Entries for July 2023

... 85.1% of residents haven't smoked weed in the last year ....

... “Taxpayers are already paying an enormous amount to build the project, but now are paying even more to run it nearly empty” ....

... residents had their accounts locked without warning or were victimized by scams and couldn’t recover their money ....

... Green issued 11 vetoes on July 7, due to serious legal and programmatic concerns ....

... grant of summary judgment means that the defendants won the lawsuit without the need for a trial ....

... The review highlights progress on achieving the six Aloha+ Challenge goals, which are the state’s local implementation of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Hawaiʻi stands as the sole state in the United States to have submitted a Voluntary Local Review (VLR) ....

... It applies to almost all state employees (except those working for the legislative or judicial branches) ....

"...Thank you for giving a heads up to legislators about accepting a book from Hawai’i’s social workers because it might be an Ethics Violation...."

... Hawaii Department of Health gave conditional approval to U.S. Navy officials to defuel surge tanks next to the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility ....

... in recent decades visitor spending stopped growing while the number of tourists continued to increase ....

... barriers to farming in Hawaii .... 

... Emails and other records provided by UH Richardson Law School show justices in the program--currently co-sponsored by Case Lombardi--often met with local dignitaries and frequently dined at private clubs or the private residences of prominent UH Law School donors .... 

... $13B / 3,666 avg daily riders = $3.5M per rider  We could have bought each rider a house near their job and a Cadillac or two to put in the garage -- and still saved billions ....

... a volunteer board created to advise DPR on recreational, cultural, and public entertainment opportunities at City parks and facilities ....

... Approximately 480,000 gallons of fuel are expected to be removed from the surge tanks. Defueling operations are expected to begin on July 17, 2023, and run through July 30, 2023....

... Hawaiian Electric Co. recently released its integrated grid plan, which put the cost of interconnecting the state’s planned renewable energy plants at around $9 billion — and that doesn’t include the cost to build the plants themselves ....

... increase the tax burden, risk losing nearly 300 jobs for residents and lower economic output in the county by $49 million a year ....

... All proposals must but be submitted by July 31, 2023 ....

... the final rail cost now is estimated at about $12.4 billion, making it the most expensive light rail project in the world ....

... venison for the homeless ....

... That means the HTA board will be under new leadership when it holds a special meeting Thursday to discuss how to proceed after current HTA President and CEO John De Fries leaves the agency ....

... At the ceremony, the Governor made clear that tax relief, especially for ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) families, is still on the table.  There will be a Phase 2, he said, apparently targeting the 2024 legislative session ....

... Neil Abercrombie nominated himself for Second Vice Chair of BoR and lost ....

... transsexual recruitment must not be opposed ....

... two 2023 laws, Act 019 and Act 125, added new Sunshine Law requirements effective July 1 and October 1, 2023 ....

... Act 242, signed by Gov. Josh Green this week, established the council, which renamed the Highway Safety Council to the Hawaii Highway Safety and Modernization Council ....

... The Judicial Selection Commission is accepting applications and nominations to fill the following judicial vacancy ....

... Public only because it is evidence in Probate Court, the Order is signed by Family Court Judge Jessi L. K. Hall, now seeking reappointment for another 10 years ....

... DO THE MATH: $13B / 1,245 = $10.4M per passenger  -- slightly more than a Bugatti Centodieci ....

... Since the program’s inception in 2021, service providers from the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and Hawaiʻi Community Lending have been serving homeowners with the greatest needs ....

... 13 total intakes, 3 patient discharges, and a total of 189 unduplicated shower uses from members of the surrounding community during the first month of project operation ....

... Green will nominate a successor to Circuit Judge Christine E. Kuriyama, who retired in June 2023 ....

... The agreement, which began on June 30, calls for Solar Farm View Estates LLC (SFVE) to undertake substantial repairs to the complex and operate it for the next 75 years. The Board of Directors of HHFDC, which retains the property’s fee-simple interest, approved a $4.95 million, low-interest, 10-year loan that allows SFVE to facilitate the repairs ....

... BWS called for a voluntary 10% water reduction last summer, park users reduced their use by 15.4% ....

... Kauai Police and outside agencies working on forensic evidence and DNA testing ....

... One reason is higher rates apply early on the income spectrum, so nearly all taxpayers pay higher rates, says a new analysis ....

... Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald announced today that he is seeking public comment on judicial nominees for three vacancies in the District Court of the First Circuit (island of Oʻahu) ....

... The case, on appeal before the Ninth Circuit from the Northern Mariana Islands District Court, is the latest—and likely the last—in a stream of cases filed by the pro-cockfighting bloc to obstruct the ban on cockfighting in U.S. territories. ...

... Senate Bill 941 allows the School Facilities Authority to join with public and private agencies in developing off or on-campus housing for teachers and other staff ....

... the Declaration of Independence set our nation on its course to become the leading light for freedom throughout the world ....

... concerns raised by OHA’s administration in response to the directive to end telework ....

... The 1920 Jones Act is a familiar topic in Hawaii, but its precursor — the Foreign Dredge Act of 1906 — has largely escaped scrutiny ....

... Housing, the Honolulu rail, the Aloha Stadium, homelessness and the 64% pay raise for Honolulu City Council members ....

... why have prices spiked over the past half-century? ....

... cronyism, revenge and retribution -- someone's been sandbagging ....

...Roughly 10-30% of people who get COVID, suffer persistent symptoms colloquially known as “long COVID”....

... The Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a plan that will give it more flexibility in helping species recover when their historic range is no longer suitable for survival ....

... Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, hailed the tax break bill as a positive financial benefit for struggling families ....

... DHS provided more than 127,000 eligible children with $328 million in food assistance support ....