Hoarding More School Impact Fees
Judicial Vacancy Kauai Fifth Circuit
Antivaxxer Kennedy Nomination: How many Lives will be Lost?
SA: … Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a man no one would know about if not for his last name. Born into celebrity, and trained in law rather than science, he fancies himself an expert on medical matters, opining on everything from vaccine safety to obesity drugs. This was always ridiculous, but mostly harmless, until he cultivated his best talent, which is turning resentment into political capital. His anti-vax outfit became a $20 million per year business during COVID, during which Kennedy himself acted as a kind of one-man propaganda cyclone.
Prior to all that, Kennedy visited Samoa, where he complimented the work of anti-vax activists during a plunge in vaccine coverage. The subsequent epidemic, which killed dozens of children, was a “mild measles outbreak,” according to Kennedy. It was Hawaii doctors and nurses who helped clean up the mess, vaccinating the island and beating back the virus.
None of this is disqualifying to Kennedy’s fans, who don’t object to a serial liar being put in charge of the nation’s main science institutions. Lies have become so ubiquitous in our culture that we are growing numb to them, and for a very few of us they’re useful, as long as they create a stupefying buzz….
Kennedy will peddle in grievance, and he’ll wriggle his way around his own contradictory statements. His mere presence will undermine the people in government who are doing good work, and 19th-century ideas about infections will flourish. If he succeeds, vaccine coverage against deadly diseases like polio and measles will plummet nationally, and then we’ll be one big Samoa….
read … Column: Amid hit job on public health, wiser spirit in Hawaii | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Honolulu rail agency requests eminent domain on 7 KSBE properties
SA: … The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s board of directors has approved resolutions to acquire by eminent domain portions of seven adjacent properties along the rail corridor as construction continues toward Kakaako.
The seven parcels, all owned by Kamehameha Schools, are mainly commercial lands on or near the mauka side of Dillingham Boulevard affected by the presence of Skyline’s elevated guideway.
HART claims long-standing negotiations between the rail agency and Kamehameha Schools to obtain the sites, which stretch from Waiakamilo Road to Kahou Street, have stalled. That delay, HART says, necessitates the city’s condemnation of the properties….
In some cases, sections of the properties desired by HART range in size from approximately 100 square feet to over 6,600 square feet.
Those sites will be used for the placement of guideway columns and to grant easement rights to Hawaiian Electric Co. so the utility can locate above- and below-ground power lines, electrical transformers and related equipment along the route, according to HART….
read … Honolulu rail agency requests eminent domain on 7 properties
New Oahu correctional facility long overdue
SA: … Now 50 years old, many of OCCC’s buildings have seen better days, including the portion that is over 110 years old. Over time, deferred maintenance — a polite, politically correct way of saying a lack of budget to maintain our facilities — has severely compromised the quality and integrity of our facilities. They are not only an eyesore, but also a hindrance to carrying out our mission. It is akin to living in a house that should be condemned. By being proactive, we can improve the facility and avoid possible federal intervention that could prove more costly.
Those opposed to investing in new correctional facilities often claim that we should instead invest in restorative justice programs to reduce the number of those who are incarcerated in our islands. This argument was valid generations ago when facilities were based on a punitive model of justice. This is no longer the case today.
We need to stop the unnecessary polarization on this issue to avoid any further delays on this 20-year decision as well as increases in the cost of this badly needed new facility….
Many of the inmates come to us burdened by difficult circumstances and wrong choices. We help them accept responsibility for their situation and to realize their time with us can be a turning point in their lives. Our team of adult corrections officers, social workers, nurses, counselors and other professionals create the most conducive environment to grow personally and professionally….
We need to stop the unnecessary polarization on this issue to avoid any further delays on this 20-year decision as well as increases in the cost of this badly needed new facility….
(CLUE: Nice try but it won’t work. The soft-on-crime crowd’s arguments are merely rationalizations for what they really want: A mass release of hardened criminals onto the streets. Soft-on-crime legislators’ repeated denial of maintenance funds and/or funds for a new OCCC is a means to that end. They hold the majority and will deny again this year, hoping to create a crisis sufficient to draw in a soft-on-crime 9th Circuit Judge to order the release.)
read … New Oahu correctional facility long overdue
Local 5 hopes contract gains set standard for all Hawaii hotel workers
SA: … the newly ratified hospitality contracts, which cover 5,456 workers across nine hotels, are based on the Hilton Hawaiian Village contract, which set historic wage standards of $10-per-hour raises across-the-board over four years for nontipped workers, $6.50 in raises for tipped workers and $8.50 for uniformed-service workers….
read … Local 5 hopes contract gains set standard for all Hawaii hotel workers
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