Aloha Stadium: Deadline Passes Again
August Tourism 88.4% of Pre-COVID Numbers
Hawaii Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Atomic Energy Act
In effort to Force Release 100s of Criminals back on to the streets, ACLU-friendly Legislators plan to Block OCCC Construction (again)
CB: … Johnson warned there is a steep price to be paid if the state continues to delay fixing the system. Each year the state delays construction of the new Oahu jail adds some $50 million to $80 million in construction escalation costs to that project alone, he said.
“I want to make clear if we don’t get a replacement for OCCC sometime in the near future, then we are just setting ourselves up for DOJ intervention,” he said, referring to the U.S. Department of Justice.
(TRANSLATION: The soft-on-crime crowd has been purposefully blocking jail construction in order to force federal intervention which would mandate the release of 100s of criminals back onto the streets.)
The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii asked DOJ to investigate and intervene in allegedly unconstitutional conditions in the overcrowded Hawaii correctional system in 2017, but it is unclear if the federal government ever took any action on that request.
(See? Told you.)
If the federal government were to intervene in the Hawaii correctional system to force the state to correct unconstitutional conditions, the state could then be forced to spend the money necessary to fix the system.
(But first they would release 100s of hardened criminals back on to the streets.)
Johnson can expect to encounter some determined resistance to his funding requests from the ACLU and others when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
(TRANSLATION: The soft-on-crime crowd has been purposefully blocking jail construction in order to force federal intervention which would mandate the release of 100s of criminals back onto the streets.)
Liam Chinn, coordinator of the Reimagining Public Safety in Hawaii Coalition, agrees that state correctional facilities need to be maintained. But, he said, Johnson’s jail plans run counter to commitments made by lawmakers to significantly reduce Hawaii’s jail population.
Chinn cited data that suggests some 40% of Hawaii jail inmates are homeless….
(TRANSLATION: We want them back on the streets committing more crimes.)
The state has committed more than $24 million to planning the new Oahu jail so far, including money to develop a request for proposals to select a developer for the project. The solicitation for that project is expected to be released next year.
Chinn contends that the estimated $1 billion the new jail will cost “should be going toward permanent supportive housing, and that itself will dramatically reduce the need for jail beds.”
(BETTER IDEA: Reopen the insane asylums. Put the insane back inside.)
The coalition includes Common Cause Hawaii, the ACLU and the Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center.
(IDEA: Stop funding the Harm Reduction Center. All they do is give needled to addicts and then try to get more addicts onto the streets.)
Johnson told the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission last week he will meet with the governor and others in early October to discuss which of the department’s requests will be included in the proposed budget that Green will submit to the Legislature in December….
read … Tough Choices On Hawaii's Prisons And Jails Lie Ahead, Official Says
Shaping Tomorrow’s Coverage: Governor Green says re-ignition caused Lahaina wildfire
KHON: … Ahead of Wednesday’s expected release of the Lahaina wildfire cause and origin report from the ATF and Maui County, Hawaii Governor Josh Green told Wake Up 2Day Monday morning that the results are going to be “what everyone has expected.”
“I think you’re going to see what everyone has already expected. The fire occurred. Some of the coals reignited and then went up in into the wind because of the, you know, hurricane-force winds that were 74 to 80 miles per hour. Very old wooden set of structures, and the town tragically burned.”
The report has been delayed, but the ATF gave it to Maui County on September 23rd. Fire Chief Brad Ventura was briefed on the report on the 25th. In an effort to provide a comprehensive overview, MFD is currently integrating the ATF’s investigative insights into its own Cause and Origin report. The ATF report will be included as an appendix, ensuring that the public has access to all relevant information.
“I don’t think you’re going to find a single point of blame, per se. I think everyone has responsibility,” Governor Green added.
Since announcing an over $4 billion settlement with victims, Governor Green has been lobbying against subrogation from insurance companies, which are trying to get reimbursed for claims….
read … Governor Green says re-ignition caused Lahaina wildfire | KHON2
Alii Trust Agenda: Hawaiian Activist Groups Demand Governor Appoint Anti-Development Water Board Member
HNN: … On Monday, he got a letter from more than 70 groups and individuals demanding that he immediately appoint an expert on traditional water use to the state water commission.
Some say the delay is causing more distrust in the Hawaiian community.
The pressure is increasing because the Commission on Water Resource Management literally decides how much water a commercial developer or a tiny taro farm will get.
(TRANSLATION: The Water Commission controls housing development. It can therefore support the Alii Trust Agenda by further restricting the availability of developable land, thus driving up Alii Trust land sale profits.)
By law, one commissioner has to be an expert in traditional practices, which are supposed to be among the highest priorities.
The week of the Maui fires was also the deadline for hundreds of requests for water permits from the commission - many requests in West Maui pit traditional taro farmers against big landowners and developers.
(TRANSLATION: This is an opportunity to drive 1000s of Lahaina Fire victims out of Hawaii.)
Not a single one has been approved, and the commission hasn’t had the required expert on traditional uses since June.
(And they don’t want to approve any.)
SA: Gov. Green holding up water panel selection, groups say | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
KITV: Hand delivered letter urges Gov. Green to fill key position on state's Water Board
read … Pressure mounts for Gov. Green to prove he supports Native Hawaiian water rights
SNAP benefits to decrease in Hawaii for second year in a row
HNN: … Benefits will be $8-$9 less per recipient starting Tuesday.
It’s the second consecutive annual decrease in benefits after the federal government adjusted the Thrifty Food Plan.
That’s an estimate of the cost of a healthy, practical, and cost effective diet for a family.
Last year’s reduction already knocked off $7-$8 per person.
The USDA updated the Thrifty Food Plan in 2021 but that did not include a detailed study on food costs here.
Hawaii’s adjustments were instead made with amounts that matched the contiguous U.S….
read … SNAP benefits to decrease in Hawaii for second year in a row
Nurses at Maui’s main hospital vote for strike if they don’t get more help
HNN: … They say the nurse-to-patient ratio at the hospital is unsafe, they are burnt out, and workers are leaving the medical field completely to find better paying jobs.
The United Nurses and Health Care Employees of Hawaii (UNHCEH), which is a chapter of United Nurses Association of California (UNAC), represents all the nurses, ancillary staff, imaging techs, and pharmacists at Maui Memorial Medical Center ….
KHON: How can Hawaii attract and retain more nurses? (khon2.com)
read … Nurses at Maui’s main hospital vote for strike if they don’t get more help
Pesticide Ban a total fail at Maui County Parks, Golf Courses
CB: … Maui County parks officials are seeking an exemption from a ban on the use of pesticides and herbicides passed by the County Council three years ago.
The push for the exemption comes at the same time the county has been funding programs aimed at promoting reef-friendly alternatives, including organic products and landscaping methods.
Bill 131, which was heard by the council’s Agriculture, Diversification, Environment and Public Transportation Committee last week, specifically exempts county agricultural parks, county parks with grass playing fields and the Waiehu Municipal Golf Course from the ban on use of the chemicals.
Shane Dudoit, the deputy director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, said his staff has tried switching to organic methods of controlling weeds but so far nothing has worked. All the organic herbicides that kill weeds also destroy the grass, he said.
In a slide presentation to the committee, Dudoit displayed photographs of test plots where the department applied organic products, showing brown spots with dead grass.
“If there was an organic product that just killed weeds, we would definitely use it,” Dudoit said in an interview Monday….
read … Maui County Debates A Return To Using Pesticides At Parks, Golf Course
Hawaiʻi Council Considers Repealing Military Exemption From Nuclear-Free Law
BIVN: … A new bill (put) on the Hawaiʻi County Council agenda (by the usual surrender monkeys) could end the military exemption to the Big Island’s “Nuclear-Free Law”.
Bill 206 will be heard by the County Council’s Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-being in Hilo on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
The bill will repeal Ordinance No. 84-39, enacted in 1984. The ordinance specified that the United States military operations are exempt from law found in Chapter 14, Article 8 of the Hawaiʻi County Code prohibiting the transportation or storage of radioactive material on the island. …
read … Hawaiʻi Council Considers Repealing Military Exemption From Nuclear-Free Law
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