Kiribati 'cooking something with China' - former Kiribati president
DLNR Releases Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor Vision Report
Hirono: 'Who the heck would know what our Founding Fathers meant?'
Ige: Navy Lied About lack of Video at Red Hill
CB: … Ige’s comments came in response to a question about cellphone videos that depict fuel raining from a pipe into a tunnel in the Red Hill storage facility. The governor said state officials asked for video of the November leak. But the Navy told the state that none was available.
“They assured us — they told us — that no video was available, that the cameras were not operating at that point in time. I was very surprised,” Ige said of the videos ….
SA VIDEO: Gov. David Ige joins the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s ‘Spotlight Hawaii’
July 5, 2022: Red Hill Leak VIDEO
read … Hawaii Governor Says Navy Must Do More To Restore Trust
Ige: Permits to carry guns in public will not be automatically granted in Hawaii
SA: … Permits to carry concealed or openly displayed firearms will not be automatically granted in Hawaii following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling as county police departments craft policies for processing applications from gun owners following an opinion by the state Department of the Attorney General.
Gov. David Ige told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he is “very troubled” by the high court’s decision and asked Attorney General Holly T. Shikada for a formal opinion on how the decision will affect Hawaii gun laws.
”It’s important for people to know that both concealed- and open-carry gun licenses are not automatically granted,” Ige said. “For a concealed-carry license, the applicant must meet all the current requirements in the law but does not have to state he, she has an ‘exceptional case’ or has reason to fear injury to person or property.
“For an open-carry license, the applicant must meet the current requirements of the law, plus show an urgency, or need to carry a firearm and be engaged in the protection of life and property. Public safety is important to us here in Hawaii, and we will continue to enforce our firearms laws, consistent with federal constitutional requirements, to help keep our community safe.”
Background: Hawaii AG Instructs Chiefs of Police to Broadly Grant Concealed Carry Licenses, but not Unconcealed Carry
read … Permits to carry guns in public will not be automatically granted in Hawaii
Rep LoPresti Charged in DUI Case
HNN: … State Rep. Matt LoPresti was charged Wednesday afternoon for allegedly driving drunk last month in Ewa Beach.
But a delayed blood test result means he’ll get to keep his license as he prepares to fight the criminal charge.
The arrest happened on June 16. LoPresti was stopped in the bike lane on Fort Weaver Road….
The license revocation process does not affect the criminal process.
“The Prosecutor’s Office should have received the blood test result by now so they should know what that test result was,” said Patrick McPherson, another DUI attorney.
McPherson said LoPresti could still have his driver’s license revoked if he’s convicted of DUI…..
SA: Rep. Matthew LoPresti charged for alleged drunk driving
read … Hawaii lawmaker charged in DUI case, but wins civil battle to keep his license
Crypto-Billionaires Spend $249K pushing Branco Campaign
CB: … Federal records show that Web3 Forward, which backs Democrats for Congress, has spent $249,000 on advertising in the Hawaii race….
Web3 Forward’s sole reported donor is GMI PAC, which is a separate super PAC funded by major players in crypto….
So far, GMI PAC has reported raising nearly $10 million in the current 2022 election cycle. Its list of donors includes Samuel Bankman-Fried, who’s the billionaire founder and CEO of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, and Silicon Valley tech investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who are vying to be dominant players in the digital currency market….
The Hawaii Office of Elections says mail-in ballots will get to voters by July 26, which is only two weeks away….
read … Super-PAC with ties to Bitcoin becomes a big spender in Hawaii congressional race
Prosecutors Want Enhanced Punishment For Public Corruption
CB: … The Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct, a group tasked with beefing up government standards and ethics, on Wednesday heard from FBI agents, former state attorneys general and county prosecutors during an hours-long forum to generate more ideas to crack down on public corruption in Hawaii.
One recommendation came from three of Hawaii’s four county prosecutors, who suggested that the commission consider proposing new laws that would carve out additional criminal penalties for public employees who try to commit fraud, embezzle the government or accept bribes.
The details still need to be worked out by state and county prosecutors. Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said those offices are working on a package of bills to introduce to the Legislature in 2023. The standards commission also has until December to come up with its own recommendations.
The prosecutors from Honolulu, Kauai and Maui counties asked that the commission call for mandatory jail time for any public servant found guilty of a white collar crime. As it stands now, those convicted of white collar crimes could face reduced sentences at the discretion of judges or the state paroling authority.
At the federal level, prison time is almost always guaranteed. Just last week former state Sen. J. Kalani English was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for taking part in a bribery scheme.
“When it comes to political corruption, white collar corruption – that’s a cost benefit analysis,” Alm said. “If they know they could go to prison, I think that could really help.”…
Maui Prosecutor Andrew Martin also supports harsher sentences for public employees. He recalled one case where a defense attorney tried to argue for leniency because his client was a public servant….
KHON: Prosecutors, state officials call on tougher penalties for public corruption
read … Prosecutors Want Enhanced Punishment For Public Corruption
Will Enough Upcountry Maui White People Vote to Overcome Molokai Hawaiian Votes Against Walter Ritte?
MN: … If history repeats itself, this year’s rematch between DeCoite and Ritte is bound to be a competitive one. During the last election in 2020, DeCoite was asking voters to re-elect her for a third time to represent House District 13. She won by just 94 votes. It was so close that it prompted a mandatory recount….
As Explained: Precinct by Precinct Results from 2020
Walter Ritte Background:
read … Rural Maui County Rematch: DeCoite Is Fighting To Keep Her Senate Seat Against Ritte
Maui Council to consider homeowner exemption bills for principal home, long-term rental
MN: … Bills proposing homeowner exemptions from real property tax are up for first reading at the Maui County Council’s meeting at 9 a.m. Friday, Council Vice Chairwoman Keani Rawlins-Fernandez announced.
Bill 93, introduced by Rawlins-Fernandez, would amend the Maui County Code to increase the homeowner exemptions for a principal home to $300,000 and for a long-term rental to $400,000, beginning Jan. 1. The last increase in the homeowner exemption was in 2006, according to a budget committee report.
Bill 110, introduced by Council Member Mike Molina, would allow residents with a 70 percent or higher disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to qualify for a lower annual real property tax bill. The minimum real property tax for the current fiscal year is $350; severely disabled veterans would be allowed to pay half of that, according to a budget committee report.
read … Council to consider homeowner exemption bills for principal home, long-term rental
‘It’s an overkill’: Maui residents blast new proposal that would ban outdoor lighting
HNN: … Bill 21, if approved, would regulate all outdoor lighting fixtures on Maui to protect Native Hawaiian seabirds from becoming disoriented.
Particularly, the bill would ban most common types of outdoor lighting seen near homes, businesses, and sports complexes.
Critics said the proposal goes too far.
“It’s an overkill,” said Kihei resident Madge Schaefer. “They are going to pull the plug on outdoor lighting for people on Maui.”
Schaefer said she has lights all around her South Maui home, which help her feel safe at night.
“The police department, if you go on any site and ask about security, they stress that you should have good lighting in dark places,” Schaefer said.
The proposal presented by Councilmember Kelly King would take away most of those lights…..
read … ‘It’s an overkill’: Maui residents blast new proposal that would ban outdoor lighting
A Warning On Hawaii’s Housing Crisis — From 1970
CB: … The lieutenant governor’s remarks will launch directly into a singular topic, noting with frustration that the state of Hawaii has been “treated to several months of euphoria about housing.” He is angry and his words will preface a politically painful declaration, one his audience might not like to hear.
He still proceeds, stating “it would be easy for the unknowing to assume that we are well on our way to a solution of our housing crisis. This is not so. If anything, the situation has deteriorated.”….
read … A Warning On Hawaii’s Housing Crisis — From 1970
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