Friday, September 10, 2010

Schatz leads lt. gov. money race, Kauai settles bird complaint, Aloun Farms tackles human trafficking case, political bickering, more news from around the islands

The state Office of Elections says 684,481 people are registered for the Sept. 18 primary election. The number is higher than the 667,647 who registered for the 2008 primary, but lower than the 691,365 registered for the 2008 general election, when Hawaii's Barack Obama won the presidency. Star-Advertiser.

The two leading Democratic candidates for Hawaii governor enter the final week of the primary campaign staring at contradictory signs. Associated Press.

Hawaii’s primary election is a little more than a week away and political candidates are saturating communities with campaign signs. KITV.

In the latest campaign spending report period, Hawaii gubernatorial candidate Neil Abercrombie raised two times more money than his closest democratic party opponent, Mufi Hannemann, and Abercrombie also had three times more big donors who gave maximum $6,000. KITV.

Brian Schatz, the former Democratic Party of Hawaii chairman and state lawmaker, raised the most campaign money during the past two months in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. Star-Advertiser.

Five Honolulu residents financed a radio ad that criticized Democratic gubernatorial candidate Neil Abercrombie for not declaring a religious affiliation. Associated Press.

Dueling endorsements for Governor have led one venture capital group to demand that a rival organization back off. KHON2.

The head of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association says he will ask the state to nullify a similarly named group that formed last month. Associated Press.

At a debate sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii Tuesday, former Mayor Mufi Hannemann  said: "His overall cumulative score in his 20 years of Congress on issues important to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was 30 percent." Civil Beat.

The state Republican Party is accusing Democrat Colleen Hanabusa of illegally campaigning by holding a press conference too close to an early polling place. Associated Press.

On a recent trip to Molokai, U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono experienced first-hand what goes into restoring one of Molokai’s precious 68 fishponds – the most of any Hawaiian Islands – and some of the passionate people behind the movement. Molokai Dispatch.

Hot topics for candidates running for a seat in the House of Representatives. Big Island Weekly.

In a federal plea agreement, the county Thursday agreed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act for “taking” endangered seabirds. Garden Island.

Kauai County yesterday acknowledged in U.S. District Court that it is guilty of violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act by killing Newell's shearwater birds through its lighting policies at county facilities over the last five years. Star-Advertiser.

The 20 people ticketed or arrested for an eight-day sit-in at the governor's office this past spring are scheduled to be sentenced in state district court tomorrow. KITV.

The owners of Aloun Farms say they know the 44 workers they imported from Thailand in 2004 were lied to in order to get them to sign worthless labor contracts and that the workers each paid exorbitant recruitment fees to get the jobs. Star-Advertiser.

Three+ days of sentencing arguments in a human trafficking case in Honolulu are now moot, as the owners of Aloun Farms took back their guilty pleas Thursday. Hawaii News Now.

Forbes says Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, is now worth about $5 billion. Hawaii News Now.


A man who turned an online auction into an internet success shared some secrets with local businesses today. KHON2.

Kauai households would face a new tax assessment for trash collection under a measure approved by a Kauai County committee. Garden Island.

The average five-year suicide rate for Maui County from 2005 to 2009 was the highest in the state at 92 deaths per 100,000 residents, according to data from the state Department of Health. Maui News.

Prime Alii Drive property is heading toward purchase by the county, following the County Council Finance Committee's unanimous approval Wednesday of a compromise allowing some of the land to be bought with open space funds. West Hawaii Today.

The public can sound off today on the latest revisions to a plan to lure federal money to boost the Big Island's economy. Tribune-Herald.

The County Council Budget and Finance Committee approved Wednesday a $95,000 grant to Kekaha’s Citizens Advisory Committee, so they can hold a new series of public meetings to figure out what to do with the money from the Host Community Benefit in exchange for that community having the island’s only active landfill. Garden Island.

He didn’t lead in an iron-fisted manner, but instead with the gentle, guiding hand of a nurturing parent. Lahaina News.

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