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Thursday, August 8, 2024

August 8, 2024 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:05 PM :: 1138 Views

Trustees Raid KSBE -- 9% of Trust Burned to Save Hawaiian Electric

Raising Taxes on So-Called 'Empty' Houses will not create More Housing

Green Signs Emergency Proclamation on Condo Insurance Prices

City Releases Revised Housing Plan

One year later, Maui County Still Hiding ATF Report on cause and origin of Lahaina fire

SA: … A year after a wildfire killed 102 people, destroyed Lahaina and left thousands without a home, the public has yet to learn what started the fire and where it began.

The Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety does not have a timetable for releasing its formal report on the origin and cause for Aug. 8 wildfires in Upcountry Maui and Lahaina, but said when (they decide to release) the final report ~~is ready~~ a news conference will be called and the findings will be made public.

In more than 600 civil actions that are part of a (100% fake) ~~proposed~~ $4 billion dollar deal to settle all legal claims, plaintiffs have almost always blamed the fire on live power lines from Hawaiian Electric Co. that were downed by strong winds from a passing storm, the flames being fueled by dry vegetation on land owned by the state, Maui County, Kamehameha Schools and West Maui Land Co. Additionally, Spectrum Oceanic LLC and Hawaiian Telcom, which share infrastructure with Hawaiian Electric, are defendants in many cases.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has briefed the Maui fire department on its findings, but a finalized report has not yet been shared with the ~~county~~ (public) in either electronic form or hard copy.

(REALITY: The County has seen the ATF report. The public has not. Hiding the report gives an advantage to the County in settlement negotiations.)

Maui firefighters 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 long.

(The Star-Adv knows how many pages it has.)

The methodical probe includes evidence gathered from hundreds of interviews and data pulled from images, radio traffic, private and public video feeds, and other sources.

(The Star-Adv knows a lot about what is in the report.)

The reams of data and physical evidence forced investigators to move carefully with great attention to detail.

(The Star-Adv knows a lot about what is in the report.)

The ATF’s report will be attached as an addendum to the final origin and cause report that Maui county will release….

(The County controls when this report is made public.)

read … One year later, no cause or origin for Lahaina fire available

Make Way for the Water Features--Process to Move Lahaina School Underway

CB: … The elementary school’s location on Front Street was meant to be, said historian Ronald Williams Jr.

The campus originally served as a burial site for Queen Keopulani, wife of Kamehameha I who died as the highest-ranking ruler in the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1823. Nobility from across the island gathered on what later became the elementary school campus to pay their respects, Williams said.

“That was an incredibly powerful site, that whole area,” Williams said. …

Following the loss of their campus, students at King Kamehameha III Elementary took lessons online, attended class at Princess Nahienaena Elementary and, finally, transitioned to a temporary campus at the Pulelehua housing development near the end of the 2023-24 school year. The temporary site consists of 30 modular buildings and can serve up to 600 students.

The department hopes to transition to a permanent elementary school in the next three to five years to minimize the costs of operating the temporary campus. Leaders have proposed three options for rebuilding King Kamehameha III Elementary: creating a permanent campus at the Pulelehua project, returning to Front Street or building at Puukolii Village Mauka in Kaanapali….

KITV: What will Lahaina's water future look like? | Local | kitv.com

KITV: West Maui's Water Woes: Decades-long battle for Lahaina's lifeline amid fire devastation, future drought concerns

read ... Lahaina's Historic Elementary School Was A Source Of Community Pride. Now The Town Is Divided On Its Future - Honolulu Civil Beat

Judge rebukes Hawaii County efforts to delay release of new evidence in Dana Ireland murder case

HNN: … Circuit Court Judge Peter Kubota made it clear that he did not approve of the repeated efforts by Hawaii County attorneys to block the distribution of evidence in the Dana Ireland murder case.

The County is now asking the Hawaii Supreme Court to weigh in.

The evidence was collected during the investigation of Albert Lauro, Jr., who was identified through genetic DNA testing. The national database was then used to confirm Lauro was the person who attacked Ireland.

Monday, Kubota ordered the Hawaii Police Department to turn over the new evidence to the court for review.

Wednesday, the judge said he had reviewed the information and believed the Hawaii Innocence Project should be allowed access.

HIP is representing two of the men who were wrongfully convicted.

Brothers Albert Ian and Shawn Schweitzer want the court to declare them innocent of the crime so they can be compensated….

CB: Hawaii County Seeks To Delay Release Of Records in Dana Ireland Case - Honolulu Civil Beat

KHON: Hawaii Police file last-minute motion saving detectives from sharing evidence in Ireland investigation | KHON2

read … Judge rebukes Hawaii County efforts to delay release of new evidence in Dana Ireland murder case

Retired Hawaii County PD assistant chief allowed deferred plea

HTH: … A retired Hawaii Police Department assistant chief is serving court-ordered supervision for a domestic-related incident last October in Kailua-Kona.

Mitchell Kanehailua, 58, pleaded no contest on May 21 to violating a protective order and attempted third-degree assault, both misdemeanors. In return for his plea, prosecutors dropped charges of attempted first-degree burglary, a Class B felony, and third-degree assault, a misdemeanor ….

read … Retired HPD assistant chief allowed deferred plea

Hu Honua Bioenergy Wants to Sign a New Power Purchase Agreement

IM: … Hu Honua is backed by a billionaire. It appears that Hu Honua believes that it is better to fly in a team of high-paid California lawyers to continue the litigation than to write off a hundred-million-dollar boondoggle ….

read … Hu Honua Bioenergy Wants to Sign a New Power Purchase Agreement

Hawaii County Council votes to offer tax relief to those who rent out part of their home for at least six months

HTH: … Homeowners who rent out parts of their home for six months or more would be eligible for a tax break under a bill approved by the Hawaii County Council.

Bill 175, which the council voted to pass on first reading Wednesday, allows residential properties that are rented out for six months or more to be eligible for the county’s “homeowner” tax classification, and therefore receive that classification’s tax benefits….

“Right now, homeowners renting backyard cottages or portions of their homes are technically ineligible for the county’s homeowner exemption unless they are participating in the affordable rental tax class,” wrote Jonathan Helton of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii in testimony to the council. “We are unaware of homeowners losing their exemptions on the grounds that they were renting a portion of their property, but island homeowners should not have to worry that this could happen to them. If it were to happen, the effect would be to double or triple their tax bills, amounting to thousands of dollars.”…

read … Council votes to offer tax relief to those who rent out part of their home for at least six months

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