Entries for May 2024

... the very first coconut rhinoceros beetle was detected here in Hawaii 11 years ago ....

"What would you do to rescind or revise the Jones Act?”

... Judge Helen Gillmor sentenced Phong Duy Le, 49, of Honolulu, Hawaii to 29 months in federal prison ....

... Resolution 24-61 would set the property tax rates for fiscal year 2025 ....

... Hawaii has lost over 41,000 people to domestic migration since 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau ....

... there is still plenty of work to be done to reduce the cost of living in Hawaii ....

... legislators earmark $1 billion to cover costs such as emergency housing and rental assistance ....

... 'several' of the girls' relay teams at Kea'au High School had two males on them ....

... More than four in ten people reported difficulties accessing medical care and medications, compared to about one in ten before the fires ....

... The program creates partnerships between federal agencies, state and local governments, private landowners, land managers and non-profits to preserve sensitive lands and resources near military bases ....

... In his previous roles as State Comptroller and Deputy Superintendent of Operations for the Department of Education, Otaguro managed facilities on a large scale as well as complex Capital Improvement Projects ....

... Effective Feb 1, 2017, the Hawaii DHS mandated more square footage per shelter bed, thus reducing the profitibility of homeless shelters and reducing the number of beds available.  The obvious result of this policy change is before us ....

... WalletHub compared 23 major MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) ....

... The litigation model adopted by Hawaii, characterized by suing oil companies under broad claims about their contributions to climate change, demands a national spotlight for its potential to disrupt the constitutional equilibrium between state innovation and federal authority ....

... may have to wait until ongoing defueling is completed ....

... trial of former Honolulu prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro, businessman Dennis Mitsunaga and co-defendants facing accusations of conspiracy to commit fraud and bribery ....

... This bill legalizes the open carry of all non-firearm weapons, including butterfly knives, switchblades, brass knuckles, swords, and spears ....

... The USACE lead contractor on the project, Aktarius, LLC dba Dawson AKT ....

... It appears that the US Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in Trump v. United States will stop lower courts from jailing Trump for his porn-star hush money deals ....

... Prosecutors say businessman Dennis Mitsunaga used hefty campaign contributions to exert influence over Hawaii's political landscape ....

... the law prohibits a landlord from charging an applicant for a residential dwelling unit, a tenant screening fee that is more than the actual cost to obtain information ....

... All applications for concealed weapon licenses submitted before February 29, 2024, be processed within 60 days ....

... DeLeon, a former Big Island resident, is required to pay $1,246,850 in restitution to the victims ....

... involves sharing a percentage of net appreciation with HHFDC ....

... Bills introduced and votes cast in Congress ....

... a significant tax reform which has been long overdue ....

..."Practices are improved from lessons learned in previous disasters"....

... HDOA has opened two requests for proposals (RFP) – one for community-based management of coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) on O‘ahu and another to support green waste management ....

... the second major milestone within the 2010 Consent Decree – the full secondary treatment upgrade of the Honouliuli Wastewater Treatment Plant  ....

... helping to defeat many measures that would have harmed Hawaii’s economy and added to our already high cost of living ....

... the average salary in the Aloha State is $61,420, or $23.35 an hour, putting it behind 16 other states whose average employees earn more ....

... Hawaii’s economy will grow at a slower pace than in past years ....

... A critical transmission line that serves as a back-up route of power to approximately 11,000 customers in West Maui is now online ....

"... launching and connecting student clubs such as Genders & Sexualities Alliance ...."

... groceries cost more in Hawaii than in any other state ....

... About 500 teachers qualify for payments ranging from $2,500 to $8,000 in June ....

... Akina said “the tax cuts are gonna be huge in terms of keeping money in the pockets of people starting next year” .... 

... nonprofit hospitals are exempt from the GET, but small physician practices and clinics are not ....

... “Economic pressures will cause ‘toxic’ hysteria to be hyped up until locals sell out.  Then the hysteria will evaporate and be forgotten as Lahaina is rebuilt as Wailea v2 surrounding the ‘Venice of the Pacific’ water feature.”  -- HFP, Nov 2023 ....

... Navy’s and NASA’s proposal to retain the use of 8,348 acres and 23 acres, respectively, of State lands presently utilized pursuant to leases and easements on Kauai ....

... rate would increase by 82% for B&Bs worth $3 million or more ....

... to competitively pursue and secure the historic investments made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) ....

... Hawaii has the lowest training requirements in the USA ....

... Social service providers have made numerous visits to the camps at Kahului, attempting to place people into transitionary or permanent housing. However, most decline ....

“We thank Gov. Green, Hawai‘i legislators, and our partners at the Hawai‘i Hotel Alliance, UNITE HERE Local 5, and the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 142 for their leadership in passing this important law."--AHLA Interim President & CEO Kevin Carey

... A federal court in Hawaii dismissed a woman’s lawsuit against the state for allegedly providing porn to minors through the public library system ....

... after an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor-Management Standards ....

... and proposed rules changes were defeated ....

... With the adjournment of the 2024 session, the following anti-gun bills are now defeated ....

... harm to society is minimized if individuals are responsible for the own actions ....