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School Non-Spending
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More moving away as Hawaii dream gets costlier
Borreca: … “Through good times and bad (including the Great Recession which began in 2007), more Hawaii residents moved to the Mainland since 2006 than mainlanders moved to Hawaii each year, except in 2010, ” said the report, “Aloha ‘Oe: Population Migration Between Hawaii and the U.S. Mainland,” written in 2020 by James Mak and Justin Tyndall.
In another UHERO report, economists put it as a simple switch in attitude.
“In the early 1970s, many in Hawaii were concerned that too many people were moving to Hawaii and reducing the quality of life in the islands. In recent years locals are leaving the islands in increasing numbers, citing the high cost of living in Hawaii — especially housing costs — and the lack of job opportunities suited to their skills and interests.” ….
According to news reports quoting the U.S. Census Bureau, “ … on average almost 20 people left the state (Hawaii) every day last year.”
A recent television news broadcast adds that the state’s chief economist says Hawaii’s population has decreased for the past seven years, with 15,000 people moving away in 2022.
State economist Eugene Tian said the reason some people move is because Hawaii’s economy is moving at a slower rate than the continent.
“Hawaii’s cost of living has been increasing, especially since we experienced an increase in housing prices in 2022,” said Tian.
In response to my query on Hawaii’s worry about the high cost of living here causing residents to leave, economist Paul Brewbaker, principal at TZ Economics, says much of it is directly about the high cost of housing.
“The housing problem is that there isn’t enough and they will never let you build it in Hawaii,” Brewbaker said in an interview with me last week….
read … More moving away as Hawaii dream gets costlier
Millions for Fake ‘Toxic’ Cleanups but County Noncommittal as Maui developers seek subsidies to alter projects and help fire evacuees
SA: … Maui County officials are being asked to subsidize at least two planned residential subdivisions to affordably house people displaced by the Aug. 8 wildfire that destroyed roughly 3,500 homes in Lahaina.
Two developers are seeking $90 million to modify their projects planned before the fire.
In one case, the developer of a project in Kapalua called Pulelehua has sought $50 million to increase the share of affordable units to 91% from 56% while also increasing the total number of homes and delivering them over a shorter period of time.
The other proposal is from leaders of a project in Wailuku called Kuikahi Village who have asked for a $40 million low-interest loan to help build 202 affordable rental apartments after high interest rates upset an original plan to develop 202 affordable homes for sale.
Neither proposal has received public commitments from the administration of Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, though the Maui County Council supports both efforts.
Bissen’s administration faces budget constraints brought on by fire disaster factors that include lower tax revenue and unbudgeted response costs….
read … Maui developers seek subsidies to alter projects and help fire evacuees
Homeless Drug News: Hepatitis epidemic hits Hawaii harder than other states
TH: … Viral hepatitis C is curable. Hepatitis B is treatable. Both are preventable — so, why does one U.S. state have such high rates of it?
Did you know that Hawaii has higher liver cancer mortality due to hepatitis B and C than the continental United States?
“When we look at hepatitis B, and hepatitis C specifically, we also see higher death rates of both of those compared to the continental U.S.,” says Hawaii Department of Health’s Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator Thaddeus Pham. “People who die from hepatitis in Hawaii — hepatitis C specifically — can die up to 20 years earlier than residents in the rest of the state.”…
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is spread in much the same way as HIV. So, from mother to child, through sexual transmission or by coming into contact with blood that is contaminated. There is no cure for hepatitis B. Pham said that is can be controlled through simple and safe medication.
So, if you get chronic hepatitis B, then you are going to take treatment to keep the virus down. But you will always have it. However, you can prevent contraction by getting vaccinated.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is spread from blood to blood. Typically, this is the hepatitis that comes along with sharing drug paraphernalia, things like needles. Although hepatitis C is curable through short, safe treatment, there is no immunity or vaccine….
read … Hepatitis epidemic hits Hawaii harder than other states (thehill.com)
ACLU Suits Could Help Expand Gigantic Festering Homeless Tent Cities
SA: … The city expects a judge’s ruling by the end of the year over a lawsuit challenging its enforcement of laws meant to crack down on homeless activity.
The American Civil Liberties Union has successfully convinced courts on the mainland to rule against similar laws aimed at unwanted homeless behavior.
More recently, the ACLU and Maui County squared off Thursday before the state Supreme Court over a lawsuit the ACLU filed challenging the county’s immediate destruction of homeless possessions during a 2021 sweep, which all but halted sweeps on the Valley Isle over the past two years….
In 2022 Hawaii had over 8,000 homeless people, including 300 children — resulting in the second-highest per capita rate of homelessness in the nation, according to Gov. Josh Green.
Many struggle with mental illness, addiction and conditions that lead to an average life span of only 53 years, according to Green…
Chinatown’s River of Life Mission was founded to feed the homeless but more recently was blamed for attracting homeless people into Chinatown, who frequently threw their meals into the street, at vehicles and even defecated on sidewalks after they ate….
“The city has addressed homeless issues for people who are capable of caring for their needs. But realistically speaking, we still see a lot of mentally ill people on our streets. Those are the ones that are not capable of making decisions and this is where we fail.”….
She particularly gets upset by the ACLU arguments on Maui and Oahu that county efforts violate the civil rights of homeless people.
“People living on the street in their filth can’t enjoy their civil rights,” Shubert-Kwock said. “It’s cruelty. I feel very strongly about that. It makes me sad. I feel so helpless. It doesn’t feel like the Christmas season. It’s not right. They are people. It’s not right.”…
read … Homeless laws continue to face legal challenges
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