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No Criminal Charges for sexual abuse of foster children
SA: … The state of Hawaii and Catholic Charities Hawaii have settled a civil lawsuit for $690,000 involving the alleged repeated sexual assault, molestation and abuse of a foster child by the foster mother’s son and his friend who both lived with them, plaintiff’s lawyers said….
At the time the alleged assaults occurred between July 2017 and February 2018, the victim was 13 and 14. She is now 20, said one of her attorneys, Carlos Perez-Mesa Jr.
Police were notified of the alleged sexual assaults in February 2018 after the girl was removed from the foster home of Holmes and when she began hurting herself, but neither Holmes’ son, Wayne Holmes, nor his friend, Tye Puaoi-Marcellino, were ever charged, her attorneys said….
Annaliese Wolf, the deputy prosecutor assigned to the case, declined to comment on why no charges were filed….
As early as December 2015, well before the 13-year-old was placed in the Holmes’ foster home, DHS was notified by Hawaii County police about the foster home after a neighbor made a complaint to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Police responded to the complaint and contacted DHS, which did not investigate the claims.
A DHS supervisor who was not named as a defendant testified in her deposition for a Hawaii Police Department incident report dated Dec. 29, 2015, according to the Stolar report.
The police report said the neighbor believed children were being sexually exploited, possibly in exchange for prescription drugs. She observed the changing of diapers and saw what could possibly have been an injury due to exploitation, according to the report. She told police that unidentified men in the home were watching movies containing nudity, possibly when the children were present, and that she believed drug use and sales were occurring….
The Stolar report and complaint allege that Perez, the DHS caseworker, met the foster child who is the plaintiff in this case at a coffee shop to discuss her placement in Holmes’ home. The report says the foster girl’s older sister, a minor at the time who was already placed there, was also at that May 2017 meeting.
The older girl told her sister that a man who frequented the home was constantly trying to have sex with her, according to the report, which said she was referring to Puaoi- Marcellino, then 30. Perez allegedly overheard that and told the older sister, “Don’t tell her (plaintiff) that. Otherwise, she won’t go there (G. Holmes’ residence),” according to the complaint.
The Stolar report said the sister, in her 2022 declaration, alleged that Puaoi- Marcellino sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions, that he was often in the home alone with the other foster children morning to night, and that Perez often saw him in the home.
Perez allegedly failed to make a mandatory report of suspected child abuse, failed to remove the sister, chastised the sister for trying to scare her younger sister and placed the 13-year-old in the same home, according to the Stolar report.
Gloria Holmes’ one- bedroom apartment was first approved as a foster home in 2013, despite her having a criminal history of assault, according to court records.
A Catholic Charities worker did a home study report in 2013 on Holmes’ home….
… Wayne Holmes was initially a frequent visitor and ended up being a babysitter to the foster kids.
“Catholic Charities did not screen Wayne, even though they knew he was living in an adjacent apartment,” Gallagher said. When Gloria Holmes got a larger apartment, the son and Puaoi-Marcellino moved in, he said….
Wayne Holmes and Puaoi-Marcellino never made an appearance in the case. The plaintiff’s attorneys say Puaoi-Marcellino is homeless and could not be found. A hearing on an entry for default judgment against Wayne Holmes was set for Sept. 24 but was canceled after a settlement was reached. The Star-Advertiser attempts to contact the two men were unsuccessful….
RELATED: Foster Care Rape Room: Police Report Blows Away CWS Coverup
read … State, Catholic Charities Hawaii settle case in alleged abuse of foster child
Scatter and Survive: Inside a U.S. Military Shift to Deny China ‘Big, Juicy’ Targets
WSJ: … The remote Pacific airfield used to launch the atomic bombings of Japan during World War II is being revived with a different foe in mind: China.
Runways emerging from the encroaching jungles on the tiny island of Tinian, a U.S. territory, are part of a sweeping shift in how America’s military would respond to a possible conflict in Asia.
Instead of relying on a few large air bases, the U.S. would disperse its warplanes to make them less vulnerable to China’s enormous arsenal of missiles. That means identifying, upgrading and reviving airstrips across the Indo-Pacific that could be pressed into service.
The U.S. Air Force calls this effort Agile Combat Employment, or ACE, and the rebuilding on Tinian is a key piece of that….
read … Scatter and Survive: Inside a U.S. Military Shift to Deny China ‘Big, Juicy’ Targets
Affordable Homebuying Process Tangled in Red Tape
SA: … The first problem is accessibility. Prospective homeowners must complete a time-intensive application process. Applicants start all over when applying for other projects even if it is for the same housing program because of the lack of a uniform application process. This red tape discourages participation and leaves many prospective buyers feeling disillusioned.
Technicalities become the next major hurdle. Review and response of applications can take two to four months and oftentimes without clear justification of denial. If approved, prospective homeowners live in limbo between choosing their home and waiting for it to be built. For example, one young couple waited nearly three years, only for the state to disqualify them right before closing because their household size increased with the addition of their newborn son. …
KHON: High Insurance Rates Create Challenges for Hawaii Homeowners | KHON2
read … Column: Reform affordable homebuying process
Kokua Line: Will my home need flood insurance?
SA: … Yes, after Oahu’s revised Flood Insurance Rate Map is finalized, likely in 2026, owners with property newly mapped into a Special Flood Hazard Area will be notified by their mortgage lender if they must buy flood insurance, according to the city. But don’t wait to learn the proposed rating for your property. Vital preliminary information is available now and appeals will be decided before the new FIRM takes effect, according to the timeline on the website of Honolulu’s Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency.
So try the map tool again, via resilientoahu.org/getfloodready. Click on the blue button that says “View Preliminary FIRM Map” and input your Oahu property address or TMK (tax map key). Even without using the slider tool, you should be able to click on the image of your property and see its current flood risk zone and the preliminary zone in the proposed new FIRM….
read … Kokua Line: Will my home need flood insurance?
“Inside Airbnb” provides data to assess the impact of short-term rentals
ILind: … “Inside Airbnb,” which compiles data drawn from Airbnb’s own online listings and reviews to track their impact on residential communities.
Inside Airbnb says it is “adding data to the debate.”
But its mission is broader: “We work towards a vision where communities are empowered with data and information to understand, decide and control the role of renting residential homes to tourists.”
The group has gathered data on what it says are 35,295 units in Hawaii offered for rent through Airbnb. Of those, 88.1 percent, or 31,104, are identified as rentals of a whole home or apartment.
These units appear to include legal as well as illegal rentals.
According to their summary, 81.4% of Airbnb units are operated by hosts that list 10 or more rentals, and includes a list of hosts with the most listings….
There’s a wealth of data here. Inside Airbnb makes Hawaii data available for download …
read … “Inside Airbnb” provides data to assess the impact of short-term rentals
Three arrested for trespassing at Kauai construction site
KITV: … Ten people were found trespassing on a construction site in Ha'ena, Kauai, for four days. Three were arrested for obstruction and trespassing; the others were warned….
read … Three arrested for trespassing at Kauai construction site
State to renew push to replace overcrowded Oahu jail
SA: … A more than 20-year state initiative to replace Oahu’s overcrowded and deplorable jail in Kalihi is being positioned for a big push forward next year.
The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation plans to request $280 million from the Legislature in 2025, to complete planning and procurement work with $30 million and secure $250 million as a down payment for a private developer to build a roughly estimated $1.2 billion new facility in Halawa replacing Oahu Community Correctional Center.
If successful, the agency projects seeking development proposals in 2026, starting construction in 2029 and opening a new DCR-run jail in 2031.
The plan, however, may face challenges, given deep-rooted opposition to a new jail from (soft-on-crime) justice system reform advocates and reluctance at times from some (their) leaders in the Legislature (who have purposefully created the) despite woefully obsolete conditions at the state’s largest jail and high costs to maintain and staff the facility (in an effort to force federal oversight and mass-release of hardened criminals back out onto the streets)….
read … State to renew push to replace overcrowded Oahu jail
Oahu Vision Zero plan outlines most dangerous corridors, intersections
SA: … The intersection at South King and Keeaumoku streets is a busy one, fraught with the danger of potential collisions.
There are pedestrians, motorists and bicyclists, with those on foot waiting for a signal to cross all four sides as drivers are at the same time trying to make left turns — all while city buses are pulling over to pick up passengers at a stop.
It has been identified as a top “high-injury intersection” in the City and County of Honolulu’s Oahu Vision Zero Action Plan….
SA: E-bike working group to update Honolulu City Council | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … Oahu Vision Zero plan outlines most dangerous corridors, intersections
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