Yesterday, I joined my former congressional colleague Brian Baird (D-WA) in an extended interview with the Washington Post. Brian and I discussed whether Congress can still compromise.

Earlier today the Hawaii Republican Party sent the following letter to the State of Hawaii Office of Elections calling for an immediate written explanation detailing the actions of the Hawaii County officials in regard to the absentee ballots and polling places in Kona.

Grants-in-Aid Approved for PBS, Hana Health Medical Center, and “Mighty Mo”....

...researchers have consistently documented better outcomes for children raised in two-parent homes with both biological parents....

On August 9, 2012, HAWAI'IGAS...filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting authority to import Liquefied Natural Gas to Hawai'i.

Do not “turn yourself in” before the rules are announced and the application process is in place. -- FACE 

Electronic diversion, together with the Great Recession and its after-effects, has buffeted postal services throughout the world. Nevertheless, the majority of foreign posts in high- and medium-income countries have remained profitable ....

At least 60 percent of firms are estimating Obamacare will raise their health care costs, according to a new study released Wednesday by Mercer, a human resources consulting firm.

The US is poised to divert around 40 per cent of its corn into ethanol because of the Congress-enacted mandate despite “huge damage” to the crop because of the worst drought in at least half a century, José Graziano da Silva, director-general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, warned....

Former Governor Linda Lingle, candidate for Hawaii's open U.S. Senate seat, today launched LL12 HD, a high-definition tiered cable channel which mirrors the previously released LL12 (Ch 110)....

Through financial support from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, CNHA and partners deliver free homeownership and debt reduction services....

Our reponsibility doesn't stop with REGISTRATION, and EDUCATION. We must make the decision to go the polls and cast our vote on Election Day, August 11, 2012. Hawaii is one of the lowest in the nation in voter registration and participation....

Below is a list of candidates in contested races who have gone out of their way to speak up for saving our farms. They have come to testify at the Land Use Commission or worked hard to pass our bills in the legislature or taken strong public stands.

PLDC will hold statewide public hearings, starting Monday August 20, for adoption of new Hawai‘i Administrative Rules (HAR) for the PLDC. Some provisions may affect small business.

The other cases have been brought in carefully selected jurisdictions by national activist groups with any eye on strategy. The Hawaii case ... may give us a better indication of what courts might do that are not predisposed to the same-sex marriage conclusion.

White collar crimes, Tax evasion, Mortgage fraud, Ponzi schemes, Violent crimes, Drug crimes, Homicide. Guilty or not, Mr. Green is your best bet to escape conviction....

This ruling comes as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to review multiple cases involving the issue of same-sex marriage and voters in Maryland, Minnesota, Maine, and Washington prepare to vote this fall on how marriage should be defined in those states....

The PEIS will consider: “energy efficiency, distributed renewables, utility-scale renewables, alternative transportation fuels and modes, and electrical transmission and distribution.”

Access to doctors looms as an important issue in 2014, when under the federal health law, the number of Medicaid patients -- now 60 million -- will increase by as many as 16 million.....

...American motorists are now burning about as much corn in their cars as is fed to all of the country's chickens, turkeys, cattle, pigs and fish combined....

Obamacare limits patient choice through expansive federal regulation of the insurance market, government interference in the decisions patients make with their doctors, and increased dependence on government health programs....

...the technologies being used to burn the biomass are outdated, and as a result have been fined for violating air-pollution or water-pollution standards....

In June 2012, seven environmental groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), claiming that lead bullets are poisoning both wildlife and humans....

If the President truly wanted to lower gas prices, he would work to increase supply. But when given the opportunity, he has done the opposite.

"Many self-represented parties struggle with the judicial system because they don’t understand the process and what is expected of them,” said Chief Justice Recktenwald.

...thanks to a donation from the Habele, native children on the islands of Yap will be getting a much-needed educational resource....

250 rallying at New Hope Church in Waipahu celebrated today’s court decision upholding traditional marriage ....

...federal law poses a big challenge to getting natural gas from Alaska, Nishimura said. A provision known as the Jones Act ....

The stated concern was not only the cost of the conference but that the itinerary was full of vacation activities (i.e. Zumba dancing), not plans to improve the administration of justice....

"This case does not involve a fundamental right or suspect classification, such as the race-based classification at issue in Brown v. Board of Education...."

The shore side LNG infrastructure that is to accompany TOTE’s plan may help other transportation industries in Puget Sound follow TOTE in converting to LNG.

...Robert Rector and Kiki Bradley first broke the story on July 12 that Obama's Health and Human Services Department (HHS) had rewritten the Clinton-era reform to undo the work requirements....

According to DCCA BREG documents, Yokoyama’s for-profit “Hawaii Human Resources Corp” is still owned by Yokoyama and still registered at the same address as HCEOC. 

Hawaii is now ranked a Tier 1 state according to Polaris Project’s State Ranking system, a considerable improvement from a Tier 4 ranking in 2010.

In a recently videotaped session moderated by Public Radio's Beth Ann Kozlovich, Randy Roth took on Wayne Yoshioka on the rail issue. See this it is highly entertaining....

Editor’s note: Be sure to scroll down to the bottom and read the excerpts from the HA’s 2004 coverage of Mitsunaga’s alleged polygraph test. Its hilarious....

"Case is trying to run a campaign based on reality and Hirono is, well, either living in a fantasy world or pandering to the electorate."

The Transportation Research Board, a unit of the National Academy of Engineering has just released a report titled Implementation and Outcomes of Fare-Free Transit Systems....

The House and Senate are in recess until Monday, September 10.... 

... $2.66 of a $3.50 gallon of gasoline is set by global markets reacting to supply and demand....

Four years of President Obama's foreign policy are having their full effect....

Several trillion meals containing genetically engineered food ingredients have been consumed by people around the world, and not a single adverse effect has been documented.

Has UHPA forgotten that in 2004 Governor Lingle forged a six-year contract, the longest in state history, that included pay raises every year?

The emails released between Solyndra stakeholders and Obama Administration officials show that Solyndra's investors knew the company was a bad bet for taxpayers, but the Administration wanted the energy loan guarantee program to be perceived as successful....

Hawaii Family Forum is pleased to announce that David Barton, and his son Tim, will be speaking in Hawaii from August 8 - 10....

"Disruptive technologies can putter around the margins … for years … But if they get better or cheaper, at some point they can suddenly take off, challenging the status quo."

... the DOE is known to regularly withheld tuition payments for students who were legally awarded reimbursements ....

“Hirono is a featherweight lawmaker and campaigner.”

This is only the beginning of the downward spiral of our community....

Complete list of UPW endorsements in all House and Senate races....