VIDEO: Reps Case and Moylan at Cato Jones Act Seminar
DHHL Issues First Agricultural Lease Awards in More Than 20 Years
Hawaii's First Interscholastic Surfing Championships set for 2026
Regional pressure builds on Kaiser as Hawaii strike called
School Enrollment down 20% at 38 campuses post-COVID
CB: … Enrollment at Honouliuli Middle School has grown by a whopping 345% in the five years since it opened. Less than 4 miles away, DreamHouse Charter School in ʻEwa more than doubled its student population during the same time period ….
Kalanianaʻole Elementary and Intermediate on the Big Island, meanwhile, saw a roughly 40% drop in enrollment. McKinley High School in Honolulu lost nearly a third of its students, going from a population of 1,617 students to 1,133 since the 2020-21 school year, according to data from the education department.
The school with the largest decline was King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Lahaina, which was destroyed during the 2023 Maui fires and has been operating out of a temporary campus near the Kapalua Airport.
Enrollment dropped by more than 20% at 38 campuses across the state in the last five years — far higher than the 6% decline reported statewide.
The Department of Education has been seeing a steady decline in enrollment for more than a decade, but the issue has taken on new urgency this year as the department looks at redrawing school boundaries to avoid closing small campuses that may be struggling to provide services with limited budgets ….
read … Here's Where Hawaiʻi School Enrollment Is Dropping Fastest - Honolulu Civil Beat
Profitable Nonprofits Scrum for Green Fees: ‘Pressure is On’
SA: … Members of the Green Fee Advisory Council updated Hawaii’s visitor industry Monday on the process that they are using to ensure that the nation’s first-ever climate impact fee strengthens Hawaii’s environment, builds resilience and enhances the visitor experience.
Jeff Mikulina, the chair of the new, volunteer climate fee advisory group, provided an update during a luncheon panel, “Green Fee in Focus,” on opening day of the Hawaii Tourism Conference, which concludes today. He was joined by advisory group member Jeff Wagoner and Dawn Chang, chair of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The pressure is on for the 10-member volunteer Green Fee Advisory Council, who were appointed by Gov. Josh Green about a month ago, to come up with recommendations on how to spend the new green fees that were established in Act 96, Senate Bill 1396. Effective Jan. 1, the new law raises the transient accommodations tax (TAT) by 0.75%, which brings the TAT to 11%....
read … Hawaii conference showcases nexus between green fees, tourism | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Red Hill whistleblower describes ‘cover-up’ during May 2021 fuel leak
HNN: … HNN Investigates uncovers new developments in the criminal case against two civilians accused of lying and conspiracy after the Red Hill fuel disaster.
A whistleblower turned over a mountain of evidence years ago, which includes never-seen-before photos of the initial spill.
On Thanksgiving weekend 2021, a massive fuel spill at the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility contaminated Pearl Harbor’s drinking water, sickening more than 6,000 people, and leaving more 90,000 residents without clean tap water for months.
HNN Investigates obtained photos of the 18-inch fuel pipeline that burst half a year earlier on May 6. That spill that lead to the November fuel leak disaster and is the focus of the federal government’s criminal case against two civilians who worked at the Navy facility.
Floyd is seen in one of the photos wearing khaki pants, a day after the May 6 spill, with Navy officials. Lt. Commander Shannon Bencs who was Red Hill’s fuel director, saw the aftermath with Floyd and those officials.
“It was about 300 to 400 feet of tunnel that was just soaked with fuel and they were just walking in awe around the tunnel, just amazed of what had happened,” said Bencs….
She says the fuel spill was so powerful, it damaged the roof of the tunnel.
“There was fuel dripping from the ceilings. All the walls were soaked with fuel. You can feel it and see it. The vapors from the fuel soaked our uniforms,” said Bencs.
Bencs had been filing whistleblower complaints for a year because of problems at the facility. She says military higher ups ordered her to report to Floyd who had been her subordinate.
“John was the only one that reported to the facility. My commanding officer and John Floyd had ordered me not to go and that was the point I knew this was a cover-up and they were trying to impede me from entering the facility,” said Bencs….
Floyd and Wu’s trial is set for late October and Bencs says others should be held accountable….
read … Red Hill whistleblower describes ‘cover-up’ during May 2021 fuel leak
Liar: Green Implies Golf Tourney was Sacrificed to Provide Firefighting Water to West Maui
KHON: … Green says losing the estimated $50 million the Sentry pumps into Hawaii’s economy is tremendous. But if another fire were to break out in West Maui during the current drought conditions while the tournament was going on, that’d be even worse.
(REALITY: Water is being dumped down Honokohu Stream, not saved in reservoirs for firefighting.)
“I think that would have been pretty much an unrecoverable moment, so we had to be careful and they’re understanding,” said Green.
The PGA Tour, which Green says he has been talking to, says they are looking at the future of the Tour staying in the islands….
REMEMBER THIS? 20230810 Letter describes Manuel's Obstruction as Lahaina Burned
read … Gov. Green wants to continue building relationship with PGA
Maui Compromises Fire Safety with ‘Politically Correct’ Homeless Policy
CB: … Holomua Road bisects miles of dry, overgrown cattle pasture just east of downtown Pāʻia. Parched trees with twisted limbs line the way and form a sort of tunnel that feels separate from the outside world.
For years, a homeless population has called this spot home, parking their cars, pitching tents and building unofficial shelters out of various scrap materials along the road’s shoulder.
Area residents have long complained about the encampment’s presence, arguing it is a fire hazard that puts the entire community at risk. A brushfire on Holomua Road could quickly spread west and wreak havoc on Pāʻia, a former plantation town known for its narrow streets, quaint small businesses and old wooden buildings….
(UPDATE: Two hours after we posted this, ANOTHER wildfire originating from Holomua Rd, threatened Paia and burned 300ac. LINK)
The county has been trying to balance its efforts to address these fire safety concerns with the need to be more compassionate in how it sweeps homeless encampments following a 2023 Hawai‘i Supreme Court decision that found the county violated individual rights when it forcibly cleared a Kahului encampment in 2021. It’s an ongoing process, Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Amos Lonokailua-Hewett said.
“I care about the people that are unsheltered,” he said, explaining that he has family members who lost homes in the 2023 fires and are homeless. “I can also say that nobody in this community has the right to burn down the land and destroy communities, whether they’re unsheltered or anybody else.”
(CLUE: If we really cared about the homeless, we would FORCE them into shelters.)
SA: Maui nonprofit funding pledged after PGA tournament canceled | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … Maui Balances Compassion With Fire Safety In Homeless Encampment Sweeps - Honolulu Civil Beat
Salary Commission to discuss raises for top officials, County Council
HTH: … The Hawaii County Salary Commission is considering pay hikes for the county’s top officials.
The agenda for the 10 a.m. Wednesday meeting at the County Council’s Hilo chambers include a Sept. 4 letter from Chairman Steven Pavao to Mayor Kimo Alameda, Council Chairman Holeka Inaba, Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen and the chairs of the Police, Fire and Liquor commissions and the Merit Appeals Board….
In the letter, Pavao seeks their feedback including responsibilities and duties, numbers of employees, organizational structure, budgeting and financing, major challenges and any overtime requirements for the departments and agencies.
The final question of seven asked by Pavao is: “What is your recommended salary adjustments and the rationale for these adjustments?” …
Pavao noted that during the Aug. 28 Salary Commission meeting, commissioners discussed negotiated raises for Hawaii Government Employees Association members for the next four years.
“The Salary Commission is proposing to mirror HGEA’s salary increases for executives and elected officials for the next four years: 3.5% increase for year one; 3.79% increase for year two, 4% increase for year three, and 4% increase for year four.”
A vote on the proposed raises isn’t on the agenda but discussion about the communications regarding those raises is, as is an unfinished business item reviewing existing pay and consideration of ideas for future salary adjustments.
The public will be able to comment, either in person or on Zoom.
Under the proposal, the first raise would take place on Jan. 1, 2026…
read … Salary Commission to discuss raises for top officials, County Council - Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Alleged discrepancies in HFD fund under Council discussion
SA: … The City Council’s Budget Committee is set today to discuss an audit that showed that a Honolulu Fire Department fund to support fire prevention efforts islandwide was instead allegedly used to finance the department’s operations, staffing and new fire equipment purchases with little to no oversight.
In an audit report issued in August, the Office of the City Auditor asserts HFD’S Fire Plans Review Revolving Fund, or FPRRF — established and created via a 2012 city ordinance as a repository for fire plan review fees — does not have adequate safeguards in place, as required by city law, to prevent fraud, waste or error in the use of public funds.
By city law, the fire plans review fee is required to earmark 10% of the building permit fee payable to the City & County of Honolulu.
In turn, those collected monies may be expended for HFD’s fire prevention activities relating to public education, fire investigations, plans checking, permit processing, fire inspections, certifications and training.
But in an Aug. 22 letter to the mayor and Council, Acting City Auditor Troy Shimasaki said his agency found that over a five-year period, from fiscal years 2020 to 2024, the fire department’s FPRRF “is not structured or administered in accordance with city ordinance requirements.” …
SA: HFD fund audit draws public, Council comment | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … Alleged discrepancies in HFD fund under Council discussion | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Has Condo Insurance Cost ‘Stabilized’?
KHON: … The fallout has been significant for Hawaii’s more than 1,000 condominium buildings. Some associations could not afford the higher premiums and became underinsured. Underinsured buildings do not qualify for federal lending, making condo units ineligible for mortgages or refinancing. At the same time, unit owners were required to purchase HO6 policies with higher deductibles, adding further costs. Scott noted that while he does not have exact data, he believes rising insurance was a major factor in the slowdown of condominium sales across the islands.
While reinsurance rates remain complex and largely beyond the state’s control, Scott shared that there are signs of stabilization. Rates are no longer spiking at the pace seen in 2023, and combined with initiatives from the Hawaii Legislature and state government, there is cautious optimism that premiums may ease over time…
read … Living Akamai: Understanding Hawaii’s Condominium Insurance Increases | KHON2
Since Miske Dead: Lights, camera, but no action
KITV: … After recent show cancellations, This is the first time in 20 years there are no scripted TV shows filming in Hawaii….
THE WAY IT SPOZED TO BE: “Miske Mob Were All Union Drivers on Set of Hawaii 5-0”
read … Lights, camera, but no action: Hawaii film industry impacts jobs | Local | kitv.com
Tiny Hawaiian island used for Navy bombing practice eligible for historic listing
SAS: … The Navy has promised additional protections for a tiny Hawaiian island it determined is a “traditional cultural place” where it plans to increase the frequency of bombing practice. The island of Kaula — the site of aerial bombing drills for decades — is also eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the Navy said in a document released Wednesday. The determination was part of a final environmental assessment issued in August ahead of plans to significantly increase the training tempo at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai and Kaula….
read … Tiny Hawaiian island used for Navy bombing practice eligible for historic listing | Stars and Stripes
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