Yet Another Report on How to Improve Hawaii's Competitiveness
Suspect in chemical attack was bailed out of jail day before
HNN: … Court records show Sebastian Mahkwan was arrested in October for assault and selling methamphetamine. He was released from jail on $8,000 bail this past Monday.
(REALLY OBVIOUS QUESTION: Who paid to bail him out???)
A day later, authorities allege, he attacked a woman near Ala Moana with a chemical.
(TRANSLATION: This is a paid hit.)
The private school teacher was critically injured and remains hospitalized.
Police have not divulged a possible motive or said whether the attack could have been random, but a good Samaritan said the victim did not appear to know the suspect.
During the COVID pandemic, Mahkwan got many citations associated with homelessness, such as having a tent on the sidewalk or park hour violations.
Connie Mitchel, executive director for the Institute for Human Services, said Mahkwan has been in and out of their shelter over the past couple of years.
“When people are exited from our shelter, it’s often because of behaviors that are either threatening to some other guests, or it’s just unhealthy things,” said Mitchell.
“I think what’s frustrating is that, you know, sometimes our legal system is such that every incident is taken separately, right? All these petty misdemeanors or misdemeanors that kind of get wrapped up, they never lead to a more serious holding of the person.”….
KHON: He has 55 prior arrests, majority of them are for trespassing. “He came out Monday and he came straight to my tent and I said ‘oh my goodness you’re out,'” said Francis Ladia, who lived with the suspect. “So I took him in. I think the night he left here, he said he was doing a job. I don’t know what kind of job it was, but he said he needed to go do a job that night.”
(REALLY OBVIOUS QUESTION: Who paid to bail him out???)
read … Suspect in chemical attack was released on bail in another crime just days prior
State AG: People’s ‘reticence’ to speak to investigators slowing wildfire probe
HNN: … “I was hoping to have it done by the end of the year, but I haven’t been able to collect the information as quickly as I thought we would be able to,” Attorney General Anne Lopez said.
The independent probe is being conducted by nationally-recognized nonprofit Fire Safety Research Institute, and was contracted by the state attorney general.
(CLUE: FSRI is asked only to examine fault by public entities, (See LINK) not by Hawaiian Electric. The idea is to keep HEI out of BK. Meanwhile Maui County cannot be sued due to sovereign immunity. Victims get nothing.)
Lopez says phase one of the wildfire probe is now expected to be finished in March. The report will cover the state and county’s response and a timeline from August 8-11.
Lopez spoke to HNN about the effort and said some have been reluctant to speak to investigators. “People were concerned. This was a horrific event. I think there’s been a lot of coverage and social media blaming people for what happened,” she said.
“There’s been some reticence by some people to just share information because they are afraid of what’s going to happen.”
The state has even issued subpoenas to Maui County as part of the probe….
Meanwhile, the attorney general told lawmakers 69 lawsuits have been filed against state related to the Maui wildfires.
A fund for families of those who died and those who were seriously injured is now at $175 million. The governor had said individual beneficiaries could get more than $1 million….
“In exchange for the monies that people would receive, they would release the defendants from all the lawsuits,” said Lopez.
(TRANSLATION: Save Hawaiian Electric.)
Lopez told HNN the fund is expected to be ready by March 1 with payments in August.
She also says that fund for wildfire survivors is only for death and serious injury cases and not property damage….
read … State AG: People’s ‘reticence’ to speak to investigators slowing wildfire probe
Honolulu City Council ‘reprograms’ $39M in federal COVID funds as gift to Unions
SA: … Resolution 299 looks to reallocate Tranche 2 money — an amount over $39.7 million — toward what the city describes as “revenue replacement” projects as well as dispense hazard pay to eligible city workers employed during the pandemic….
(Who needs Collective Bargaining? Elected officials just keep giving money to the unions again and again.)
read … Honolulu City Council ‘reprograms’ $39M in federal COVID funds
Belatti, 13 other Legislators push for more Shrooms
MM: … SB 3019 would not legalize psilocybin itself but would instead create an affirmative defense for qualified patients and their caregivers, effectively exempting them from state laws against psilocybin. A companion bill in the House, HB 2630, is sponsored by Rep. Della Au Belatti (D) and 13 others….
read … New Hawaii Bill Would Create A Limited Therapeutic Psilocybin Program To Treat Certain Mental Health Conditions
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