September 6, 2023 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Wednesday, September 6, 2023

September 6, 2023 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:19 PM :: 1621 Views

Lahaina: Those who Labor are Heavy Laden

Lahaina: Insurance Companies to Pay Out to Coverage Limits?

Lahaina: Former Rentals available to replace burned cars

Lawyers: "Bishop Estate Caused Lahaina Fire"

Next Tech Fail: State Signs Giant Procurement Revamp Contract

Pierick for HD 39 Kunia, Hoopili--Transsexual Lobby Picks Proven Loser Rosenlee to run (again)

CB: … former HSTA union boss Corey Rosenlee made it official this weekend: He is running again for the House seat in District 39 which includes Royal Kunia, Village Park, Honouliuli, Hoopili and part of Waipahu.

Rosenlee ran for the seat in 2022 but lost in the general to Republican Elijah Pierick.

(CLUE: Donate to Pierick here.)

Rosenlee, who is the former head of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, ran against Pierick, at the time a political unknown who has proven to be one of the most conservative politicians in the Legislature.

(TRANSLATION: Pierick doesn’t want transsexual propaganda in your elementary school. Rosenlee does.)

“It’s time for leadership that puts ~~people~~ (transsexuals) before ~~politics~~ (parents),” said Rosenlee. “The current representative for District 39, Elijah Pierick, has abandoned the public trust by pushing a radical right-wing agenda that opposes ~~women’s rights, defunds programs for the homeless and retirees, and denies the existence of climate change~~ (transsexual propaganda in elementary schools.) We deserve a representative who will defend ~~civil~~ (sexual) liberties, ~~advocate for essential public services, strengthen emergency preparedness and climate resilience,~~ and uplift the ~~well-being~~ (gay sexuality) of our keiki.”

Rosenlee’s campaign announcement comes about a year before the 2024 primary, on Aug. 10, which he’ll need to get through first if he hopes to take out Pierick in the Nov. 5 general….

Flashback: VIDEO -- See For Yourself: Rep Pierick at Ewa Int School

HSTA RECORD:

read … 2024 Campaign Begins Amid The Zombie Apocalypse

Senator Kurt Fevella: Lawyers should work for free

KITV: … Fevella said the focus should be on safeguarding the well-being of the Lahaina community. The senator is pushing for a swifter moratorium process. He says this would be a proactive measure to shield the community from people who are trying to exploit the community's vulnerabilities. He says protecting property from unethical practices is crucial.

Fevella also discussed how attorney fees should be done pro bono. He says this would ensure that residents are able to access the necessary funding for rebuilding without facing financial burdens.

Lastly, Fevella says the Build Beyond Barrier Working Group needs to be disbanded and regroup to reprioritize housing on Maui for the next four years.

"The new working group should include community leaders and residents from Lahaina, and ensure that the voice of community members are involved in the redevelopment. This way we can allow for an effective and just path to rebuilding in Lahaina, with the full support of the community," Fevella said….

read … Senator Kurt Fevella hosts press conference to share concerns about Lahaina

Concerns over MFD staffing during devastating wildfires lead to urgent push for more resources

HNN: … The International Association of Firefighters is pushing for an examination of Maui Fire Department’s staffing levels and resources in the wake of the island’s devastating wildfires.

THe Maui Fire Department has about 200 firefighters, while Census estimates put the population of Maui at just under 170,000. The association says it’s critical to determine now if MFD needs more personnel….

Kelly said MFD crews fought four major fires on Aug. 8, including the Pulehu fire, which burned 2,400 acres. “But we only had one engine and one brush truck to try to contain it,” said Kelly. “That is not satisfactory.”

Kelly added that he’s gotten valuable feedback from Maui firefighters over the past few weeks and said it’s time for the county to increase staffing and build more stations….

The last new station was built 20 years ago.

Lahaina was assigned just one engine and one fire truck, which can only carry five personnel each….

“When they respond to a high-rise fire, according to industry standards, we should have 40 firefighters there in about eight to 10 minutes,” said Kelly. “They can’t meet that standard that has to be looked at; that’s one point too that needs to be examined to make sure that there’s adequate staffing going forward.”

“You would be waiting for resources to come from Kahalui or Wailuku, which will be anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes plus to come over,” added Bobby Lee, President of the Hawaii Firefighters Association….

Alice Lee, chair of the Maui County Council, said MFD will soon welcome 15 new recruits. That’s out of 700 applicants. Lee said at least three new (pretend) fire stations are in the works in Haiku, West, and Central Maui.

But the stations are facing various delays. “The bigger problem is deciding where those stations are going to go because the community has to be supportive,” said Lee. “Otherwise, it just it just wouldn’t work.”

(Clue: All pretend.)

read … Concerns over MFD staffing during devastating wildfires lead to urgent push for more resources

MPD requires missing-person report to search for those listed as ‘unaccounted for’

SA: … As of Sunday, MPD has 41 active missing-person cases stemming from the Lahaina fire, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation and MPD list of names of unaccounted-for people stands at 385.

The bulk of the county’s efforts are currently focused on identifying all of the 115 sets of remains that are in the morgue….

read … MPD requires missing-person report to search for those listed as ‘unaccounted for’

Prosecutor Finds new Excuse to Drop 100s of misdemeanor Cases

CB: … Theft, terroristic threatening and criminal property damage are among the cases that the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office has closed without review since a new policy took effect in January.

Nearly four dozen cases were closed without being reviewed by a deputy prosecutor simply because they were “unsolicited,” meaning the complainant did not follow up with a phone call, according to partially redacted case files reviewed by Civil Beat.

Those included 18 counts of fourth-degree theft, which covers stolen property or services worth $250 or less, 10 counts of harassment, 10 counts of second-degree terroristic threatening, five counts of fourth-degree criminal property damage, four counts of third-degree criminal property damage, two counts of third-degree theft, one count of indecent exposure and one case of a dangerous dog.

In these cases, a suspect was identified but not arrested, requiring a victim’s cooperation with the prosecution to prove the case….

The total number of closed cases, however, is likely in the hundreds, said Wendy Shimomura, a legal clerk in the Victim Witness Kokua Services branch of the prosecuting attorney’s department. That office is tasked with reaching out to victims and witnesses and helping them navigate the justice system and seek restitution.

Shimomura was surprised when she was called to a staff meeting in January and informed about the new policy. Her job on the intake desk is now to log the majority of unsolicited cases in the system but mark them as declined….

HNN: Victims of some crimes now must contact the Honolulu prosecutor’s office or case won’t move forward

read … Honolulu Crime: Why Some Misdemeanor Cases Are Closed Without Review

Bum Removal: Waikiki sees ‘dramatic decrease’ in crime after 1 year of ‘Safe and Sound’ initiative

HNN: … HPD Acting Lt. Blake Arita noted a “dramatic decrease” in major crimes between Sept. 1, 2022 to Aug. 1, 2023 as compared to the previous year. He cited the following statistics:

Decrease in assault cases by 4%

Decrease in burglary cases by 31%

Decrease in criminal property damage cases by 28%

Decrease in theft overall by 6%

He noted an increase in disorderly conduct cases by 37% but attributed that to HPD officers being more proactive in arresting disorderly persons and addressing loud noise complaints….

CB: Honolulu City Council To Vote On Over $5 Million In Settlement Payouts

KITV: Safe & Sound Waikiki crime-reduction program makes big strides, but more needs to be done

SA: Anti-crime program for Waikiki marks 1 year

read … Waikiki sees ‘dramatic decrease’ in crime after 1 year of ‘Safe and Sound’ initiative (hawaiinewsnow.com)

Hawaii Is The Only State Without A Fire Marshal

CB: … Hawaii is the only state without a fire marshal’s office, and the recent Maui fires that killed at least 115 people are galvanizing fire officials to reinstate the office disbanded in 1979.

Such offices typically play an integral role coordinating fire prevention between local agencies.

The mandates and powers of fire marshals vary from state to state. Their duties normally cover fire investigation and prevention across urban and rural landscapes, regulating fire codes and increasing public awareness of risks.…..

The fire alarm system at Konawaena Elementary School on the Big Island was broken down for two years in breach of state fire codes, KHON2 News reported.

But the county fire department couldn’t force the school to fix it because it did not have jurisdiction over schools run by the state Department of Education….

read … Hawaii Is The Only State Without A Fire Marshal

After Lahaina Wildfires, AMR protests emergency services contract award

MN: … American Medical Response, which provides 911 ground ambulance transport for Maui County, has filed a protest with the state Department of Health after it selected a different company in a recent awarding of contracts for the service, the DOH said Tuesday evening.

AMR also filed a bid protest after it was not selected for a similar contract in Kauai County, a DOH spokesperson said via email.

The protest is over the decision by the DOH’s Emergency Medical Services & Injury Prevention System Branch to award a nearly $59 million contract to Falck Northwest Corp. on Aug. 29 for a contract that begins on Dec. 28 and ends on June 30, 2027, according to the Hawaii Awards & Notices Data System.

Falck, which is also an international ambulance operator, was awarded a $32 million contract for services on Kauai for the same time frame….

During the Aug. 8 firestorms on Maui, paramedics set up a medical incident command and triage, and in the first hours of the incident, treated approximately 60 patients and transported 32 for further medical attention, the unions said in their letter. Paramedics provided advanced life support “to more burn patients in one night” than most emergency medical services systems see in a year.

When flames blocked regular routes to Maui Memorial Medical Center, advanced life support providers “continued lengthy care of their patients, and even had to transport some via a treacherous 40-mile northern route along sea cliffs” via Kahakuloa to get to Central Maui.

“Integral to EMS management of the medical aspect of this disaster was Maui’s system design as a 100 percent ALS system,” the letter said.

Now, however, the unions worry that under the new contracts, there will no longer be the assurance that an advanced life support unit will respond to every emergency in Maui County, including rural Hana, Molokai or Lanai, as well as on Kauai….

SA: Contracts for new ambulance firm raise questions

KN: Paramedics concerned about quality of care under new ambulance contract on Maui and Kauaʻi

read … AMR protests emergency services contract award

Lawyers claim cable TV, phone companies are also responsible in Maui wildfires

AP: … After a visit to a warehouse where Hawaiian Electric Company is housing power poles and electrical equipment that may be key to the investigation of last month’s devastating fires on Maui, lawyers for Lahaina residents and business owners told a court Tuesday that cable TV and telephone companies share responsibility for the disaster because they allegedly overloaded and destabilized some of the poles….

read … Lawyers claim cable TV, phone companies are also responsible in Maui wildfires

Hawaii doctors want abortion consultation lawsuit dismissed

PG: … The motion was filed at the end of August, some days after an official court mandate was handed down for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision vacating a preliminary injunction on the consultation laws.

The dismissal motion goes over the procedural history of the case and legal arguments as to why dismissal should be granted. It's not known why the plaintiffs want to dismiss the case, but the legal arguments in the motion state that dismissals without prejudice are common following a ruling on a preliminary matter, including preliminary injunctions. Dismissing a case without prejudice means the case can be re-filed….

Dr. Shandhini Raidoo and Dr. Bliss Kaneshiro filed suit at the District Court of Guam in 2021 with assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union. Although abortion is legal on Guam, there is no provider physically available. The two doctors wanted to provide medication abortion services through telemedicine, but local law requires that certain information be provided in person to patients seeking abortion, leading to the lawsuit.

During the course of the case, the District Court ordered a preliminary injunction on the in-person consultation law, which prevented enforcement while the case was proceeding.

At the time of the lawsuit and the injunction, the U.S. Supreme Court still hadn't decided Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the landmark case that reversed the stage on abortion rights in the United States. That decision came in June 2022 and, with it, states and other jurisdictions were given greater latitude to regulate abortion, including the implementation of outright bans….

read … Hawaii doctors want abortion consultation lawsuit dismissed | Guam News | postguam.com

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