Hawaiian Electric Reports 3Q Results--'Bankruptcy Threat Mitigated'
Labor Board Ruling: 100s of Teachers May be Shortchanged on Pay
Down Again: HIDOE releases 2024-25 enrollment figures for public schools
“We’ve issued more permits than any other county in the state”
SA: … Roth said he’s proud of the strides he and his team made to lay the groundwork for more affordable housing and working to uncomplicate a Byzantine county building permitting system.
“I think people may not have understood what we’ve done, taking our numbers in affordable housing in the pipeline from 1,243 (units) to over 8,100,” Roth said.
Asked how many of those affordable housing units have actually been built, the mayor replied, “A couple of hundred.”
“But if you look over the last four years, we’ve issued more permits than any other county in the state,” Roth said. “We did more than Maui and Kauai combined. We’ve done a lot of single- family homes. What people don’t understand oftentimes is, yes, they’re in the pipeline — and if you don’t get them in the pipeline, they don’t get built in the future. I think it’s a good thing that when the next administration comes in, we have those projects ready.”
Roth said he called Alameda and “told him I want him to understand the projects we have in the pipeline — especially things like wastewater, where we’re dealing with attorneys and the federal government.”
“I want to make sure that he’s successful, talking to him about the projects that we have. Because at the end of the day, we want him to succeed for everybody,” Roth said.
Moore said he thinks Roth was “on the right track in making permitting faster, reducing barriers to building housing.”
“I think a lot of the economic consensus is that it’s a supply-side issue, that we need more housing, and we need to make it easier to build housing,” Moore said. “And I think that’s something Roth was managing, but it’s easier said than done.
“Maybe Alameda will be able to move a little faster. I think he’ll benefit from some of the changes Roth was already making.”
Alameda said he also wants a smooth transition and described it as “almost like a juggling act.”
“First, I’ve got to see how the Finance Department organizes the budget,” he said. “How it plays out, what’s left and what kind of grants we’ve got coming in. I want a good understanding of that budget.
“And will hazard pay be settled before we get into office? I’m not sure. But I want to know the questions I had at debates. Where did the COVID money go? How much is it going to cost to fix Keaukaha wastewater? What other lawsuits do we have pending?” ….
read … Hawaii island Mayor-elect Kimo Alameda starts building team
Pierick Wins: Recount confirms Republican’s 20-vote margin in West Oahu (75 ballots need to be ‘cured’)
SA: … State Rep. Elijah Pierick eked out a 20-vote reelection victory today over Democratic (union boss) Corey Rosenlee to represent a region of West Oahu that continues to elect Republicans in an otherwise deep blue state dominated by Democrats.
This year, the Republican Party added three new House members and one more to the Senate.
With Pierick, they now account for nine Republicans in the 51-member House and three in the 25-member Senate….
There are 2,500 ballots that still have signature issues, according to the County Clerk. Seventy-five of those are District 39 voters.
That amount of votes could make a difference in the recounted race.
Voters can track their ballots and have until Nov. 13 to cure, or fix, their ballot….
(District 39 residents - take the time to make sure your ballot was counted correctly by going to https://hawaii.ballottrax.net/voter/)
CB: GOP Lawmaker Was Well Behind Until In-Person Votes Pushed Him To Victory
KHON: Dist. 39 recount is done, cured votes could make a difference | KHON2
What this is all about: VIDEO -- See For Yourself: Rep Pierick at Ewa Int School
read … Recount confirms Republican’s 20-vote victory in West Oahu
Maui Council: Cook beats King by 117 votes (1,069 ballots need to be ‘cured’)
MN: … As of Wednesday morning, the preliminary results have Cook in the lead with 26,315 votes over 26,198 for King.
However, there were still 1,069 deficient envelopes holding ballots, according to the Maui County Clerk’s Office, which is still contacting voters and awaiting their cured ballots. The deadline to receive the cured ballots is 4:30 p.m. Nov. 13.
“Every voter with a deficient ballot envelope has been mailed a letter with an affidavit form and instructions,” County Clerk Moana Lutey said Friday. “These letters were mailed out as the ballot return envelopes were received.”
On Friday, Maui County Deputy Clerk Richelle Thomson said the office was contacting people who did not sign their ballots and also those whose signatures did not appear to be the same as the signatures on their voter registration or driver’s license….
KHON: Signature issues could still affect Maui, Oahu races - YouTube
King Grifter: How Oily Profiteer Manipulated Maui Sunscreen Legislation for Personal Gain
(Maui County residents - take the time to make sure your ballot was counted correctly by going to https://hawaii.ballottrax.net/voter/)
read … Deficient envelopes add drama to South Maui race | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News
HECO details $120M spent on wildfire safety, resiliency measures in 2024
HNN: … Hawaiian Electric executives updated state Senate leaders on its wildfire mitigation plan during an informational briefing Friday morning.
HECO said it spent a third of this year’s budget, about $120 million, on wildfire safety and resiliency measures.
That includes everything from new equipment, fire detection technology, and systems that shut down power when faced with threats….
NR: HEI Reports Third Quarter 2024 Results
CB: HECO: Wildfire Risk Already Cut By More Than Half Across Hawaii Grid
SA: Hawaiian Electric claims gains in cutting fire risk
read … HECO details $120M spent on wildfire safety, resiliency measures in 2024
Board rejects land director’s proposal for Maui water license
HNN: …Water rights advocates joined the county to protest a plan that would give more clout to a commercial farm operation — while traditional farmers beg for more water.
The same concept had been withdrawn in September after the mayor requested more time.
Maui County leaders are hoping to take control of the island’s water system and were shocked to see the Chair of the Board of Land and Natural Resources Dawn Chang revive her proposal for a contested case hearing that many fear would sabotage the county plan by giving too much leverage to the farms of Mahi Pono.
“Let’s hear all the parties and have a hearing officer vet all the issues with the parties, and then come back to the board with a proposal,” Chang argued.
Mahi Pono is owned by a Canadian government pension fund on land sold by Alexander and Baldwin after it closed the Pioneer sugar plantation. Most of its water comes from stream diversions built by sugar companies over 100 years ago, and managed as the East Maui Irrigation company.
Mahi Pono representative Grant Nakama defended the contested case plan, which could lead to either a competitive bid or direct negotiations for a 30-year license to use the irrigation system.
“A contested case hearing will bring all of the relevant parties to the table while still allowing discussion between those parties,” Nakama said…
MN: Maui residents, officials speak out against proposed contested case hearing for long-term water permit
read … Board rejects land director’s proposal for Maui water license
Hawaii vets stationed at Area 51 join nationwide fight for treatment for radiation exposure
HNN: … “Our documentation shows we were stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, but we never worked at Nellis. We always flew from Nellis,” Hada said, adding they were flown from Nellis to Tonopah Test Range, where they worked for four, 10-hour days….
Nuclear testing started there in the late 1950s and continued for years.
“It was all contaminated. The soil is contaminated. The air is contaminated, the groundwater is contaminated,” said Crete, who found an environmental assessment report that was done in 1975.
The report said the areas on the range “are contaminated with plutonium from tests carried out in 1963.”…
read … Hawaii vets stationed at top secret base join nationwide fight for treatment for radiation exposure
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