What if Hawaiians had Control Over the Assets They are Entitled to?
Let's not forget what makes July Fourth special
Hawaii AG Announces sexual assault evidence collection kit tracking system
UHPA Cheers Ige 'Intent to Veto'
BOE chair says board will consider distance learning options
DBEDT Revises '2050 Sustainability Plan'
Fourth of July fireworks shows to be sparse in Hawaii
SA: … In 2020 most fireworks displays were canceled during the holiday weekend because of the coronavirus outbreak, and it appears that will be the case this year as well, despite the state being scheduled to relax travel and gathering restrictions Thursday.
Acting Battalion Chief Ari Agpaoa of the Honolulu Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Bureau said there are no public fireworks displays planned on Oahu this year, except for three on military bases — at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Marine Corps Base Hawaii and Schofield Barracks — meaning the general public won’t have direct access to any regular shows on the island, including popular ones held by Ala Moana Center and in Kailua.
Although access to the military fireworks shows will be restricted, the displays “will probably be visible,” Agpaoa said.
Kauai Police Department spokeswoman Coco Zickos said she’s not aware of any shows being held on Kauai this year, while the Maui County Fire Department announced June 16 that no public fireworks displays will be held.
There will be fireworks shows in Hilo and Kona during “abbreviated” celebrations this weekend, according to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald….
read … Fourth of July fireworks shows to be sparse in Hawaii
Rosenlee’s Biggest Regret: Didn’t Raise Taxes More
HSTA: … His biggest regret?
“I really, really wanted to end compression,” Rosenlee said, referring to long-time teachers whose salaries are compressed and haven’t increased during tough financial times. That results in some teachers paid roughly the same salary even though a decade of experience separates them.
“Three times during my presidency, we were close to getting it (compression) fixed,” Rosenlee said, but for various reasons, including the pandemic, that problem never got solved.
One of Rosenlee’s key priorities when he got elected was to create a dedicated source of funds for education.
“My first year in office, we tried a one-percent general excise tax (GET). That didn’t pass. Then for two years, we tried to get a constitutional amendment to raise property taxes (on second homes worth $1 million or more) to fund education,” he said.
“It took so much work to get it on the ballot,” but then the state Supreme Court invalidated the question, essentially saying it was too confusing for voters, he added.
HSTA also tried to raise the hotel tax for education, and change the state constitution to guarantee a certain level of education funding, to no avail.
“I regret that we weren’t able to accomplish it. But I know that we tried really hard to do so,” Rosenlee said.
HSTA Vice President Osa Tui, Jr., who succeeds Rosenlee as president starting July 5, said, “Some of these things still remain as opportunities for the future. So the work doesn’t stop just because Corey Rosenlee has left the building,” during a video conversation between the two men during Rosenlee’s last week in office….
HSTA: Osa Tui, Jr. replaces Corey Rosenlee, whose term ends this weekend
read … Rosenlee touts unity and activism as his presidential term ends
Army May Make COVID-19 Vaccines Mandatory In September
CB: … The decision hinges on whether the FDA gives vaccines full approval….
read … Army May Make COVID-19 Vaccines Mandatory In September
The Need To Move Hawaii Ag Lands Out From DLNR And Into The Ag Department
CB: … In 2003, Hawaii’s Legislature passed Act 90. Its intent was clear: to ensure the long-term productive use of public agricultural lands. Act 90 directed the transfer of state-owned agricultural leases to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. The goal was to provide farmers and ranchers with the security that their leases would support continued agricultural production.
But 18 years after Act 90 was enacted and passed into law, almost 100,000 acres of leased public pasture and agricultural lands remain under the management of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. DLNR also controls additional unencumbered agricultural lands – lands that are zoned agricultural but that are not leased for agriculture.
Why does the transfer of agricultural lands from the DLNR to HDOA matter? Because with the amount of land in pasture steadily declining, we need to make sure that agricultural lands in current production stay in production.
To put things in perspective, DLNR currently manages 1.97 million acres in conservation, which is 48% of the state’s land mass. …
read … The Need To Move Hawaii Ag Lands Out From DLNR And Into The Ag Department
Legislative News:
Corona Virus News:
QUICK HITS: