Entries for May 2023

... 806,209 people visited Hawaii in April 2023, representing a 97.4% recovery since April 2019 ....

... Former Governor Neil Abercrombie, Attorney Lauren Akitake, and Global Resiliency Hub CEO Alapaki Nahale-a will fill seats for the term beginning July 1, 2023 for five-year appointments, subject to confirmation by the Hawai‘i State Senate .... 

... Hawaii had a reported 254 drug-related deaths recorded in the 12 months before December 2022. That amount could be as high as 298 after death investigations finalize, an increase of 7% from the prior year, according to the CDC ....

... Recently, state legislators proposed a bill that, if passed, would increase the costs associated with obtaining and carrying a firearm for self-defense ....

... It’s a rare man who enters politics and leaves this world mourned as much by his political adversaries as his friends and allies ....

... House Bill 954 would increase the personal exemption from $1,444 to $2,288 beginning with the 2023 tax year and increase the standard deduction ....

... Hawaii property taxes go from 28th worst to 32nd worst in four years ....

... One of the bills in this past legislative session that fell to the cutting room floor when it probably shouldn’t have was Senate Bill 1035, which would have exempted medical services provided by health care providers if the services were paid for by Medicaid, Medicare, or TRICARE ....

... the personal, face-to-face level, Sam was really hard to beat ....

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

... The 10-unit village is being constructed by nonprofit HomeAid Hawaii in the mauka-most section of the Department of Health parking lot, will be completely fenced and will have 24-hour private security ....

... Nightly closures of runway 8L from 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. will be needed for a 140-day period to complete the improvements to the runway ....

... Hawaii’s taxpayers have paid about $1.5 billion in just the past two years for housing, but “Where’s all the affordable housing?” ....

... the Simpsons try to buy a house in Hawaii ....

... Honolulu ranks 280th of 300 overall and 62nd of 68 among large cities ....

... About 15,965 Americans residing in Hawaii enlisted to fight in World War II ....

... On May 23, 2023, a settlement was reached in the case of Yukutake vs Shikada, which challenged Hawaii's law on carrying batons in public for self-defense ....

... After a lengthy investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into corruption at the DPP, honest services wire fraud charges were filed against six individuals, including Inouye, arising out of schemes in which employees of the DPP took bribes in exchange for performing official acts at DPP ....

"... urgently take action to create safe and healthy digital environments that minimize harm and safeguard children’s and adolescents’ mental health ...."

... 26 counts of prohibited wildlife trafficking (HRS 183D-66) and 26 counts of possession of endangered and protected wildlife ....

“... we cut their heads off right in the [obscenity omitted] palace, for treason -- for treason and human trafficking ....”

... The new commissioners will be selected by Mayor Rick Blangiardi and Council Members Matt Weyer (District 2), Tommy Waters (District 4), Calvin Say (District 5), Tyler Dos-Santos-Tam (District 6), and Val Okimoto (District 8) ....

... 30 percent decrease over the past four years in the number of out-of-state permits issued in the City and County of Honolulu, falling to 2,545 in 2022 from 3,655 in 2019 ....

... The National Shooting Sports Foundation argues the new state law is unconstitutional ....

... the two cryptocurrency bills now sitting on Gov. Josh Green’s desk are SB945 and HB525 ....

... The four original contracts were negotiated in the 1990s and 2000s ... a typical residential customer using 500 kilowatts could see savings ranging from $9 to $13 per month ....

“Sam dedicated some 20 years to representing East Honolulu and was a vocal member of the Republican Party and a longtime strong voice for small business.”

... $27M of Green's illegal $200M slush fund has spilled into CNHA's lap ....

... The main areas where progress was cited were affordable housing, homelessness, the high cost of living, healthcare, education, and the environment ....

... SEW A LEI FOR MEMORIAL DAY ....

... Hawaii’s ideal savings benchmark is $1,813,768. But the average retirement fund there contains just $366,776. That’s 80% off the mark ....

... The HHRF shut down in 2002.  It's fund still has $186.7M today ....

... use his line-item veto power to trim back this massive spending overreach, including the $200 million “slush fund” ...

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

... SB674 awaiting the signature of Gov. Josh Green would allow physicians from other states to more easily practice here ....

... Weather events are relabeled as 'climate disasters' and hyped up to boost global warming hysteria.  Katrina is the model.  Anybody who identifies a specific weather event as evidence of global warming is a fraud. ....

... an inside look at the 2023 Hawaii legislative session ....

... on May 9, Recktenwald disclosed that he engages in “educational presentations relating to environmental, energy, and natural resource issues” and has worked with the Environmental Law Institute ....

... the agency or employee explain and furnish proof of why they need to be exempted from the nepotism law ....

... US Coast Guard Permanent Presence Also Emphasized ....

... no meaningful correlation between so-called empty homes and housing or rental prices ....

... “Choose Aloha” Program teaches keiki to choose love not hate, bullying, self-harm or suicidal ideation ....

... Senate Bill 821 passed the Legislature, with only one legislator voting no for the final floor vote across both chambers ....

... new rules designed to rein in the offensive language motorists want to affix to their Hawaiʻi license plates ....

... opportunity to review and comment on the proposed two-year core budget that begins on July 1, 2023 ....

... Hawaii has used $1.2 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law on roads, providing internet service to thousands and updating the state's airports and ports, according to a report released Monday from The White House ....

... Since bad bills tend to outnumber good ones, that means we played a lot of defense ....

... A $2 million settlement has been reached in a lawsuit brought by six women who were the victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment by former Adult Corrections Officers (ACOs) at the Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC) .... 

"...Hawaiian Electric’s modeling shows that...energy rates may rise in the near-term transition to clean energy...."

... 2023’s Best & Worst Places to Start a Career ....