Lahaina Fires: Where are the students?
Earthjustice Files Lawsuit to Clean Up Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant
Green Updates Lahaina Emergency Price Controls
HECO Postpones Time-of-Use Rate Hikes
India abolishes its ‘Jones Act,’ could be role model for U.S.
Eminent Domain News: Criminal Kaniela Ing writing the ‘New Urbanist’ blueprint for Lahaina
CNU: … As New Urbanists, we are inclined to help by designing resilient and walkable places that center community. This work will be vital as Lahaina looks to rebuild. Still, design must not be done in a vacuum and must acknowledge the historic and ongoing harms inflicted on Native communities.
Make it Right in New Orleans is an example of what happens when noble intentions run into the reality of ignoring context. The poor and working-class neighborhoods of New Orleans needed vernacular styles proven to be resilient and sustainable for centuries. These styles could be adapted with modern technology like solar panels and energy-efficient construction, but instead, Make it Right’s designs prioritized next-gen features over context and constructed homes with flat roofs that lacked basic features like rain gutters, overhangs, covered beams, or waterproof paint to weather New Orleans’ torrential downpours. Within weeks, houses began to develop mold, leaks, and rot, and today, many of the 109 homes have become unlivable. (Be sure to click that link and read it. Just do it.)
(TRANSLATION: We will do the same thing in Lahaina. Hello: ‘Frog and scorpion’)
These same mistakes of ignoring context cannot be made as Maui rebuilds and grapples with a more intense housing affordability crisis. Says Kaniela Ing the National Director of the Green New Deal Network and a seventh-generation Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) (convicted criminal campaign spending violator), “With the Department of Hawaiian Homes fully funded for the first time and various land trusts eager to lend a hand, the moment is ripe to provide our many unsheltered Kānaka Maoli with homes that dignify their heritage. The people of Maui, especially survivors (me), are taking charge of the recovery process, reshaping the blueprint for our island’s restoration.
(NOTE: If you see Ing on Maui, get a video and call the police! He may be in violation of his sentencing restrictions which require him to stay on Oahu. Use YouTube.)
We’re picturing a community-driven, just recovery that reconstructs Maui and fosters new leadership among Maui residents—from collaboratively rebuilding a school one day to advocating at the county council the next. As we rise from the ashes, our rebuilding efforts must champion hoʻomana Lāhui—the spirit of collective empowerment.”
(TRANSLATION: Eminent domain will be used to reimagine Lahaina as Wailea v2 surrounding the ‘Venice of the Pacific’ water feature.)
New Urbanists must do our part to honor the needs of Native Hawaiians by using design to intentionally foster community, preserve the natural environment, and improve the lives of all people. The rebuilding of Lahaina is not a space for New Urbanists to be top-down developers but to be supporters of Native-led initiatives that can benefit from the practical knowledge and experience of New Urbanist practitioners and advocates….
(TRANSLATION: With a Hawaiian conman, New Urbanist practitioners can do anything.)
RELATED: Do Lahaina Property Owners Have the Right to Rebuild?
BACKGROUND: For ‘Progressive’ Criminal Kaniela Ing Lahaina Fires are Just Another Grift
BACKGROUND: Ing’s Phony Lahaina Charity Behind OHA Scheme to Develop Kakaako Makai?
read … Designing for Lahaina’s future starts with honoring Native Hawaiians
Ing News: ‘Some may be outright frauds’
SA: … where’s the oversight? Many of these groups are rock-solid legitimate. Some are well-meaning but inexperienced, and some may be outright frauds. With so many groups to choose from, it can be difficult for a donor to separate the wheat from the chaff.
So it made sense for House Speaker Scott Saiki, who said he received numerous complaints and reports of questionable charity practices, to send Gov. Josh Green a letter last week, urging him to “immediately issue an emergency proclamation to prohibit and criminalize fundraising under false pretenses.”
Saiki also requested that the Attorney General’s Office “immediately institute a process to audit funds to ensure they are spent to assist Maui victims.”
Note that charities must be registered with the AG’s Office to solicit donations, and their status can be verified here….
BACKGROUND: For ‘Progressive’ Criminal Kaniela Ing Lahaina Fires are Just Another Grift
BACKGROUND: Ing’s Phony Lahaina Charity Behind OHA Scheme to Develop Kakaako Makai?
read … Editorial: Maui fundraisers need oversight
A Major Power Outage In Lahaina The Day Of The Fire Likely Saved Lives
CB: … From early in the morning of Aug. 8, it was not an ordinary day in Lahaina, one of Hawaii’s most popular and bustling tourist destinations.
The whipping winds and the resulting massive power outage caused many businesses — stores, restaurants and museums — to shut down for the day.
That meant many hundred fewer people were in Lahaina on the day of the fire than would otherwise have been there.
Initial news reports speculated that thousands of people might have died in the conflagration, which roared through town in the late afternoon and early evening, but Maui officials now report that a thorough search of the site and careful DNA analysis has identified 97 dead — 89 have been identified by name and eight are still unidentified, according to the Maui Police Department. Only 22 names remained Monday on Maui County’s list of people who are still unaccounted for.…
Most of the fatalities thus far appear to have been Lahaina residents. Only one tourist, a 72-year-old woman from California, has been identified as one of the victims….
Jeska Martodam, who had the day off from her job at Sargent’s Fine Art & Jewelry in the downtown area, visited the commercial strip that day and noticed that all the businesses had shut down, something that struck her in retrospect as having been very fortunate.
“Nothing was open on Front Street, which was wonderful,” she said. “That probably saved lives.”…
read … A Major Power Outage In Lahaina The Day Of The Fire Likely Saved Lives
Soft on Crime Crowd Finds Another Way to Stop Jail Construction
CB: … For years the state Department of Public Safety has been planning a new jail to be built on the site of the state’s Halawa animal quarantine facility, and millions of dollars were spent planning the new jail. But that effort is contingent on relocating the animal quarantine facility, which sits in the way.
Public Safety Director Tommy Johnson said last week his office recently discovered the state Department of Agriculture never received the funding it needs to plan and design a new quarantine facility to replace the one on the site where the jail is to be built.
Sharon Hurd, chair of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture, said she does not yet have a firm timeline for when her department will vacate the site where it now operates the animal quarantine station. But the old facility won’t close anytime soon.
“I would say it’s going to be two or three years because we do not want to move into the new facility until it’s done,” Hurd said. “So, the prison cannot start until, I think, maybe three years.”…
Public Safety officials asked the Legislature for another $15 million this year and $10 million next year to continue the jail planning process and to solicit proposals from potential developers. However, lawmakers balked at that request, and provided only $10 million next year for planning and design.
Gov. Josh Green has also expressed doubts about the project, and said earlier this year he wanted to see “a better proposal.”
The Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, has been asking for years for planning and design money to move the quarantine station to a new site near the existing facility. Hurd said she believes her department submitted requests to the Legislature for funding for that work for four years….
Meanwhile: ʻManoa rapistʻ set to be released from prison | KHON2
read … Plans For A New Honolulu Jail Hit Another Snag
Did A Ransomware Attack Take Down KITV News?
CB: … KITV President and General Manager Jason Hagiwara still won’t say why the news broadcasts stopped, other than telling The Sunshine Blog last week that the station was working through unspecified technical difficulties.
Now The Blog hears that a ransomware attack silenced the broadcasts until a payment could be made to the attackers.
“I am not going to answer that question,” Hagiwara said Monday….
(TRANSLATION: “Yes.”)
A spokeswoman for the local FBI office said it is aware of the KITV incident but could neither confirm nor deny whether there is an active investigation into what happened.
KITV is owned by Allan Media Group of Los Angeles, which directed any inquiry on the outage to KITV….
read … Did A Ransomware Attack Take Down KITV News?
SD1: Little Miss Impeachment to be Defeated Again
CB: … Is it just us or does it seem like there is a growing list of folks announcing that they’re already running for the Hawaii State Legislature in 2024 — even though the filing deadline isn’t until June 4?
The latest candidate is Laura Acasio, who will formally launch her bid for the District 1 seat (Hilo, Paukaa, Papaikou, Pepeekeo) on Friday in Hilo.
Former state Sen. Russell Ruderman, a Civil Beat columnist, will introduce Acasio, who was appointed to fill former state Sen. Kai Kahele’s seat in January 2021 when he vacated his seat to successfully run for Congress.
Redistricting forced Acasio to run against another incumbent, Lorraine Inouye, who handily defeated Acasio and Wil Okabe in the August 2022 primary. While senators serve four-year terms, District 1 is one of 12 Senate seats that are up next year due to the decennial redistricting….
2021: Senate: Ige Appoints Anti-Telescope Activist who Wanted Him Impeached
Fascinating factoid: Acasio's former office Manager, Kristine Kubat, is a 9-11 Conspiracy Theorist
read … A rematch in Hilo
Multiple ambulances offline over the weekend amid EMS staffing shortage
HNN: … EMS officials told Hawaii News Now, nine of the Oahu’s 21 ambulances were offline during Sunday’s midnight shift.
The department says employees were out due to injuries, planned vacations and an increase in COVID illnesses.
EMS brought in private ambulances from American Medical Response Hawaii to help.
Leaders say the next class of graduating recruits should help ease the shortage….
read … Multiple ambulances offline over the weekend amid EMS staffing shortage
DoE ‘Security’ Cameras Peep into Bathroom Stalls
KITV: … A video taken by a student showed one of the surveillance cameras at Kea’au High School just outside of bathroom stalls. In the video, you can see the footage is taken from, inside the stall itself, with the camera clearly visible.
Concerned and upset parents said their children felt unsafe using the restroom.
Chantel Perrin’s child is a student at Kea’au High School.
“When my daughter told me there were cameras in the girls restrooms I was furious,” Perrin said. “Who’d want to invade the privacy of our young children?”…
Kapela said parents were considering filing lawsuits and she too was looking into legal action.
“We’ve had actually a number of conversations with the ACLU, this was something that they had even said, might rise to the level of where they would need to get involved,” Kapela explained. “But thankfully, I think the DOE recognizes the mistake that they made.”
A spokesperson for the DOE confirmed: “the cameras you are referring to were removed.”…
read … ‘DOE recognizes the mistake they made’ High School bathroom cameras removed
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