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Monday, June 21, 2021
June 21, 2021 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 6:31 PM :: 2153 Views

'Procurement Collusion' -- Hanabusa, HART Reported to Federal Authorities

Four More Unlicensed Crypto Currency Dealers for Hawaii

To Prevent Rolling Blackouts Green Dogma Will Have Oahu Burn Wood for Power

CB: … The owners of Oahu’s large coal-burning electric plant now want to switch to burning wood pellets instead of shutting the plant down as scheduled next year.

(Rolling blackout are avoided, but electric rates go up.  Still a win for eco-profiteers seeking to make us buy their latest half-baked technology.)

AES Hawaii submitted its request to Hawaii utility regulators last week as part of a proceeding exploring ways to deal with the closing of AES’s Barbers Point Coal Plant, which is scheduled to shut down in September 2022….

(Remember: In the eco-religion, coal is Devil Dirt but wood is a gift from the Goddess Gaia.  So this is ‘clean’ energy.)

The facility produces about one-fifth of Oahu’s electricity. And, while industrial-scale solar and wind farms are ‘expected’ (key word) eventually to provide ample power for the island, those aren’t built yet.  (Uh. Huh.)  The question is how to keep the lights on in the meantime….

(IQ Test: Are you laughing?)

In its request, AES called shifting from coal to wood “an option that will help maintain system reliability and enhance grid services, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, minimize financial impacts to Oahu’s customers, and help ensure the state’s responsible transition to a 100% renewable energy future.”

(Translation: It complies with Religious Law.)

The current short-term plan to replace the coal-burning plant centers on a giant battery AES has proposed to build in Kapolei. But that plan has come under criticism from regulators who note that until more large renewable projects can be finished, the battery still would have to be charged with electricity generated by oil-fired power plants.

(IQ Test: Are you laughing?)

Jay Griffin, chairman of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, has called that plan the equivalent of “going from cigarettes to crack,” and the PUC has imposed numerous requirements on the battery project as a consequence.

AES’s proposal to burn wood instead of coal would mean a switch from fossil fuel consistent with the state’s energy policy. The wood pellets AES envisions using, known as “biomass” in energy parlance, are considered a renewable resource under Hawaii’s energy law…..

More Reality Than Most People Can Handle: Crichton: Environmentalism is a religion

read … Power Struggle: A Major Source Of Air Pollution On Oahu Is Also Keeping The Lights On

2020-2025 Climate Action Plan Leaves Rail Route in the Water

CB: … The Honolulu City Council recently adopted Resolution 21-105 and the 2020-2025 Climate Action Plan. While the plan mentions rail and its role in a multi-modal transportation system, it does not address the issue of a route that goes through areas of expected sea level rise or flood inundation zones. Since HART is required to meet federal requirements for floodplains, it seems this should be a very important consideration for HART’s current recovery plan update.

(CLUE: Nobody really believes in sea level rise.)

Along those lines, when will our elected city officials discuss the plan to move infrastructure inland? In 2019 Bill 37, CD1, FD1 became ordinance 19-24. It states in part, “To address rising sea levels and the effects of climate change on the City’s coastline, the City must act quickly to move roads, parks, and infrastructure” inland.

At what point will building permits in these areas be disallowed? How much will this major shift in infrastructure cost?

Are city leaders going to continue building rail to Ala Moana Center and then a decade or so later tell taxpayers, “Sorry, we need to reroute it”? That discussion should be happening now, along with the list of rail alternatives that was recently released to the public.

read … We Need To Improve Government Transparency in Hawaii

COVID emergency engineered to Boost Homelessness by pushing them out of Shelters

SA: …The 2021 shelter Point-in-Time Count totaled 1,853 individuals who made up 1,065 households. The count included those in emergency shelters, transitional housing and safe havens — permanently supported housing for single, homeless adults with mental illness. That number was the lowest count for sheltered people in at least 10 years.

(Translation: We spent the last year pushing the homeless out of shelters.  This will now be used as an excuse to let the homeless stay on the streets.  See how this works?)

Partners in Care Executive Director Laura E. Thielen explained that social distancing for public health reasons during the pandemic was the reason shelter space likely decreased.

“A lot of that is due to the fact that there has to be depopulation of congregate shelters during COVID,” she said.

“They all had to decrease their numbers to reflect the CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines of proper distancing during COVID.”…

(Social Engineering: Nobody used the emergency orders to build SRO housing to make up for the shelter reductions and provide a surplus of space for bums so we can then legally enforce a vagrancy law thus eliminating homelessness once and for all.  For instance, see next story…)

read … Homeless in shelters fewest in 10 years

Homeless Emergency Declaration Overridden by ‘Stakeholder’

WHT: …Shani Armbruster of Tinguely Development said there are a lot of stakeholders involved with different things they needed to see satisfied before they were allowed to move forward with the project.

“I think we are close, but it is certainly taken longer than everybody hoped,” she said.

One of the hold-ups is the developer is still waiting on county permits for grubbing and grading, which were applied for in late April.

“The project is actually being performed under an emergency proclamation from Governor Ige, which had allowed us to skip all of those things. But recently we were told by one of the stakeholders that they would be requiring that permit. We went in for the permit and there are still some pieces that need to be satisfied,” she said.

Armbruster said once the project moves forward, they anticipate an eight to 10 month completion.

At the time of the September groundbreaking and blessing of the site located at the corner of Kealakehe Parkway and Ane Keohokalole Highway in Kailua-Kona, contractor Phil Tinguely estimated it would be complete by May….

In response to the inquiry of what the county is doing about the recent increase of new, single homeless on the streets of West Hawaii, Hirota said the county continues to work with its community partners in continuing its (blablabla) ….

read … KukuiOla homeless village yet to bring construction

Can Weed and Seed Clear Bums from Aala Park?

SA: … Major banks in the area are combining to donate more than $125,000 for both an initial and follow-up survey to document problems in the Chinatown, downtown and Kalihi-Palama areas and especially in Aala Park, which continues to generate complaints about illegal homeless activity and crime.

The two surveys will be conducted by the Anthology Group. The “Weed and Seed” concept that’s expected to start this summer represents both the first effort of its kind by new city Prosecutor Steve Alm — and also a reboot of Alm’s previous Chinatown Weed and Seed effort as Hawaii’s U.S. attorney two decades ago.

Alm’s previous Weed and Seed effort “resulted in a 70% reduction in crime over a 3-year period and a renaissance of sorts for the area,” according to the Trust for Public Land….

Established in 1904, Aala Park has a rich cultural history and a sometimes complicated one, including then-Mayor Frank Fasi’s ill-conceived effort to clamp down on homelessness by creating a city-sanctioned tent city in the park between 1990 and 1993.

The tent city concept failed after a night of “wilding” that included an attempted murder and a trail of crime scenes….

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinatown residents and merchants this year have repeatedly complained about homelessness and homeless-related vandalism and crime, and have told Mayor Rick Blangiardi they believe the numbers of Chinatown homeless have increased….

read … New ideas sought on how to revitalize Chinatown and Aala Park 

60-time Loser Gets Arrested Again

MN: … Fraser’s criminal history of 60 convictions includes five for felony crimes and 32 for misdemeanor offenses.

If convicted of the most serious charges in his latest case, Fraser (age 35) could face extended multiple offender sentencing as well as repeat offender sentencing, Hicks said…. (Do the Math 35-18 =17 / 35 = 2 per year for 17 years)

MN: Low Hanging Tweeker Does not Comply with Probation, surprisingly

read … Soft on Crime

Medicaid managed care turns into a taxpayer boondoggle

SA: … Medicaid is around 20% of the Hawaii state budget and including federal contributions, it is a $2.3 billion per year program. Much of this money is being wasted on administrative costs and obstructions that do not benefit delivery of care to those who need it.

Hawaii contracts Medicaid to five Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), two of which are mainland for-profit insurance companies. MCOs claim managed care will improve access and care coordination and control cost, but their most notable achievements have been to drive most independent doctors out of accepting new Medicaid patients, reduced access to care (especially on the neighbor islands), and relentless escalation in cost above the national average.

Strong evidence both nationally and locally shows the largest driver of increased cost in health care is excessive administrative cost, not overuse of care, yet the MCOs have added costly administrative hurdles such as prior authorizations and formulary restrictions designed to restrict use of care. The more health plans try to manage care, the more physicians refuse to participate, and when a dominant insurer such as HMSA and our Medicaid program are both over-managing care, the result is a rapidly worsening physician shortage….

read … Medicaid managed care turns into a taxpayer boondoggle

HSTA Operatives Still Pushing Fake Distance learning Scam

CB: … Keith Hayashi, who will take over as interim superintendent until a permanent replacement is found, has not said if he’ll make any changes to the in-person mandate. Board of Education members, however, recently indicated a willingness to consider more virtual options after facing pushback from some advocates and parents.

“I do not think we should be pushing students and families out of the public education system to home school for any reason, especially not because of health and safety concerns,” BOE Chairwoman Catherine Payne said at Thursday’s meeting….

Steve Nakasoto, principal at Mililani Uka Elementary, said he has spoken with his complex area superintendent about a possible distance learning option but didn’t provide more details.

“At this time, principals are working with their CAS to determine next year’s learning options,” he said, adding that most of the parents who participated in a survey at the end of the year indicated a preference for daily in-person instruction in the fall.

Campbell High is offering a full all-distance course of study for students who are independent workers and have at least a 3.0 GPA.

The superintendent has supported her push for schools to fully reopen by citing the academic setbacks of this past year, including failing grades, poor attendance in virtual settings or lack of mental health supports. The number of student withdrawals from DOE schools spiked to 8,982 by the end of the third quarter, compared with 7,751 at the same time last year….

However, in recent written testimony to the Board of Education, some education advocacy groups called for the distance learning options to continue because they (insert excuse here) ….

The past year also has driven up interest in nontraditional schools from families who would not have considered the option before.

Hawaii Technology Academy, a public charter school with a campus in Waipahu, has had a blended virtual model for its K-12 students since its founding in 2006.

But for the first time this fall it will offer a completely virtual option for students after more than a quarter of its families said they would prefer that in a survey this past spring.

Among 1,400 students, 250 to 300 students will be in a full-virtual model in the fall, according to school leaders. Another 170 families are on the wait list.

The past year has seen dramatic spikes in enrollment across the school’s four campuses on Oahu, the Big Island, Kauai and Maui. On Maui for instance, enrollment is expected to rise 28% from 185 students in the 2019-20 school year, to 237 projected for next year….

read … Frustration Grows Among Hawaii Parents Who Aren’t Ready To Send Their  Kids Back To Class

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