Entries for 'News Release'

Transit coverage is highest in Western metro areas such as Honolulu and Los Angeles, and lowest in Southern metro areas such as Chattanooga and Greenville....

Prominent journalists like ABC's Christiane Amanpour and former Washington Post editor and now Vice President Len Downie serve on boards of operations that take Soros cash. This despite the Society of Professional Journalist's ethical code stating: "avoid all conflicts real or perceived."

Ms. Takaki is active in the Hawaii Chapter of The ESOP Association has served on the Executive Committee's State & Regional Chapter Council. From 2007 – 2009, Ms. Takaki served as Chair of The ESOP Association.

In an effort to raise awareness about pornography Craig Gross founded XXXchurch.com, the website mixes the seedy with the sacred in an effort to raise the often taboo subject of pornography as a problem that needs to be dealt with. The website has had over 70 million visitors....

The median annual rate in Hawaii for a private nursing home room is $122,640 per year, greater than the national rate of $77,745 per year.

Nationally, the median annual cost of long term care in an assisted living facility is $39,135, an increase of 6.0 percent annually over the past six years. In Hawaii, the annual cost of assisted living care is $45,900 ....

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Confirmation John J. McConnell, Jr. of Rhode Island, to be U.S. District Judge
• House: To repeal mandatory funding provided to establish American Health Benefit Exchanges
• House: To repeal mandatory funding for school-based health center construction
• House: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
• House: Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act

...a shift towards whole-person health rather than focusing primarily on the treatment of illness....

We have found that support for the political status quo, abetted by private interests, remains strongly in place. It will take time and action by the executive to change this culture.

the Mortgage Foreclosure Dispute Resolution Program, seeks to provide the owner-occupants of residential property in Hawai'i who are facing foreclosure the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the mortgagees to possibly resolve their differences....

The 2011 New Starts funds for the whole nation is $1.59 Billion and Honolulu is asking for $1.55 Billion.

Apparently, neither the mayor nor my council leadership want transportation experts overseeing a transportation project. Clearly, they want inexperienced 'yes men' to do the bidding of the rail consortium and developers rather than truly qualified experts who'll keep an eye on how taxpayer funds are expended with Hawaii's largest and most expensive public works project ever.

I have initiated establishment of a 501(c)4 nonprofit educational organization called "Foundation 1776,"the mission of which will be advocate for the application of the foundational principles on which our nation and our families were built....  We will also build a separate Political Action Committee designed to help recruit, train and fund the campaigns of like-minded candidates seeking to serve in the 76 legislative seats in the Hawaii House of Representatives and Senate.  

As Honolulu County voters begin casting their ballots in Neighborhood Board elections, Hawaii Right to Life reveals its list of endorsed candidates ....

“All during this session I received a steady stream of letters, phone calls and e mails. I was stopped several times in neighborhood markets and shopping centers. None of the communications were form letters, but individual pleas reminding me that retirees could not afford to lose more income to taxes."

The JABSOM measure appeared to have support in both houses, but the conference committees deadlocked over a different bill-one the House of Representatives supported to tax pension income over $200,000. The Senate firmly opposed any pension tax.

Please join us for a Spirit filled night of prayer on Thursday, May 5, 6:30-8:00pm in the State Capitol Auditorium....

Separately from the Army’s license application, a resident of Hawaii filed a petition on March 4, 2010, requesting the NRC take enforcement action against the Army if it found the Army possessed or released depleted uranium to the environment without a license in violation of NRC requirements. 

House Bill 546 ... prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression as a public policy matter and specifically with regard to employment....

As the 2011 Hawai`i State Legislature moves closer to an end, boisterous applause, back-slapping, and high-fives erupted on the morning of Friday, May 1st in Conference Room 229 at the Hawai`i State Capitol as health insurance lobbyists congratulated themselves. They were celebrating the passage of Senate Bill 1274 that repeals a decade-old consumer protection law consumers have used successfully to overturn health plan denials approximately 80% of the time.... 

Abercrombie recently signed the following bills into law....

Friends of Lāna‘i (FOL) today petitioned Hawaii’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to reopen the competitive bidding process for the “Big Wind” project.

Total spending by visitors who came to Hawai‘i in the first quarter of 2011 increased 16.9 percent, compared to the first quarter of 2010, to $3.2 billion. Total visitor days for all visitors grew 10.8 percent, and total arrivals rose 9.1 percent to 1,823,870 visitors, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.

Abercrombie signed the following bills into law today....

“Native Hawaiians, like the Maori and many other indigenous people around the world are resource-rich but concerned about exploitation,” says IDG Indigenous and Community Advisor Mililani Tra$k. 

Here it is! 

Apparently Abercrombie hasn’t met the nurses.  They have plenty of “accusations and confrontations.”

The revised state measure now calls for the establishment of a 9-member Native Hawaiian roll commission, which will appoint an interim council of 9 members to “commence the organization of a convention of qualified Native Hawaiians.”

"It is our hope that as we return to the bargaining table, the State Administration and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation take a realistic approach to bargaining a fair agreement with their nurses, or risk losing more staff because of the pay gap they are enduring.”

A total of sixteen measures have been enacted thus far.  The Governor has until July 12, 2011 to sign into law all measures that are passed out of the state Senate and the House of Representatives.  The Legislature adjourns on May 5th.

KEY QUESTION:  What will these four organizations and the Abercrombie Administration do with the information they receive about homeless individuals and homeless camps?  Will they attempt to bring the homeless into shelters or will they focus on feeding the homeless in place and “enabling” them to stay on the streets?

Pacific Office Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PCE), a real estate investment trust owning interests in 45 office buildings primarily in Hawaii and California, reported today that it received notice from the NYSE Amex (the “Exchange”) indicating that the Company is not in compliance with the continued listing standards ....

Announcement from Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour....

Tony Santos, former resident of Hawaii, Farrington High School student, and past Mayor of the City of San Leandro, California, has been actively advising Hawaii lawmakers to kill off a proposal to establish Instant Runoff Voting on the county level.

 “I refuse to impose on my constituents the lethal combo of a fuel tax increase, a property tax increase, and a sewer rate increase while a whopping nine million dollars per year from the general fund is diverted to subsidize the game of golf .... "

Why should private sector struggling businesses become cash cows for an irresponsible Governor and spineless Legislature? 

Because the constitution requires that the Commission be constituted by May 1, 2011, the Supreme Court has only five working days to make a selection.

The ERISA Federal law of 1974 clearly stated that if Hawaii changed its health insurance law in any substantive manner, such as what is being proposed in HB 1134, then the Federal law would take over and Hawaii's health care program would no longer be in effect.

Today, the Honolulu City Council unanimously adopted Resolution 11-116 which urges the Hawaii State Legislature to defer action on House Bill No. 638, HD1 SD1 which would force the City & County of Honolulu along with the County of Hawaii to implement a new type of voting procedure during special elections called ‘instant runoff voting’ or ‘ranked choice voting’

Captain Cook Coffee Company, Del Monte Fresh Produce, Kauai Coffee Company (A&B), Kelena Farms, MacFarms of Hawaii, and Maui Pineapple Farms (ML&P)….  The EEOC asserts that the farms not only ignored abuses, but also participated in the obvious mistreatment, intimidation, harassment, and unequal pay of the Thai workers.

Fiscal 2011 Spending Agreement - Vote Passed (260-167, 6 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill to fund the government through the end of the current fiscal year. Based on the agreement negotiated to prevent a government shutdown, the bill provides $1.055 trillion in federal spending. The Senate passed the bill later in the day, clearing it for the president. 

Rep. Mazie Hirono voted NO.....(Hirono alone voted for Federal Gov’t Shutdown.)

Wednesday, April 20 10:00 – 11:30 AM

Hawaii State Capitol Auditorium 415 S. Beretania St.

Mayor Carlisle appointed retired union representative William Hong, current Corporation Counsel Carrie Okinaga, and First Hawaiian Bank Chairman Don Horner.

Working in the complex world of submerged electronics, students and their mentors created remotely operating vehicles (ROVs) which are driven from a control system above the water's surface.

In heart-stopping non-stop action, each of the four Hawaii teams competed with precision in the quarter final matches, but ultimately fell points short of playing in the semi-finals.

State government workers currently get 13 paid holidays, 21 days of paid vacation and 21 days of sick leave each year.  And in 2012 they will get 14 days vacation—since government workers don’t have to work on election day.

“On top of these 55 paid days off a year, Gov. Abercrombie has given HGEA workers 9 more days of paid administrative leave,” Rep Gene Ward of Hawaii Kai pointed out.  “This equals 64 days, or almost three months a year.”

Dozens of Hawaii elementary, middle and high school students will take their robotic creations to the next level this weekend, by fully submerging them underwater....

Hawaii’s VEX Robotics students will join more than 570 robotics teams representing 14 different nations to compete for the World Championship.

Hawaii has one of the highest State Tax Rates in the United States, and yet the State Legislature is considering many new increases in taxes including income, excise, and other fees.  Are you Taxed Enough Already?