More than a hundred people showed up at the Kalanimoku building last night to address the Public Land Development Corporation. The official agenda was their administrative rules, but most speakers called the corporation itself into question. Our full report is coming later today, so in the meantime here's some photos.
As part of a class project, students in a Silver Lake, Los Angeles middle school counted 1,500 styrofoam containers used in a single day.
The amount of Styrofoam being used was so shocking to the students that they began writing letters to the district leadership and school board members asking that Styrofoam be banned across the 900 schools in the district, and they got their parents and local community members involved.
Andrea Seabrook left NPR in July out of frustration for being "lied to every day, all day," while covering Congress.
"There is so little genuine discussion going on with the reporters. … To me, as a reporter, everything is spin," she told Politico.
Seabrook has created her own blog and podcast to “decipher Washington’s Byzantine language and procedure, sweeping away what doesn’t matter so listeners can focus on what does."
I'm looking forward to it. More at Politico »
Civil Beat is reporting that Cayetano may have 55% of the Honolulu electoral set to send him to Honolulu Hale. It's pretty amazing that the former Governor's numbers are this good, given the institutional backing of the pro-rail camps (and his track record as governor). More at Civil Beat »
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, reporting for the Associated Press:
Those opposed to the project think it'll ruin pristine views of the Pacific Ocean and other Hawaiian islands.
There's more than "pristine views" at stake. The wind project raises fundamental questions about the relationship between urban and rural areas, and who should derive benefit from the use of rural resources. More at HawaiiNewsNow/AP »
Lana‘i for Lana‘i
An essay calling for local ownership of Lana‘i-kaula. Read More »
UPDATED 8:55 AM
Hawaii State Department of Defense, Civil Defense Division:
Honolulu-The siren malfunction at 5:25 a.m. this morning, June 14, 2012, was related to an improvement project to modernize the State’s Outdoor Siren Warning System. The project outfitted eight Oahu sirens with modems that allow for remote satellite activation.
The contractor involved with the project inadvertently activated sirens at Diamond Head, Kamiloiki, Makiki, McCully, Moanalua Valley, and Waimanalo. Protocols are being developed to prevent a recurrence.
“We apologize for any anxiety this early morning sounding caused for area residents,” said Doug Mayne, Vice Director of Civil Defense.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser:
The fire was mostly contained by about 10 p.m. but firefighters kept watch from the Kaneohe side through the night, monitoring for hot spots.
The fire came within 25 to 50 yards of Kalaheo Hillside homes, as well as the Kalaheo High campus on Tuesday afternoon. No one was evacuated, but police warned residents to pack up and be prepared to leave.
"A lot of us don't have any vehicles at all to help us to get moving. The beach is pretty much all everyone knows. It has been our only home we know for a long, long time. It would be so greatly appreciated if we could have more time," Gayle Peeples wrote. According to her letter, Peeples has lived at Kea‘au for 15 years, along with her husband, daughter, son, son-in-law, and five grandchildren.
Two Martins – Trayvon Martin, killed February in Florida, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., killed 44 years ago today – were remembered in a candlelight vigil organized by the Honolulu chapter of the NAACP. Read More »
Dr. Debra Butler addresses the crowd at Kakaako this evening
Councilwoman JoAnne Yukimura, via TheGardenIsland.com:
“The resolution is mainly a request for a sincere effort (by Grove Farm) to find a solution. We are simply asking them to sit down and find alternatives. It’s a lot of work, but it shows a willingness to find a pono resolution."
HONOLULU – Campaigners gathered in front of the historic Kawaiaha‘o church to protest the disinternment of graves to build a multipurpose church building.
A Kona Blue aquaculture operation located off Hawaii Island. The United States imports almost 70 percent of its seafood, 40 percent of which is farmed. Photo by NOAA
Ken, a houseless evictee, was one of the residents at "Guardrails" who had to leave behind much of his belongings when July 19 came. "People get the wrong idea about people living on the beach," Ken said. "I worked all my life. I made $180,000. I had two homes, everything else. Sometimes things just go bad. And when they do, you fall."
Above, a tattered American flag left behind by a camper at "Guardrails" beach drapes from a tree. Below, the belongings of a "Guardrails" beach resident were lit on fire to protest evictions by the City today. The remnants of Waianae's "tent city" were carted off in caravans of vehicles.
