Feds Begin to Pull 'Project Labor Agreements'
Russian Bot In Charge of all US Intelligence Agencies: Gabbard Confirmed by Senate 52-48
AP: … Gabbard, a military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaiʻi, was confirmed by a 52-48 vote, with Democrats opposed in the sharply divided Senate where Republicans hold a slim majority. The only “no’ vote from a Republican came from Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky ….
(TRANSLATION: Cowardly Senators browbeaten with Primary threats and social-media harassment. Since Musk owns Twitter, how can we know social media harassment isn’t just a bunch of robots?)
(CLUE FOR SENATORS: Team Trump can only Primary you once. Just get it over with, and enjoy your independence for the next 5 years.)
(Janice Joplin: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”)
McConnell: 'Unworthy' Gabbard an 'Unnecessary Risk' to America
HNN: WATCH: Tulsi Gabbard sworn in as director of national intelligence
I: Tulsi Gabbard’s history with Russia is even more concerning than you think | The Independent
read … Senate Confirms Gabbard As Director Of National Intelligence - Honolulu Civil Beat
SB1201: HECO Wants Rate Hikes to Cover Maui wildfire settlement
HNN: … A day after the Hawaii Supreme Court cleared the way for the $4 billion Maui wildfire settlement, it’s looking like Hawaii residents will feel the impact on their wallets.
The cost of electricity and insurance could keep rising as both industries look to the future.
Hawaiian Electric wants the state to establish a billion-dollar fund that would pay claims for damage after another major wildfire destroys hundreds of structures.
Because ratepayers would finance the fund, at a hearing on SB 1201 Tuesday, senior vice president Jason Benn emphasized that so far ratepayers were not impacted by the Maui wildfire costs….
its asking lawmakers to let it charge all customers $4 more per month to pay off bonds that would establish the fund….
But the attorney general and Sen. Glenn Wakai pointed out that in California, utilities financed half the fund.
“Part of me says that’s unfair. You should have some skin in the game,” Wakai said. “You don’t feel that it’s inherently unfair for the ratepayers will bear 95% of the cost of this fund?”
“I respect the question,” Benn responded. “But stockholders (for Hawaiian Electric) are already paying $2 billion.”…
KITV: California's insurer for people without private coverage needs $1 billion more for LA fires claims | Business | kitv.com
read … Maui wildfire aftermath puts pressure on insurance, electricity costs
$5B Tax Hike: A 15-Year Extension Of Honolulu Rail Tax Advances In The Senate
CB: … A Senate committee gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a bill to extend the half-percent excise tax surcharge for rail for another 15 years, a politically volatile move that could lead to billions of dollars in additional funding for the city’s Skyline project.
The law that authorized Honolulu and the neighbor island counties to impose the excise surcharge calls for the extra tax to expire at the end of 2030, but Senate Bill 492 would allow them to leave it in place until the end of 2045.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs, chaired by Sen. Glenn Wakai, voted 4-0 to approve the bill late Tuesday afternoon after about two minutes of testimony….
read … A 15-Year Extension Of Honolulu Rail Tax Advances In The Senate - Honolulu Civil Beat
Maui Fire ruling is a “lose-lose” for Hawaii residents—secret mediation underway
SA: … Insurers, which have paid about $2.3 billion in claims so far to fire victims and expect to pay over $1 billion more, had a standing offer to receive several hundred million dollars previously from the settlement arranged by independent mediators, but instead wanted $1.6 billion, according to Green.
The governor said he is still open to a compromise.
“If they accept significantly less so that there’s no pressure on each of the individual insured families that lost, then that’s good,” Green said. “Our mediators may be able to work out a settlement within, or under the umbrella of, the global settlement … so that (the insurers) don’t have to go after individual policyholders.”
On Thursday, after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the issue, Mark Grotefeld, lead liaison counsel for the insurers coalition, called subrogation a safety net for policyholders.
“If you remove that safety net for insureds, that becomes a very difficult situation for the citizens of Hawaii, and we are working very hard to prevent that from happening,” he said. “We want that safety net to be maintained.”
Grotefeld said Tuesday in a statement that the insurers are unable to comment further because they are engaged in confidential mediation negotiations over the wildfire litigation.
Paul Martin, vice president of state affairs for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, said in a statement Tuesday that the ruling is a “lose-lose” for Hawaii residents and threatens the health of the state’s insurance market.
“If insurers cannot recover payments for losses caused by others, it undermines their ability to offer competitive rates and sustain doing business in the state,” Martin said. “This could lead to higher rates for consumers in the short term and fewer choices of providers in the long term.”
Green disagrees. “If some (insurers) want to leave, that would be disappointing,” he said. “But I’m certain that others will fill the void.” …
read … ‘Modest’ piece of wildfire settlement promoted for insurers | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Half-brother of late crime boss sentenced as part of ‘Miske enterprise’
HNN: … The half-brother of late crime boss Mike Miske was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for his role in Miske’s criminal enterprise.
John Stancil received a 20-year prison sentence, the statutory maximum, followed by three years of supervised release.
The 37-year-old took a deal last year, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy.
Stancil admitted he was involved in an attempted murder-for-hire contract that Miske later canceled….
ILind: Miske’s brother gets the maximum sentence
KHON: Miske Half-Brother Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison | KHON2
read … Half-brother of late crime boss sentenced as part of ‘Miske enterprise’
Sewage plant prompts emergency proclamation
HTH: … Mayor Kimo Alameda signed an emergency proclamation Tuesday in preparation for a potential failure of the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant in in Keaukaha.
At 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Alameda issued a proclamation that authorizes emergency measures to be taken in the event of a wastewater infrastructure failure at the plant or its associated infrastructure.
Tom Callis, spokesman for the mayor’s office, said the proclamation is a proactive measure to prepare for a future disaster, particularly as a major rehabilitation project for the WWTP is expected to begin in the coming months….
Department of Environmental Management spokeswoman Christy Swafford said the county is expected to issue a notice to proceed to contractor Nan Inc. in March for a $337 million project to rehabilitate the Hilo WWTP. That project is expected to take five years to complete once the notice to proceed is issued….
The rehabilitation project is mandatory following an administrative order of consent the county entered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in March 2024. That order identified considerable deficiencies at the three county wastewater treatment facilities — including in Papaikou and Kula‘imano, in addition to Hilo — and set out a series of dates by which those problems must be corrected, or else the county will face penalties.
With regard to the Hilo WWTP, the order states that construction on the rehabilitation must begin by Aug. 1 ….
Feb 1, 2025: Mitsunaga Money Laundering Convict Wesley Segawa confirmed 6-3 as director of Hawaiʻi County’s Department of Environmental Management – immediately identifies ‘contract’ opportunities
read … Sewage plant prompts emergency proclamation - Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Hawaii 'Stand your ground' laws could expand after killing
KHON: … Mike Pia’s 39-year-old son Cranston was shot and killed in February, 2023 after an altercation with a trespasser on their Makaha Ranch. Cranston’s father said a bill to clarify stand-your-ground gun laws on agricultural land will not bring his son back, but it might help protect other families.
“And hopefully this thing, this Legislature pass it,” Mike Pia said, “for the parents that doesn’t have to go through you know, or the spouses doesn’t have to go through or the family doesn’t have to go through what I went through.”
Hawaii’s current stand-your-ground laws allow lawful gun owners to use deadly force to protect themselves if they believe their lives are in danger on their own property or while they are at work. Some said the rules make confronting armed poachers difficult if they live or work on agricultural land.
“It’s too far for us for being on agricultural land to retreat back to our house because we’re in the back, you know, we’re distance away, a few, maybe 300 feet away from our house,” said Makaha resident Austin Salcedo, “how can we retreat back to the house, but to stand our ground and to defend ourselves?”
Some lawmakers said deescalating a situation by retreating might not work out with an unknown, armed assailant….
Click the links below for more information about agricultural crime-related bills.
SB1257
SB1248
SB1249
read … Hawaii 'Stand your ground' laws could expand after killing
High risk, low pay: Dangers faced by Hawaii’s private security guards often underestimated, experts say
HNN: … Just before 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Honolulu police responded to the Safeway on South Beretania Street, near Piikoi Street, after a security guard was attacked by a shoplifting suspect witnesses say was armed with a knife…
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, when it comes to security guards, 13 percent of all on-the-job injuries stem from physical assaults.
Sometimes those attacks turn deadly.
In May 2022, Michael Stubbs suffered a fractured skull after being hit in the head by a man wielding a stainless steel water bottle outside Pioneer Plaza. The 58-year-old later died from his injuries.
Seven months later, Mike Chu was stabbed to death at Windward City Shopping Center. The 77-year-old was a security guard at the Kaneohe strip mall….
“One of the biggest issues I see is the lack of adequate safety equipment from simple body armor to the ability to contact sworn law enforcement,” Simon said. “Security professionals need to be properly equipped to do their job safely.”…
read … High risk, low pay: Dangers faced by Hawaii’s private security guards often underestimated, experts say
Acasio, 7 others sue state House
HTH: … A former state senator from Hilo is suing the state House of Representatives, accusing the legislative body of violating the state Constitution by holding a Rules Committee meeting behind closed doors.
The lawsuit by Laura Acasio was filed in Honolulu Circuit Court on Jan. 30, two days prior to her assuming a position in the administration of Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda as administrator of the Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity and Resilience….
Each plaintiff is described in the suit as “a registered voter” who “would have attended the House committee meeting if it had been open to the public.”
The complaint quotes Article III, Section 12 of the Hawaii Constitution, which states, “Every meeting of a committee in either house or of a committee comprised of a member or members from both houses held for the purpose of making decision(s) on matters referred to the committee shall be open to the public.”
The suit seeks a permanent injunction declaring the House’s “manner of the adoption of the rules of the House of Representative was in violation of an applicable constitutional mandate” and for the court “to retain continuing jurisdiction to review defendant’s compliance with all judgments and orders … .”
In the final paragraph of her memo, Nakamura wrote: “Pursuant to House Rule 20, meetings of the Advisory Committee are organizational and internal, serving the purpose of making recommendations to the full House.” Members were to propose amendments by Jan. 10, five days prior to the opening of the legislative session.
House Rule 20 stipulates that organizational meetings “need not be open to the public.”…
read … Acasio, 7 others sue state House
Return to Sender: Bills would deport bums back to Mainland
SA: … But House Bill 212 and Senate Bill 360 would focus on people with mainland ties who ended up homeless in the islands and are willing to go back, with the state paying half the cost of their airfares.
…Others wore out their welcomes with family and friends on the mainland through behavior including theft, violence, substance abuse and mental health issues and were offered one-way tickets to anywhere else and chose Hawaii….
Popular and successful efforts that have returned over 800 homeless people to the mainland since 2015 would become permanent if either of two bills in the state Legislature becomes law this session.
In 2024, 6,389 homeless people were counted as homeless across the state, with most of them — 4,494 — on Oahu….
read … Return to Sender
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