Fascism Doesn't Pay: Hawaii 'Proud Boy' Leader Pleads Guilty
Carpenters union blew $4.1M on political campaign that didn’t work
KHON: … New primary election spending reports show the Carpenter’s Union PAC broke all records trying to keep Sylvia Luke from the lieutenant governor’s office, including ads many called a smear.
And now that Luke is on the Democratic ticket with gubernatorial candidate Josh Green…
State Campaign Spending Commission numbers show that Be Change Now spent $1.2 million opposing Luke.
They also say that the union PAC spent $2.9 million to support her opponent, former City Councilmember Ikaika Anderson.
In all, Be Change Now spent $4.1 million dollars in the lieutenant governor’s primary — which is the most ever by a PAC for a single race.
Political experts say the ads backfired with some voters — given Luke’s comfortable victory….
Background:
read … Hawaii union set spending record on political campaign that didn’t work
20% Police Raises Approved by Honolulu City Council
CB: … The contract to increase police officers pay by 5% per year through 2025 received unanimous approval from the Honolulu City Council on Wednesday.
The raises will cost Honolulu taxpayers $136.7 million over the three years, according to the resolution approved by the council, but State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers says the increased wages are long overdue.
The raises are a result of an arbitration agreement approved in July between the SHOPO and the state and all four counties. Hawaii island and Kauai county councils have already approved the agreement that runs from June 30, 2021 to June 30, 2025….
HTH: Police raises approved: New contract gives 20% pay increase over four years
read … Police Raises Approved by Honolulu City Council
Katherine Kealoha ‘a mess’ back in court as her own attorney
KHON: … Convicted felon Katherine Kealoha was back in federal court on Friday. This time, representing herself as she tries to appeal her conviction and get released on bail. The judge denied both, and at times scolded the former prosecutor for her court filings.
Since July 27, Katherine Kealoha has filed six handwritten filings in court arguing that she should be released on bail because her first attorney was ineffective. And she thought her second attorney Earle Partington had filed an appeal of her conviction, which he didn’t.
At one point, she also said prosecutor Michael Wheat should be removed from the case.
In court on Friday, the judge told Kealoha, “I’m left somewhat confused as to what your intent is… honestly, it’s just a mess right now.”
The judge added, “You just can’t keep filing things… That’s got to stop!”
She told the judge, “It’s very difficult, I don’t have access to paper… So when I’m filing these things, a lot of it has to do with what I recall.”
She tried to argue with the judge when he refused to release her on bail. And he immediately replied, “Ms. Kealoha, that’s not gonna happen… Let’s deal with realities!”
We asked Partington why the appeal wasn’t filed.
“The last time I talked to her about an appeal was right after her sentencing, and she wanted to think about what she wanted to do, and I didn’t hear from her for months,” Partington said….
read … Katherine Kealoha back in court as her own attorney
‘Where is she?’ a year after Isabella Kalua’s disappearance
KHON: … It’s been almost a year since six-year-old Isabella Kalua, also known as Ariel Sellers, was reported missing. Her adoptive parents remain in custody awaiting trial for her murder, but the little girl’s body still hasn’t been found. Her biological family is holding on to hope they’ll one day be able to lay her to rest and are planning a vigil to honor her memory.
September 12th marks one year since little Isabella was first reported missing by her adoptive parents Lehua and Isaac Kalua…..
read … ‘Where is she?’ a year after Isabella Kalua’s disappearance
Suicide in Hawaii: By the numbers
KHON: … HAWAII SUICIDE STATISTICS
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11th leading cause of death in Hawaii
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2nd leading cause of death for ages 10 to 34
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3rd leading cause of death for ages 35 to 44
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6th leading cause of death for ages 45 to 54
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8th leading cause of death for ages 55 to 64
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18th leading cause of death for ages 65+
Over 6x as many people died by suicide in 2019 than in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents
62% of firearm deaths were suicides
17% of all suicides were by firearms
Click here for more information on Hawaii’s numbers.
read … Suicide in Hawaii: By the numbers
A big mess’: Frustration grows as school bus driver shortage impacts students, parents in Maui
HNN: … Parents are frustrated with the alternative transportation options the DOE is offering.
Trinity Peterson said her children’s school advised her Friday that her kids’ bus route would be affected.
“It’s been a big mess, to say the least,” said Peterson.
Her family only has one car, so they accepted DOE’s offer to pay for the Maui County Bus.
“It ended up taking them an hour and 20 minutes over the time and they’re already here at 6:30 in the morning,” said Peterson. “So, they’re not getting home until almost five o’clock in the evening so it’s kind of ridiculous.”
There is also a shuttle students can use which departs from the Wharf Cinema Center at 7:45 a.m.
“But still, that shuttle doesn’t start picking them up until school starts basically,” said parent Stephanie Espiritu. “So, they’re late to school and that can’t set you up for a good day.”
With so many more kids being driven in private cars, parents fighting traffic on Lahainaluna Road — which feeds three different campuses — can take 45 minutes to an hour while the buses arrive less than full….
read … ‘A big mess’: Frustration grows as school bus driver shortage impacts students, parents in Maui
Maui County Lets Bums Flop in Do-gooders Parking Lot
MN: … Mayor Michael Victorino announced during a press conference today that he signed Bill 108, approved unanimously by the Maui County Council on Aug. 23. The pilot project is allocated to receive up to $200,000 in the fiscal year 2023 budget.
Maui County’s first “safe sleeping zone” may be at J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku, located at 95 Mahalani St., the announcement added. During a recent council meeting, some expressed concerns about which county lots would be used for the program.
J. Walter Cameron Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “incubate, support and accelerate social good in the community.” Established in 1973, the County of Maui granted a 35-year lease extension to the center in 2009....
SA Editorial: Reach out to help homeless in cars
Big Q: Do you support Maui’s program to allow homeless people to sleep in their cars overnight in a county lot?
read … Cameron Center to be first site to allow sleeping in vehicles
Hilo Swamp Site of Latest Affordable Housing Scam
HTH: … When the county prepared its environmental assessment for the drainage easement, it did not expect that any of the lots along this stretch of Kapiolani Street would be developed. Instead, the entire area was intended to be acquired by the county to handle drainage.
For whatever reason, that did not occur, and so the lot where the Kaiaulu o Kapiolani project is intended to be built remained in private hands, unlike the adjoining lots. In fact, it changed hands after the drainage easement study, with the current owner paying $1,000 for a quitclaim deed. The developer is now proposing to pay that owner, Giampaolo Boschetti, $1.6 million for the land, according to project cost figures given to the Hawaii Housing and Finance Development Corporation….
This is advertised as an “affordable” housing project. Yet the developer’s own cost figures show the average cost per unit to be around $840,000, far above the cost of a decent single-family home in the Hilo area….
read … A bad site for Hilo housing project
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