Supreme Court restores parental opt-out from LGBTQ Propaganda
Waikiki Predator: 551 Criminal Citations and Still on the Streets
SA: … Aaron Poslick dons his body-worn camera and begins patrolling Kuhio Beach Park to enforce rules and deter low-level crime and antisocial behavior as part of Waikiki Business Improvement District’s new elevated safety ambassador team.
The pilot program, which began Wednesday, is meant to serve as a “force-multiplier” for the staff-constrained Honolulu Police Department.
Poslick stops at the Kuhio Beach Park picnic tables, where the city frequently receives complaints about loiterers drinking, drugging or engaging in harassing behavior or fights. He reminds those gathered that smoking and drinking are not permitted in the park and makes sure to emphasize the point to the career criminals he encounters, including one who has 551 criminal citations dating back to 2012….
(DO THE MATH: 551/13years = 42.4 per year—almost one a week. Does he ever get jail time?)
Abarzua said the effort, which follows recent high-profile crime events in Waikiki, including the well-publicized fight between a lifeguard and career criminal Tommy Joe Chiles, 60, is meant to continuing deter crime and to help supplement HPD presence in the park and around nearby Kalakaua Avenue hot spots.
In that case, HPD originally arrested a 44-year-old city lifeguard for second-degree assault after he stopped Chiles, who had 76 criminal convictions, from harassing Kuhio beachgoers. Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm declined to charge the lifeguard “because there was credible evidence to show that he acted in self-defense.”
(IDEA: 75 strikes and you’re out.)
Alm said that, “the alleged victim in that case, Tommy Chiles, was arrested for disorderly conduct for allegedly attempting to fight with people on the beach.”…
read … Elevated safety ambassadors help fight crime in Waikiki | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Climate Change ‘Professionals’ Imaginary Problem Means Coping With Imaginary Death
CB: … This year, participants who walked into the Hawaiʻi Convention Center’s Room 312 after lunch on the second day were greeted by a woman behind a table with markers, colored pencils and pieces of scrap paper.
“Are you in the right session?” she asked some of them. “Grief?”
(CLUE: Soft people with soft heads.)
As deep anxiety over climate change and the future grips the general public, this summer’s conference featured a first-of-its-kind grief seminar. The session, moderated by Danielle Pacific, an end-of-life doula, explored the toll climate change takes on environmental science professionals. …
read … For Environmental Scientists, Climate Change Means Coping With Death - Honolulu Civil Beat
ADUs – City Uses Familiar Sabotage Techniques to block affordable housing
CB: … Honolulu has fallen short of expectations for ADUs because of familiar constraints. These include sewer-capacity triage, small lot sizes, high construction costs and a sluggish permitting system. The city also shelved an initiative to provide pre-approved ADU plans this year after industry pushback….
read … Beth Fukumoto: Hawaiʻi Needs To Get Serious About Accessory Dwelling Units - Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawaiʻi is Increasingly Relying on Unlicensed Teachers to Fill Vacancies
CB: … As students returned to class earlier this month, Hawaiʻi schools reported the lowest number of teacher vacancies the state has seen in more than five years. As of last week, only 73 teacher positions were unfilled, compared to more than 1,000 in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But schools are employing a growing number of unlicensed teachers, also known as emergency hires, to fill those vacancies. Last August, Hawaiʻi schools started the year with 670 emergency hires, an 80% increase from four years ago.
Emergency hires can work in schools for up to three years but must make progress toward earning their licenses …
read … Hawaiʻi Is Increasingly Relying On Unlicensed Teachers To Fill Vacancies - Honolulu Civil Beat
Former Maui police officer pleads guilty to federal civil rights violation
MN: … A former Maui Police Department officer pleaded guilty Friday to one count of using unreasonable force against an arrestee during a disorderly conduct incident in Kīhei last year. According to the plea agreement, on Jan. 6, 2024, Carlos Frate, 40, repeatedly tased the arrestee, even though the arrestee was not resisting or posing any threat.
The Department of Justice reports Frate admitted that he knew that his force was unjustified, but he nonetheless continued to tase the arrestee despite pleas for him to stop.
Frate faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. His final sentence will be determined at a hearing scheduled for Jan. 6, 2026 by US District Judge Micah W. J. Smith based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors….
read … Former Maui police officer pleads guilty to federal civil rights violation : Maui Now
What do judges do all day?
ASD: … “For a typical workload, you can look at a judge’s calendar,” Ibarra said. “We’re usually in court hearing cases from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. … That’s the most important piece of a judge’s day.”
While the type of cases heard vary between judges — district court judges will hear a high volume of low-level offenses, circuit court judges may hear cases going to jury trial, and so on — Ibarra said resolving these cases quickly is a judge’s most important role, and therefore requires a heavy workload to get through them all.
Ibarra, who said he had been assigned the role of senior family court judge on the Big Island, said family court judges have just as heavy a workload as others. In fact, he added, family court can be even harder, since issues like temporary restraining orders need to be resolved as quickly as possible in order to end potentially abusive situations.
A 2023 report by the Hawai‘i State Judiciary states that there were more than 40,000 cases across all circuit courts for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. According to the Hawai‘i State Data Book, the state employs 85 judges across its courts, not including per diem judges. (They're outnumbered — the same source notes there are nearly 5,000 active licensed attorneys in the Islands.)
But resolving any case requires preparation.
“It’s almost like being a school teacher,” Ibarra said. “Teachers need to prepare tomorrow’s lessons, and that happens after hours.”
Ibarra said prep work for the next day’s cases can last for hours after the courtroom closes. He recalled days when he stayed up past midnight researching cases for the next day. A workday also typically includes reviewing and signing motions filed with the court, which also happens outside of courtroom hours.
Prep work for upcoming cases requires not just reading what has been filed by both parties’ attorneys, but by looking through all the prior cases the attorneys have cited in their arguments to make sure they are being accurately invoked. This has become even more important in recent years, Ibarra said: several Hawai‘i lawyers have confessed earlier this year to submitting briefs generated by AI, which cited wholly fictional cases.
Preparing for jury trials also require lengthy reviews of all prior documents in the case, in order to head off any potential legal questions that may arise.
“Attorneys deserve a judge who is prepared,” Ibarra said. “We can’t keep calling a recess just so I can look things up. That’s not fair to the jury … and attorneys are charging by the hour for their services.” …
read … What do judges do all day?
Atmos Rewards Just Gutted Hawaii Flyers
BH: … A petition is already circulating among Alaska and Hawaiian flyers, urging the airline to maintain the 500-mile minimum for short flights, underscoring the strong feelings of residents in both states about the change.
On the redemption side, Atmos advertises short-haul awards from 4,500 points one way, but real-world pricing tells a different story. HawaiianMiles interisland awards were typically up to 7,500 miles one way in economy, with occasional sales as low as 3,500 miles.
Atmos pricing, based on our current checks, has ranged from 6,500 points in the low season to 12,500 points for the same economy seat on certain flights. During peak holiday periods, however, even the lowest fares can price at 15,000 points, while first class often runs double or more. For clarity, these are one-way interisland economy awards. That is why we describe it as a potential 70 percent increase….
read … Atmos Rewards Just Gutted Hawaii Flyers - Beat of Hawaii
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