October 12, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Tuesday, October 12, 2010

October 12, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:55 PM :: 12028 Views

Abercrombie campaigns to shield DoE from Audit

Hawaii Chamber of Commerce backs Appointed BoE

Democrat Poll: Silent on Gubernatorial race, claims Djou slipping

Post primary “flood of support” for Aiona-Finnegan

Video: New Aiona-Finnegan TV commercial “Real solutions for all of Hawaii”

GLBT Democrats: “Abercrombie only candidate who will dismantle laws outlawing slavery”

Shock: former DoE Sup’t Hamamoto backs Appointed BoE

Even hard core DoE insiders like Hamamoto have had enough of the Hawaii BoE.

“As it is today, the system gets more complicated by having candidates for the board who are also linked to the teachers union. The end result would be those tied to the Hawaii State Teachers Association being the ultimate boss of the teachers.”

POLL: Hanabusa has slight lead over Djou

"I don't put much stock in a poll conducted by a hyperpartisan organization that has spent over half a million dollars attacking me," said Djou.

The survey took place between last Monday and Wednesday, just a few days after a different poll of 640 voters commissioned by a Democratic-leaning blog pegged the race at 48 Hanabusa 47 Djou, with a margin of error of nearly 4 percent both are mainland polls; something both candidates take with a grain of salt.

"If you look at the polling in my special election, the polling had me down by 17 points, in third place, left for dead, and when the special election rolled around I won," said Djou.

"We do know that the poles from the mainland have tended not to be as accurate about Hawaii races and of course they have not favored my constituency base as well," said Hanabusa.

AFL-CIO targets Hawaii’s Djou

Along with Hawaii and Delaware’s lone House seats, the AFL-CIO has also been active in canvassing their members in Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart’s (R-Fla.) and Dan Lungren’s (R-Calif.) districts.

Fund Race: Aiona ahead of Abercrombie $402K to $237K

Abercrombie had $237,345 in cash on hand at the end of the primary. Hannemann's fundraising totals were not available because he had not filed the latest campaign-finance report by press time last night.

Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona spent more than $2.4 million to win the Republican primary for governor, or about $58 a vote. Aiona collected $65,969 in the last two weeks before the primary -- $2.8 million overall -- and had $402,802 in cash on hand at the end of the primary.

RELATED: Addendum

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Sponsors Live Gubernatorial Debate tonight

HONOLULU—The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) announced today, they are sponsoring a live televised gubernatorial debate from the Hawaii Convention Center between former Congressman Neil Abercrombie and Lt. Governor James “Duke” Aiona on Oct 12, 2010, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm on cable television station OC16.

New Honolulu Mayor Carlisle Faces Looming Fiscal Storm

Carlisle is taking over during trying fiscal times for Honolulu, with an estimated shortfall of more than $100 million looming for the next fiscal year’s operating budget, according to City Council member estimates.

“Let’s just say we’re going to enter some very stormy waters,” said City Councilman Nestor Garcia, chairman of the council’s budget committee.

HNN: New Honolulu Mayor has long list of problems to fix

KITV: Carlisle, Kaneshiro Take Oaths Of Office

SA: New mayor pledges rail support

Shapiro: Carlisle makes the train his own

SA: Reclaim sidewalks for public

Ron Lockwood, chairman of the McCully/ Moiliili Neighborhood Board, said as many as 30 people have created "a big problem" by camping on the sidewalk surrounding the McCully-Moiliili Public Library. However, that board voted last week not to support Kobayashi's bill, essentially agreeing with a homeless man living next to the library who wondered to the Star-Advertiser's Rob Shikina "why they don't find a solution to the problem." (Imagine that. A bunch of idiots out-argued by a bum who won’t even take care of himself.)

That is the major challenge facing Carlisle and a City Council to be largely replaced by next month's election. (WRONG) This sidewalk bill should be considered a stopgap measure to reclaim public accessways for all. (No it is exactly the right approach. Make them uncomfortable outside of shelters.) But the hard work against homelessness lies ahead: The state government has taken the lead in providing shelter for the homeless, and the city and state must seek ways to coordinate caring efforts in the months and years ahead.

(WRONG. What is needed is less “caring” and more force being applied to the homeless until they can no longer tolerate living outside of the shelters. The sidewalk bill is a tiny step in this direction.)

REALITY: Kapiolani Park: Homelessness industry takes Hawaii tourism hostage, Defeating the "homelessness industry" before it gets a grip on Hawaii

7 former inmates find hope in new program

About 800 federal ex-prisoners here are on the supervisory release, which is similar to parole in the state system. If they violate the terms of their release, such as committing crimes or testing positive for drugs, they can be sent back to prison. (It sure is amazing what this type of application of force can accomplish isn’t it?)

The Re-Entry Program here enrolled eight felons convicted of nonviolent offenses, but considered high risks to return to crime, for the one-year pilot. The eighth felon was kicked out after she associated with felons and lied about looking for work.

“Secret” gambling report is no secret at all

Although the governor’s office considers it confidential, lobbyist John Radcliffe, who submitted the report to Lingle, was more than willing to make a copy available. Just click on the cover page to read the whole report….

3 months into fiscal year, Hawaii's general fund deposits down 13.9% or up 4% depending on how you look at it

The department on Tuesday attributed the decline mainly to the release of accrued income tax refunds in July. It says if the refunds were factored out, general fund deposits in July, August and September would have increased 4 percent.

Survey: Hawaii tourism continues to recover

Hospitality Advisors LLC said Monday that its survey found statewide hotel occupancy averaged 75.7 percent in August, a 6.3 percent increase over August 2009.

Legislative panel begins inquiry into securities (just in time for elections)

A special legislative panel charged with investigating the handling of student loan-backed securities by Gov. Linda Lingle's administration has held its first public meeting.

Hawaii Airport Fire Chief is Short-Staffed

The chief for airport fire stations on three islands said today he is dangerously short of firefighters -- because of what he called an "inept" airports personnel office.

"I come here as a concerned fire chief," said Maui Division Airport Fire Chief Eugene Perry. "I have been in the department 30 years and this is the worst I've seen it in 30 years."

The director of transportation agreed that the airports division personnel office has been dysfunctional for years.

SA: Maui airports lack full firefighting staff

UH Students Celebrate Gay, Lesbian Coming Out Day

Question: How many students and professors are now pretending to be gay in order to receive affirmative action benefits? We need to start “outing” these closet heteros.

Last "English standard" class in Hawaii celebrates 50th high school class reunion

"English standard" schools were established in the Territory of Hawaii in the 1920's, as a way to separate kids who spoke proper English from those who spoke pidgin English.

Kids had to pass an oral English exam to get into an "English standard" school.

Roosevelt High School opened in 1932 as an English standard school.

Geothermal holds vast potential for Hawaii

Approximately 1,400 megawatts of potential geothermal energy exist below the surface of the Big Island — seven times what is needed to power the island’s energy needs — according to a report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Currently, Puna Geothermal Venture, the state's sole geothermal power plant, situated along the east rift of Kilauea volcano, produces up to 30 megawatts of energy.

But the path to capturing this fraction of the island's geothermal potential has not been easy. A 1991 blowout during a drilling operation at Puna Geothermal sent a (completely insignificant) 60-foot tower of steam into the air and more than a ton of hydrogen sulfide (About 1 minute of Puu O’o emissions) to the surface, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents. And complaints of health problems, noise and the disruption of Hawaiian cultural practices (by marijuana growers led by convicted drug dealer Ralph P Dedman) have made the road to geothermal a rocky one. (But it did score 20,000 acres of Puna for OHA)

Kauai: Council to re-consider plastic bag ban

The Office of the County Attorney on Sept. 29 asked for an executive session to discuss the intent of Ordinance 885 — set to go into effect Jan. 11 at retail stores island-wide — and the possibility of a bio-plastic bag being used as a substitute.

But Councilman Jay Furfaro requested the matter remain in the open and a majority of his colleagues agreed.

Hawaii launches RFID cold chain monitoring project

With help from companies based from Taiwan to California, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture has begun a pilot project aimed at monitoring temperatures of fresh produce during shipping.

$5.67 million awarded in Maui McDonald's lawsuit

A federal jury has awarded a Texas woman $5.67 million for injuries she suffered when she slipped and fell in a McDonald's restaurant in Kahului.

Beverly Munguia, 59, was a patron of the McDonald's Dairy Road restaurant on Nov. 25, 2007, when she slipped on the floor and fell.

Munguia fell on her buttocks, which caused a burst compression fracture of the L1 vertebra in her lower back, said Michael Cruise, her attorney. He said the vertebra lost 90 percent of its height.

Cruise said Munguia underwent two surgeries, but all they did was stabilize the injury. She is now permanently disabled, suffers chronic pain and is confined to a wheelchair (especially when in court) most of the time, he said.

Kenoi bill headed back to ethics board

Kenoi has proposed four changes, some of them modeled after the City and County of Honolulu's code. The changes, aimed at stopping the most blatant appearances of conflicts of interest, forbid employees from contracting with county government or lobbying boards and commissions on behalf of private businesses.

The most significant proposal is a ban on companies holding contracts with county government where county employees, their spouses or dependent children have a controlling interest.

Apology to the Citizens of Manoa for Partisan Politics at Neighborhood Board

Your NB was clearly hypocritical in its consideration of these two candidates and clearly used political affiliations as a major discerning factor.

The interjection of such blatant politicking into the neighborhood board is clearly unethical, if not illegal.

I am ashamed to be identified with a board that would act so unconscionably.