Free Money from the Sky: More COVID Cash for Honolulu's Profitable Non-profits
What you probably do not know about Hawaii and sexual revolution
KHON: … One at the top of his list was Hawaiʻi’s eventual embracement of universal marriage equality which was passed in 2013 but was a battle that began in 1990, even before Speaker Saiki became a legislator….
(CLUE: In 1993 the Hawaii Supreme Court invented the first legal gay marriages in the history of the human race.)
Hawaiʻi made reproductive rights a constitutional guarantee in 1970, before Roe v. Wade made it to the U.S. Supreme Court….
“Along the way, there have been a lot of champions. Going back to the 1970s, when the legislature took up abortion rights, even Sen. Pat Saiki was one of the leaders in that movement,” said Speaker Saiki….
With intravenous drug use often comes sharing of those drugs, or at least the paraphernalia. This means syringes are a carrier for diseases. So, the legislature embraced harm reduction as a public policy and made the move to mitigate the transference of diseases in an easily preventable way: syringe exchanges….
“We approved some bills last year on gun control. Hawaiʻi is ranked as one of the top states by the Gabby Giffords Foundation, when it comes to gun control legislation,” added Speaker . In fact, the bill that we passed this past session a few months ago was rated by the Giffords Foundation as the best piece of legislation in the U.S….
“Hawaiʻi’s approach to the environment, to climate, combined with natural resource management began in 2013 when we approved the renewable mandate by the year 2045. A lot of the laws that we have passed since then are geared towards enabling our state to reach that 100% renewable requirement, which is coming up pretty quickly in about 20 years,” said Speaker Saiki….
“As you know, the legislature approved medical marijuana a couple of decades ago. And it was just a few years ago that we were able to finally authorize dispensaries for medical marijuana purposes,” said Speaker Saiki. “However, that system has not been fully implemented, yet. So, that was one reason why we did not rush into recreational marijuana.”…
2006: The transsexual agenda for Hawaii schools
2010: Beyond Marriage The Confession: Hawaii Gay marriage advocates let the polyamorous cat out of the bag
2013: Abercrombie Thanks Sen Chumbley for Tricking Voters on Gay Marriage Back in '98
read … Sex, Drugs, but no Rock n Roll
Former Campbell High athlete wins ESPY over fight for suing DoE over lack of Female Locker Rooms
HNN: … Ashley Badis was one among three honorees presented with the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership award in Los Angeles.
The prestigious award is given to athletes who use the power of sports to be a catalyst of change in their communities, like Billie Jean King.
Now 22-years-old, Badis and several of her former classmates filed a Title IX lawsuit against the state in 2018 over the lack of female facilities and opportunities in Hawaii schools….
read … Former Campbell High athlete wins ESPY over fight for gender equity in Hawaii schools
No decision in Kaimuki ‘monster home’ hearing
SA: …“All my client has done is tried to follow the lead of DPP, to follow the guidance in good faith, to follow the law that applies, the law that the Hawaii Supreme Court says applies — that’s all she’s done,” Yip told the board in his closing statement.
Deputy Corporation Counsel Carolina Miranda Constanzo argued Friday that Lei was in violation, regardless.
Lei previously told the board on June 23 that she relied on Peria and professionals at E.Y. Aczon Architects to correctly calculate the floor area ratio, which was in violation of the land-use ordinances.
However, Peria’s testimony Friday detailed that his process in calculating the floor area ratio conflicted with DPP’s process.
Constanzo countered Friday that the permits’ revocation was heavily based on the miscalculation of the floor area ratio made by Peria, an unlicensed and part-time worker for Aczon E.Y. Architects.
But there were more violations, according to Constanzo.
Among them was the number of wet bars on Lei’s property, which was also in violation of land-use ordinances. Lei’s four wet bars exceeded the two wet bars allowed for a single zoning lot of more than 10,000 square feet.
In June 2021, DPP ordered a halt of Lei’s construction of three homes for her, her adult siblings and her parents, citing violations of land-use ordinances….
read … No decision in Kaimuki ‘monster home’ hearing
One Homeless Person Agrees to Accept Housing After Five Years and one of 306 starts looking for work
SA: … The “medical respite” kauhale called Pulama Ola takes in homeless people well enough to be discharged from a hospital but not healthy enough to live safely on the street, where even minor wounds can turn septic.
“We take for granted having a home and a safe place to be, a clean place to be after we go through something traumatic in the hospital,” Darrah Kauhane- Floerke, executive director of Project Vision, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” livestream program Friday.
Just as important, one resident is now preparing to move into permanent housing after five years of being homeless, Kauhane- Floerke and state homeless coordinator James Koshiba told “Spotlight.”…
So far, 306 people who do not live in Pulama Ola have used Project Vision’s Hiehie hygiene trailer, including one man who said he and friends are now pursuing jobs since they have a place to shower.
“That just shows you how many of the neighbors are grateful for this new resource for them,” Kauhane- Floerke said.
Asked about initial resistance to the kauhale from downtown residents, Koshiba said there was “quite a bit.”
Some critics said the kauhale would attract more homeless people, but the response was that the Capitol district already has lots of homeless people who have nowhere to go to the bathroom, stay clean or get medical help to reduce their reliance on Queen’s….
read … Medical respite kauhale proves a valuable resource
Chop Shop: Thieves take off with homeowner’s chain link fence
KHON: … Hawaii Island real estate investor Teresa Prekaski’s Naalehu property looked like a junkyard before she had a chain link fence installed in June, 2022.
She last visited her property in June, 2023 before she returned to the mainland for work. Her neighbor sent a photo of the place where her fence used to be on Thursday, July 13.
“I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it,” Prekaski said. “A fence? I put up the fence to keep everybody out. There was at one time 20 cars and they were running a wrecking yard off an investment property!”
Prekaski spent $7,800 to put the fence in.
“And now it’s completely gone,” Prekaski said, “I was shocked. A fence, of all things.”
Prekaski’s neighbor told KHON2.com that property crime is an ongoing issue.
“Multiple times,” Heather Doolittle said, “I have a fruit stand over on the other side, they constantly thieve from me and I try to, I’ve actually finally got enough money to set up a camera over there to try to catch them, catch their face.”
The Big Island’s prosecuting attorney said prison overcrowding adds to the problem….
read … Thieves take off with homeowner’s chain link fence
Maalaea Harbor boaters beg state officials for help deterring thieves
HNN: … Maalaea Small Boat Harbor on Maui is bustling with visitors by day – and thieves by night.
Boaters say they are being targeted by thieves almost every week and they are begging state officials to help keep them safe.
“It’s definitely a persistent issue and it’s definitely an issue that effects several operators here, if not all of us,” said Stephen Bennett, Trilogy’s Director of Operations.
Trilogy’s surveillance video captured three thieves breaking into one of its boat last week Thursday around 9:45 p.m….
Bennett says their cameras and other security measures they have clearly are not enough to deter the thieves.
“We have a security gate and they’re getting around it,” Bennett said. “These three have been described, caught on cameras, on other vessels and breaking into other boats.”
The Leilani with the Pride of Maui has an alarm system that apparently isn’t a deterrence either.
“I’ve come on to the boat in the mornings with this back hatch completely ripped open,” said Captain Nathaniel Greene. “All my hatches have been gone through, all of the gear stolen. The theft is one thing, but the vandalism is the biggest thing. Broken beer bottles on the boat, left over cigarettes. These guys are having a party down here. They have all the time in the world because there’s no security at the harbor.”,….
read … Maalaea Harbor boaters beg state officials for help deterring thieves
Prison officials conduct shakedown at OCCC following inmate murder
HNN: … Prison officials at Oahu Community Correctional Center executed a shakedown Friday, one week after an inmate was murdered.
Several state law enforcement agencies cooperated in the search, including the state Sheriff’s, Narcotics Enforcement Division and the Attorney General’s office.
Investigators recovered undisclosed contraband items ….
SA: Contraband search at Oahu’s largest jail prompts criminal probes
read … Prison officials conduct shakedown at OCCC following inmate murder
Deregulation: New law gives hemp industry a boost
TGI: …Due to stringent regulations, Hawai‘i’s hemp farmers have faced numerous challenges in bringing their products to market,” said Morikawa, whose district includes the southern and western portions of the island and Ni‘ihau, in a statement.
“Act 263 strives to uplift the local hemp industry and provide people with easier access to the numerous benefits offered by hemp products.”
The act states that hemp has more than 50,000 recognized uses, including as a fuel, food and fiber. The act further states hemp has “significant potential to provide a lucrative crop for Hawaii farmers and can support food security for the state.”
But overregulation of the industry has stifled growth, something the new act aims to remedy. Beside doing away with redundant regulations, which will reduce costs for local farmers, the act also permits the licensure of hemp producers to sell hemp biomass (the non-flower parts of the plant).
The act also establishes the Hawai‘i Hemp Task Force, which will be jointly convened by the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and Department of Health to gather and analyze data in order to better grasp industry needs.
Additionally, the act promotes labeling transparency by specifying the percentage of hemp grown in Hawai‘i and allocates money to the health department for hiring or consulting with a toxicologist or consultant in order to foster farmer confidence in hemp growth ....
HG: Hawai’i Clearing More Hemp Hurdles
read … New law gives hemp industry a boost
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