January 15, 2009 > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Thursday, January 15, 2009

January 15, 2009
By Andrew Walden @ 8:32 PM :: 8258 Views

OHA portfolio's value down 24%

At its peak last year, the fund was worth $444 million. A total of $22 million was withdrawn for OHA operations, and the fund is valued today at $315 million, according to Richard Pezzulo, OHA chief financial officer.

Namuo said OHA withdraws 5 percent of the portfolio's three-year average. That means the stock market downturn will affect the amount that can be withdrawn for several years.

(The less money OHA has, the less damage it can do.)

Makua study finds Army not hurting environment

The 12-page executive summary of the so-called "shellfish study" said comparisons indicated that there is little difference between the contaminants in the samples from the beaches of Nanakuli compared with waters of Sandy Beach. Twenty-six fish samples, 12 shellfish samples and four limu samples were collected.

"The low levels of most substances detected during these investigations suggest that 60 years of live-fire training has not resulted in significant, detectable levels of most substances in the area," the study said.

Maui News: "Impeach Nishiki" drive started

WAILUKU - A group of Maui residents has launched a petition drive to impeach Maui County Council Member Wayne Nishiki. The petition focuses on Nishiki's late filing of a financial report that disclosed he had accepted a $100,000 loan from development firm Dowling Co.

INFO: www.impeachnishiki.com

Thieves net over $10k in KCC heist

Jolynne Uyesono, manager of the Kaua‘i Community College bookstore, said in addition to taking the safe that contained some of the receipts of the second day of instruction, the thieves made off with some candy bars and the entire stock of beef jerky.
“They must have been hungry after all that work,” Uyesono said....

(And why is it that KCC Bookstore has $10K in a safe instead of depositing in the bank? Someone needs to look into UH cash accounting procedures.)

Book Review: Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai’i?

Perhaps, instead of the pseudo-inquiry of the title (does anyone really think that a book entitled Who Owns the Crown Lands? is going to arrive at the answer, “the government, silly?”), it would have been more accurate to have called the volume “Collected Clichés of the Sovereignty Movement.”

Drill here, drill now: Protesters point out Redford as enemy of poor

The protesters, led by the Congress of Racial Equality's national spokesman Niger Innis, suggested Redford should "relinquish his wealth" and live like a poor person. They complained that the filmmaker's anti-drilling stance could lead to higher energy prices for inner-city residents, forcing them to accept a lower standard of living.

Isles score the lowest in qualified teachers

Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, every core academic class must be taught by a highly qualified instructor, but about 32 percent of Hawai'i's courses didn't meet that standard, a Gannett News Service analysis found. The District of Columbia was the only jurisdiction with a rate worse than Hawai'i's.

(While we still debate whether to test teachers for drugs, here is what DC is doing...Time magazine 11-26-08: Rhee tackles classroom challenge)

Audit: Hawaii Tourism Authority lacks clear strategy

The state's lead tourism agency — the Hawai'i Tourism Authority — lacks a strategic plan that sets measurable goals, according to a state auditor's report released yesterday.