Three Oahu Judges Appointed
Property Tax Credit Application Deadline September 30
EPA: Navy Red Hill, Hickam 'Not in Compliance'
What’s Up With These Skyrocketing Electric Bills?
HNN: … Social media users have been on fire recently asking why their electric bills are skyrocketing with drastic increases over a short time period.
“Just wondering if others HECO bill went up as much as mine did? It has been steadily increasing with the gas prices but this last one we just received was $78 higher than last month’s $285! That seems like a lot and I thought I heard that the increase with the coal burning plant closing was going to be about $15 or so. I’m in shock!,” one person posted on the social media platform NextDoor.com.
The response from other posters was immediate.
“Ours went up $85. Shocked, no A/C either. Really??”
“Same here. Went from 300 to 380 the previous month and this month went up to 445!!! And we don’t even have AC.”
In August, Hawaiian Electric warned Oahu households that they would see their monthly electricity bills increase by about 7% when the company shut down the state’s last remaining coal-fired power plant on Sept. 1. As oil prices dropped, that estimate was lowered to 4%…..
Social media users have been on fire recently asking why their electric bills are skyrocketing with drastic increases over a short time period.
“Just wondering if others HECO bill went up as much as mine did? It has been steadily increasing with the gas prices but this last one we just received was $78 higher than last month’s $285! That seems like a lot and I thought I heard that the increase with the coal burning plant closing was going to be about $15 or so. I’m in shock!,” one person posted on the social media platform NextDoor.com.
The response from other posters was immediate.
“Ours went up $85. Shocked, no A/C either. Really??”
“Same here. Went from 300 to 380 the previous month and this month went up to 445!!! And we don’t even have AC.”
In August, Hawaiian Electric warned Oahu households that they would see their monthly electricity bills increase by about 7% when the company shut down the state’s last remaining coal-fired power plant on Sept. 1. As oil prices dropped, that estimate was lowered to 4%….
KHON: Her bill is up almost 50% since March — she owes over $500 at the end of September.
read … What’s Up With These Skyrocketing Electric Bills?
Oahu North Shore homebuyers sue over erosion
SA: … some buyers have complained that they weren’t fully apprised of the risks, and two California residents are now suing. They say that Rupert Oberlohr, who sold them a Sunset Beach property, and his real estate agent engaged in deceptive practices by not fully explaining the risks posed by the eroding shoreline.
Oberlohr strongly denies the allegations, saying through his attorney that the real reason the new owners were suing him is because their business plan of using the property for vacation rentals fell through.
California residents Peter Rudisill and Kristjan Higdon purchased the property at 59-175-B Ke Nui Road for $1.9 million in 2019. An advertisement listed by real estate agent Julia Napua Fetzer of Hawaii Life described it as a “beachfront paradise.” The main three-bedroom house has a lanai, which the ad said was an ideal spot for watching waves, as well as a two-bedroom house in back. A picture shows a wide beach extending out from the property.
But that wide beach is deceptive. At certain times of the year, the beach narrows substantially as the direction of swells shifts. All of a sudden, the shoreline can become dangerous, as Oberlohr experienced firsthand in January 2014, when 50-foot waves pummeled the North Shore.
(NOTE: They fail to blame sea level rise.)
Oberlohr, who had owned and lived on the property since the 1970s, joked to Hawaii News Now at the time that either the ocean or his ex-wife would end up taking his house….
Big Q: Should shoreline homeowners be allowed to put up seawalls, berms, etc., against coastal erosion?
read … Oahu North Shore homebuyers sue over erosion
Affordable Housing? Waianae townhome residents say the state is forcing them out
KHON: … the state has been charging Ulu Wehi Town Homes residents ground rent of $680 a year. In January, that will go up to nearly $4,500 a year ….
read … Waianae townhome residents say the state is forcing them out
Kauai landowner faces $1.5 million in fines for "high hazard potential" at Mauka Dam
KITV: … The state is calling it "a high hazard potential dam" whose failure could result in the "probable loss of human life."
A Kauai landowner could face more than $1 million in fines per year from the state for not taking care of deficiencies from their dam.
The state Board of Land and Natural Resources met Friday to discuss this issue, which involves the Mauka Dam on the southside of the Garden Isle.
The state says the landowner, Eric A. Knudsen Trust, has failed to comply with its Notice of Deficiency that was issued about a year ago.
"The owner has asserted that they do not believe their dam should be classified as a high hazard dam, which is fine, however, they have failed to present to the department any compelling documentation or engineering justification that the dam's failure will not result in loss of life," said Carty Chang, chief engineer of the Engineering Division of DLNR.
The landowner's attorney says they do not believe its dam is regulated at all by the BLNR because of the dam's size and volume.
"We strongly disagree with the characterization of the original 2007 study that characterizes this dam as high hazard," said Greg Kugle, an attorney representing landowner, Eric A. Knudsen Trust. "That was a study that was rushed and flawed and we intend to demonstrate that."
The state says the 550-foot dam, which it says is in poor condition, has a population at risk that includes 855 people including a school and fire station.
Both the BLNR and the landowner have agreed to a contested case hearing. A timeframe for that hearing has yet to be scheduled.
read … Kauai landowner faces $1.5 million in fines for "high hazard potential" at Mauka Dam
‘High Loss Risk’: Investors wanted for Oahu surf park project
SA: …Developers of a planned surf park on state land at Kalaeloa are trying to interest the general public in the venture as investors through an unusual offering.
An Ohio-based company is seeking to raise about $100,000 for the $155 million project called Honokea Surf Villages and Resort by selling shares of stock in an affiliated company.
Honokea’s developers, local big-wave surfer Brian Keaulana and Kenan “Keno” Knieriem Jr. of HK Management, partnered with Columbus, Ohio-based real estate fundraising firm Rhove to help finance the surf park project, which Rhove describes as being in a pre-development phase with high loss risk….
read … Theres a Sucker Born Every Minute
Hawaii is one of the few states without a NIBIN Ballistics Database system
HNN: … If Honolulu Police recover casings from a crime scene in Kalihi and puts it into NIBIN, the system can link the gun to another crime scene. That’s called a hit.
“It might not tell us who the shooter was but what it can do is say that most likely the same firearm was used,” ATF Special Agent Aaron Joseph said….
NIBIN can also connect spent rounds from ghost guns offering potential leads.
Most states have at least one permanent system but Hawaii does not have a database. The machine in the ATF Honolulu office is on loan for 90 days.
Once the machine goes away, there will be no longer be a NIBIN system in the state.
During the three month loan, the ATF’s been inputting old casings from Hawaii County crimes, leading them to some hits — including one from a murder case….
read … Hawaii is one of the few states without a NIBIN system
Maui leads in gun-carry permits; other counties expect to issue soon
KHON: … More than 500 people across the state have filed for a concealed carry gun permit and nine have them already in hand. They’re all within Maui County so far.
Maui has approved nine out of 31 applications received and none of the other counties have yet issued one. The Big Island and Kauai have each taken in a couple of dozen applications (22 and 20 respectively). Oahu has 436 pending….
Honolulu’s Police Department is holding a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 4 on new rules (hearing notice). The chief’s spokesperson told Always Investigating: “Testimony will be reviewed by HPD and corporation counsel. The Department anticipates issuing the first licenses before the end of the month if the rules are passed without amendment.”…
Firearms permits information and applications:
read … Maui leads in gun-carry permits; other counties expect to issue soon
He paid Tesla for a solar panel system. 4 years later, he’s never been able to use it
HNN: … In June 2018, Tesla’s SolarCity installed roof panels and wall chargers on Ben Kulia’s multi-unit home in Manoa.
The project was supposed to save him money ― while saving the environment.
But all it’s done is give him grief. To this day, the system isn’t generating any energy or savings for him.
“There’s no proper permit, I cannot turn it on,” he said. “And therefore the system just sits on my roof. And I feel really mental anguish every time I come home.”
The city Department of Planning and Permitting says it’s been waiting since October 2019 for paperwork from Tesla before it can approve the permit. Telsa told Kulia they’re working on it.
But in March, communication stopped and all customer service inquiries were routed to a call center….
read … He paid Tesla for a solar panel system. 4 years later, he’s never been able to use it
Impunity for Aikau Family? Suspect charged with assault in road rage case prosecutors initially declined
HNN: … Months after prosecutors initially declined the case, a suspect has been charged with second-degree assault in the road rage beating of a 70-year-old Laie man.
Danielreid Aikau, 28, was released Friday from the sheriff’s booking station on Keawe Street after posting bail.
Aikau was initially arrested for assault in July, but was released without charges days later….
But officials decided to take another look following public outcry…..
read … Suspect charged with assault in road rage case prosecutors initially declined
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