CWS Called on Hawaii Home-School Mom
La‘ikū temporary housing opens 16 units to Lahaina Survivors
Ten Years of Fighting Rapid Ohia Death
CWS Timeline: Shaelynn Lehano-Stone -- Another Girl Tortured and Starved to Death
HTH: … A 9-year-old developmentally disabled Hilo girl starved to death by her parents and grandmother eight years ago was on the radar of Child Welfare Services almost from birth.
Shaelynn Lehano-Stone died June 28, 2016, mere hours after police and emergency medical services found her emaciated and unconscious in a Kinoole Street apartment almost directly across from the Hilo Central Fire Station.
In a case marked with similarities to that of Peter Boy Kema Jr. — arguably Hawaii’s most notorious child abuse and homicide case — Lehano Stone had been removed from the custody of her parents and placed in foster care at least four times in her short life.
Like “Peter Boy,” Lehano-Stone repeatedly was returned to abusive parents.
The Tribune-Herald has learned the first time Lehano-Stone was taken from her parents was in September 2006, the same month she was born, due to “safety concerns” that weren’t specified. She was returned to her parents in June 2007, nine months later, under CWS supervision. The child would be removed again in September 2007 and returned a month later, again under the supervision of CWS.
In January 2009, Lehano-Stone, then a toddler, was taken from her parents a third time and placed in foster care for “failure to thrive and malnutrition” after she lost 4 pounds in two years. The family was provided with services including parenting education and domestic violence prevention classes.
In August 2011, the girl was reunited again with her parents but was hospitalized in the fall that year for injuries. Shortly thereafter, Tiffany Stone ceded custody of Shaelynn to Stone’s mother, Henrietta Stone, via a power of attorney. A court granted custody of the girl to Henrietta Stone on Jan. 28, 2012, and ruled the child should remain with her grandmother, terminating Family Court jurisdiction on May 2, 2013.
In August, 2014, after receiving a report of possible neglect or abuse by Lehano-Stone’s parents and grandparents, CWS referred the case to voluntary case management. According to documents, CWS had face-to-face assessment of Kevin Lehano and Tiffany Stone, but was unable to arrange a sit-down with Henrietta Stone, who had legal custody of the child.
According to the July 13, 2017, second-degree murder indictment of Lehano and the Stones, starting on or about Oct. 23, 2015, the trio began to systematically deprive the girl of food, water and medical care, causing her death eight months later.
Henrietta Stone on Nov. 15, 2015, pulled Shaelynn from Hilo Union School after completing a one-page homeschooling application, effectively removing the child from public view.
The girl’s two older siblings, who also were in the CWS system, are now in adoptive homes.
All three defendants pleaded no contest to manslaughter in exchange for prosecutors dropping the murder charge….
read … Shaelynn Lehano-Stone: a timeline of tragedy
DOJ "Unlikely to Approve" Hawaiian Airlines Merger
BH: … Hawaiian Airlines merger sentiment: stock sank 10% today, over 16% in past five days. Reports and sentiment within the past week reflect growing concern that the Department of Justice will likely block the $1.8 billion sale to Alaska Airlines, casting doubt on the merger’s success. This uncertainty has significantly impacted Hawaiian’s stock, which sank over 16% in the past five days. It is trading at a big discount compared with the price that Alaska is prepared to pay.
“The Department of Justice is unlikely to approve its planned $1.8 billion sale to Alaska Air. The antitrust regulator is preparing to challenge the combination.” -- Seeking Alpha.
SF: Hawaiian Airlines Stocks' Tumble As DOJ Reportedly Seeks To Challenge Alaska Airlines Merger (simpleflying.com)
MSN: Will US Government Block Merger Between Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines?
Alpha: Hawaiian Holdings tumbles amid reports DOJ may move to block Alaska Air deal
July 30, 2024: Hawaiian Holdings Announces 2024 Second Quarter Financial Results Conference Call | Hawaiian Airlines | Newsroom
read … DOJ "Unlikely to Approve" Hawaiian/Alaska Deal + Southwest's Tailspin Risks Hawaii Travel
Naming Names: Campaign Contributions Pour In Just as Deals Close
CB: … Executive officers and employees of government contractors along with their family members donated more than $170,000 to local campaigns between January and the end of June, a Civil Beat review of campaign finance data found.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s campaign topped the list of recipients with about $62,000 coming in from people tied to contractors, including one that recently won a flood control contract from the city. That figure is about 13% of the $475,000 his campaign raised between Jan. 1 and June 30….
The top contributors to all campaigns include executives of Honolulu rail contractor Nan Inc., who along with their family members contributed $29,000 to various campaigns….
People with ties to Royal Contracting Co. were among Blangiardi’s top donors.
In the last 6 months, employees and other people with ties to Royal Contracting donated $16,000 to the mayor’s campaign.
Those donations were among dozens deposited by Blangiardi’s campaign on June 28. That same day, the city sent a letter to Royal Contracting informing the company that it won a $1 million contract for flood control improvements in the Waialae Nui channel….
Employees and officers of the company have donated a total of $41,000 to Blangiardi’s campaign since 2020. They also contributed $13,000 to candidates for Honolulu City Council during the same time period….
Royal Contracting has a history of political giving. In 2003, Leong was fined after pleading no contest to charges that he made illegal donations to former Mayor Jeremy Harris’ campaign. Royal Contracting itself was also fined for elicit donations to several candidates….
Donations tied to real estate giant Alexander & Baldwin also poured into campaigns as the company got ready to close a land deal with the state.
Throughout January, May and June, A&B employees and the company’s PACs donated more than $16,000 to the campaigns of more than two dozen state lawmakers….
In February, the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands bought land in Kihei from A&B Properties for $10.5 million. The state law banning contractor donations also applies to companies selling land to government agencies. The ban applies for the duration of the contract….Alexander & Baldwin Inc. PAC, contributed about $2,250 to state lawmakers during the duration of the land sale contract, which ended May 31…
CB: Following The Money: These Contractors Have Given To Hawaii Politicians In 2024 (youtube.com)
HNN: Contractors-still-donating-big-elections
read … Hawaii Contractors Are Still Big Contributors To Political Campaigns, Thanks To Loopholes In State Law
Secret Rail Bids Are Finally In For City Center
CB: … Bidders hoping to win the contract to build the elevated rail line from Middle Street through Honolulu’s urban center were required to submit their proposals Tuesday, but the rail authority is not saying yet how many proposals it got or whether those bids are affordable.
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation estimated in early 2023 that this 3-mile rail segment with six stations would cost $1.1 billion to $1.4 billion. But no one knew for sure if that estimate would hold up when the bids came in.
The costs of construction labor and materials have increased along with almost everything else in recent years, and Honolulu is in the midst of a construction boom that could cause further price escalations.
Joey Manahan, director of government relations and public involvement for HART, said in a written statement Tuesday only that “HART will be able to share the information once the contract is awarded.”…
The city has not identified any of the interested bidders, but a construction company called Tutor Perini indicated late last year that it was interested in competing for the city center job.
Tutor Perini is a publicly traded company that has built many mass transit and other large public infrastructure projects, including airport terminals, hospitals and correctional facilities.
The company was also one of the bidders in a failed effort by the HART in 2020 to award a contract to build the city center segment. Tutor Perini disclosed to investors that it bid $2 billion for the contract in 2020, which far exceeded HART’s budget for that segment.
HART now has a tight timeline to evaluate what are certain to be complex design-build proposals. HART announced in April that it intends to award the city center contract on Aug. 23, and plans to issue a notice to proceed to the new contractor on Sept. 16….
read … The Bids Are Finally In For Honolulu Rail Through The City Center
Maui Moves Closer to Attempting to Steal Thousands of Short-Term Rentals to Boost hotels, Unions
CB: … Mayor Richard Bissen’s bold and controversial proposal to turn more than 7,000 short-term rentals into much needed long-term housing took a major step forward Tuesday night.
The Maui Planning Commission voted 5-0 in favor of recommending the County Council approve the legislation with some modifications following an all-day meeting filled with passionate testimony on both sides of the issue.….
As proposed, 2,200 units located in apartment districts in West Maui would be phased out as short-term rentals by July 1, 2025 and the remaining units would be phased out by Jan. 1, 2026. The affected properties are known as the Minatoya list, with their use as vacation rentals having been grandfathered in under a 2001 legal opinion by a former county attorney.
The commission agreed on the quick phase-out in West Maui due to the displacement of about 13,000 people from the Aug. 8 wildfire in Lahaina. But it added an official comment for the council to note that the commission discussed making the phase-out timeline up to three years longer for the properties outside of West Maui.
The commission also made a recommendation to exclude the properties on the Minatoya List that are designated for hotel use under community plans and those properties that are already partially zoned hotel, which accounts for 931 units. This was to address the testimony from property owners who said their buildings were originally built as resorts intended for vacation rentals.
Planning Commission Vice Chair Dale Thompson, who has a family-owned property on the Minatoya list, did not participate in the meeting. And there were still three vacancies on the nine-member commission, including the South Maui seat where most of the affected units are located….
The Molokai Planning Commission has already recommended approval of the proposal. It noted that if the County Council doesn’t approved it for the rest of the county that it would like it approved just for Molokai.
The Lanai Planning Commission did not approve or deny the recommendation, but it added a variety of comments for the council to consider….
It’s not likely the County Council will take up the proposal until the end of the year, after it receives the UHERO report and another study that it budgeted $300,000 to do. The council is taking up the scope of work for a request for proposals for that study during a committee meeting Wednesday morning.
read … Maui Moves Closer To Phasing Out Thousands Of Short-Term Rentals To Deal With Housing Crisis - Honolulu Civil Beat
KSBE plans 190ac housing development in Lahaina Burn Zone
CB: … On the lowest tier, comprising about 190 acres mostly below the bypass route, the trust envisions housing …. (NOTE: No use of word ‘affordable’, LOL!)
The Aug. 8 wildfire swept across part of the trust’s dry largely fallow land, which led many survivors of the fire to include Kamehameha Schools as a defendant in litigation over the disaster, which killed 102 people.
Plaintiffs in more than 400 lawsuits allege that the Lahaina fire was started by Hawaiian Electric power lines that blew down in gale-force winds. Many cases also allege that the fast-moving inferno was fueled by dry vegetation on land owned by the state, county and private entities including the trust long known as Bishop Estate.
“Large landowners, including Bishop, State and Maui County, were on notice from a 2018-2019 report from Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization that it was their duty to reduce fire risk to Lahaina and other vulnerable places on Maui with proper vegetation management of flammable fuel loads on their land,” one lawsuit states. “And yet, on information and belief, they undertook no or poor vegetation management.”…
Big Q: What do you think about Kamehameha Schools’ plans to revitalize Lahaina land?
read … Kamehameha Schools plans revitalization of fallow land in Lahaina | Honolulu Star-Advertiser (staradvertiser.com)
Miske jury now considering question of forfeiture of assets
IM: … At 1 p.m. Tuesday, a text from the federal court in Honolulu announced that the parties had rested in Phase II of the trial of Mike Miske, in which the jury has to decide whether the prosecutors have proven that millions of dollars in real estate, cash, and collectible cars owned by Michael Miske were tied to the racketeering enterprise he operated and, as a result, must be forfeited to the government.
It took just a day and a half for both sides to present their respective cases and turn the matter over to the jury….
IM: Judge denies Miske’s motion for a judgement of acquittal
read … Miske jury now considering question of forfeiture of assets
Big Island Mayoral And Council Candidates Survey Response on Hu Honua
IM: … don’t get tricked. Read the answers before you vote ….
read … Big Island Candidates Weigh In On Hu Honua | Ililani Media
Hawaii Has More Money For Preschool Subsidies Than It Has Been Able To Give Out
CB: … Through Preschool Open Doors, families can apply for subsidies to reduce the cost of preschool tuition for 3- and 4-year-olds. The state expanded POD’s eligibility earlier this year, increasing both the income eligibility cap and how much families could receive from the program each month….
In the past, Luke said, DHS spent only half of POD’s $12 million annual budget. …
NR: DHS – RELEASE – Preschool Open Doors Now Accepting Applications Year-Round (hawaii.gov)
SA: Families are encouraged to apply for preschool subsidies
read … Hawaii Has More Money For Preschool Subsidies Than It Has Been Able To Give Out
Kauai officials: Arson suspected in Waimea fire, latest in a string of blazes
HNN: … when investigators went back to examine the Poki’i Ridge and Panini Place fires, they found “incendiary devices” and suspected that both fires were intentionally set….
read … Kauai officials: Arson suspected in Waimea fire, latest in a string of blazes
Group announces tiny homes retirement plan for aging shelter refusers who change their minds at the last minute
HNN: … A homeless woman living at Pokai Bay in Waianae can barely walk. She needs medical treatment and a safe home, and is finally willing to accept one ….
Waianae Moku Kupuna Council announced initial plans Tuesday for a kauhale — a tiny homes project — with the help of Blanche McMillan of Hui Mahi’ai Aina, a kauhale village on state property in Waimanalo. The ambitious project would house dozens of people….
(CLUE: Meth heads are aging out. Young people just don’t want to end up like these guys.)
read … Group announces tiny homes plan for homeless kupuna on Waianae Coast
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