UHERO: After Six Months of 'Relief' Lahaina Survivors Health Worsens
Kula Fire Recovery: "No one is coming to save you"
Hawaii Supreme Court Rejects Major Second Amendment Rulings in New Gun-Carry Decision
Blackouts cast doubt on renewable energy mandates
House to Consider Three Bills to Reduce Cost of Living
Maui wildfires leadership void -- Six Months Still No Answers
SA Editorial: … The MPD report states that a flood of calls came in to 911 dispatchers beginning at about 2:55 p.m. Aug. 8, when fire was again seen flaring at Lahainaluna Road and Kuialua Street. The fire spread rapidly in the high winds, jumping roads as it approached Lahaina’s central district, then Front Street.
As thousands of 911 calls poured in, and the U.S.’ deadliest fire in a century raged, Maui police and fire crews labored heroically, and in many cases, solo, directing traffic, rescuing individuals, evacuating buildings and blocks. Yet the mayor wasn’t in the loop: When interviewed on live television just after 6 p.m. on Aug. 8, Bissen did not seem aware that blocks of homes were going up in flames. Officials across the state were also uninformed. Maui’s EOC didn’t move into full activation until 5:50 p.m. No official confirmation of fire deaths was issued until the following morning.
The lack of involvement by Hawaii-wide leaders and responders is horrific and unacceptable. So many more questions remain, deserving of candid answers ….
read … Editorial: Leadership void over Maui wildfires unacceptable
Glittering Illusion: Fake Proposal to ban foreign purchase of Hawaii land draws 2,000 testimonies
HNN: … the state Attorney General’s Office opposed the bill, saying it would illegally ban non-US citizens from buying property in Hawaii.
“The bill may unconstitutionally intrude on the federal government’s exclusive control over foreign relations and by prohibiting foreign domicile areas from owning real property in Hawaii,” said Deputy Attorney General Brian Yee.
“The bill may also violate the Federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination and housing on the basis of national origin.” …
(Translation: Bill is illegal and therefore an illusion.)
BH: Are Limitations To Property Ownership In Hawaii Starting Here? - Beat of Hawaii
F: Here’s Why Some Hawaii Lawmakers Want To Ban Foreigners From Purchasing Land (forbes.com)
read … Crowds gather to testify on bill that would ban foreigners from buying property in Hawaii (hawaiinewsnow.com)
Real Purpose of fake ‘Anti-Trump’ Bill: Create process to handle Candidate Challenges?
CS: … Rhoads said the bill does not apply just to Trump but could also apply to others. The Hawaii Office of Elections does not have a process in place if someone tries to challenge a candidate on a ballot, he said.
(CLUE: This bill cannot remove Trump from the ballot because it is a constitutional amendment subject to approval by the voters on Nov 5, 2024--the same day as the presidential election. So what is the REAL purpose?)
"Whether the (U.S.) Supreme Court decides in the next couple of weeks that Trump can be on the ballot or not, I still think it would be prudent to have a process for adjudicating these claims because the Office of Elections won't do it themselves," Rhoads said….
Sens. Brandon Elefante, a Democrat, voted to advance the bill. Sen. Joy San Buenaventura, also a Democrat, voted "yes" with reservations. Democrat Mike Gabbard and Republican Brenton Awa voted against the bill….
REALITY: Sen Karl Rhoads Closing Barn Door after the Trump Escapes?
read … Hawaii committee advances bill that could keep Trump off the ballot
Hawaii Child Welfare Polygamy Procurement
CB: … One day in December, at the Kona courthouse, her attorney happened to run into the woman that Coultas believed was the foster mom. The woman told the lawyer she didn’t have the teenager anymore. There had been a family emergency, and she and her husband could no longer take care of her.
So where had Coultas’ daughter been for the last two-and-a-half months?
It was the weekend, so Coultas could not call CWS. Instead, she contacted her daughter’s guardian ad litem, the court-appointed representative of the girl’s legal interests.
“I’m sorry you were not informed,” the GAL wrote back, “but the Department moved her into the home of her friend … in Mountain View.”
Who was this friend?
It turned out to be a 30-year-old single man. Coultas’ daughter was 15 at the time….
He told the state that he just wanted to provide a safe place for the girl, whom he knew through a friendship with her adult sisters. He went through all the background checks and interviews….
“I was really upset to hear that and wanted to know why,” Coultas said. “Was it an emergency? Was there conflict? … Why are they keeping this secret? What are they doing? Why not just notify me?”
It was not the first time it had happened. Earlier in 2023, the teenage daughter was moved to a new foster placement for three days, and then moved again, with no notice to her mother. Coultas only found out about the two moves a week later at a court hearing….
She says it all started because the teenage daughter didn’t want to move to the mainland. I have not spoken to other parties to get their versions. I do know that Coultas was initially facing a criminal charge stemming from the events that led to two daughters being removed. Last year, the charges were dropped….
The idea of placing Coultas’ teenage daughter with the 30-year-old man came up in March. The girl requested to be placed with the man, who she knew through two adult sisters.
But, according to a GAL report, it was a no-go. Case worker Schubert said that the man “was not an option from the Department’s standpoint because he is a single male.”
But for reasons shrouded in mystery, by September, CWS was cool with it….
In the end, CWS came up with what seems a slapdash solution: One of Coultas’ adult daughters moved into the house owned by the man and officially took over as the foster parent….
(CLUE: Polygamy.)
read … The State Placed A Foster Teen With A Young, Single Man — And Failed To Tell Her Mom
Child starvation death: Adults all got Probation and time served
HTH: … A 66-year-old Hilo woman has pleaded no contest to manslaughter for the 2016 starvation death of her 9-year-old granddaughter.
Henrietta Stone entered the plea Tuesday for the death of Shaelynn Lehano-Stone, a developmentally disabled girl who Stone had custody of when the child died on June 28, 2016….
Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto scheduled Stone’s sentencing for April 16. Manslaughter carries a penalty of either a 20-year prison term or 10 years probation and up to two years in jail.
Prosecutors intend to argue for the maximum penalty, while Stone’s attorney, Stanton Oshiro, is free to argue for the probation sentence.
Stone, who remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $100,000 bail, has been incarcerated since her arrest in July 2017, and will be freed if she is sentenced to probation.
Stone is the last of three individuals to be convicted in connection with her granddaughter’s death. The girl’s parents — Tiffany Stone, Henrietta Stone’s daughter, and Tiffany Stone’s husband, Kevin Lehano — were also convicted of manslaughter after entering pleas in the case.
On March 22, 2021, Tiffany Stone was sentenced to 10 years probation and two years in jail. On June 30, 2021, Lehano also was sentenced to 10 years of probation and two years in jail.
Both were immediately released, because they had served more than two years behind bars.
read … Grandmother pleads no contest to manslaughter in child starvation case - Hawaii Tribune-Herald
HB1610 Killed: Would have capped Cost of UIPA Requests
CB: … Rep. David Tarnas, chair of the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, deferred — that is, killed — House Bill 1610 on Wednesday, legislation that would place a cap on costs when the public or the media requests copies of government records. There would be no fee if the records are electronic, and the fees would be waived when the disclosure of the records serves the pubic interest….
the League of Women Voters, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and retired Judge Dan Foley backed the House legislation on Wednesday.
Park on Wednesday said the rules could still take a couple of years to complete. Tarnas, seemingly holding back what he really wanted to say, urged Park to “move with great speed” to promulgate the rules. That way Park would no longer have to worry “about the House telling them what to do.”…
read … The Sunshine Blog: Taking The Public Out Of Public Records - Honolulu Civil Beat
Legalize? Marijuana Behind 70% of Auto Accidents
KHON: … Former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle said, "I'm urging all of our legislators and the (current) Governor to think very hard about this, not to do it because others are doing it."
Maui Police Chief John Pelletier stated, "Don't do this, you will have violent crime, more than you have now, you will have homeless, more than you have now."
Regarding potential legalization, Mayor Rick Blangiardi expressed, "I certainly know what I believe in, and I certainly know the strength of my convictions - this is not good."
One of the state's foremost medical experts voiced disapproval.
"Car accidents in the states that legalize - 70 percent of individuals that are tested in the emergency room after accidents now, are positive for THC or CBD," said Dr. Scott Miscovich, M.D. President and CEO of Premier Medical Group Hawaii. …
MM: Hawaii Governor Says Legalizing Marijuana Can 'Blunt' Negative Effects Of Other 'Horrible' Drugs - Marijuana Moment
CB: Police Chiefs, Honolulu Mayor And Prosecutor Join Forces Against Legalizing Recreational Weed
read … Several officials in Hawaii voice objections over potential marijuana legalization
Witnesses allege HPD officer tossed what appeared to be beer bottles from SUV after crash
HNN: … “He was going pretty fast,” they said.
A second witness described the crash as being fairly serious saying, “the white SUV’s tire was literally turned sideways and then the red car was smoking a little.”…
“When he got out of his car I heard a bottle drop,” the second witness said.
After Chun got out of the driver’s seat, the witness added, ”I saw him throwing bottles over the fence, and it was about five brown bottles. He was just reaching in and throwing it over.”…
Meanwhile, numerous law enforcement sources say dispatch received close to a half dozen 911 calls related to the incident — including from people who reported seeing the driver of the subsidized vehicle speeding and weaving through traffic on the H-2 Freeway prior to the crash.
There were also calls from witnesses who reported seeing Chun tossing bottles over the fence.
According to police sources, officers never recovered any of the bottles that had allegedly been tossed because the gate to the construction area was locked.
HNN asked HPD with all the eyewitness accounts, why responding officers didn’t give Chun a breathalyzer test. The department didn’t answer the question directly, but released this statement: “An administrative inquiry into the collision has been opened. Details of the collision and what happened prior are part of the ongoing inquiry.”
This case marks the second time since September that HPD has opened an official inquiry into claims an officer may have been intoxicated during crashes involving their subsidized vehicles.
read … Witnesses allege HPD officer tossed what appeared to be beer bottles from SUV after crash (hawaiinewsnow.com)
‘Basically collapsing’: Buried WWII-era landfill plagues high school’s athletic complex
HNN: … “About six months ago, (Radford HS) coaches said the court was basically collapsing,” Sur said. “I know that there’s got to be air pockets, I know it’s probably not filled correctly.”
According to an Army Corps of Engineers presentation about the site, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 1,000 trucks a day of debris were moved from the devastated harbor just uphill to what was called Makalapa Crater. The debris was sorted for what could be salvaged or burned on site.
PROJECT PROPOSAL: Radford High Athletic Complex
Meanwhile: DOE reinforces eroding poles at Kailua High School stadium, lights still out | KHON2
Meanwhile: Hawaii School Facilities Authority Director Steps Down From Post - Honolulu Civil Beat
read … ‘Basically collapsing’: Buried WWII-era landfill plagues high school’s athletic complex
Disabled Veterans Get Big Discount on Kauai Property Taxes
TGI: … Retired general Mary Kay Hertog, commander of the Kaua‘i Veterans Council, invites all veterans to explore the new amendments to the Kaua‘i County Code 1987 relating to Real Property Tax that provides a big benefit to disabled veterans.
“If you are at least an 80 percent disabled veteran due to injuries received while on active duty as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, your home is exempted from all property taxes, except the minimum tax of $150,” Hertog said in an email release. “This exemption has previously existed for veterans that are 100 percent disabled. Under the amended code, it is extended to veterans who are 80 to 100 percent disabled.”
In November, 2023, the Kaua‘i County Council approved the amendment to the Kaua‘i County Code 1987.
read … Veterans encouraged to learn about Kaua‘i County Code changes - The Garden Island
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