Entries for December 2023

... Hawaiian Airlines has not been owned by an individual or entity in Hawaii for a long time ....

... her guru is stilll dreaming of a position in a Trump administration ....

... A number of restaurants are in a pinch recently.  Here’s what happened to them ....

... retired MFD batallion chief Amos Lonokailua-Hewett ....

... The Legislature will continue to accept GIA applications until Friday, January 19, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. ....

... In previous decades, City streets were planned and designed primarily for vehicular capacity, not any longer! ....

... The recent decision by Police Chief Logan to require people to be certified by nonexistent instructors means that NO ONE can purchase a handgun or rifle until ....

... To date, the task force has seized nearly 70,000 pounds of illegal fireworks. ...

... Spending was down 2.4% in November when compared to the previous year. However, the number of tourists increased by 0.3% to 731,233 ....

... the minimum wage will increase to $14 per hour beginning on Jan. 1, 2024. Act 114 incrementally increases the minimum wage to $16 per hour Jan. 1, 2026, and to $18 per hour Jan. 1, 2028 ....

... the last three years have produced zero arrests since Hawaii Proud Boys leader Nick Ochs was nabbed at Honolulu Airport--but they have produced immense disruption within the Hawaii Republican Party ....

... Senate Leadership and committee assignments of the 15 standing committees ....

... the 2024 Legislative Session which will convene on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 ....

... In November, 655,600 persons were employed and 19,550 were unemployed statewide ....

... Starting Jan. 24, 2024 ....

... Hawaii has recovered only 81% of lost jobs since COVID ....

... City and County of Honolulu had nearly a year to prepare for the July 1, 2022 handover, but somehow didn’t get the billing contract established ....

... Rather than get personally involved and perhaps step on the wrong toes, people deliberately chose to go along to get along ....

As presented by Hoku Paoa Stevenson at the Summer Palace....

... Until someone brings up politics ....

... 12 people per day ....

“The total state debt balance of $19.7 billion represents 19.49% of the state’s GDP."

... Honolulu consumers will be subjected to a double whammy next year ....

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

... Caltech has taken the Leighton Telescope out of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) dome and removed it from Maunakea for shipment to Chile for re-use ....

... The first application window opened on September 9, 2023 and closed on October 2, 2023. On Wednesday, just in time for Christmas, 492 awardees received acceptance letters. ....

... National Park Service completes Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Air Tour Management Plan ....

... a new real property tax classification specifically for long-term rental properties ....

... what can Hawaii policymakers do? ....

... The ordinance that levies heavy fines on short-term rentals in Honolulu remains in effect only for new rentals beginning operations after the ordinance was put in place ....

... Green has acknowledged that an STR ban would probably result in legal challenges, but he shouldn’t ignore the fact that a back-door ban through a tax hike also could result in legal and political headaches ....

... a roadmap that can help make it happen ....

... A successor for Mizuno who has served in the House (HD29) since 2006 and has been in public service for more than 32 years will be named within 60 days .... 

... Typically, local commanders are permitted to approve routine five-year leases, however, with HDOT seeking a longer term (50 years), the Army had to seek approval in Washington, D.C. ....

"... Almost three-fourths (72 percent) of its teachers are alternatively certified ...."

... As Chief of the BMV, Leon Guerrero knowingly permitted 'Ivan' to submit fraudulent immigration documents, on at least 50 occasions between January 2020 and December 2022 ....

... The Executive Supplemental Budget request adds $326 million in general funds to the operating budget to continue essential operations and support statewide priorities, and $890 million in general obligation bond funds ....

“...Drugs specifically played a role in 38 of the 76 traffic deaths on island in the past three years....”

... should next UH President be more like MRC Greenwood or Evan Dobelle? ... 

... The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii urges lawmakers to prioritize zoning and other reforms because residents need homes now ....

... provide anyone who rents to Lahaina residents displaced by the August 2023 wildfires a 100% exemption from Maui County’s property tax ....

... seeking to block an Idaho law that prohibits transgender students from using public school restrooms and locker rooms that align with their so-called 'gender identity' ....

... just another scheme to enrich national Democrat lawyers of Sher-Edling ....

... the Department of Education approached the Department of Budget and Finance with a list of about $900 million in projects that it didn’t think it could move before the funding for the project ran out of time ....

... Should the incentives fail to motivate enough STRs to become available, Green may impose a short-term moratorium by mid-January, he said ....

... at HPD HQ Jan 9, 2024, 10am ....

... The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Hawaii's firearm permitting scheme, arguing that it grants law enforcement officials too much discretion ....

... EMS neglected to bill patients for ambulance rides starting July 1, 2022 ....

... votes cast in Congress ....

... sustain the readiness of the Navy and other participating U.S. military services by supporting current and future training and testing requirements, increasing flexibility in conducting training and testing activities, modernizing and sustaining range capabilities ....