Housing Emergency Proclamations: What has been accomplished?
28 Hawaii Hospitals Ranked on Performance
2024 Hawaii's First-Ever Voter Guide
The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades
HPD Officer Sentenced for Insurance Fraud
Maui County finds another way to delay fire report
SA: … The lone vendor selected to perform an after-action report of the Maui Emergency Management Agency’s response to the fatal Aug. 8 fires that killed 102 people and destroyed the heart of historic Lahaina town is non-compliant with state policies and unable to perform the work.
(TRANSLATION: Maui County found another way to delay reports, thus buying time to settle lawsuits without the report findings on the table.)
“All potential vendors were evaluated for the contract on May 18. At the conclusion of that evaluation, a vendor was selected, however it was identified that they were non-compliant under the State of Hawaii’s Hawaii Compliance Express system, which is required for all vendors that do business with the state or count,” the county said in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
(TRANSLATION: Happy dance.)
The county provided a “notice of non-compliance to the selected vendor on May 28,” and the unidentified vendor provided proof of compliance with Hawaii Compliance Express on June 17.
The vendor received notice of selection on June 26, according to the county.
“After a recent planning meeting with the potential vendor, the vendor provided a new proposal to the County on July 10, 2024, increasing their contract over triple the original quote, and extended their timeline for completion from 90 days to 16 weeks,” the county said in a statement. “Unfortunately, due to these unforeseen changes, MEMA (Maui Emergency Management Agency) will have to revisit the other potential applicants for a new selection of vendor.”
(TRANSLATION: Happy dance.)
“We are incredibly disappointed (pleased) by the setback of having to select another vendor to complete MEMA’s AAR (after-action report), but anticipate seeking the next best qualified vendor as soon as possible,” said MEMA Administrator Lono-Kailua-Hewett.
(TRANSLATION: The more lawsuits we can settle before this report is written, the better for the County.)
MEMA came under heavy scrutiny in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires, with its former administrator Herman Andaya resigning Aug. 17 under heavy criticism and international media attention after saying he did not regret the decision to not activate warning sirens during the catastrophe….
The lengthy probe has frustrated some community members and slowed the thousands of legal actions aimed at determining liability and recouping damages. Agents with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives were on Maui last month to share their portion of the findings….
read … Vendor disqualification delays Maui fire report
Jury asks if alleged crime boss Mike Miske can be convicted for crimes he didn’t know about
HNN: … The jury in the Mike Miske organized crime trial is showing some confusion over whether he is responsible for some of the crimes he’s charged with.
The jury asked questions of the judge about how the law works if Miske didn’t know about the crimes supposedly committed for his criminal enterprise.
During the trial, it became clear that Miske did not always order or directly benefit from some of the crimes being committed by his associates.
It seems that some of the jurors are struggling with how to connect Miske to those crimes….
read … Jury asks if alleged crime boss Mike Miske can be convicted for crimes he didn’t know about
Hawaii County Police commissioner sues Hawaii County PD and assistant chief over Concealed Carry
HTH: … The complaint alleges Quiocho violated Sur’s right to privacy by disclosing to the county Board of Ethics in a 2023 complaint against Sur that he carries a concealed firearm. It also alleges that the department failed to properly supervise Quiocho.
According to the filing, HPD and Quiocho “violated their statutory duty to keep (Sur’s) information and identity regarding his license to carry a concealed firearm confidential and violated (Sur’s) right to privacy.”
The suit claims that because of Quiocho’s actions and HPD’s failure, Sur is entitled to damages because of “mental and emotional distress, anguish and humiliation.”
The complaint states that Sur, who has been a commissioner since Jan. 1, 2020, was the victim of an assault with his wife present in 2019. A suspect was arrested and prosecuted for third-degree assault, and Sur was granted a concealed carry license in December 2022.
An exhibit attached to the complaint is a 1995 opinion letter from the state attorney general that says the state’s gun registration law mandating “all registration data that would identify the individual registering the firearm by name or address shall be confidential” extends that confidentiality to those granted permits to carry firearms ….
The animosity came to a head during a commission meeting in Kailua-Kona on March 17, 2023, according to documents. Quiocho’s ethics complaint said Sur disagreed and vigorously argued with Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz’s opinion that he could sign off on a concealed carry license if an NRA-certified instructor found the applicant was qualified, even if the certification of proficiency stemmed from a different course of instruction than the one recommended in written police policy ….
Meanwhile: Miske Hitman Criminal Record Secretly Expunged
read … Police commissioner sues HPD and assistant chief
HPD Officers Who Handcuffed 10-Year-Old Can Be Sued For Using Excessive Force, Judges Rule
CB: … Judges in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rule three Honolulu police officers who arrested an elementary school student in 2020 are not entitled to qualified immunity on an excessive force claim….
read … HPD Officers Who Handcuffed 10-Year-Old Can Be Sued For Using Excessive Force, Judges Rule
This Lahaina Family Finally Finds A House To Call Home — At Least For A While
CB: … The lease on the Napili house will end in February. Where will his family go then? …
read … This Lahaina Family Finally Finds A House To Call Home — At Least For A While
Help for struggling rail businesses still months away
KHON: … Struggling businesses along the rail construction line were expecting some financial help from the city this month. A new law went into effect July 1 for relief funding, but nobody has received the money yet….
read … Help for struggling rail businesses still months away
90 days to submit a written recommendation to the council on how to address illegal gambling
GT: … Honolulu leaders don’t have the authority to bring legalized gambling to Hawaii, but they hope Resolution 143 will be the first step in making their neighborhoods safer. Council members Tommy Waters and Tyler Dos Santos-Tam introduced the resolution on May 17, 2024. The Honolulu City Council approved the measure on July 10, 2024.
It creates a five-member illegal gaming prevention task force that includes:
- A Honolulu police officer
- Someone from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney
- Two council members and
- A member of the Department of Planning and Permitting.
The task force now has 90 days to submit a written recommendation to the council on how to address illegal gambling.
Its members could explore the plausibility of Bills 57 and 58. The proposals would give the Department of Planning and Permitting more authority to pursue landlords of illegal cardrooms. Stiffer penalties would back city prosecutions as they try gambling cases in court.
Bill 57 designates “electronic or coin-operated gambling devices” as nuisances. The designation would give the city authority to fine illegal cardroom landlords $1,000 a day and up to $150,000.
Bill 58 allows police to serve violation notices for building codes, fire codes, and land use ordinance violations. In essence, police have a hard time building an efficient case to prove illegal gambling activity, but building code violations could streamline the process and produce the same outcome.
read … Illegal Hawaii Gambling Plagues Its Largest City (gamingtoday.com)
Apprenticeship program for DoE Teachers?
CB: … A new apprenticeship program would provide financial support for future educators and remove some of the barriers to obtaining a teacher's license….
State leaders are looking to address Hawaii’s ongoing teacher shortage through a new apprenticeship program that would allow prospective educators to earn their teacher credentials while also working full time in schools.
Hawaii recently received nearly $5 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to help develop and launch the initiative….
Prospective educators enter the licensing process at different stages, Villalobos said. Some may seek an undergraduate degree in education immediately after high school, while others may have classroom experience as an emergency hire but lack a teacher license. Ultimately, Villalobos said she would like to develop apprenticeship pathways that could provide multiple opportunities for licensing, regardless of people’s initial level of experience or education.
Teachers in Hawaii must hold a bachelor’s degree to obtain a license….
read … Hawaii's Latest Effort To Recruit Teachers: Put Prospective Educators In Classrooms Sooner - Honolulu Civil Beat
You Can't Fix The World But You Can Do Something About Your Neighborhood
CB: … Neighborhood renewal is a way to get us away from our unhealthy and unproductive obsession with national politics and also break the usual round-in-circles combination of hope and cynicism that dominates the way people in Hawaii view the state.
It’s a way of actually getting stuff done — stuff your policymakers don’t do for you because they can’t even though you think they can.
According to Seth Kaplan, author of “Fragile Neighborhoods, Repairing American Society One ZIP Code at a Time,” the neighborhood is “the most significant unit by which we organize our society. It determines how safe we are, the quality of the schools our kids go to, what resources we have access to daily, the kinds of job opportunities we have, our psychological well-being, and even, as we have seen, how long we live.” …
read … Neal Milner: You Can't Fix The World But You Can Do Something About Your Neighborhood
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