July 31, 2020

Waikoloa couple sues Ige, Kim over quarantines

A married Waikoloa couple is suing the state, Gov. David Ige and Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim, alleging Ige and Kim overextended and overstepped their emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic — including telling the husband he couldn’t sleep with his wife for 14 days because of the quarantine on travelers arriving from out of state.

The civil complaint, filed July 17 in Kona Circuit Court by Honolulu attorney James Hochberg on behalf of Richard Partal II and Kristine Partal and Richard Partal’s mother, Ellen Partal, alleges enforcement of the quarantine violated their civil rights.

Richard Partal and his mother were issued citations for allegedly violating the emergency quarantine.

“We’re asking that the court declare the citations that they have been served … unlawful, because the citations were issued in July, and if the governor’s powers expired May 3, the Legislature should have been making any new requirements, not the governor,” Hochberg said Tuesday. “And therefore, the Partals ought not to be subject to these criminal charges based on these unlawful orders.”

Read more: https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2020/07/30/hawaii-news/waikoloa-couple-sues-ige-kim-over-quarantines/

July 31, 2020

Public charter school financial officer sentenced to prison for embezzling over $600K

A 40-year-old Hilo woman was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling more than $600,000 from a Pahoa public charter school that was destroyed during the 2018 Kilauea eruption.

Kelaukila Estabilio was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson in federal court in Honolulu to 60 months imprisonment for embezzling funds from Kua O Ka La Public Charter School where she worked before the campus was destroyed by lava.

From 2006 through January 2019, Estabilio worked for the Kua O Ka La Public Charter School, formerly located in Pahoa, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Kenji M. Price’s office. The charter school also had a nonprofit financial support entity, Hooulu Lahui. Estabilio was the financial officer of the charter school and responsible for managing the books and records.

For over six years, from at least 2012 through November 2018, Estabilio misused the charter school’s funds to pay for her and her family’s personal credit card bills totaling around at least $628,835. Estabilio, according to the Price’s office, used the charter school’s funds to pay off personal bills for extensive interisland and mainland travel; personal care, such as nail salons; pet veterinary care; retail purchases, such as stores like Victoria’s Secret and Zales; entertainment, such as Bruno Mars tickets, MMA, Netflix, and iTunes; living expenses; and restaurant bills.

Read more:
https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2020/07/30/hawaii-news/public-charter-school-financial-officer-sentenced-to-prison-for-embezzling-over-600k/

July 31, 2020

Murkowski condemns Trump tweet predicting election fraud: 'This is not leadership from the White

Murkowski condemns Trump tweet predicting election fraud: ‘This is not leadership from the White House’


Sen. Lisa Murkowski said President Trump is undermining faith in the legitimacy of American democracy by suggesting the 2020 election will be fraudulent.

“We want to work to build the faith and in our electoral process, not to undercut it by suggestions that this is a corrupt process,” she said. “This is not leadership from the White House on this issue.”

The president on Thursday wrote a statement on twitter denouncing expanded use of vote by mail.

Even the president’s allies in Congress rejected the president’s suggestions that the election might be fraudulent and should be delayed. Murkowski did too.

“It’s incredible to me to think that the president would propose that as a response to his view that this is going to be a corrupt election,” she said. “If he’s worried about a corrupt election, then he should be working aggressively with the Congress to make sure that we do not have a corrupt election, that we have a fair election, that we have an election that we as Americans are proud of.”

Read more: https://www.alaskapublic.org/2020/07/30/murkowski-condemns-trump-tweet-predicting-election-fraud-this-is-not-leadership-from-the-white-house/

July 31, 2020

'Never Trump' Republican group targets Dan Sullivan in new ad buy

Alaska U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan is the latest target for the Lincoln Project, a group of current and former Republican campaign operatives seeking to unseat President Donald Trump along with Senate Republicans for their devotion to the president.

On Wednesday, the group debuted an ad it funded that promotes challenger Dr. Al Gross, an orthopedic surgeon running as an Independent.

“Dan Sullivan, for his part is no longer a Republican,” said Lincoln Project co-founder Reed Galen. “He’s no longer a conservative. He’s a Trumpist. When it says Dan Sullivan, US Senator, it should have a ‘T’ behind his name, instead of a ‘R.‘”

Asked about the criticism of Sullivan being the president’s man, Sullivan campaign manager Matt Shuckerow said, “The senator is proud of the work he’s done over the last six years.”

Read more: https://www.adn.com/politics/2020/07/29/never-trump-republican-group-targets-dan-sullivan-in-new-ad-buy/

July 31, 2020

Sen. John Cornyn Still Won't Push Back at Trump, Even After He Threatens to Delay Election

After watching Sen. John Cornyn repeatedly defend President Trump's most glaring oversteps of democratic norms, observers have wondered what it would take for the Texas Republican to actually say "enough."

Well, now we know that not even Trump threatening to delay the November election — something the president cannot legally do — is enough to make a spine materialize in the three-term senator's body.

"With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history," Trump tweeted Thursday. "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???!”

The statement — which comes amid building concern the president is attempting to unduly sway the election — drew a rare chorus of condemnation from both sides of the aisle.

Except, of course, from Cornyn, who once again chose to downplay.

Read more: https://m.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2020/07/30/sen-john-cornyn-still-wont-push-back-at-trump-even-after-he-threatens-to-delay-election

July 31, 2020

San Antonio Congressman Chip Roy Says the COVID Pandemic Is a Hoax Meant to Hurt the GOP

Inflammatory U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-San Antonio, suggested during a talk-show appearance this week that the COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax perpetrated by Democrats and the media.

During a chat with right-wing radio host Steve Deace, Roy accused shadowy forces of ginning up fear of the coronavirus to damage the GOP in the fall election.

"It is all about November and all about reclaiming power in November," said Roy, a former staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. "And I think on November 4, there'll be a magic awakening on how we suddenly beat the virus."

Roy added that he's asking the White House and his colleagues to hold hearings to "shine a light on the absolute fraud being perpetrated on the American people of fear."

Read more: https://m.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2020/07/30/san-antonio-congressman-chip-roy-says-the-covid-pandemic-is-a-hoax-meant-to-hurt-the-gop

Voters have a choice in November, elect Wendy Davis!

July 30, 2020

Governor announces all nonresidents will have to arrive in Alaska with negative COVID-19 tests

Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced Tuesday that all visitors to Alaska will soon have to present a negative result on a COVID-19 test performed within 72 hours prior to arrival.

The new policy goes into effect on Aug. 11.

It marks a shift from the current policy, which allows visitors to test before they depart for Alaska or once they arrive in the state, or quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Many visitors have complained it was impossible to get test results back in such a short time before heading to Alaska.

Now the state will only accept negative results from tests taken ahead of time and visitors won’t have a two-week quarantine as an option, Dunleavy said at a briefing Tuesday evening.

Asked about what happens to travelers from out of state who land in Alaska without a negative test, Dunleavy said the state is working through enforcement issues, and those measures will be announced at a later date. Alaskans returning from out of state will still be able to be tested upon arrival at the airport, Dunleavy said.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2020/07/28/governor-announces-all-nonresidents-will-have-to-arrive-in-alaska-with-negative-covid-19-tests/
(Anchorage Daily News)

July 30, 2020

After sinking 18 inches, SF's Millennium Tower finally has a fix

San Francisco's beleaguered Millennium Tower is still sinking, but a fix is finally on the way.

The last inspection of the lopsided tower revealed the northwest corner descended at least 18 inches into the bay fill at Mission and Fremont streets, but a $100 million fix for the 645-foot-tall residential building will likely begin in the fall after years of planning, permits and numerous lawsuits.

The blue-gray glassy modernist tower, completed in 2009 at 301 Mission Street, is the tallest residential building in the city and won numerous engineering awards upon its construction.

Then, things started to go wrong.

The 58-story luxury high-rise was revealed to be ... tilting.

Read more: https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks/article/SF-s-sinking-Millenium-Tower-to-finally-get-fixed-15439863.php

July 30, 2020

College scandal: Six months for Atherton financier whose wife, daughter gloated over cheating

An Atherton financier whose wife and older daughter were said to have gloated over her test cheating in the college admission scandal was sentenced Wednesday to six months in prison for his role in buying his daughters’ ways into elite schools through a corrupt admissions consultant.

Hercules Capital founder Manuel Henriquez’ sentence was a month more than the five months prosecutors had suggested. Henriquez also was ordered to conduct 200 hours of community service and pay a fine of $200,000.

Henriquez, 56, who has since stepped away from the Palo Alto venture capital firm, was contrite in a July 21 letter to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton begging for mercy.

“I fully realize and acknowledge that what I have done was wrong, illegal, unfair, and hurtful, especially to the many honest college applicant students and parents,” Henriquez wrote. “I am ashamed of my actions of putting myself and my family over all the children and parents who played by the rules.”

Read more: https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/29/college-scandal-atherton-financier-whose-wife-daughter-gloated-over-cheating-sentenced/
(San Jose Mercury News)

July 30, 2020

Lujan Grisham builds profile as Biden looks to make VP pick

SANTA FE, N.M. — Michelle Lujan Grisham has not received the attention of many higher-profile candidates under consideration to be Joe Biden’s running mate. But she has a resume that few of them can match.

The New Mexico governor has executive experience and served in the U.S. House and as her state’s health secretary. Tested by the coronavirus pandemic, she has taken strong steps — including a mandatory face mask order and invoking the state’s riot act to isolate one city — that have been credited with saving lives.

She’s taking an increasingly tough stand against President Donald Trump, who has sent federal agents to Albuquerque to combat violent crime despite local skepticism about the timing and intentions.

And she’s one of the nation’s highest-ranking Latina officials as Latinos emerge as the fastest-growing demographic for eligible voters.

Read more: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/nation-world/story/2020-07-29/lujan-grisham-builds-profile-as-biden-looks-to-make-vp-pick