Cocaine News Update: Is Council District 2 Reserved for Crime Families?
When permission is absent--Misrepresentation of Micronesian navigation must be corrected
New Tool IDs Hawaii Homebuilding Barriers
Racial Equality in Education -- Hawaii Ranks 11th
2022 State of the States Municipal Credit Report -- Hawaii Moves out of Basement
Sierra Club, Solar Industry Rally Against SB2510
Short-term rental property owners contest new bill regulating rentals on Hawaii
Weak Field: Only 1/3 of Legislative Incumbents Face Serious Challenger
SA: … “There’s a lot of magical thinking around election time,” said Colin Moore, director of the Public Policy Center at the University of Hawaii. “There’s plenty of people who can come up with what you need to file.”
Moore said that despite there being 51 state House seats and 25 Senate seats up for election this year, serious challenges probably exist for only around a third of the Legislature — about 20 seats in the House and five in the Senate.
“The field seems a little weak to me, seeing that every seat is up this year,” he said. “I see that as a problem. All of these seats should be competitive.”…
SA Editorial: It’s disappointing that more incumbents aren’t being challenged to justify their public worth: Serious challenges emerged for only about a third of the Legislature.
SA: Hawaii’s average COVID-19 case count down over the week
read … Last-minute candidates emerge to reserve spots on Hawaii’s primary ballot
Peak? COVID Count Drops for First Time in Two Months
SA: … The Hawaii Department of Health today reported 8,033 new COVID-19 infections last week, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 290,652 cases.
DOH also reported eight more deaths, bringing the state’s coronavirus-related death toll to 1,465.
The state’s seven-day average of new cases today was reported at 1,085 compared to 1,210 on June 1, representing a decrease for the first time in more than two months. The seven-day average reflects new cases per day from May 28 and June 3, which includes Memorial Day weekend.
The state’s average positivity rate, meanwhile, increased to 19.2% from 18.4% reported last week.
DOH has recorded consecutive positivity rate increases in Hawaii for more than two months. In Honolulu County, the average positivity rate increased to 21.9%, up from 20.5% last week….
DOH Director Dr. Libby Char has said the average daily case counts are likely five to six times higher than reported, given that results from home test kits are not officially tallied….
HNN: ‘Exhausted’ Hawaii health care workers grapple with mounting impacts of COVID surge
read … Hawaii Department of Health reports 8,033 new infections, 8 coronavirus-related deaths
County mayors to Ige: Veto measure that would do away with bail for many non-violent offenders
HNN: … All four county mayors are gathering Wednesday to urge the governor to veto a measure that would allow non-violent offenders to be released from custody without having to post bail.
Over the last several weeks, the proposal has generated a significant amount of public discussion and opposition.
House Judiciary Vice Chair Scot Matayoshi introduced the bill, but dropped support for it after its passage ― when law enforcement agencies that didn’t weigh in during the legislative session came out to oppose it.
“Given the opposition to the bill, I myself changed my mind and requested that the governor veto the bill,” Matayoshi said….
The governor has until June 25 to make a decision….
read … County mayors to Ige: Veto measure that would do away with bail for many non-violent offenders
Ex-Honolulu police officer accused of child sex trafficking sent back to Hawaii
SA: … A federal magistrate judge in New Mexico sent a former Honolulu police officer accused of child sex trafficking and producing child pornography back to Hawaii today.
During a four-minute long hearing in the Rio Grande courtroom in Albuquerque this morning, 31-year-old Mason Jordan, who allegedly committed the crimes while working as an HPD officer, was sent back to Hawaii by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jerry H. Ritter. A federal grand jury in Honolulu returned an eight-count indictment of Jordan on May 26.
Jordan, represented by attorney Daniel Chadborn, did not object. He was arrested in New Mexico Thursday by Homeland Security Investigations agents.
read … Ex-Honolulu police officer accused of child sex trafficking sent back to Hawaii
Judge denies supervised release to HPD Sgt for alleged Tantalus shooter
SA: … The suspect accused of fatally shooting an 18-year-old man March 18 during a botched robbery on Round Top Drive appeared in court today to ask that he be placed on supervised release or have his bail lowered while awaiting trial on murder and robbery charges.
Nainoa Damon, now 20, requested to be released to the supervision of his mother, Jennifer Bugarin, a Honolulu police sergeant, who sat at the back of the courtroom. Bugarin had helped in her son’s surrender at the Wahiawa Police Station, where she is assigned.
Circuit Judge Kevin Morikone denied his request and also denied the state’s motion to hold Damon without bail, saying his current $1 million bail is reasonable.….
read … Judge denies supervised release for alleged Tantalus shooter
Loss to Kahele: Biden Withdraws Ex-KPD Chief’s Nomination After Retaliation Accusations
CB: … Michael Contrades, a former deputy police chief from Kauai, will not be Hawaii’s next U.S. Marshal after the White House this week yanked his nomination after questions were raised about his involvement in a federal retaliation lawsuit that settled for nearly $2 million….
After retiring from KPD, Contrades worked for U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele and Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami, who Schatz said is one of the people who recommended him for the position.
read … Kai Kahele News
For sake of sustainability, Maui County Council needs to rein in county spending
MN: … For the sake of the county’s long-range fiscal sustainability, its elected officials should keep in mind the “golden rule” of budgeting: The government should not grow faster than the economy.
Currently the Maui County Council is considering its fiscal 2023 budget, as represented in Bill 69, and what we’re seeing is a 38 percent increase in spending over fiscal 2019 — before the Great COVID Recession — to a record high $1 billion.
In addition to increasing the spending by 38 percent, the proposed budget also would add 309 new employees to the county’s payroll, for an increase of 12 percent over fiscal 2019.
The majority of the new employees — 63 — would be for the county’s Department of Public Works. The Department of Parks and Recreation would add 47, the Fire and Public Safety Department 47, the Police Department 35 and the Department of Finance 27.
County officials apparently expect to pay for all this expansion by using $37 million in transient accommodations tax revenues and $99 million in increased property tax revenues …
GRIH: For sake of sustainability, Maui County Council needs to rein in county spending
read … For sake of sustainability, Maui County Council needs to rein in county spending
False beliefs about land titles fuel property takeovers
ILind: … I started tracking down information concerning Occupied Forces Hawaii Army after an incident involving Commander Sam Lilikoi was mentioned in the federal criminal charges filed in April against Lindsey Kinney for making death threats against several people (“FBI Arrests Miske Witness After Waianae Harbor Confrontation“). Hawaii News Now then broadcast a story about Lilikoi’s history as a multiple felon in the early 1990s under his real name, Eric C.A. Nelson (“Feds link man accused of threatening Hawaii leaders to paramilitary sovereignty group“).
While searching court records, I found Occupied Forces Hawaii Army had been named as a defendant in a lawsuit stemming from the occupation of a 5-acre parcel of land above Waipahu, which led me to the case that was at the center of my story today….
acting on the basis of these false beliefs about land title, some are now facing criminal charges that are no laughing matter. Felony charges are pending on Maui involving a similar land takeover, and one person in that case has pleaded guilty to 2nd degree burglary, a Class C felony, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Another incident in the same Maui case resulted in one man being shot during an altercation between a lessee and a group of “squatters” claiming ancestral kuleana rights….
(NOTE: Criminals will always be attracted to the idea that the law and private property are invalid.)
read … False beliefs about land titles fuel property takeovers
In Central Oahu, a worsening homeless problem prompts a call for the same old fake ‘solutions’
HNN: … (Socialist) State Rep. Amy Perruso said her office wants to (keep the homeless on the street, thus exploiting them to) revive the public discussion about rent control and property speculation ….
REALITY: A Model for Hawaii: Federal Judge Orders Los Angeles to Clear Skid Row
read … In Central Oahu, a worsening homeless problem prompts a call for new solutions
Hawaii Elections 2022: Primary Election Ballot
CB: … Hawaii is the only state that holds its statewide primary election on a Saturday. This year, the primary is Aug. 13.
Two years ago Hawaii implemented a statewide mail-in balloting system, which helped contribute to a significant voter turnout. Experts predict voting by mail will result in a healthy turnout this year as well.
Voters can still vote in person, if they choose. There will be dozens of voter service centers and places of deposit around the state to provide accessible, in-person voting, same-day voter registration and collection of voted ballots.
The voting service centers will be open 10 days before the primary and until 7 p.m. on election day — the deadline for all completed ballots to be received by County Elections Divisions in order to be counted.
At the federal level, one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats is up this year along with both seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
At the state level, there are races for governor and lieutenant governor. Because of reapportionment, every legislative seat is up, too — all 51 in the state House of Representatives and 25 state Senate seats.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is also a statewide race, and all registered voters may vote for all board of trustee candidates on the ballot. Six of the nine OHA seats are up this year: three at-large seats and one resident seat each for Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island.
At the county level, four of the nine Honolulu City Council seats — Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 — are up. There are races for Maui County mayor, Kauai County mayor and all county council seats in Maui, Kauai and Hawaii counties….
read … Hawaii Elections 2022: Primary Election Ballot
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