VIDEO: State of the State Address
Supreme Court: Election Officials moved office furniture instead of ‘curing’ hundreds of invalidated ballots
HB132 Would Eliminate Election Auditing
U.S. Marine runs toward gunfire, applies lifesaving aid in Waikiki shooting
Perruso: Republicans Will Take Wahiawa if Dems Don’t Pretend to Clean up Corruption
CB: … I said that because I have been knocking on the doors, and this is a Democratic stronghold, Wahiawa has been in Democratic hands for as long as we have been a state. The community is troubled by the corruption question. And I can’t explain why my colleagues are not hearing the same thing from their communities.
I have had community members with tears in their eyes saying they can no longer vote, no matter what, no matter how much they love me, they can no longer vote for a Democrat because we have become complacent and corrupt. And so for me, knowing this community, knowing the people I’m talking to, they’re intergenerational community members. They understand the values of the party. They’re good, decent people.
And once you have those conversations at the doors, it’s like nothing else was as emotionally charged. There were other issues that came up. We had other conversations, but nobody was crying. Nobody was saying they were going to sever lifetime relationships, relationships their parents have had with the party.
For some people, that was it. That was the end of the relationship….
read … Rep. Amy Perruso: Don't Underestimate How Important Reform Is To The Public
Experts: Hawaii’s economy poised to slow down ‘significantly’
HNN: … UH Economic Research Organization Executive Director Carl Bonham said Hawaii has the return of international visitors to look forward to along with strong federal spending and a robust construction sector.
All that means “Hawaii will not go into recession, but we will slow down pretty significantly,” he said.
He added, “If you’ve got a credit card balance that you’re not paying off, your interest rates are going up. And one of the best things you can do is pay that down. Those rates ... they’re going to continue to rise.”
The Hawaii Chamber of Commerce said the outlook is all the more reason for lawmakers to pass tax relief and incentives for small businesses.
“Even though we’re seeing economic activity, many of our small businesses are still digging out of this deep hole those dug by the pandemic,” said Sherry Menor-McNamara, chamber president and CEO….
PBN: Hawaii hotel occupancy in 2022 was only slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels
read … Experts: Hawaii’s economy poised to slow down ‘significantly,’ but stop short of recession
School Choice Week: Our keiki deserve an education fitting their unique needs
SA Choice: … Every January, schools, parents and educators celebrate National School Choice Week and the diversity of available education options. As someone who benefited greatly from school choice, I welcome the opportunity to reflect on my educational journey in Hawaii, which was anything but traditional.
My mother was a public school teacher for 30 years before retiring from Mokulele Elementary. As a teacher, she understood the importance of a quality education and where it could take me.
After much deliberation, my parents decided to homeschool their children throughout elementary. For those elementary years, this was the best option for my family….
As middle school approached, my parents decided to send me to St. Ann’s, a private Catholic school in Kaneohe. My first experience in a structured classroom enabled me to cultivate new skills, such as public speaking, and group collaboration.
After graduating, I attended Radford High School on a geographical exception. I continued to flourish, taking AP classes, belonging to several student groups, and graduating in the top 5% of my class…..
Related: Hawaii Families Seek to Boost Awareness of K-12 Options During School Choice Week
read … Column: Our keiki deserve an education fitting their unique needs
State Regulators Gratuitously Orders Shut Down of Octopus Farm
SA: … The Kanaloa Octopus Farm has grown from an intriguing aquaculture startup to a uniquely popular Hawaii island tourist attraction in a little over seven years.
But the Kailua-Kona concern — which fell under a national media spotlight (was attacked by animal liberation nuts) in December that suggested the operation and its methods were cruel to the octopuses — was ordered to discontinue its activities last week after the state Division of Aquatic Resources declared it was operating without required permits.
A cease-and-desist letter sent to the octopus farm said it needs a special activity permit to work with day octopuses, a regulated species, under 1 pound and an aquarium permit for any animals it possesses that were caught in West Hawaii waters.
Jacob Conroy, the farm’s owner, said Friday that he doesn’t believe he’s in violation of the law because the farm doesn’t have any day octopuses under 1 pound and no animals originating from West Hawaii waters….
read … Octopus farm is ordered to halt illegal activity
Hawaii Highways Closed For Accidents, Infuriating Residents and Visitors
BH: … Visitor Glenna was stuck in the accident traffic. She reported (excerpted): “We left Kaanapali at 10:30 this morning on our way to Kihei. We are still not in Kihei – it’s 2pm. This is ridiculous. We heard that a dump truck flipped over somewhere ahead. Who knows. People are missing flights. Got out of the car (this is standstill traffic) and chatted with someone who left three hours ahead for their flight at 3pm and they will miss it now. Plus, they’re running out of gas. Taking this long to clear an accident is not ok.”…
read … Hawaii Highways Closed For Accidents, Infuriating Residents and Visitors
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