How Christmas Came to Hawaii
Miske Died of ‘Accidental’ Fentanyl Overdose in Jail
AP: … Honolulu crime boss Michael J. Miske Jr., 50, died of “Toxicity of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl” in what appears to be an accidental death while Miske was being held in the Federal Detention Center awaiting sentencing, the Honolulu Department of the Medical Examiner said today.
The manner of Miske’s death “is still listed as pending,” the office said in a statement. “However, based on currently available information, the manner of death in this case appears to be accidental.”
Federal agents arrested Miske on July 15, 2020, and a federal jury found him guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and 11 other felony charges on July 18….
read … Medical examiner says drug overdose killed Miske; ‘appears to be accidental’
Bankruptcy Sooner: Top Three and Social Security Too!
SA: … Congress gave over 100,000 public-sector workers in Hawaii an early Christmas gift by repealing provisions in federal law that reduced Social Security benefits for people who also receive a pension.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said Tuesday in a news release that the Social Security Fairness Act, which he co-sponsored, repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset from the Social Security Act, which have significantly reduced benefits for public workers.
The Windfall Elimination Provision reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who receive pensions from a federal, state or local government for employment not covered by Social Security, while the Government Pension Offset reduces Social Security spousal or widow’s benefits by two-thirds of the pension that the person would receive from noncovered government employment, according to the news release….
While the support in Congress for the Social Security Fairness Act was overwhelming, critics warned that it will further weaken the Social Security program’s already shaky finances as the bill’s price tag is about $196 billion over the next decade, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Emerson Sprick, associate director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, said in an interview with Reuters, “The fact that there is such overwhelming support in Congress for exactly the opposite of what policy researchers agree on is pretty frustrating.”
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan fiscal think tank, also warns that the extra cost will affect the program’s future.
“We are racing to our own fiscal demise,” the group’s president, Maya MacGuineas, said in a statement. “It is truly astonishing that at a time when we are just nine years away from the trust fund for the nation’s largest program being completely exhausted, lawmakers are about to consider speeding that up by six months.”…
read … Schatz: Social Security change to boost benefits for 100K in Hawaii
The Contract that Just Keeps Giving: Sixty Years Later, Designer of Leaky Capitol Pools is Recognized and Rewarded with the latest re-do contract
SA: … This building was first designed in 1964 by AHL and John Carl Warnecke and Associates. Today, as the Capitol undergoes a significant renovation, AHL is now leading a transformation that addresses maintenance and deterioration issues while breathing new life into this iconic building (60-year contract spinner). This project marries sustainability (of endless contract generation), innovation and cultural respect to ensure that the Capitol remains a centerpiece of Hawaii’s (contracting) heritage and a gathering space for generations to come.
Spearheaded by the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), this ambitious renovation underscores the state’s (employees) commitment to preserving and revitalizing its architectural treasures (their 20% cut for steering the contracts) ….
The centerpiece of the renovation is the redesign of the Capitol’s reflecting pools, which, for 55 years, have served as a visual reminder of Hawaii’s maritime (make-work) roots. However (We are so very proud that), these pools, each holding 90,000 gallons of water, have also been a source of chronic maintenance challenges (contracts), leaking into hallways, bathrooms and offices below.
(In honor of this achievement, and as a sort of cosmic joke, 60 years later, the contract has been ‘steered’ back to us. We have come up with a new design guaranteed to fail—ie ‘succeed’--and generate contacts, for the next 60 years.)
Lighting throughout the space will be thoughtfully restored to its original design, while introducing new features (contracts) to illuminate (repair) the glass surface and perimeter walkways, enhancing safety and accessibility.
To add a modern touch, an (soon-to-be-hacked) interactive lighting system will simulate movement and offer programmable options for special events and activities (contract there). Once completed, the pools will host monthly light displays, transforming the Capitol into a dynamic, family-friendly destination. (Hackers will reprogram it to expose corrupt legislators by name, thus necessitating more emergency spending.)…
read … Column: Sustainability is focus of Capitol revamp
How Government Thinks: Where Is The Soap In Honolulu's Public Bathrooms?
CB: … In the city’s view, soap may be more trouble than it’s worth. Through either carelessness or vandalism, it could end up on the floor and cause a slip and fall….
“Everybody wants to wash their hands, but I can guarantee you, we’ve got to look at the bigger picture,” Kanani Pule, the maintenance supervisor for Ala Moana Regional Park, told Civil Beat.
There’s a lot of bad behavior in Oʻahu’s more than 200 outdoor restrooms, the parks department said, ranging from splashing water around to property damage. In one egregious case, Honolulu parks director Laura Thielen said someone smashed multiple toilets with a sledgehammer.
Soap would only introduce more risk, they said.
“The people reading Civil Beat, I’m sure, are the type that can use a soap dispenser properly,” Thielen said. “But not everybody can.”
“What we’ve found is that when people talk about vandal-proof or ‘prison grade,’ you know, prisoners don’t carry sledgehammers,” Thielen said. “We’re having to deal with something that is difficult to understand.” ….
read … Fix It! Where Is The Soap In Honolulu's Public Bathrooms? - Honolulu Civil Beat
ACLU Hawaii expands probe into HPD drunk driving arrests after more drivers come forward
HNN: … The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii has broadened its investigation and potential lawsuit against the Honolulu Police Department over intoxicated driver arrests.
The civil rights agency originally focused its case on DUI road blocks with questionable probable cause, but Wookie Kim, legal director of ACLU Hawaii, said more people have come forward showing “alarming patterns.”
“This pattern extends outside of DUI checkpoints — it involves the way that HPD is doing DUI arrests more generally,” Kim said.
An HNN Investigation showed about 80% of all the 2023 DUI cases referred to the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office were declined.
The ACLU started looking into it and on Nov. 4, the agency notified HPD and the city that they were representing one of the drivers, Ammon Fepuleai, who was arrested in December 2023….
read … ACLU Hawaii expands probe into HPD drunk driving arrests after more drivers come forward
Hawaii Jury Awards $91M in Trial Against RJR Over Man's Throat Cancer
CVN: … A Hawaii state court jury handed down a $91 million verdict earlier this month against R.J. Reynolds after finding the tobacco company liable for the throat cancer of a long-time smoker. Manious v. R.J. Reynolds, 3CCV-22-72.
Jurors found Reynolds responsible on design defect, fraud, and conspiracy claims for the laryngeal cancer Marvin Manious developed in 2020 after decades of smoking Kool-brand cigarettes made by the company. The verdict includes $6 million in compensatory damages and $85 million in punitives.
The trial, which lasted more than a month, focused in part on what drove Manious to smoke for most of his life. Reynolds contends that Manious chose to smoke, despite knowing its dangers, and did not do enough to quit cigarettes in time to avoid his cancer ….
read … Hawaii Jury Awards $91M in Trial Against RJR Over Man's Throat Cancer
QUICK HITS: