Entries for December 2014

Grassroot President Keli’i Akina speaks with Darrel Galera (President) and Roberta Mayor (Board Member) of the Hawaii Center for Instructional Leadership about their work to reform education in Hawaii....

...2014’s Cities with the Highest and Lowest Population in Need....

We continue our series of pending U.S. Supreme Court cases....

...a nonprofit organization was lobbying at the State legislature, but had not filed lobbying expenditures and contributions reports with the Commission....

Today, after two decades of "political correctness", nursing grievances has become a primary theme of the popular culture.  But in the 1940s, the opposite choice was made by thousands of young Japanese Americans in Hawaii.  They stood up, volunteered to join in the war effort and proved the doubters wrong.

The average price of the seven new solar projects is 14 cents per kilowatt-hour....

Notably, five of the eleven highest performing public high schools in the state and two of the four highest-performing middle schools, as measured by Strive HI, are charter schools....

Nineteen funds and accounts did not meet criteria....

Hawaiiloa Foundation collected approximately $468,000 from approximately 200 individuals who went through the debt elimination process. Many of the individuals tried to use the bonds but ultimately lost their homes through foreclosure....

Friday, February 6, 2015 at the Pearl Country Club....

Completing the agreement will create the largest free trade area, in terms of both goods and services, in which the United States participates....

"We will spend public funds thoughtfully and without waste to avoid raising taxes...."

The BOE was set to approve a calendar submitted by the DOE until teachers presented their proposals....

U.S. law allows shippers to transport goods domestically on cars, trucks, aircraft, or rail cars built in other countries. Just not ships....

More than 100 troops from the 45th Sustainment Brigade’s headquarters met an emotional explosion of cheers as they marched into the Wheeler Gulch hangar....

... California, Colorado, Florida, and Hawaii all moved up by at least 10 positions on our ranking ....

What's The One Thing You'll Never Hear The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustees Say? ....

“Florida is not known for rooftop solar. It’s known for utility scale projects,” said Leslie Cole-Brooks, executive director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association....

Honolulu City Lights will celebrate three decades of tree lightings and holiday fun on Saturday, Dec. 6, starting at 6 p.m. at Honolulu Hale....

...Ige today announced the appointments of six additional members of his Cabinet and two deputy directors....

The OSD was established to immediately address the lack of overall planning and management of the city’s real estate portfolio, which has existed since the Department of Housing was eliminated in 1996....

“With this new contract, Hawaiian Electric will be purchasing approximately half our production volume...."

...the group will be composed of not fewer than nine knowledgeable individuals from Kauai....

NextEra Energy, Inc. and Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. today announced a definitive agreement under which the companies have agreed to combine....

This definitely has U.S. Supreme Court written all over it....

In Hawaii and Utah total borrowing by students at public institutions spiked by more than 100 percent since the start of the Great Recession....

These meetings are designed to demystify the State lawmaking process, and will demonstrate ways that you can speak out at the legislature without ever having to leave your home island....

WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2014’s Most & Least Charitable States....

For over a year, Hawaiian Electric has been claiming that the "green infrastructure fee" now beginning to appear on electric bills statewide is not a rate hike....

In a victory for free speech, the University of Hawaii (UH) agreed today to settle a First Amendment lawsuit filed by two students at UH’s Hilo....

"We listened, and we heard an open invitation to work with Governor Ige on legislative issues...."

Beginning today, O‘ahu residents can file to run for a seat on their Neighborhood Board....

"Hawaii's poor ranking--tied for 40th out of all states and in the bottom 3rd quartile overall--demonstrates the need for statewide economic reform," stated Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President of the Grassroot Institute....

May God Bless all of you. May God continue to bless our great state, and may God continue to bless the United States of America....

West Coast ports are suffering a series of slowdowns....

...Managing their own demand in response to utility requests is another way for customers to save on their electric bills while supporting more clean energy....

Representative Gene Ward speaks with John David Waiheʻe III  who served as the fourth Governor of Hawaii from 1986 to 1994....

...Grassroot Institute Commends Ige for Determination to Put People and Prosperity Above Special Interests....

...Agencies failed to remit funds resulting in a potential loss of $147,213 in public arts revenues, and in one instance, the special fund received $100,000, when it should have received just $100....

...HMSA, UHA, and HMAA now provide coverage for hearing aids, and Kaiser plans to begin covering hearing aids in January 2015.....

DHRD’s jurisdiction consisted of 21,783 positions, of which 15,069 were civil service and 6,714 exempt....

...residents will see a 6% average increase in their annual insurance costs for three years after the infraction....

State government needs to be agile and efficient, innovative in developing solutions, adaptable to a rapidly changing environment, and above all, accountable to our “customers,” the people of Hawaiʻi....

...the city officer is currently the subject of an investigation being conducted by the subordinate....

...looking at new ways to empower schools....

...taking our pioneering experience in pre-paid health care to the next level and not letting bureaucracy get in the way....