy field. According to officials, GAC-filtered water can be safely returned to the environment.
(CLUE: Non-filtered water can also be safely returned to the environment.)
“We’re really excited that we’re able to get started, but more importantly, we’re here to make sure that all the plans that were executed by the Navy and the Army are actually being carried out as agreed upon by the state agencies and the federal agencies,” said Matthew Kurano, an environmental health specialist with the state Department of Health. “It’s really important that everything that’s done is done in a safe way for the environment and to protect human health.”
Earlier in the crisis, Navy officials initiated flushing directly from hydrants as a means to clear water mains, but on Dec. 11 the DOH issued a cease-and-desist order, saying the Navy wasn’t following state guidance and not properly cordoning off areas. In response the Navy ceased flushing and put in an emergency order for the GACs….
(CLUE: The longer this stuff sits in the pipes, the worse the problem.)
read … Pentagon inspector general launches probe of Red Hill
DOH confirms eight Navy fuel tanks have not been inspected for over 20 years
KHON: … Highlighted in yellow on a schedule provided by the DOH, were eight Navy tanks that are active but have not been inspected for over 20 years.
Dave Day lead the virtual hearing floor and asked what the numbers on the Navy’s inspection schedule meant. DOH’s spokesperson said the numbers in the right column determine when the tank has been last inspected. For tank three, it was last inspected 38 years ago.….
read … DOH: Navy failed to inspect some of its Red Hill tanks for 20 years
Thousands reported illness after drinking contaminated water, BWS says
HNN: … During hearings on an order to suspend the Navy’s Red Hill fuel tanks, an attorney for the Water Board said the parts of the aquifer below the tanks — which supplies water to the Navy and the public — have been contaminated.
“The aquifer itself is contaminated. This evidence is not disputed. That peril has happened,” said attorney Ella Foley Gannon.
“More than 5,000 people from service member families have reported medical conditions because they drank contaminated water.”
The state Department of Health has reported that it has received more than 400 complaints of gas-like odors from the Navy’s water system.
The Navy is opposing the shutdown of the fuel tanks. It is spending $6 million on 25 industrial-scale water filters to flush out the contamination in its tanks, pipelines and in homes of military and civilian families.
It’s also using larger filters to clean up the Red Hill shaft, which is the source of the contamination of its water system.
“In addition to those units, the Navy has purchased roughly at $13 million a much larger ... GAC (granular activated carbon) units to treat the Red Hill Shaft,” said Craig Jensen, attorney for the Navy. …
read … Thousands reported illness after drinking contaminated water, BWS says
Should Hawaii Overhaul How It Investigates Police Shootings?
CB: … A volunteer board made up of former prosecutors, judges and Hawaii residents tasked with reviewing investigations of police killings was just getting started this year after spending almost all of 2020 on a hiatus.
The panel has only finished a handful of cases since getting back to work in April, but it’s already set to come to an end in July absent action from state lawmakers.
When the Legislature reconvenes on Jan. 19, it will take another look at the Hawaii Law Enforcement Officer Independent Review Board, its powers and its duties.
Hawaii is unique in the U.S. when it comes to investigating police shootings. While some cities like Chicago and Cincinnati have citizen commissions that independently review cases of police killings, few states conduct such reviews on a statewide level….
read … Should Hawaii Overhaul How It Investigates Police Shootings?
Nearly 1,400 Inmates Get Vax for $50 Incentive
TGI: … Inmates in DPS custody on or after March 3, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2024, who are still in custody and fully vaccinated against COVID-19, are eligible to receive a one-time incentive award of $50. The payments are deposited into the inmate’s spendable trust account.
The number of inmates, both in state and at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, who completed their vaccine doses and qualified for the incentive jumped from 2,530 reported on Oct. 14 to 3,916 as of Dec. 15….
read … KCCC inmates take advantage of vaccine incentive
Obama, daughters hit the water for annual Hawaii Christmas vacation
NYP: .. Barack Obama and his two daughters were spotted lapping up the ocean over the weekend after heading to Hawaii for their annual family Christmas vacation.
The former president’s bikini-clad daughters — Sasha, 20, and Malia, 23 — soaked up the sun as they took to the water on paddleboards off the island of O’ahu on Friday….
read … Obama, daughters hit the water for annual Hawaii Christmas vacation
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