Entries for June 2014

This year, the state says project enrollment is about 10,500. Last year, enrollment was about 16,600....

...Abercrombie today sent a letter to Senate President Donna Mercado Kim and House Speaker Joe Souki stating that he will let the measure become law without his signature....

Abercrombie today signed House Bill 2590 (Act 166), a measure that will allow voter registration at absentee polling places beginning in 2016 and late voter registration, including on Election Day, beginning in 2018....

Cayetano sued to clear his name after PRP Hawaii spent $2 million on a media campaign against him....

...the justices ruled the government will not be able to force Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties to provide coverage of four drugs and devices that can end the life of a human embryo....

Both chambers are in recess until the week of July 7....

The new VA Secretary needs to quickly understand the serious depth of the problems facing the VA in Hawaii....

"I, Liliuokalani Dominis, do solemnly swear in the presence of Almighty God that I will support the Constitution, Laws and Government of the Republic of Hawaii...."

...when the Managing Director appeared before the Commission ... her comments focused on the employee grievances that might result from finding that personnel had misused City resources....

• Dole Cannery 18 Honolulu
• Pearl Highlands 12 Pearl City
• Keauhou Cinemas 7 Kailua Kona
• Maui Mall Megaplex 12 Kahului

...in 1978 when Hawaii adopted its present system of conforming to the federal Internal Revenue Code, inflation adjustments were left off the table....

dozens rallied Saturday at the capitol to promote voter registration in churches and to defend religious freedom....

A published analysis by a senior political reporter for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser rates Andria Tupola as the GOP’s best young prospect....

Beijing’s participation comes at a time of significant regional tension....

We’ve been trawling the bowels of the internet for the crazier ramblings of the activists, so put on your tinfoil hats and come for a dive with us....

...the agreement would cost $32 million over two years, a cost that needs to be approved by the Legislature.....

Brower has lost the confidence of the groups and individuals who once supported him....

...Chase was not entitled to all of the credits, because Chase no longer owned many of the loans it forgave or forgave loans that were not eligible for relief....

The charge of crimes against humanity alone guarantees that, at some point, members of the regime will be prosecuted....

Under the most severe scenario, Schofield would lose about 16,000 employees, leaving 2,441 on base....

Two separate polls recently released show Duke Aiona as the clear choice for Hawai‘i voters....

...plaintiffs sued alleging First Amendment violations after the HPD allegedly removed Second Amendment activists' Facebook comments from an HPD Facebook page....

Native Hawaiian activists demanded the federal government leave Hawaiians alone....

Expansion of the scope may leave a slightly wider opening for challenge....

...sugar is one of the most politically charged raw materials in the global economy....

...This is just an example of the "same old, same old," where the Governor and his appointees get to wield power with a distinct lack of public scrutiny....

Monday, I attended the U.S. Department of Interior's first of 15 scheduled public hearings....

Today the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an important ruling on Utah’s marriage amendment....

...the State Land Use Commission wrongfully amended the land use boundaries from urban to agriculture....

Year-over-year growth in the residential sector (60%) outpaced the overall U.S. market (41%) for the first time....

IDEA mandates that the Department must take specific actions, which can include requiring the state to prepare a corrective action plan, enter into a compliance agreement or, ultimately, withholding a portion of the state’s funding....

Attkisson is an award-winning investigative reporter who earlier this year made headlines for resigning from CBS News....

...he must either veto or sign by July 8, 2014, or allow them to become law without his signature....

“It took 4 years to add 2 lanes to the old 4-lane Kalanianaole Highway while at the same time paving 6 lanes...."

One could tell this morning's hearings weren't going to go well for the Akaka Tribe when the first question from the audience was, "Under what authority do you have jurisdiction here?"....

The top districts for paying teachers with a bachelor’s degree and five years of experience are Chicago ($62,046), New York ($52,278), Hawaii ($50,728)....

The expensive, time-consuming effort to tribalize Native Hawaiians has done little to help the state or the Native Hawaiian community....

...Tom Brower's use of state money to buy the sledgehammer that he used to smash the shopping carts of the homeless is a story that just won't die...

...principals’ predictions are dismal partially because tests for the newly implemented Common Core curriculum will be more rigorous....

...bipartisan support for relieving prison overcrowding by reducing sentences for non-violent crimes and putting the savings into community programs....

The shift in attitude regarding the Jones Act is an exciting development for those who have long supported change....

What it would take to help the state create a governing and regulatory climate that would bring in more revenue without raising taxes....

In December, 2009, then-Representative Neil Abercrombie introduced an amendment to the Akaka Bill HR2314 which marked a sharp departure from previous versions....

...on the official agenda, Neil Abercrombie, countless Hawaii state officials, Robin Danner, the CNHA, the SCHAA, and other special invitees are scheduled to testify FIRST....

It means that OHA, the Danners and the SCHAA would end up with control of all Hawaiian homestead lands, the ceded lands and other assets....

This is your chance to have your voice heard!....

Trustee Stender agreed with Mr. Lilly that pursuit of a "another government" is a waste of valuable financial resources that could be better used to meet the needs of Hawaiians....