Point-in-Time 2023: Homelessness Up Sharply in Hawaii, Kauai Counties
Kaneohe Marine Corps Project Funnels Millions to Sierra Club
Joint Task Force Red Hill Begins Dewatering
Red Hill: Case Urges Waiver From Jones Act/Cargo Preference Requirements To Expedite Defueling
NOAA Comments Open: Designate 777,000 Square Mile Marine Sanctuary Near Hawaii
Cockfight Shooting: Mafia paranoia about Federal Informers?
SA: … Two males wanted for their alleged roles in a mass shooting in Maili early Friday in which two people were killed and three others were wounded turned themselves in to police Tuesday night.
Jacob Borge, 23, and 16- year-old Shaedan-Styles McEnroe-Keaulii turned themselves in at about 9:34 p.m. to District 8 Crime Reduction Unit officers….
According to sources with knowledge of the incident, the 16-year-old is McEnroe-Keaulii. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is naming him because of the serious nature of the crime, one of the worst mass shootings in Hawaii in decades….
Borge, aka “Hotboy Jakes,” and McEnroe-Keaulii are from Waianae.
Borge has a court date scheduled for June 19 in connection with an Oct. 28 citation for carrying a deadly weapon described as “stainless metal knuckles designed to fit four fingers.”
The Star-Advertiser reached Borge by phone earlier Tuesday through contact information in court records, and asked him about being a suspect in the mass shooting in Maili and whether he planned to turn himself in. He declined comment and hung up….
Police reported that a fight broke out around midnight Friday among a group of males at the end of the cockfight, shots were fired and the five victims, who were nearby, were struck.
The group of men allegedly confronted people they believed were responsible for tipping off federal agents, and a fight that began with fists ended when the shooter, or shooters, pulled out a gun and fatally shot two people and wounded three men, ages 38, 40 and 57.
Killed were Gary Rabellizsa Jr., 34, and Cathy Rabellizsa, 59.
(CLUE: Gary Sr convicted of 1992 homicide.)
While the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation, Star-Advertiser sources indicate that authorities are exploring whether an ongoing federal drug investigation and the execution of a search warrant that resulted in the detention of several men caused conflict between rival factions on the Waianae Coast….
KHON: Maili shooting: Charging a minor as an adult?
read … 2 suspects in Maili shooting surrender to police
‘Reeks of organized crime’: ‘Lilo and Stitch’ set fire reopens old industry wounds
HNN: … “It almost reeks of old-world, organized crime activity where you start taking over certain aspects of business whether it be the concrete business, the waterfront or the movie industry,” said former Honolulu Police Deputy Chief John McCarthy.
The fire is reminiscent of a much larger 1991 blaze that sent chills through Hawaii’s then-fledgling film industry.
That fire destroyed a whole fleet of trucks, vans and equipment at two locations.
It took more than seven years for prosecutors to secure convictions against Joe “Boy” Tavares and George Cambra, who were hoping to take over the lucrative movie equipment rental business.
“Periodically these problems crop up and then the industry and government officials say, ‘Hey, we can’t let this happen. It’s gonna kill the golden goose,’” said investigative reporter and author Jim Dooley.
McCarthy said police are under pressure to solve these types of crimes quickly.
But the cases are often difficult, he said.
“The fire destroys most of the evidence, and then the firemen, they’ve got to put out the fire but in doing so they destroy more evidence,” he said.
In the past, industry insiders have blamed the 1991 fires and in-fighting among the Teamster’s union, which supplies workers for the industry, for scaring away the film industry in the mid-1990s.
They’re hoping Sunday’s fire is an isolated incident and not the beginning of new crimes targeting the industry.
This year, Hawaii’s film and television industry is expected to generate about $400 million in spending.
“(They) don’t want the industry to go away. It’s a great industry for the for the drivers, they make a lot of money driving on these shows,” said Dooley….
Cambra: Secret Arbitration Revealed: How DPS Official Kept Crooked Cop On The Job After FBI Raid -- "George Cambra Sr., served a federal prison sentence for conspiring with fellow Teamster movie driver Joseph 'Joe Boy' Tavares in 1997 to set fire to film and television production vehicles owned by competitors of the Cambra company."
read … ‘Reeks of organized crime’: ‘Lilo and Stitch’ set fire reopens old industry wounds
DEA agents uncover clandestine meth lab in Kapolei
SA: … Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration conducting a search warrant of a suspected clandestine methamphetamine production lab in the 92-500 block of Awawa Street in Kapolei at about 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon found “volatile chemicals and materials that could endanger area residents,” according to news release from the DEA.
DEA Honolulu Office agents conducting a search warrant found chemicals and materials that resembled a methamphetamine production lab and decided to exit the residence and call the Honolulu Police Department Lab Team to help out, according to the statement from DEA.
At about 7:30 p.m. the FBI bomb squad responded to the scene to help and the neighbors were evacuated while officials conducted their ongoing investigation.
(NOTE: Almost all meth is imported to Hawaii. Meth labs are almost non-existent here. This may indicate a shift in mafia activities.)
SA: The drug lab discovery is unrelated to a separate active federal drug case that resulted in a search warrant on a Waianae property in recent weeks, stirring tensions among rival criminal factions wondering who turned them in to the U.S. Department of Justice.
read … DEA agents uncover clandestine meth lab in Kapolei
Council to Approve Money for attorneys representing 3 indicted ex-city officials
HNN: … On Wednesday, the Honolulu City Council is expected to clear the way for the city to pay for the defense of three former city officials charged with illegally paying ex-Police Chief Louis Kealoha $250,000 to retire….
Former Managing Director Roy Amemiya, Corporation Counsel Donna Leong and Police Commission Chair Max Sword were indicted by a federal grand jury 16 months ago….
CB: Honolulu Officials Move To Dismiss Charges Against Them In Police Chief Retirement Payout
read … Taxpayers will likely foot the bill for attorneys representing 3 indicted ex-city officials
Next Boondoggle: Army Corps unveils plan to wall off Ala Wai canal to stop non-existent flooding
SA: … The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has unveiled a “prospective plan” for how to deal with a potential flooding disaster facing 200,000 people in Waikiki and neighboring communities.
While the controversial concrete walls around the Ala Wai Canal remain in the plan, another contentious proposal has been dropped: the Manoa District Park detention basin….
Big Q: What do you think about building flood-control walls along the Ala Wai Canal?
read … Army Corps unveils plan to handle Ala Wai flooding
ILWU Make-Work Bill HB 714 will exacerbate, not ease, Hawaii high cost of living
SA: … House Bill 714, relating to mooring lines, would add new, duplicative labor requirements to ships bringing goods into Hawaii ports.
Hawaii’s shipping companies have labor agreements in place with workers at our ports. The bill seeks to mandate that stevedore workers be used to secure vessels to docks, regardless of whether there are labor agreements already in place….
We understand the intent of the bill is to create jobs by replacing those who are already hard at work and doing those jobs safely. However, we must also consider that international supply shortages, record-high increases in shipping costs around the world, and employer mandates have already made doing business harder than ever, and this bill ultimately affects working families.
Unfortunately, our business community and residents would suffer unintended consequences if this bill is passed. The impact of additional labor requirements would increase Hawaii’s already high cost of goods and services for consumers and will likely cause supply disruptions for businesses and residents on the neighbor islands….
read … HB 714 will exacerbate, not ease, Hawaii high cost of living
Hawaii May Subsidize Pay For Child Care Workers
CB: … This two-year pilot program, created via House Bill 547, would specifically boost pay for those who work with infants and toddlers.
If passed, the measure would allow child care centers to apply for the subsidy to increase their staff’s wages. When requesting the subsidy amount, applicants must state how much each child care worker would receive if the subsidy is awarded.
The bill requires approved recipients to raise the pay of their workers to at least $16 an hour, which is more than the current median pay for child care workers, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. …
KITV: President's order could help Hawaii's long term and child care workers
read … Hawaii May Subsidize Pay For Child Care Workers
HHSC drops notice on insurance provider
HTH: … Hawaii Health Systems Corporation operates several Big Island hospitals including Hilo Medical Center, Ka‘u Hospital and Kona Community Hospital, among others.
HHSC currently has a contract with insurance company University Health Alliance, but after months of negotiations, HHSC informed UHA it intends to terminate the relationship if the parties cannot reach an agreement by May 5.
UHA’s members include 4,000 employer groups and 57,000 individuals statewide….
read … HHSC drops notice on insurance provider
Affordable Housing? Maui County buys Lahaina Crossroads Apartments--year later they sit half empty
CB: … In late spring of 2022 the owner of the Lahaina Crossroads Apartments decided to renovate the 20-unit building, paving the way for vacation rentals. On his wife Kathy’s 71st birthday, Aaron Kamaunu learned they had 45 days to leave. She had lived there for 36 years, long before the couple met. He moved in and retired from the Maui Police Department and worked for the last two decades as the building’s caretaker.
Kamaunu, 61, and other tenants staged a demonstration and made headlines, spurring the county to step in and purchase.
But by that time, it was already too late for the Kamaunus.
It wasn’t until after Kamaunu was thousands of miles away living with his daughter near Tacoma that he learned the county was trying to purchase his old home. Six months after he moved out, the deal to buy the 20-apartment complex without an elevator was finalized for $10.98 million — the equivalent of about $550,000 per unit.
But all that time, Kamaunu’s top floor apartment, No. 18, sat empty. He wasn’t the only tenant who left before the purchase went through, and today, at least half of the units are still vacant. Residents who stayed say there’s been little communication from their new landlord, Maui County….
read … Government Fails Again
Affordable Housing? This Elderly Woman Was Threatened With Eviction — Over 50 Cents
CB: … The management of a state-owned affordable apartment property for seniors is threatening to terminate the lease of an elderly resident over a 50 cent debt.
Residents say it’s just the latest indignity suffered by people who live at the Queen Street complex.
The move by Locations Hawaii’s property management division has drawn criticism from elected officials who have taken interest in the Honuakaha Elderly Housing Apartments after complaints by residents.
Low-income kupuna living in the Kakaako project have complained of problems ranging from black mold and faulty appliances to the case of a dead resident who tenants say Locations Hawaii agreed to check on only after repeated complaints of a bad smell coming from the apartment….
read … This Elderly Woman Was Threatened With Eviction — Over 50 Cents
Have A Complaint About Your Condo? You May Get Slapped With Paying For The Lawyers Who Fight You
CB: … Condo association lawyers and lobbyists have successfully shot down efforts by lawmakers to ban "excessive" fees on owners…..
read … Have A Complaint About Your Condo? You May Get Slapped With Paying For The Lawyers Who Fight You
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