December 24, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Friday, December 24, 2010

December 24, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 1:53 PM :: 9269 Views

How Christmas Came to Hawaii

Hawaii Congressional delegation: How they voted December 20-22

Miles of cash: DoE burns $2.2M for “car mileage”

The Dangers of Mail-In Ballots

A New Day In Hawaii: For Abercrombie, discrediting 'birthers' is a top priority

Abercrombie names Legislative policy team

Federal Contract Preferences – A Boon For Native Hawaiian-Owned Companies

A handful of Native Hawaiian-owned companies used federal contracting preferences authored by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-HI, to land some $500 million in non-bid or reduced competition government work since 2005, according to federal purchasing records.

Officials, employees and partners of many of the same companies donated nearly $100,000 during the same period to the Inouye election campaign and $100,000 more to other members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation, files of the Federal Election Commission show.

Much of the contract work involved installation of computer and communications systems for the armed services. A wide range of other jobs have been performed, including security guard work, explosive ordinance disposal and even provision of mental health professionals for treatment of U.S. Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

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Malama Solomon suing State over water to her ranch

Newly appointed State Sen. Malama Solomon is suing the state over a water usage issue on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands pastoral property her family holds on the Big Island.

Solomon is among a group of plaintiffs who filed the suit last year, alleging that DHHL reneged on promises to provide water for livestock that graze on pastoral land leased to the plaintiffs.

The state has argued that it advised the lessees to depend on catchment systems to water their cattle and that bringing water lines to the land would be prohibitively expensive. (They ‘only’ get 100” of rain a year in Honokaa.)

TOTALLY RELATED: Malama Solomon’s meth connection

State Water Official: Chromium Six Test "Irresponsible"

A state water official says a headline-grabbing water study that found a probable carcinogen (sic) in Honolulu's tap water was "irresponsible," since it drew its conclusion based on a single water sample. (What? Chemophobe scammers are using less-than-scientific methods? I’m shocked, just shocked!)

Of the 31 cities tested, the study concluded that Honolulu has the second-highest rate of hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen made famous by the movie "Erin Brockovich." The Environmental Protection Agency is considering setting a limit on the presence of the toxin in tap water.

But drawing a sweeping conclusion for an entire city's water supply based on a single sample isn't good science, says Watson Okubo, supervisor of monitoring and analysis for the Clean Water Branch of the Hawaii Department of Health.

"To say 'this is the situation' by taking one sample, is irresponsible," he said. "That's not a way to run a test. You don't do something like that. It's not scientific."

Okubo suggested that at least 50 samples would be more appropriate.

Leeann Brown, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Working Group, which conducted the study, confirmed that the test relied on one sample from each city. "We took one sample from each city," she said. "Each were collected from unfiltered taps in homes or in public buildings such as hospitals, libraries and malls."

Panos Prevedouros: Chromium-6 In Honolulu’s Tap Water

HFP: Honolulu is #2 on Erin Brockovich hexavalent chromium hit list

Christmas gift to UPW: 10 inmates injured in riot at Arizona prison

Eloy police say the disturbance occurred during Thursday afternoon's lunch hour at the Red Rock Correctional Facility and involved an estimated 110 inmates. They say the riot was in an area of the prison that houses only California inmates.

Red Rock Correctional Center is owned by Corrections Corporation of America and houses male inmates for California and Hawaii and detainees of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Hawaii’s initial unemployment claims fall 25.2%

Hawaii’s initial unemployment claims totaled 2,024 for the week ending Dec. 18, down 25.2 percent from the 2,705 claims that were filed during the same week a year ago….

Benefits extension to help thousands in Hawaii

The Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations estimates that up to 18,000 unemployed Hawaii residents will receive a total of $340 million in benefits due to the extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program.

The program, which originally had ended in November, was extended until January 2012 when President Barack Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010.

Hawaii's War: National Guard, Reservists Face Hardships at Home

The findings are part of a new report compiled by some of the state's top military, business and community leaders. It includes 10 specific calls to action, including the establishment of a Veterans Court.

Among the report's most significant findings is an estimated 15-20 percent of National Guard and Reservists that come home to Hawaii find they've lost their job.

"The economic meltdown occurred right while (troops) were in Iraq and Kuwait. So they got 'Dear John' letters, not from their girlfriends or wives, but from their employers, saying ‘Oh, sorry, our company has folded,'" said Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, the former Hawaii Adjutant General, who oversaw the Hawaii National Guard. Lee was one of 23 members of the executive board that authored the report.

FULL TEXT: http://www.slideshare.net/civilbeat/healing-the-trauma-of-war-action-planmg-november-2010-1

Army looks to improve PTA training facilities

Island residents have to chance comment on the proposal during scoping meetings Jan. 11 at Hilo Intermediate School and Jan. 12 at Waimea Elementary and Intermediate School. Both meetings begin with an open house from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., followed by an open microphone session from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Residents may also mail comments to PTA PEIS, PO Box 514, Honolulu, HI 96809, fax comments to (808) 545-6808, e-mail to PTAEIS@bah.com or leave a comment online at http://www.garrison.hawaii.army.mil.

“Envision Laie” commentary misses the bigger picture

Gay atheist Democrats continue their war on the Mormons.

Central Pacific Financial Corp.'s Private Placement is Fully Subscribed

Central Pacific Financial Corp. (NYSE: CPF), parent company of Central Pacific Bank (CPB), today announced that it has completed another critical step in its recapitalization transaction as investors have agreed to purchase CPF common stock totaling approximately $127.8 million….

Waters off Obama’s vacation home full of sewage

The City & County of Honolulu reports there were an estimated 14 sewage spills during the heavy rainstorm last weekend, at least four of which the state says happened in the windward community of Kailua where President Obama and his family are staying this holiday season….

PHOTOS: Kailua police chase suspect thru checkpoint at Obama vacation home

Secret Service agents sprinted towards the man's pickup truck and pointed a gun at the driver as he attempted to evade police.

ALSO: RAW VIDEO: Driver Breaches Obama Security Zone

SA: Fugitive blunders onto Obama's street

Arrested in Honolulu, Abdel Hameed Shehadeh indicted on terror charges

The previous complaint said Shehadeh traveled to Hawaii in April 2009. There, he bought an airline ticket to Dubai in June, but was intercepted by FBI agents who told him he was on a "no fly" list. In subsequent interviews, he allegedly admitted he had hoped to join the Taliban and receive "guerrilla warfare" and "bomb-making" training, the complaint said.

In the indictment announced yesterday, federal prosecutors allege Shehadeh "did knowingly and willfully" make false and fraudulent statements involving international and domestic terrorism.

Shehadeh, who lived in Hawaii and was arrested in Honolulu in October, is currently in custody in New York. His arraignment will likely take place next week. If convicted on the three-count indictment, Shehadeh would face a maximum of 24 years in prison.

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Biden says gay marriage 'inevitable'

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden predicted Friday the evolution in thinking that will permit gays to soon serve openly in the military eventually will bring about a national consensus for same-sex marriage.

Changes in attitudes by military leaders, those in the service and the public allowed the repeal by Congress of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, Biden noted in a nationally broadcast interview on Christmas eve.

"I think the country's evolving," he said on ABC's "Good Morning America. "And I think you're going to see, you know, the next effort is probably going to be to deal with so-called DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). He said he agreed with Obama that his position in gay marriage is "evolving."

(100% Marcuse & Gramsci)

RELATED: Antonio Gramsci Reading List

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