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Saturday, October 18, 2014
October 18, 2014 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:59 PM :: 4687 Views

Army Officer Files IG Complaint Against Mark Takai

Washington Post Debunks Takai Campaign Commercial

Ige Drove Cost of Living Higher

HPD Releases Cachola Videos, 911 Call

Hawaii ranks worst for tax burden, report says

Hawaii Hurricane History 1949-2014

$64M: HMSA Medicare Advantage Premium Hikes Hit 46,000

HMSA: ...it's difficult and painful for HMSA to make changes to the Akamai Advantage plans that raise premiums and change some benefits. That's what's happening as we replace our existing Akamai Advantage plans with four new plans in 2015. We know that having to choose a new plan will be extremely stressful for many Akamai Advantage members and their families.

The impact will be felt particularly hard on the Neighbor Islands, where premiums for the two new Akamai Advantage plans will increase substantially.

We're making these changes for two reasons. The cost of caring for Akamai Advantage members has been significantly higher than expected. At the same time, federal Medicare reimbursements to health plans were reduced. The combined result was a $64.1 million loss for Akamai Advantage plans in 2013....

($64.1M / 46,000 = $1391 each)

We're also approaching Hawaii's congressional delegation and the Obama administration to increase Medicare reimbursements in the islands. We believe the federal rates don't accurately reflect the cost of providing health care in Hawaii - particularly on the Neighbor Islands, where reimbursements rates are lower than for Oahu.

2013: Medicare Advantage Cuts under ObamaCare Will Affect Low-Income Seniors Most

2014: Insurer Dumps 1300 Medicare Advantage Clients After Losing $18.5M

2014: HMSA Cancels 46,000 Policies as Obamacare Medicaid Advantage Cuts Kick In

read ... Painful

LNG Import Will Save Ratepayers $87M

IM: On October 16, 2014 The Gas Company filed an application to import Liquefied Natural Gas (Docket No. 2014-0315).

Hawaii Gas seeks Commission approval of three agreements signed in September 2014 “in order to allow Hawaii Gas to implement the 30% SNG [Synthetic Natural Gas] Conversion Project.”

The agreements are with Fortis BC Energy Inc., Clean Energy and Agmark.

Hawaii Gas proposes to obtain LNG via the Fortis Fixed Fuel Supply Agreement and the Clean Fixed Fuel Supply Agreement, and to have it delivered by the Agmark Amended Fuel Delivery Contract.

"Hawaii Gas estimates that its capital expenditures for the 30% SNG Conversion Project will be approximately $12.8 million. …Hawaii Gas' anticipates that over the long-term, the Project will save ratepayers approximately $87 million over the 20-year period from 2015 through 2035."

The LNG would be shipped from the Fortis facility in Tilbury, British Colombia, Canada. This is the same refinery that HECO proposes to use.

read ... LNG Savings

Complaints against Pacific Resource Partnership on tap for Campaign Spending Commission

ILind: There’s a full and potentially interesting agenda for next week’s Campaign Spending Commission meeting, set for Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.

Leading off are several cases involving the Pacific Resource Partnership, its executive director, John White, and related entities. The cases involve the failure to report expenditures or to identify contributors. In each case, the commission is asked to determine whether there is sufficient evidence that probable cause that the law was violated....

...down at the bottom of the agenda are two other items of interest that involve possible criminal charges and will be considered in executive session. No details about the cases or the campaigns involved is disclosed....

read ... Complaints against Pacific Resource Partnership on tap for Campaign Spending Commission

"If (Mufi) Doesn't Like You You're in Deep S***"

ILind: The quote is drawn from the trial transcript in a case that has become news again in the context of this election.

Hawaii News Now broadcast a story on Thursday about the exchange during this week’s mayoral debate concerning Hannemann’s perceived demeanor (“Hannemann tries to get rid of bully image“).

Democratic candidate David Ige asked Hannemann about his role in blacklisting two stagehands who previously had worked on productions at city facilities.

read ... Deep S***

American Action: $300K for Djou

WSJ: The races targeted by American Action Network and Congressional Leadership Fund are primarily in states where Democrats typically have an advantage, including New York, Massachusetts, and President Barack Obama’s home state of Hawaii. The groups, however, think additional funding could help tip the advantage for Republicans in those races....The open seat in Hawaii’s first congressional district pitting Republican Charles Djou against Democrat Mark Takai. American Action plans to put $300,000 into the race.

“The new investments speak to the quality of our candidates nationwide and the expanding opportunities for House Republicans in deep Democrat-held territory,” American Action spokesman Dan Coston said.

The decision to put new money into the races comes as House Democrats’ campaign arm has been retrenching, moving money from some races that may now be out of reach in order to protect vulnerable incumbents and bolster candidates where victory is more likely. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee earlier this week canceled $1.4 million in ad reservations in Colorado’s sixth congressional district, part of a broader shuffling of money from districts the party once expected to be in play.

SA: Djou, Takai get outside boosts

read ... $300K

All 3 Public Employees Unions Now Endorse Ige

PR: The union, which represents about 14,000 blue-collar workers, is among the most politically active in the state. The UPW, like the Hawaii Government Employees Association — the state's largest public-sector labor union — did not endorse in the Demo­cratic primary between Ige and Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

The HGEA has since endorsed Ige, as has the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

read ... Bought n Paid for

NEA Money to Buy Ige 5th Floor?

BB: It hasn't been getting much attention until now, but quietly across various states - and now via un-earned media coverage - Democrats are looking to use education as a means of turning out an otherwise lethargic base....

The NEA Advocacy Fund also has new ads this week in North Carolina, slamming Republican Thom Tillis on the issue of student loans. Tillis, who is challenging Democratic Senator Kay Hagan for her Senate seat, is nearly tied in the polls. Two more NEA ads went live today in Arkansas, where the battle between Republican challenger Tom Cotton and Democratic incumbent Mark Pryor remains a toss-up, and Hawaii, where the governor’s race favors Democrat David Ige by a narrow margin.

PR: Teachers union ad takes aim at Aiona

read ... Your Dues Money at Work

Regents Ease Path to Lowered Tuition

MN: The process to implement tuition decreases for the University of Hawaii system will now be expedited after the UH Board of Regents approved revisions Thursday to its board policy for lowering tuition.

With the changes, regents will be able to consider tuition decreases at a public board meeting without lengthy notice. The matter would need to be placed on a meeting agenda and publicly noticed six days in advance of a full Board of Regents meeting, officials said.

Previously, six months notice was required before a discussion on a decrease could happen.

The approvals made at the board's meeting held at the UH-Maui College campus Thursday do not affect the board's policy to raise tuition. There still needs to be six months public notice before regents can consider a tuition increase....

Meanwhile, the UH system is looking at higher utility costs each year, officials said in meetings on Oahu and Maui.

At UH-Maui College, David Tamanaha, vice chancellor for administrative services, told regents that the college has a forecasted $900,000 budget shortfall each year. Lawmakers appropriated $1.1 million for the college's utilities, but the actual cost rose to $2 million, he said....

read ... Tuition Cuts

Homeowners Beat Back Tax Hike Averaging $3795/year

SA: A plan to provide relief to homeowners unintentionally shoved into the new, higher-taxed Residential A tax class may end up costing roughly $2.5 million in lost city revenues.

City Budget Director Nelson Koya­nagi told the Hono­­lulu Star-Advertiser that 652 property owners filed claims for tax compromise bills aimed at giving a one-time break this year to those whose properties were placed into the Residential A tax class even though they live in those homes.

Of those who filed by the Sept. 30 deadline, more than 60 came from homeowners not in the Residential A category and therefore not eligible to receive the break, Koya­nagi said.

The Department of Budget and Fiscal Services has not yet verified how many applicants actually meet the criteria, but if all did it would drain city coffers of $2,474,623 in anticipated revenues, Koya­nagi said. The loss would be absorbed and shouldn't have repercussions on the city's $2 billion operating budget.  ($2,474,623 / 652 = $3795 each)

Utility bills, income tax returns and completed requests for homeowner exemptions for next year were required to qualify for the so-called compromise tax bills.

read ... $3795 Tax Hike Beaten Back

Health Department hears cesspool concerns

WHT: Most people testifying Thursday evening about proposed rules aimed at reducing cesspools in the state agreed that protecting water quality is important. But many objected to what they considered draconian measures to accomplish it.

About 40 people attended a hearing in Hilo held by the state Department of Health as it considers rules that would prohibit construction of any new cesspools. It was the last of a series of hearings before the department decides whether to forward the rules to the governor’s office....

The state Legislature last year killed a bill that would have established an unspecified “reasonable” fee on owners of individual wastewater systems that would go into a new water pollution control account to pay for Department of Health staff to monitor discharges and enforce permits and management plans. Individual wastewater systems are defined as cesspools, septic tanks, aerobic treatment units and any collection systems not connected to a sewer.

The estimated $10,000 to $15,000 cost of converting to septic tanks is a much harder hit on the Big Island, where the average home costs $265,000 to $300,000, and especially in East Hawaii, where average homes are valued from $180,000 to $190,000, said Kealii Beck, with KnR Consultants, a building contractor....

“Unfortunately, at every turn, we get hit harder and harder,” said Beck.

read ... Cesspool

Thanks to Jones Act, Guam Looks to Asia for LNG Conversion

GPDN: Doug Cotton, senior project manager at HDR, Inc. in Hawaii, said at a GPA energy conference in April the best option for shipping to Guam would be through the Asian market.

Currently, there are companies that ship from the mainland U.S., but that would not be an option for Guam.

"Shipments from the U.S. have to be shipped and crewed by U.S. citizens and flagged. There is not a shipper out there in the U.S. who could ship from mainland to Guam," Cotton said.

Japan is one of the largest importers of LNG in the Asian market, Cruz said. Other countries in Guam's vicinity also import LNG, including Indonesia.

read ... Guam LNG

FEMA Again Denies Iselle Disaster Declaration

WHT: As the threat from Hurricane Ana appeared to fizzle Friday, Hawaii County officials announced an appeal for federal relief funding for damages wrought by Tropical Storm Iselle was denied.

The Oct. 7 appeal was submitted in response to an Aug. 28 decision by President Barack Obama to not declare a major disaster in the wake of Tropical Storm Iselle. The storm, which made landfall in lower Puna about 2:30 a.m. Aug. 8, felled trees and power lines throughout the district, and kicked up heavy surf and storm surge in low-lying areas. Hundreds of homes were affected, with some being rendered unliveable.

The major disaster declaration would have triggered a release of funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for an individual assistance program, providing emergency low-interest loans for families looking to rebuild and repair their homes and property.

“After a thorough review of all the information contained in the initial request and your appeal, we reaffirm our original findings that the impact to individuals and households from this event is not of the severity and magnitude as to be beyond the combined capabilities of the state, affected local governments and voluntary agencies,” wrote FEMA representative Elizabeth A. Zimmerman in denying the application.

read ... No Dan, No Money

Former DLNR Official Accused of Child Molestation

SA: A former state Department of Land and Natural Resources official who also is a former Kauai police officer was indicted on 30 counts of sexual assault — a majority of which are alleged to have occurred while the female victim was a minor.

A Kauai grand jury indicted Tarey Low, former Kauai branch chief of the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, on Oct. 9 on 26 counts of first-degree sexual assault and four counts of third-degree sexual assault. Bail was set at $500,000....

The allegations of sexual abuse are nonsense, said Soong. "There's no evidence to corroborate this." He claimed the victim has falsely accused another individual of sexual assault in the past.

read ... Accused

Shocker: Child Molester Reoffends After Getting Probation

MN: A Waiehu man who had been on probation for sexually assaulting a child when he sexually molested the same victim again was sentenced Thursday to a 20-year prison term.

"You were given the opportunity to rehabilitate yourself," 2nd Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza told Christopher Valdez. "Unfortunately, that proved unsuccessful and led to the same kind of convictions. The consequences of action of this nature can very well be lifelong."

Valdez, 29, had asked for another chance on probation, saying he was sorry.

read ... Surprise, surprise

Real Scientists Debunk UH Manoa Turtle-Tumor Hype

KGI: A group of scientists is rebutting a recent study suggesting that invasive algae is driving the grotesque, cancer-like tumors found in Hawaii’s green sea turtle population.

In fact, they say it’s equally plausible that the algae could be having the opposite effect, leading to a decline in tumors.

Dr. Thierry Work, a wildlife disease specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey in Honolulu, said those behind the paper, published Sept. 30 in the scientific journal PeerJ, did not do their homework.

“I don’t think this paper has any scientific foundation,” he said.

The paper was co-authored by University of Hawaii at Manoa Botany Professor Celia Smith and Kyle S. Van Houtan of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Turtle Research Program....

In their response, also published on PeerJ, Work and six other scientists wrote that the story of pollution being bad for the environment and harming wildlife is “appealing” and “resonates with a broad audience.”

“However, scratch the surface, and the component parts of the story do not add up,” they wrote.

Oct 3, 2014: Morons Hype Turtle Tumor 'Study'

read ... Fraud Exposed

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