Entries for April 2021

...The Fumble or The Phantom Punch....

... locals are pushing back, saying that forests and farmlands should not be sacrificed in the fight against climate change ....

... the Court can consolidate the New York Case with Young v. Hawaii ....

... SCR44 is just a toothless symbolic statement, but it is being hyped nationwide ....

... This was the first time in a year where visitor arrivals were up, but the year-to-date arrivals were still significantly down (-60.1%) ....

... Kahului, Hawaii, is the most expensive U.S. destination in which to rent a car this spring ....

... This bill was so close to the finish line that the only question seemed to be whether Gov. Ige would agree to limit his power ....

... The payments aim for “workforce stabilization to retain teachers” and will be made to full- and half-time teachers. (Translation: Incumbent stabilization to retain HSTA endorsement for 2022.) ....

... Hawaii led the nation with the highest percentage of its civilian labor force unemployed for 15 weeks or longer 5.3% ....

"...any portable device that is designed to discharge electric energy, charge, voltage, or current into the body...."

... Akamai readers will remember this is exactly what happened to the old Hilo Hotel on Kinoole St during the 1990s depression ....

... HB526 and SB1329 ....

... Don't Take What They're Planning To Dangle In Front Of You ....

... Hawaii 9th-Highest State and Local Individual Income Tax Collections Per Capita ....

... Court documents said Harleman used his firm, Precision Accounting Hawaii, to defraud an Oahu landscaping business out more than $415,000 ....

... Earnings, which mostly reflect wages and other employee compensation, fell in Hawaii by 7.7% ....

... Caltech hopes to have its plans approved by early 2022, which would enable the physical deconstruction and restoration to begin by summer 2022 ....

... House Bill 862 authorizes counties to impose a new hotel room tax of up to 3% ....

... Oahu residents now have an additional 19 months to get the REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and state identification cards before they will need it to board domestic flights and enter some federal buildings ....

... John Kerry announced the United States’ support for the Local2030 Islands Network during a virtual event in support of the Leaders Summit on Climate Change hosted by President Biden this week ....

... Chow believes there is “a good chance that the feasibility study will be funded in Federal fiscal year 2022 by the application of Congress’ Community Project Funding (CPF)” and asks for support from the harbors’ group “convincing Congress to fund the Honolulu Harbor feasibility study.”….

... a “potential catastrophe” enabling “abuse of discretion… (which) …will promote and enable favoritism and/or corruption in public procurement.” ....

... In accordance with State law, Democratic Party officers from the fifteen precincts in Senate District 7 will convene to identify three names that will be transmitted to Governor Ige for consideration. The Governor has sixty days to fill the vacancy ....

... The GOP amendment was a single sentence. It said no college “may receive any Federal funding if the institution has a policy in place or engages in a practice that discriminates against Asian Americans in recruitment, applicant review, or admissions.” ....

... Maui County Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura discusses with Grassroot Institute president Keli’i Akina the detrimental impact such a well-intentioned but wrong-headed policy might have on affordable housing ....

... The population of Hawaii has increased by 7% to 1,455,271 over the last 10 years, with no change to its two U.S. House of Representatives seats .... 

... Tulsi Gabbard Says Mainstream Media And Politicians Are Forcing Racial Division ....

... “We’re not proud of it.  But crystal methamphetamine is our gift to the nation. It started here.” -- Judge and Former US Attorney Ed Kubo ....

... votes cast and bills introduced ...

... and he pulls no punches ....

... HGEA BU13 and UPW BU10 rejected contract proposals ....

... During the Great Recession, local economies that diversified, tapping into new ideas and innovations, proved to be more resilient than the cities that stuck to their old tricks ....

... the spotlight is moving toward Gov. David Ige .... 

... Hawaii’s Department of Taxation adopted rules in February 2021 to levy the state’s rental car tax onto peer-to-peer car sharing by interpreting car sharing platforms as being the lessor of the vehicles on the marketplace ....

... APR 29 - ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE .... 

"...This is a great loss to OHA‘s beneficiaries. There are numerous questions of accountability and transparency which will go unanswered without the state legislative audit...."

... a virtual convention on Saturday, May 15, 2021 ....

... How to make housing affordable and help stop the exodus .... 

... Under FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0 system, the cost of flood insurance will increase ....

... Ige asks Biden to outlaw gasoline and diesel vehicles ....

... The future includes internal travel restrictions ....

... In March 2021, Hawai‘i hotels statewide reported similar revenue per available room (RevPAR), average daily rate (ADR), and occupancy compared to March 2020 ....

... They're Waiting In The Wings To Spring Into Action ....

... the average monthly energy bill comes to $321 ....

... and Hawaii is #2 for gambling addiction treatment ....

... Hawaii 84.1% of State & Local Road Spending Covered by State & Local Tolls, User Fees, & User Taxes (8th highest percentage) ....

... The cost of bills in Hawaii totals an average of $2,731 per month, 44.6% higher than the national average ....

... the Biden administration agrees to designate more than 100,000 square nautical miles as critical habitat for the endangered humpback whale ....

... Learn About Hysteria and Ignorance on Kauai ....

... If you’re vaccinated, Covid presents a minuscule risk to you, and you present a minuscule Covid risk to anyone else ....