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Entries for 'Keli'i Akina PhD'
| Saturday, April 4, 2026 |
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Following the golden rule … of budgeting
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:43 PM :: 308 Views :: Hawaii County , Honolulu County, Kauai County, Maui County, Taxes
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...All of Hawaii’s county mayors have released their proposed budgets for the next fiscal year, and most appear to be fiscally responsible....
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| Wednesday, April 1, 2026 |
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After the Storm: The Hidden Threat to Hawaii's Homes
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 11:59 PM :: 967 Views :: Environment, Development
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"...After the Storm: Keli'i Akina & Lance Luke discuss The Hidden Threat to Hawaii's Homes...."
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| Wednesday, April 1, 2026 |
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When Healthcare Feels Like an Ocean Away
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 10:22 PM :: 934 Views :: Maui County, Health Care, OHA
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... For a pregnant mother on Molokaʻi, giving birth can mean having to leave home weeks before her due date ....
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| Saturday, March 28, 2026 |
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The Legislature found $150 million. So where's our tax relief?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 11:49 PM :: 2127 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Taxes
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... taxpayers seem to be the only ones expected to make a sacrifice ....
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| Saturday, March 21, 2026 |
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Is the Jones Act finally sinking?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:59 PM :: 3195 Views :: Jones Act
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... foreign ships were being chartered to carry goods between American ports within 24 hours of Trump’s recent Jones Act waiver ....
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| Sunday, March 15, 2026 |
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Housing bills looked like winners, until they didn't
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:32 PM :: 2999 Views :: Development, Land Use
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...Two important housing reform measures were unexpectedly killed this week as the state House and Senate prepared for “crossover” at the Legislature....
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| Saturday, March 7, 2026 |
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Fighting to save Hawaii’s income tax cuts
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 11:42 PM :: 3093 Views :: Taxes
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...Lawmakers on the committees considering the proposed pause were inundated this past week with testimony against the bills....
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| Wednesday, March 4, 2026 |
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Keli'i Akina & Clint Churchill discuss how to meet Hawaii's energy needs
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:21 AM :: 890 Views :: Energy, Environment, Cost of Living
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... LNG may be the bridge Hawaii needs to secure a cleaner, more affordable, and reliable energy future ....
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| Monday, March 2, 2026 |
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New Hope for Hawaiian Homelands – Keli'i Akina talks with Kali Watson
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:09 AM :: 1841 Views :: DHHL
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... What's Happening with Hawaiian Homelands; Waiting Lists, Blood Quantum, New Ventures, and More ....
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| Saturday, February 28, 2026 |
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The hidden problem with emergency powers
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 7:27 PM :: 869 Views :: Development, Hawaii State Government, COVID-19
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... there are bills still alive this session that propose much-needed reforms ....
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| Saturday, February 21, 2026 |
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Time to tackle Hawaii’s healthcare crisis
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:34 PM :: 819 Views :: Health Care, Small Business
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...There are several significant healthcare bills still making their way through the Legislature. Perhaps the most important are those that would reform the state’s medical “certificate of need” regulations....
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| Wednesday, February 18, 2026 |
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| Sunday, February 15, 2026 |
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More local food starts with housing
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 11:01 AM :: 837 Views :: Agriculture, Development, Labor, Cost of Living
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... When it comes to supporting agricultural production in Hawaii, there seems to be a big difference between rhetoric and reality ....
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| Saturday, February 14, 2026 |
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'There’s no such thing as a free lunch'
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:36 PM :: 974 Views :: Education K-12, Taxes
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... Somebody’s going to pay for it. Is that going to be us? ....
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| Sunday, February 8, 2026 |
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The kind of playbook Hawaii lawmakers need
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 10:17 AM :: 829 Views :: Development, Land Use, Cost of Living
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...Grassroot’s new “Hawaii housing policy playbook” outlines 10 policies that research has shown could encourage more homebuilding, which would make housing in our state more abundant and affordable....
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| Sunday, February 1, 2026 |
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Honolulu’s economic revitalization office has revitalized very little
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:54 AM :: 844 Views :: Honolulu County, Ethics, Economy
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... Despite evidence to the contrary, politicians continue to believe they can boost the economy through spending programs ....
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| Saturday, January 24, 2026 |
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| Wednesday, January 21, 2026 |
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| Sunday, January 18, 2026 |
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Alternatives to ‘pausing’ Hawaii’s income tax cuts
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:43 AM :: 977 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Taxes
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... rather than walk back the tax cuts, the Legislature could simply identify and reallocate about $350 million a year in current state funding ....
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| Sunday, January 11, 2026 |
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How to achieve a policy trifecta
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:35 AM :: 820 Views :: Agriculture, Development, Cost of Living
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...What if we could help farmers, ease the housing crisis and improve Hawaii’s economy all at the same time?....
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| Saturday, January 3, 2026 |
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| Friday, January 2, 2026 |
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Fixing Hawaiʻi’s Affordability Problem
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 9:04 PM :: 1171 Views :: OHA, Cost of Living
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... 29% now expect they will relocate to a less expensive state, up from 26% last year ....
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| Sunday, December 28, 2025 |
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New year a good time to ditch harmful old ideas
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:43 PM :: 1027 Views :: Economy, Hawaii State Government, Taxes
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... identify harmful old ideas that have done nothing to help and should be sent to the scrapyard ....
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| Saturday, December 27, 2025 |
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Highlights of 2025, Hopes for 2026
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 10:38 PM :: 1146 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Taxes
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... keep pressure on state lawmakers to avoid increasing taxes ....
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| Sunday, December 21, 2025 |
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I bet Santa would agree about CON laws
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 10:45 AM :: 1123 Views :: Health Care, Small Business
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... The original song is quite a bit longer ....
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| Sunday, December 14, 2025 |
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There's a new kids' market in town
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:57 AM :: 1226 Views :: Education K-12, Small Business
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...The Children’s Entrepreneur Market is open in Aiea once a month....
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| Saturday, December 6, 2025 |
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Lessons from Lahaina could help Hilo recover
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 9:17 PM :: 1081 Views :: Hawaii County , Development
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... fires in Hilo claimed the lives of two people, displaced nearly three dozen other residents and razed at least five buildings ....
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| Monday, December 1, 2025 |
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Seeking Common Ground on Maunakea
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:52 PM :: 1503 Views :: Hawaii County , Higher Education, OHA
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... a new plan from state leaders seeks to chart a different course ....
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| Saturday, November 29, 2025 |
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Lucky — and grateful — we live Hawaii
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:22 PM :: 1101 Views :: Maui County, Cost of Living
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... Grassroot will never hold back from trying to make Hawaii more free and prosperous for all ....
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| Saturday, November 22, 2025 |
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State-funded marketing is not the answer to low tourist turnout
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:58 PM :: 1159 Views :: Tourism
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... When you make it difficult for people to visit, they take the hint and stop coming ....
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| Sunday, November 16, 2025 |
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Many of the proposed Honolulu Charter amendments actually make sense
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:09 AM :: 1868 Views :: Honolulu County, Ethics, Development
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"Streamline housing approvals by reforming the hearing and notice rules on zoning variances."
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| Saturday, November 8, 2025 |
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Flagged for being too efficient?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:36 PM :: 2176 Views :: Honolulu County, Ethics, Development
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... is Honolulu’s building permit process so broken that fast-moving approvals are automatically suspicious? ....
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| Tuesday, November 4, 2025 |
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Restoring ʻĀina, Restoring Ourselves
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:19 AM :: 1413 Views :: Agriculture, Land Use, OHA
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... Across Hawaiʻi, many lands remain unused ....
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| Sunday, October 26, 2025 |
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Rubber Stamp Legislature Needs More Dissent
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:42 PM :: 1622 Views :: Ethics, Hawaii State Government, Hawaii Statistics
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... Out of 94,000 votes cast during the 2025 session of the Legislature, 92,000 were “Yes.” ....
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| Saturday, October 25, 2025 |
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Inch by inch, everything's a cinch!
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:22 PM :: 1920 Views :: Maui County, Development
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... If we can keep clearing away the regulations that hamper recovery efforts, we might someday see a rebuilt and prosperous Lahaina ....
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| Saturday, October 18, 2025 |
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| Monday, October 13, 2025 |
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Extend Rail? Let the people vote
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:22 PM :: 4307 Views :: Honolulu County, Rail
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... city officials are now considering extending the rail several more miles ....
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| Saturday, October 4, 2025 |
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Erasing progress not the way to move forward
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:19 PM :: 2363 Views :: Development, Land Use
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... to solve Hawaii’s housing shortage, we need to embrace change ....
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| Thursday, October 2, 2025 |
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Taiwan: Strengthening Pacific Connections Through Culture and Youth Leadership
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:21 PM :: 1668 Views :: World News, OHA
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... youth ambassadors from ROC Taiwan visit Hawaii ....
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| Sunday, September 28, 2025 |
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Do we really want a "rubber stamp" Legislature?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:48 AM :: 1936 Views :: Democratic Party, Ethics, Hawaii State Government
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... too much agreement can sometimes cover up serious problems ....
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| Sunday, September 21, 2025 |
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Peaceful disagreement and civil discourse
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 7:42 PM :: 2894 Views :: National News, First Amendment, Higher Education
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... an outpouring of confusion, speculation and misinformation ....
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| Saturday, September 13, 2025 |
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Hawaii Legislature sued over "blank" bills
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:28 PM :: 5069 Views :: Ethics, Hawaii State Government, Judiciary
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... SB935, “Relating to Government,” went from being an essentially blank document to a 36-page bill about pension benefits for judges that was ultimately signed into law ....
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| Tuesday, September 9, 2025 |
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Brighter days ahead for Hawaii’s permitting conundrum
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:02 AM :: 7159 Views :: Development, Cost of Living
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... This year, the state Legislature actually did something ....
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| Saturday, September 6, 2025 |
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Kudos to the counties for considering housing reforms
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 7:22 PM :: 5481 Views :: Development, Land Use, Cost of Living
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"...going after scapegoats such as empty homes and short-term rentals is not a viable way to increase the housing supply...."
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| Thursday, September 4, 2025 |
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Achieving Homeownership for Hawaiians
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:15 AM :: 5999 Views :: Development, OHA, Cost of Living
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... the dream of owning a home began with quiet sacrifices – late nights balancing budgets and teaching their children the value of patience ....
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| Sunday, August 31, 2025 |
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Time to retire the Jones Act’s U.S.-build requirement
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:51 PM :: 5292 Views :: Congressional Delegation, Jones Act
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... On Aug. 1, Rep. Ed Case introduced HR4839, which would establish the Merchant Marine Allies Partnership Act ....
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| Saturday, August 23, 2025 |
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Are you ready for another boondoggle?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 8:06 PM :: 4504 Views :: Rail
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... Like the proverbial frog in a pot of hot water, we seem to have become desensitized to just how poorly the rail project has gone ....
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| Monday, August 18, 2025 |
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‘New’ HTA board taking off with same old baggage
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:50 PM :: 4501 Views :: Tourism
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... Some bad ideas just won’t go away ....
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| Sunday, August 10, 2025 |
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Two years later, too little rebuilding in Lahaina
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:04 PM :: 3458 Views :: Maui County, Development
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“if policymakers do not move faster to remove the legal barriers that have been blocking the rebuilding of Lahaina, the town will lose its sense of community and historic charm, and its residents will continue to move away or go homeless while its economy sputters into oblivion.”
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| Tuesday, August 5, 2025 |
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Reviving the Paniolo Spirit: A Path to Sustainable Economic Renewal on Molokaʻi
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:57 AM :: 2782 Views :: Agriculture
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... When the ranch shut down in 2008, he didn’t walk away ....
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