House Passes Stopgap Government Funding Bill Including Lahaina Relief Funds
Hawaiʻi Taxpayers to See More Take-Home Pay Resulting from Historic Tax Cuts
After KPT Shootout, Meth-Head Finally Catches a Federal Case
State Farm not renewing Hawaii hurricane insurance for single-wall homes
ILind: … State Farm Insurance is in the process of notifying owners of older single-wall construction homes in Hawaii that they will no longer be able to obtain hurricane coverage from State Farm.
The company is sending letters to the affected owners announcing the change.
It isn’t clear whether this only applies in Hawaii, or includes other parts of the country.
A quick search did not turn up any news coverage of the company’s latest.
CNBC recently rated State Farm best among insurers for availability of hurricane coverage….
read … State Farm not renewing hurricane insurance for older homes | i L i n d
Questions emerge about origin of GPS data Maui PD provided for AG’s wildfire investigation
HNN: … New questions are emerging about the origin of GPS coordinates used to map locations of fire victims who were found following the Lahaina disaster.
The data was provided by the Maui Police Department in response to a subpoena from the state attorney general’s office for its wildfire investigation.
The list shows coordinates for every person recovered — but it’s information MPD’s own officers say wasn’t always collected….
FLASHBACK: “You are not bringing justice to the people of Lahaina. You have a problem with Chief Pelletier? Take it out with him.”
PDF: FSRI_Lahaina_Report__Redactions_10022024_Rev1 (1)_0
read … Questions emerge about origin of GPS data Maui PD provided for AG’s wildfire investigation
City reports criteria for Honolulu Ocean Safety commissioners
SA: … The newly formed Department of Ocean Safety, which Blangiardi created and was signed into law in May, lacked provisions for a commission. That required a charter amendment.
Its department’s predecessor, the city’s Ocean Safety Division, fell under the umbrella of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department.
Some members of the public and the City Council clamored for transparency and oversight of the new department, including former Ocean Safety Chief John Titchen, who had criticized the mayor’s initial plan to create a department without an oversight panel.
Titchen was placed on unpaid administrative leave in April for an investigation of an unexplained personnel matter, but was then placed on leave with pay. He left the city in July to work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Ocean Safety employs 294 lifeguards and eight rescue ski teams, who staff 43 lifeguard towers around the island.
The department’s commission will likely be fashioned after the city’s fire and police commissions.
Initial meetings for the commission are expected to begin in July.
The city has already received “self-initiated submissions,” a spokesman for the mayor told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser earlier this month….
Dec 17, 2024: City and County of Honolulu seeks Ocean Safety Commissioner candidates for 2025 launch | Office of the Mayor
read … City reports criteria for Honolulu Ocean Safety commissioners
DHHL Gives Free Land to Rapist
HNN: … De Mont Kalai Manaole, 60, calls the two-acre property on Lualualei Homestead Road “Da ‘Āina.”
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands property is raw land and has been a magnet for illegal dumping.
On Tuesday, the Hawaiian Homes Commission approved the “Indigent Native Hawaiian Homesteading Pilot Project” giving Manaole a year-long right of entry permit, essentially making him the caretaker here.
Everything is off-the-grid.
There’s a tent for meetings, bathroom and shower, a container for sleeping, a small fruit and vegetable garden, and a chicken coop to raise food.
After the commission’s approval, Manaole got a huge donation of soil and coconuts so he can grow even more….
DHHL had offered Manaole two different homestead lots on Hawaii island, but the ex-convict who spent 28 years in prison for attempted murder and other crimes (ie rape), couldn’t qualify for a bank loan….
read … Indigent Native Hawaiian project gets green light
Honolulu YMCA Tenants Won’t Be Uprooted Thanks To The State
CB: …. The Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions announced Friday that it will pay the additional rent from Jan. 9 to April 9 for each of the seven long-term residents, adding up to about $3,900 per resident.
The YMCA will continue to pay the residents’ subsidies until Jan. 9, at which point the state will pick up the tab.
The state will also pay $22,433 in unpaid back rent owed by nine other YMCA tenants who had been paying the regular room rate but had fallen behind on their rent.
YMCA of Honolulu president and CEO Greg Waibel said the Y is not meant to be a longterm solution for homelessness but rather a place where people in transition can stay affordably and seek other services, such as group therapy and community actives.
“We provide short-term, low-barrier accommodations for those in need,” he said at a press conference. “Guests stay with us without credit checks or deposits, paying either daily or weekly.”
A private room with a shared community bathroom at the Y is advertised for $65 a night or $400 a week, while larger rooms or those with private bathrooms or kitchenettes cost more….
read … Honolulu YMCA Tenants Won’t Be Uprooted Thanks To The State - Honolulu Civil Beat
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