Entries for January 2024

... contending that the EUTF had unconstitutionally diminished accrued retiree health benefits under Article XVI, Section 2 of the Hawai‘i Constitution ....

... Since the August 2023 Maui wildfires, visitor arrivals have decreased in four out of the last five months while visitor spending recorded five straight months of decline compared to 2022 ....

... Isabella is now declared dead, and the Kaluas are charged with her murder.  Under these extreme facts, the secrecy generally afforded to these types of cases should yield to openness ....

... Consisting of nine bills ....

... possible litigation challenging harm to imperiled Hawaiian seabirds caused by power lines and streetlights on Maui and Lāna‘i ....

"...Draft Environmental Assessment For Alternative Temporary Transportable Housing Unit Group Site Known as the Kaʻanapali Temporary Group Site...."

... Senate Bill 2919 establishes State Regulations for short-term vacation rentals, allows the counties to adopt zoning ordinances and regulations for the amortization or phasing out of certain land lands or structures, and applies the TAT to shelters and vehicles with, or advertised as including, sleeping accommodations ....

... the proclamations have only been used once ....

“...30% respondents reported that if there was not a home and vacation rental option during their recent stay in Hawaii, they would not have made the trip....”

... restaurants hit with surprise tax bill applicable to the financial aid received under federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund .... 

... Will this be the year that we finally start to see positive big changes — or are we going to see more taxes, more spending, more regulations? ....

... ultra-wealthy oligarchs, bad actors, and others are seeing us—the United States—as a haven where they can park money or assets in entities, like limited liability companies ....

... bills introduced and votes cast in Congress ....

... Measures stem from proposals in the House Interim Working Groups Final Report ....

"...staff’s intentional attempts to inflate their pay...."

... Cliff Slater’s Tour de Force ....

... Over the years there have been many reports, plans, and efforts to improve Hawaii’s economy, with mixed success ....

... addressing significant obstacles that are slowing the economy in the post-pandemic period ....

... today we called upon the Democratic Party of Hawai'i to investigate whether Kim Coco Iwamoto's positions on vaccines align with the party's values and duties ....

“A person who chooses not to participate in a digital currency system shall not be subject to additional surveillance, monitoring, or scrutiny by any government entity."

... States with the Biggest and Smallest Wealth Gaps by Race/Ethnicity (2024) ....

... American Lung Association “State of Tobacco Control” report releases Hawai‘i grades for tobacco control policies, outlines steps to reduce burden of tobacco ....

... For nearly two years DoE has blocked elementary school Good News Clubs in facilities that are open to other, similarly situated non-religious organizations ....

... “I am an official informant” ....

... Roi-Namur Island was struck by several substantial waves on Saturday night. It was NOT a tsunami. The powerful waves were driven by cyclonic surges in the open sea ....

... SB2393 cannot keep Trump off the ballot: But it could have all kinds of unintended consequences in future elections ....

... the Carbon Disclosure Project ....

... The Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission is pleased to announce a significant legal victory in Akana v. Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission ....

“...The kid’s got to go....”

... this is all about the master lease negotiations ....

... Maui County surcharge and GET is 4.5% as of Jan. 1, 2024 ....

... Passage into law would take an important step toward further rejecting a federal prohibition scheme in practice and effect ....

... Green addresses Legislature ....

... reform the state’s asset forfeiture process to require a conviction in most cases ....

... All-American consumerism by a completely peaceful and law-abiding citizen somehow threatens the people running my own country into the ground ....

... In the 2023 legislative session, that legislation was amended beyond recognition in both the House and Senate ....

... Representatives Mizuno and Evslin ....

"...a unique, uncensored and raw platform...."

... votes cast and bills introduced ....

... $500 million plan is fine but could be improved to more quickly help displaced fire victims ....

... “artificial limiters” imposed on the housing stock via the state’s 5% cap on land zoned for residential ....

... to allow for American Samoa to enact constitutional changes as approved by the people without unnecessary additional procedures in Washington ....

... To date, 24,200 acres of agricultural lands have been transferred by DLNR to HDOA. In October 2023, the HBOA approved, accepting 99 more parcels on the list, totaling 21,672 acres, which still requires the review and approval of the BLNR ....

... weather-dependent wind and solar reliability issues are becoming more pronounced ....

... class action lawsuit on behalf of present and future Campbell High School female students who participate, seek to participate, and/or are or were deterred from participating in athletics ....

... a bill calling for a constitutional amendment to enact a tax on residential investment property valued at over $3 million ....

... Are rolling blackouts going to be Hawaii’s “new normal”?  ....

... Turn Lahaina into Wailea v2 surrounding the ‘Venice of the Pacific’ water feature ....

... The U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear a landmark challenge to an earlier ruling preventing enforcement of anti-camping ordinances ....

... Mizuno hires wife as office manager, then Green appoints her to Legislature ....