January 4, 2019

State AG opposes Hawaiian princess' amendment to trust

HONOLULU (AP) - The Hawaii Attorney General is opposing a change that a 92-year-old Native Hawaiian princess has made to her trust to ensure her wife receives $40 million and all her personal property.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports Attorney General Russell Suzuki argued in a court filing last week that Abigail Kawananakoa’s trust amendment is too complex and invalid based on a prior court ruling.

A judge ruled in September that Kawananakoa lacks mental capacity to manage her $215-million trust after she suffered a stroke.

Kawananakoa’s attorney Michael Lilly declined to comment, citing the judge’s ban on talking to the press.

Read more: http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/01/03/state-ag-opposes-hawaiian-princess-amendment-trust/

January 4, 2019

Pelosi to Trump: 'Hawaii is part of the United States of America'

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is shooting back at critics who questioned why she was vacationing over the holidays in Hawaii amid a government shutdown.

Pelosi told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie that she observed Christmas in the islands, but that she and other Democrats in the U.S. House “stood ready” to reconvene if a deal could be reached to reopen the government.

She added, “And the president may not know this, but Hawaii is part of the United States of America. Maybe he doesn’t realize that. That’s why he said Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States when he was born in Hawaii.”

“Hawaii has airports and airlines and telephones.”

Pelosi came under fire for traveling to the Big Island over the holidays — while President Trump cancelled his planned visit to Florida because of the shutdown.

Read more: http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/01/04/pelosi-trump-hawaii-is-part-united-states-america/

https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/1080822484973293570

January 4, 2019

New law bars employers from asking applicants about their salary histories

Employers in Hawaii no longer will be allowed to inquire about prospective employees’ salary histories thanks to a law passed in July.

Senate Bill 2351, referred to as the Equal Pay Act, was signed into law by Gov. David Ige in July and went into effect Jan. 1. The law is intended to address demographic wage gaps within the state.

The law prohibits employers from asking job applicants about their pay rates at previous jobs, or using the applicants’ salary histories to determine their pay and benefits at their new job, unless the prospective employee discloses that information without prompting.

Even if an employer learns an applicant’s wage history through a background check, the employer still cannot use that information to determine how to pay the applicant, if hired.

Read more: https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2019/01/02/hawaii-news/new-law-bars-employers-from-asking-applicants-about-their-salary-histories/

January 4, 2019

Big Island: The Vog Is Gone -- For The First Time In Decades

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii Island – Kona is enjoying life in high-definition.

From pristine sunrises breaking over Hualalai’s summit to green flashes beyond Kailua Bay, the Gold Coast’s intense beauty is now shining through air so rarified it’s not been seen in decades.

“I think we’re experiencing some of the clearest visibility, some of the best air quality that any of us have ever seen,” said Wendy Laros, a 27-year West Hawaii resident and executive director of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce.

She sees lots of benefits from the change.

“We definitely believe this will enhance the experience for our visitors and for those who live here,” Laros said, noting chamber staff are no longer fielding numerous calls daily from people asking about the effects of volcanic haze known as “vog.”

Read more: https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/01/big-island-the-vog-is-gone-for-the-first-time-in-decades/

January 4, 2019

Chad Blair: Tulsi Gabbard's Unlikely Path To The Presidency

Was her “message of aloha” to the Honolulu City Council a dress rehearsal for a national campaign? Here’s a look at the pros and cons of her possible candidacy.


As a recovering English major I tend to read a lot between the lines.

After listening Wednesday to a speech by U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, I’m guessing she will soon declare her candidacy for president of the United States.

Whether she actually has a chance is another matter, but first consider what Gabbard had to say to the Honolulu City Council.

The congresswoman, a former council member herself, delivered a “message of aloha” at the inauguration ceremony for three council members. It was the same event that saw the council delay for a week any action until the campaign challenge to putative chair Trevor Ozawa is settled.

Read more: https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/01/chad-blair-tulsi-gabbards-unlikely-path-to-the-presidency/

January 4, 2019

Gov. David Ige taps Clare Connors for attorney general

Gov. David Ige has appointed Clare Connors to serve as Hawaii’s next attorney general, replacing Russell Suzuki who had served in the position since February.

The Hawaii attorney general is the top legal and law enforcement officer for the state. Connors’ appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

Connors has worked as an attorney at Honolulu’s Davis Levin Livingston, where she has represented cases involving medical malpractice, personal injury, consumers’ rights, civil rights, commercial disputes and insurance bad faith matters, according to the law firm’s website. She also represented the federal government prosecuting fraud, child exploitation crimes and other felony offenses.

Former President Barack Obama nominated Connors to be a federal judge in Hawaii in 2015, but the Senate never voted on her nomination. The position was filled by Jill Otake, who was nominiated by President Donald Trump.

Read more: https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/01/03/breaking-news/gov-david-ige-taps-clare-connors-for-attorney-general/

January 4, 2019

Guam Bond ratings downgraded

Guam – Standard and Poor’s has downgraded Guam’s bond ratings. A new ratings criteria that affects 800 different bond credits in the market has caused numerous municipal governments’ credits to be lowered. This new criteria set by S&P Global is a change in criteria for rating priority-lien tax revenue debt where the pledged revenue stream was typically treated as limited obligation.

Guam Economic Development Authority Administrator Jay Rojas says he was disappointed in S&P’s decision to change its criteria for bonds, saying quote “we question the reliability of this new ratings criteria as what was once seen as a financially strong credit has been reclassified based on their new criteria.” The GovGuam limited obligation Section 30 bond rating has now been lowered from BBB+ to BB. The Hotel Occupancy Tax or “HOT” revenue bond credit was lowered from A- to BB.

The Business Privilege Tax bond credit was lowered from A to BB. The new ratings, however, will not have any effect on Guam’s outstanding HOT, Section 30 or BPT bonds, as those bond interest rates were locked in at the time of sale. This new rating however, will affect any future borrowing efforts pledged by these revenues by the Government of Guam.

https://pacificnewscenter.com/guam-bond-ratings-downgraded/
(no more at link)

January 4, 2019

Temple of 'The Flayed Lord,' an ancient skinned corpse god, found in Mexico

They call him the Flayed Lord: an ancient, pre-Hispanic god depicted as a skinned human corpse, whose worshipers donned human skin stripped from sacrificial victims.

Depictions of him have surfaced across cultures, including the Aztecs, but now the first temple dedicated to the fertility god, known also as Xipe Totec, has been found.

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History announced the temple's discovery Wednesday along with that of stone carvings depicting two skulls and a torso.

The torso has an additional hand hanging off it — a hint of the god sporting the skin of a victim.

Read more: https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/world/2019/01/03/flayed-lord-skinned-corpse-god-temple-found-mexico/2477479002/

January 4, 2019

Families face separation as US ends Obama-era immigration programs in CNMI

Norlita Ordonio thought Super Typhoon Yutu was her family's worst nightmare.

Then on Dec. 27, she learned she could soon be removed from Saipan and taken away from her American children, ages 10 and 14.

"It worries me a lot that I would be separated from my children. Who would feed them and care for them?" she said.

Saipan is the only home her children know, since they were born and raised on the island, and moving them elsewhere would take them out of their home and leave behind their friends, school and community. Children born in the CNMI are U.S. citizens.

Read more: https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2019/01/03/families-face-separation-obama-era-immigration-programs-end-cnmi/2461308002/

January 3, 2019

Guam baby boy is the first U.S. Citizen born in 2019

Hagåtña, GUAM — The first American baby born in 2019 was delivered in a hospital in Guam, a U.S. Pacific island territory.

The child, named Malakai, was born 19 minutes past midnight on New Year’s Day, reported the Guam Daily Post.

According to the report, the baby weighed in at 6.6 pounds and is 17.9 inches.

-snip-

Malakai is the third child of Desirae and Kyle Mafnas and was described as a healthy baby who had been “eating all morning,” said his mother, reported the Pacific Daily News.

Read more: http://www.samoanews.com/regional/guam-baby-boy-first-us-born-baby-2019