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Wednesday, November 9, 2011
November 9, 2011 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:41 PM :: 16651 Views

Lingle Unveils Platform Videos

David Chang Elected Hawaii Republican Chair

Senate Hearing: Should Akaka Tribe be able to Arrest, Prosecute and Imprison Non-Tribal Members?

Attorney: Why is Hawaii Getting Free Pass on Voting Rights Act Violations?

US Tax Foundation Debunks Abercrombie's Soda Tax

SA: Obama’s Big Mouth cost Hawaii 16% Drop in Convention Business

After President Barack Obama and Congress spoke out against frivolous business travel, companies were leery that bad press from a trip to Hawaii would last longer than the sunburn. Lawmakers told companies that received government loans not to mimic AIG, which took an $85 billion bailout and then spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on events like an overseas hunting party and a golf outing.

The ensuing drop in business travel to places like Hawaii, which saw its meetings, convention and incentive segment fall nearly 16 percent between 2008 and 2010, came to be known as the "AIG affect."

If this week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit is a success, tourism and business leaders hope to get an "APEC affect," where images of world leaders amid the islands' scenic splendor will solidify Hawaii as a place for business as well as leisure.

read … No escape from Obamunism

Henry Curtis: Abercrombie is “Depressing, Distressing and Uninformed”

Yesterday at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum I asked Governor Abercrombie: Are there any downsides to APEC? He replied: “Not for us.” He also said: “Hawai`i is right at the center of the Asia Pacific region” and “Hawai`i is going to be an anchor for all of this.” He added: “There are a whole bunch of people out there who don't believe were making this progress. There are a whole lot of people, I'm sorry to say, a vested emotional interest in always seeing us on the losing side.”

Quite depressing, distressing and uninformed. That’s our Governor. There is only one solution for our democracy, and that is his vision of Big Projects, Tall Skyscrapers, Interisland Transmission Lines, Global Capitalism, and those who have a different view of the future are wrong.

read … Henry Curtis

SA: Spending Money to Create 150 HGEA and UPW Positions is Vital

Spending millions of taxpayer dollars to replenish Hawaii's vegetation and native forests may seem extravagant except for the alternative: public consumption reliant on declining sources for absorbing rainwater and replenishing groundwater. The alternative would be to take the salt out of ocean water at enormous expense, which is why Gov. Neil Abercrombie is asking legislators to save the forests. The response should not be delayed.

Reality: Abercrombie decides Forests Worth $14B of Your Money, Orders $11M spent to Create 150 HGEA, UPW Positions

read … Watershed protection is vital

Slom: Stop the Spending: Hawaii's Finances Need to Be Controlled

The 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) showing the financial condition of the state government was just published, and it showed a substantial cost increase for medical services for state employees.

As Hawaii Reporter recently reported, "the 2009 CAFR shows an unfunded liability for the Employees Union Trust Fund of $7.2 billion and for the Hawaii State Teachers Association's Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association (VEBA) of $1.6 billion for a total of $8.8 billion (for July 1, 2007, even though the CAFR is for June 30, 2009). Whereas the 2010 CAFR details unfunded liability for the EUTF of $11.5 billion and for the Hawaii State Teachers Association's VEBA of $2.5 billion for a total of $14.0 billion. (These numbers are for July 1, 2009.)."

read … Sen. Sam Slom

Legislature: Opening Day Festivities at the Hawaii Capitol Cancelled for 2012

The long running tradition of celebrating the opening day of the Hawaii legislative session with Hawaiian entertainment, flowers, leis and free food appears to be over - at least for now.

Last year, the festivities were cancelled because of budgetary concerns.

And yesterday, state Senate President Shan Tsutsui and House Speaker Calvin Say said that the 2012 Legislative Session, which convenes in mid-January, will not feature a celebration either.

read … Hiding the Big Party

Homeless Drug Addicts Return To Area Cleared By DOT

On hand to help the homeless at the triangle was Jay Jay M. Chang, who identified herself as an evangelist from Mililani.

"A lot of these folks, they're addicts," she said. "I not goin' lie. Crystal meth. I here to help. I love the people. I understand cops got to do a job."

Chang pointed to a man lying on a mat and smoking a hand-rolled cigarette.

"He came from Salvation Army," she said.

Shapiro: How long will Honolulu's APEC-inspired face lift last? (duh!)

read … Tweekers all

Events planned to remember those who served the nation

There will be a memorial service and free picnic for active-duty and former warriors and their families for Veterans Day on Friday.

There also will be a series of Veterans Day events Friday to Sunday, including a veterans benefits seminar, lunch and live entertainment and a fundraiser for Outward Bound for Veterans, at the Kalama Heights Retirement Community.

The memorial service will be held at the Makawao Veterans Cemetery at 9 a.m. The event, planned by Maui No Ka Oi Chapter 282 of the Korean War Veterans Association, is open to the public.

The guest speaker will be Air Force veteran Mike Molina, executive assistant to Mayor Alan Arakawa and a former council member. The Rev. Earl Kukahiko will give the benediction.

There will be a floral presentation at the World War I and Korean War memorials, the only war memorials at the cemetery, followed by the playing of taps.

read … Veterans Day

Federal Judges to Disrespect Veterans in order to Avoid Inconveniencing Arrested Protesters

The U.S. District Court courthouse on Ala Moana Boulevard will be open during the Veterans Day holiday weekend to handle initial court hearings for any individual arrested on misdemeanor charges related to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

"Individuals charged with federal misdemeanors will have hearings on the day of arrest whenever possible," the federal court clerk's office said.

The court will hold hearings at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday, Veterans Day; Saturday; and Sunday.

Those hearings will be for arrestees who can be brought to the courthouse between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on each of the three days.

read … They wouldn’t do this for you

Star-Adv Complains of Leniency: Officer Charged with Murder after Shooting Allegedly Knife-Wielding Man

The $250,000 bail posted by the mainland federal agent accused of fatally shooting a Kailua man has raised questions about whether the agent received special treatment because of his position, allowing him to be released about 48 hours after his arrest.

Several defense attorneys (unbiased source of expertise???) told the Star-Advertiser Tuesday that the bail amount for Special Agent Christopher Deedy was relatively low for a murder case involving a firearm. Deedy was released Monday.

What’s unusual about the way this case has been handled, according to Takemoto, a former deputy prosecutor, is that authorities have released hardly any information about what they believe happened.

Police say two males got into an argument that escalated into a physical confrontation, ending in the fatal shooting of the 23-year-old victim and the arrest of an off-duty federal agent, 27. Few other details have been released. (Yes. Lets demand a trial in the court of public opinion with ACLU as judge and RCPers as jury.)

read … Lynch Mob of Maoists and Star-Adv Editors Seeks Cop’s Head

Nobody Cares About APEC:

APEC Protest Roundup:

Waikiki Shooting Roundup:

Planning panel approves Sempra’s Auwahi wind farm

The Maui Planning Commission unanimously approved permits Tuesday for Auwahi Wind Energy to build and operate eight 428-foot-tall wind turbines on Ulupalakua Ranch land.

Two dozen people testified on the proposed special use and special management area permits, and none were opposed to the project, according to planner Ann Cua. Some testifiers shared concerns about traffic, safety and visual impacts of the wind farm.

read … More Tax Credits

Pay Megabucks to Save 37,695 Children from DoE

The number of students enrolled in Hawaii private schools declined for the fourth year in a row, to 37,695 students in the current school year, a new report shows. That's a 6 percent decline from the 2007-08 school year.

The latest figures from the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools' annual enrollment report comes as many campuses are struggling to hold down tuition costs and boost scholarship opportunities to maintain enrollment numbers.

read … Enrollment down at private schools

Military to Provide Free Medical Care on Kauai

Free medical care is coming to Kaua‘i from late February through early March, said Col. Jerry Arends, director of the Innovative Readiness Training Medical Deployments.

“This service is for all the people,” Arends said. “There is no eligibility requirement. People who need medical service can just drop in.”

Labeled Tropic Care Kaua‘i 2012, up to 350 clinical and non-clinical personnel will converge on Kaua‘i in a deployment exercise. Residents in need of free medical attention will be the beneficiary of this exercise.

Read …. Military personnel in our Community

A&B profits plummeted 66% during third quarter

Losses from a pullback in the China shipping trade hurt third-quarter profits for Alexander & Baldwin Inc.

The Honolulu-based company reported Tuesday that its net profit for the July-September period sank 66 percent to $8.7 million from $25.7 million in the same quarter last year.

Revenue was about flat for the quarter at $440.2 million compared with $437.3 million a year earlier.

Related: Horizon Lines Reports $126M Loss in 3rd Quarter

read … A&B

5% of Hawaii homeowners delinquent

Hawaii had the nation's 20th-worst mortgage delinquency rate in the third quarter as 5 percent of the state's homeowners missed two or more payments during the period.

The state, however, still fared better than the nation as a whole.

read … Foreclosures

County buys Kawa Bay land occupied by Sovereignty Killer

The sale comes just four days after a federal judge Friday issued a 26-page ruling remanding a title dispute back to state court. The judge said the federal court had no jurisdiction, but he denied sanctions and attorney's fees against Abel Simeona Lui (convicted of manslaughter in 1977) sought by the trust.

An Oct. 25 hearing before Judge Alan C. Kay in U.S. District Court in Honolulu followed a petition from the trust to expunge several deeds and a genealogy affidavit filed by Lui and family members that clouded title to the land Olson is selling to the county.

read … Convicted of Manslaughter

Kokubun Approves Waiawi Bio-Control Project

The director of the state Department of Agriculture, Russell Kokubun, has issued a finding of no significant impact for the release of a scale insect that many in the conservation community hope will deal a blow to the so-far unstoppable march of strawberry guava – a.k.a. waiawi or Psidium cattleianum -- through Hawai`i’s native forests.

KGI: Tiny T to fight strawberry guava

read … www.environment-hawaii.org

De-Listing the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle?

Turtle Troubles… Over?: It’s been illegal to hunt honu for decades. Some say it’s been long enough.

read … Delicious Mmmmm Turtle Soup

Call to Ban Sex Trafficking Ads Gains Momentum

Hawaii’s attorney general joined 45 other attorneys general across the nation to ask Village Voice Media to stop publishing classified advertisements that promote child trafficking and sex trafficking on BackPage.com back in August.

Now teachers across the nation are joining at least 60,000 others on Change.org in a related campaign that has attracted support from parents and grandparents in all 50 states.

read … Helping the Print Newspaper Industry regain Classified Ads Business

Favorite state survey ranks Hawaii, warm-weather mainland states as top picks

If you could live in any state in the country, except the state you live in now, which would it be?

For the last 12 years, the No. 1 pick in the annual Harris Poll was always either California or Florida. This year, Hawaii surfaced at the state of choice, followed by California, Florida, Texas, Colorado and North Carolina.

When tallied by gender, the poll ranked Hawaii as the top choice among women while men went with Florida (Hawaii was their third choice, after Florida and California).

By generation: “Echo Boomers,” ages 18-34, California (Hawaii tied for fourth pick with Florida, behind Texas and Colorado); “Gen X,” ages 35-46, Hawaii; Baby Boomers, ages 47-65, Florida (Hawaii was their third choice, after Florida and North Carolina); “Matures,” ages 66 and older, Hawaii.

read … Hawaii

Hawaii Reporter Columnist Mike Fox Dies After Battle with Cancer

HR: When Nuclear Scientist, Dr. Michael R. Fox, first contacted Hawaii Reporter several years ago, the then Kaneohe resident was concerned that the public was not getting the correct information about such controversial science topics as man made global warming, sea levels, sun spots, nuclear science, nuclear power, solar and windmills.

He was passionate about changing this by publicizing real science, and as a result, launched a column called Fox Energy and Environment Reports in Hawaii Reporter in 2003.

See some of Mike's articles here: http://archives.hawaiireporter.com/list.aspx?s=michael+R. and here http://www.hawaiireporter.com/category/opinion/fox-energy-environment-reports

read … Mike Fox


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