Civil Beat Publisher Bankrolls Conservative Group Planning Next Trump Administration
After FBI Raid, CNHA Demands Hawai'i Free Press 'Cease Operations'
JSC seeks Nominees for Several Judicial Vacancies
Hawaii receives low marks for economic, personal freedom
For Rail to Work, All we have to do is force 85% of the public to give up their cars
HNN: … Singapore and Hong Kong are bustling mega-cities. Both smaller in square footage than Oahu but with five to seven times the population. That population density means public transportation is a must for many, and when you look at how affordable housing is built — it shows.
Every day millions of people in Singapore and Hong Kong make their way to metro stations to get to work, school or to do daily errands.
In most places, the closest station or bus stop is only a short walk away from a housing complex. Sometimes, the housing is built right on top of rail lines…
(CLUE: If they had a car they would drive it. Rail works in HK and Singapore because the public mostly can’t own cars.)
Why rail works in Hong Kong: “In 2019, there were approximately 76.3 private cars per 1,000 people in Hong Kong”
Why rail works in Singapore: Singapore, the world’s most expensive place to own a car “Singapore has 851,580 registered vehicles, which equates to about 150 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, almost 10 times fewer than the US.”
Why Rail works in NYC: New Yorkers average about 23 cars per 100 residents
Why Rail Doesn’t work in Honolulu: Hawaii 827 cars per 1000 people.
SA: Column: Close loop on ‘Singapore model’ housing
read … How Hong Kong and Singapore could inspire Hawaii’s transit-oriented development plans
Toxic Hysteria: Chemophobia campaign scaring Lahaina residents Away
AP: … When Daniel Skousen scrubs at the ash and soot covering his Maui home, he worries about the smell.
What chemicals created the burning-trash-barrel scent that has lingered since a deadly wildfire tore through Lahaina in August? Should he believe government agencies’ assessment of when the air, land and water will be safe enough for his family to return?
Or will political and economic pressures to rebuild and restore Maui’s robust tourism industry — where visitors normally spend $14 million per day — lead officials to look at any testing results through rose-colored glasses?…
(CLUE: Other way around. Economic pressures will cause ‘toxic’ hysteria to be hyped up until locals sell out. Then the hysteria will evaporate and be forgotten as Lahaina is rebuilt as Wailea v2 surrounding the ‘Venice of the Pacific’ water feature.)
read … Maui residents wonder if their burned town can be made safe. The answer? No one knows
Maui fire relief -- 575 families had been placed in housing
SA: … According to the state, 575 families had been placed as of Tuesday: 410 on Maui, 107 on Oahu, 44 on Hawaii Island, eight on Kauai and six out of state.
While the HHFDC does not provide financial assistance to property owners or renters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency pays fair market rent for wildfire survivors. Additionally, FEMA also launched a Maui Direct Lease Program, in which the agency will lease properties from a registered property management company directly to wildfire survivors for at least 18 months. In October, FEMA also identified four possible sites for transitional modular homes on Maui.
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and Maui County have also established the HOST Housing Support Program, which provides households offering housing to wildfire survivors with up to $375 per month for each person they assist, up to $1,500 a month, in financial assistance for up to six months.
The Maui Relief Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program also offers qualifying families up to $4,000 per month for housing assistance, plus additional aid for utilities, auto down payments, clothing and school supplies for up to four months.
In addition, the state is looking into other forms of housing assistance, like building more homes on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands property for beneficiaries, and encouraging property owners to construct accessory dwelling units or convert short-term rentals into long-term leases….
read … Maui fire relief housing program calls for help | Honolulu Star-Advertiser (staradvertiser.com)
‘Bad actor’ nurseries targeted by officials over little fire ant infestations
SA: … The state Department of Agriculture is moving to take legal action against a handful of “bad actors,” nurseries that are aware they have an infestation of little fire ants but are doing nothing about it.
Sharon Hurd, state Board of Agriculture chair, told a state Senate informational briefing Wednesday that the department is seeking court orders to enter the properties of the offending nurseries and will seek to quarantine any infested plants.
“We know the bad actors and we’re working on it,” Hurd said….
Nov 17, 2023: Enviros Call for Rules to Stop Invasive Bugs
SA: Agriculture Department to move forward with public hearings on invasive-species rules
CB: State Ag Agency On Track For Stricter Control Of Invasive Pests - Honolulu Civil Beat
read … ‘Bad actor’ nurseries targeted by officials over little fire ant infestations
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