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July 11, 2024 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:25 PM :: 2440 Views

Kouchi Overthrow Risk in Waianae Senate?

Green Signs 253 Bills Into Law

Under 21? State to be Sued Over Firearms, Ammunition Ban

Gay Socialist Teacher sentenced to 30 years for sexual assault of a minor

Maui Fire, ATF officials 'clarify' process for ATF cause and origin report on Lahaina wildfire

Happy Lahaina Burned? “People say our town is gone; I look at it as the opposite”

WaPo: … When flames finally came for the old Lahaina town in August, they killed at least 101 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Since then, Maui’s oldest struggle — for its most precious resource — has only grown more intense. The fire has forced a reckoning over the ways outside interests have historically exploited the island’s natural environment. But for those who want change, Lahaina’s wholesale destruction has presented an unprecedented opportunity to reimagine the town from the groundwater up, a chance to restore the wetlands and the hallowed site at their heart.

(Two Words: ‘Eminent Domain’)

“Right now, believe it or not, even though people say our town is gone, I look at it as the opposite,” said Keʻeaumoku Kapu, standing outside the charred remains of his Na ‘Aikane O Maui Cultural Center, near the now-buried wetlands.

(TRANSLATION: This is an opportunity to remake Lahaina as a touristy water park, boosting business to nearby hotels.)

Freed from the constrictions that long suppressed its flow, water is already returning to Lahaina’s burn zone, giving community leaders hope that a larger restoration is possible.

Kapu is part of a growing group of Native Hawaiian leaders, local advocates and elected officials who are pushing to revive the town’s pre-colonial ecosystem. The campaign could eventually lead to a showdown with powerful private firms and large landowners, who have long benefited from the water that would flow back into the renewed wetlands.

(TRANSLATION: They are glad you got burned out. You were in their way.)

Such a project might take years, and it would have to clear many practical and political hurdles. But with Lahaina reduced to ashes, some of the state’s most influential voices, from politicians to tourism groups, are signaling their support for restoration, an early indicator that the effort may have more momentum than ever….

(REALITY: If ‘restoration’ does not include whale hunts and rotting whale carcasses on the beach, then it is not a realistic recreation of the past. It is just a show for tourists.)

Organizers are still in the early stages of mapping out a restoration plan, but Kapu wants to start small. If his water permit is granted, he would begin by restoring a modest section of Mokuhinia and reestablishing a fishpond and taro patch on the site, surrounded by native trees.

Increasingly, political leaders are getting on board, along with the formidable hotel and tourism industries. In April, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) announced he would use executive powers to restore Moku‘ula. Dawn Chang, the first Native Hawaiian woman to chair the powerful Department of Land and Natural Resources, said the state would support a community-led restoration plan.

Chang, whose department issues water-use permits, said there are at least six applications possibly competing for water in the vicinity of Moku‘ula, including Kapu’s, which means a protracted legal dispute could be ahead. Even so, she said she’s optimistic that there will be enough water for restoration — a project she considers so important that “everyone has to be willing to compromise.”

It’s too early to know just how expensive it would be, Chang said, but there will probably be cost-sharing among government and private entities. She also hopes her agency can fast-track the normally interminable permit application process.

(TRANSLATION: Nothing is more important than building the right kind of tourist trap.)

“If it’s going to happen for any issue, this is probably it,” she said of the hurdles that restoration must clear. “This is a worthy initiative for all of us to stand behind.”

read … Maui fires offer a chance to restore Lahaina wetlands - Washington Post

$70M Shakedown: Grab for COVID ‘Hazard Pay’ Drives HGEA, UPW Endorsements in Big Island Mayor's Race

CB: … In an interview Friday, Roth said the HGEA and UPW unions didn’t endorse him because he doesn’t support their demand for hazard pay for having worked during the pandemic.

It would cost the county between $50 million and $70 million and that’s not something Roth said he’s prepared to offer, noting that Hawaii was one of the safest places to work during the pandemic because of its strict Covid protocols….

In April, Gov. Josh Green offered HGEA a hazard pay settlement for state workers serving Hawaii’s executive branch, the University of Hawaii, public charter schools, the courts and the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.

The Legislature approved nearly $450 million to fund the deal, which calls for payouts of either $10,000 or $20,000 to thousands of workers represented by HGEA.

Arbitration proceedings over hazard pay have been playing out across Hawaii. For Hawaii County, the first phase in the arbitration proceedings ended in March. The second phase is scheduled to begin on Aug. 19….

The top two candidates in the Aug. 10 primary will advance to the Nov. 5 general election as long as one does not get more than 50% of the total votes cast in the primary….

NR: HGEA Endorses Dr. Kimo Alameda For Hawaii County Mayor

Hawaii County mayoral contenders spar in forum | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

4 candidates running for Hawaii County Mayor answer questions, share priorities with public (hawaiinewsnow.com)

Top 4 Hawaii Island mayor candidates meet in forum (khon2.com)

read … Wastewater, Housing And Hazard Pay Are Driving The Big Island Mayor's Race

BATF, MFD Make up Stories to Allow County Time to Exploit Lahaina wildfire cause, origin report

MN: … Officials with the Maui Fire Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded Wednesday to media inquiries about the timeline and process for releasing information about the cause and origin of the deadly Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfire.

“County of Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety met with ATF the last week of June to review details of the ATF report on cause and origin, which is more than 400 pages,” said Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura in a statement. “An article published June 28 alleged that the ATF investigation was completed and that MFD was holding the report for an unknown amount of time.”

Ventura said that is inaccurate.

He clarified that the ATF is still completing its report. Once the agency formats its report, the finalized product will be sent to the Maui Fire Department and it will be added as an appendix to the Fire Department’s cause and origin report.

“While our department is tasked with investigating every fire, we utilize ATF to assist with more complex, scientific fire analysis,” Ventura added. “ATF has not given a timeline for its finalized report. However, we recognize the importance of sharing this information with the public and plan to release our cause and origin report as soon as we receive and integrate ATF’s findings.”

ATF spokesman Jason Chudy said Wednesday that his recent comments in a June 28 Civil Beat article were comprised with information that he had at that time.

“After a weeklong review with the County of Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety, there was additional formatting required by ATF to complete our report,” said Chudy. “ATF is diligently working to finalize our report, and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we finish this comprehensive, significant and impartial investigation.”…

(TRANSLATION: The County has the report in full. Nobody else may see it. The County will now exploit its’ information advantage to arrange lawsuit settlements before the report goes public.)

(SOLUTION: Leak the Report.)

BN: Hawaiian Electric (HE) Stock Soars on Report of Maui Fire Settlement Plan

read … Officials clarify timeline and process for Lahaina wildfire cause, origin report

Lahaina: 62 Families Still ‘Transitioning’ Out of Hotels

MN: … Gov. Josh Green provided an update on the ongoing Maui wildfire recovery as the one year mark nears on Aug. 8, 2023. As of July 5, 2024, the state had cleared all individuals from the non-congregate sheltering (NCS) program at hotels; however, there were still 62 families that were finalizing their arrangements with the federal government to transition into longer-term housing. That’s down from the 3,071 families that were being accommodated in hotels in the aftermath of the wildfires.

“So we’re talking about over 99% of the families are now into long-term housing and the cases where they aren’t—some families had multiple pets—was challenging. Some people had disabilities and needed to stay these last couple of weeks. But at the one year mark, all of the 3,071 families should be into long term housing,” Green said during a press conference update on Wednesday afternoon.

At 336 days after the fire, the governor took a moment to thank all of those who have participated in the recovery to date, including the mayor, Attorney General’s office, Red Cross workers, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, and FEMA.

“The debris clearance is an enormous job that the Army Corps of Engineers has been contracted to do, which the mayor and I approved. They’re already 88% plus done… As of 11 months out, it will be probably 95% to 97% completed by the one year anniversary,” said Green.

Some residents are going through the permitting process to rebuild their homes, with the first home to rebuild in the Lahaina impact zone getting walls and a foundation late last month. The governor estimates that more than two dozen permits were approved as of last week, noting that crews are working to ensure residents have access to clean water, sewer and electricity.

“The debris clearance having been completed means people can go forward and move on with their lives. I’ve authorized 1,044 units of transitional housing to be built,” said Green. “You will start seeing those housing, units in the next probably 3-5 days.”

read … Nearly one-year after Lahaina wildfires: debris clearance at 88%, more than two dozen permits issued to rebuild

Closing arguments mark end of the Miske trial

ILind: … During the months of testimony, jurors did not know the specific charges against Miske or what charges each bit of information was supposed to be relevant to. They got a detailed description of the charges for the first time when the jury instructions were read to them last week. There are 16 criminal charges remaining. Some are charges involving substantive crimes–murder, kidnapping, assault. Others allege Miske’s participated in conspiracies intended to carry out crimes. In the case of conspiracies, the crime is in the agreement to attempt the crime, and whether or not the planned crime actually took place isn’t relevant to the question of guilt or innocence. That’s got to be confusing for the jury.

And there’s an overarching racketeering conspiracy charge, Count #1 in the lengthy indictment. To prove this charge, prosecutors must prove that two or more persons “agreed to conduct or participate, directly or indirectly, in the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity,” that Miske joined that conspiracy, and that its activities would “effect” interstate or foreign commerce, which “includes the movement of goods, services, money, and individuals between states.”

The idea of an “enterprise” is kind of a nebulous concept. It can be a formal organization, like a company or corporation, or it can just be a more informal association of people.

The jury instructions describe it this way: “[T]he government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this was or would have been a group of people with (1) a common purpose, (2) relationships among those associated with the enterprise, and (3) longevity sufficient to permit these associates to pursue the enterprise’s purpose. The government need not prove that the enterprise had any particular organizational structure or that the enterprise existed.”

The complexity of the jury’s task is reflected in the length of the jury instructions (156 pages) and the 11-page verdict form that tallies the jury’s votes on each element of the charged offenses, where the jury” keeps score of its decisions, guilty or not guilty….

read … Closing arguments mark end of the Miske trial | i L i n d

$3M BLNR Fines Push N Shore Landowner to ‘Donate’ Property to ‘Community Land Trust’

CB: … One of several Oahu landowners facing hefty fines and, potentially, criminal charges for a spate of recent environmental violations on the North Shore looks to donate her multimillion-dollar property there to conservation efforts in exchange for immunity in those matters.

The state’s Board of Land and Natural Resources will weigh whether to approve that settlement deal with popular Chinese-American television personality Yue-Sai Kan when it meets on Friday.

The agreement would transfer Kan’s 4.7-acre parcel at Marconi Point to the North Shore Community Land Trust, a nonprofit that works to restore and conserve natural habitat in the area. Kan’s attorney, Eric Robinson, put the value of the parcel at $5 million…

read … North Shore Landowner May Donate Her Property To Avoid Environmental Fines

DOH: Hawaii sees more than 1K increase in COVID cases

KHON: … More than 1,000 Hawaii residents have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week, and the numbers continue to increase.

Data from the Department of Health revealed the newly updated numbers of both confirmed and probable cases from each island between July 3 and July 10.

Oahu showed the biggest increase in COVID cases with 607 cases confirmed through laboratory evidence and 100 cases with a positive antigen test result.

On Hawaii island, officials reported 88 COVID cases were confirmed while 70 cases were reported probable.

Maui showed 117 new COVID cases throughout the week, confirming 59 of them.

Molokai and Lanai each saw two confirmed cases to bring Molokai’s total case count to 1,504 and Lanai’s to 856….

read … DOH: Hawaii sees more than 1k increase in COVID cases

Honolulu City Council adopts city-led gambling task force plan

SA: … A plan to set up a city-led gambling task force composed of multiple city agencies including the Honolulu Police Department was formally adopted by the City Council on Wednesday.

The panel passed Resolution 143, which seeks to establish “a gambling room task force to advise and assist the Council on identifying and developing solutions to combat the ongoing proliferation of illegal game room operations in the city.”

The task force — to also include representatives of the city departments of the Prosecuting Attorney, Planning and Permitting, Corporation Counsel, the Office of Council Services as well as the Council — wants to help weed out the 100 gaming rooms that police say operate somewhere on Oahu each day….

C: Hawaii Underground Gambling Hub Landlords To Face Penalties (casino.org)

read … Honolulu City Council adopts city-led gambling task force plan

Shakedown Expert rails against Mainland food company that trademarked Hawaiian word

KITV: … 'money' blablabla 'money' blablabla 'aloha spirit' ....

read … 'A prostitution of our culture' | Expert rails against Mainland food company that trademarked Hawaiian word | News | kitv.com

HELCO Generator Problems Largely Resolved

IM: … HELCO currently has sufficient reserve margins so that requests to customers to reduce demand and rolling blackouts are not needed.

Hamakua Energy is owned by HECO`s parent company, Hawaiian Electric Industries, through an unregulated subsidiary, Pacific Current.

Pacific Current also owns a Kauai biomass generator where a fire caused $500,000 in damage earlier this year.

Hamakua Energy imported a new Combustion Turbine (CT-1) which went into service on June 4, 2024. The damage to the old generator remains under investigation.

Due to supply chain issues, the manufacturer will be unable to send parts to fix Hamakua Energy`s other combustion turbine (CT-2) until this fall. In the meantime, a new leased engine arrived on July 5.

The specific details of the reason for the reason the generation station failed in confidential, although we have been informed that it was due to a leak that corroded the engine. Fixing the problems is critical in order to execute long term grid maintenance plans under which various generators can be periodically taken off line and overhauled.

Hamakua Energy is also refurbishing an existing fuel tank that has been out of service for a year.

HELCO`s Keahole unit CT-5 was reactivated on April 22, 2024. HELCO`s Puna steam unit was reactivated on April 24, 2024. HELCO`s Keahole CT-1, was reactivated on April 25, 2024.

HELCO`s Hill 5 unit (14 MW) was reactivated on July 8, 2024. The generator is on standby status and will undergo an overhaul later this year after boiler parts arrive on the island.

IM: Hamakua Energy Generator Failure Explained ?!?

read … HELCO Generator Problems Largely Resolved

Military widow, single mother of eight faces eviction in Kapolei amid US Vets rental assistance delay

KITV: … A military widow and single mother of eight is facing eviction. That's because rental assistance from the U.S. Vets is running late and she's not the only one dealing with this….

Property manager The Michaels Organization gave them an extension to pay their rent, but Mizuno said there are many more families facing the same fate.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the property management company said: "Regrettably, as of today, no payment has been received, and our attempts to follow up with U.S. Vets have been unsuccessful."

That's why an eviction notice was issued on May 14. A new move-out date was pushed to July 31. A spokesperson for U.S. Vets could not be reached.

Mizuno said this is a huge problem with no solution in sight….

read … Military widow, single mother of eight faces eviction in Kapolei amid rental assistance delay

It begins: Police seek suspects in assault and robbery near new County-Run homeless camp in Hilo

BIN: … Big Island police are seeking information about a July 9 robbery that happened near the Hawai‘i County homeless camp off Ponahawai Street and the lower parking lot of HouseMart Ben Franklin Crafts in Hilo.

South Hilo patrol officers responded just before 3 p.m. Tuesday to a church in the 500 block of Ponahawai Street after two men working as survey contractors for the county reported being assaulted.

The men said that just prior to calling police, they were conducting drone surveying of the homeless camp when 6 men who looked to be homeless began walking toward them.

The victims reported that the men seemed unhappy, so they began loading their equipment into their vehicle in an attempt to leave and avoid confrontation….

(TRANSLATION: The drug addicted bums are talking control of the County-run camp.)

Same Story, Different County:

read … Police seek suspects in assault and robbery near homeless camp off Ponahawai Street in Hilo

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