Top Hawaii Headlines: Thursday morning edition

In a compromise that could help candidates for governor in 2010 with fundraising, state House and Senate negotiators agreed yesterday to relax a limit on Mainland political contributions.

Legislative leaders are saying a plan to take the hotel room tax money from the counties might not be needed and that lawmakers might not be able to override a veto anyway.

A "handful" of suspect patients in Hawai'i have been cleared for swine flu, including one who had traveled to Mexico, state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said at a Capitol press conference yesterday.

The Caltech Institute of Technology is expected to announce on Thursday plans to decommission the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory.

Fire investigators ruled the house fire in Makiki that killed two people last week was intentionally set.

Maui County visitor traffic in March plunged 25.8 percent from the same month a year ago, to 168,546, according to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

A swarm of some 300 to 400 community members converged Wednesday at the doors to the Kaua‘i Community College One Stop Center for a job fair where pickings were slim.

Divers have begun the task of collecting, storing and relocating coral that was dislodged when a 9,600-ton warship ran aground off the reef runway in February.

It costs taxpayers more than $3 million a year. But unlike other purchases made by Hawaii County government, the leasing of private property doesn't have to go out to bid and the county can pay more than appraised value.

Kulani Correctional Facility inmates can breathe easier now -- on the taxpayer's dime.

The eighth annual Free Comic Book Day is coming Saturday, May 2 to eleven public libraries on Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island.

It's a unique organization uniting island video-gamers. Members meet face-to-face instead of competing with one another online.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

"A handful" of people in the Islands — including one arriving from Mexico — are being tested for swine flu, state health officials said yesterday. None of the cases has been confirmed, state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park emphasized yesterday at a Capitol press conference.

The Lingle administration is giving public employee unions until Friday to accept furloughs of up to 37.5 days a year or face unilateral action by the state, according to state union leaders.

Hawaii's visitor arrivals plummeted 16.6 percent in March, which marked a full year of declines for the state's lead tourism industry, according to preliminary research released today by the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.

Puna Rep. Faye Hanohano has mailed 1,200 newsletters accusing the University of Hawaii of desecrating Mauna Kea by allowing telescope development on the sacred summit.

A federal judge has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Washington who police said was the head of a conspiracy to distribute cocaine on the Big Island.

Clear Channel Radio Hawaii on Tuesday announced it is changing some of its radio personality teams and letting go some others.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has put Lanai City on its list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The old section of Lanai City, built for pineapple workers in the 1920s, is described as "the last remaining intact plantation town in Hawaii," by Richard Moe, president of the National Trust.

The Maui County Council Budget and Finance Committee on Monday voted 7-0 to recommend a $549.7 million budget for 2010, with cuts in spending that reflect the county's tight economy.

The prospect of using sugar cane to produce ethanol and electricity remains uncertain for Gay & Robinson Inc. as financial concerns force the historic Westside company to seek out a different crop. Corn is in.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Tuesday morning edition

The Hawaii State Department of Health issued an alert to doctors statewide on Monday urging them to watch for swine flu in patients.

Hawai'i would get 300,000 doses of flu medicine if swine flu should reach the Islands, but state officials yesterday encouraged everyone to start making plans now to care for the elderly and the young for a potential outbreak.

Tourism officials in the islands said Hawaii is well positioned to offer an alternative to Mexico, where the swine flu appears to be concentrated.

State House and Senate budget negotiators agreed last night to use federal stimulus money meant for public education to help offset spending cuts to the state Department of Education rather than use the money to help close the state's budget deficit, as Gov. Linda Lingle has suggested.

State legislative leaders are moving into the last five days of the 2009 Legislature with no clear plans on how they will resolve the state budget shortfall and what funds they will use to fill the budget holes.

While environmental groups rallied at the state Capitol in support of a measure to prohibit building any new fossil-fuel power plants in Hawaii, at least one renewable-energy advocate urged lawmakers to proceed with caution.

The Maui County Council Budget and Finance Committee on Monday voted 7-0 to recommend a $549.7 million budget for 2010, with cuts in spending that reflect the county’s tight economy.

Young Brothers on Monday asked to intervene in the Pasha Hawaii application to the Public Utilities Commission to use its trans-Pacific transporter, MV Jean Anne, to carry vehicles and cargo interisland.

Members of an Oahu family who have been waiting 10 years for justice expressed relief Monday, after a jury found the man suspected of killing their loved one guilty of murder.

Time is running out for the construction of two more remotely operated underwater vehicles.

The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority is a landlord to roughly 40 tenants who use the facility for commercial and research purposes.

Federal stimulus funds will pay for a $7.3 million visitor center and replacement administrative building at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Monday morning edition

Lawmakers in the House want to abolish the Hawaii Health Systems Corp. and temporarily move the 13 public hospitals back to the state Health Department -- a move Health Director Chiyome Fukino says would be "catastrophic."

The Legislature is on the verge of carving Maui Memorial Medical Center out of the state Hawaii Health Systems Corp.

No cases of the swine flu have been reported here in Hawaii, but health officials are asking doctors to send virus specimens from patients showing flu symptoms to the state lab for testing.

There's a shake-up at the state Sheriff Division. On Friday, word quickly spread that Hawaii's sheriff has been bounced from his post.

In what one survivor described as a "miracle," 11 sailors aboard a traditional Chinese sailing vessel that left Oahu in February were plucked from the Pacific hours after a freighter struck their vessel, slicing it in half.

Faced with increasingly dismal revenue projections, Hawaii County councilmembers have started using the "F" word again.

In the wake of a Makiki Heights house fire that left two people dead and four homeless, advocates are raising concerns about the number of people crowding into homes — in what they say is a trend that appears to be worsening because of the recession.

Reef-protection groups are awaiting approval of federal permits to install 52 day-use mooring buoys in a continuing effort to reduce the damage caused when boat anchors crush fragile coral colonies and destroy large swaths of underwater habitat.

A spike in the number of people giving up their pets is putting a strain on the Hawaii Island Humane Society

Top Hawaii Headlines: Friday morning edition

Ikaika Anderson wrapped up a short, costly race for the Honolulu City Council seat representing Kailua, Kane'ohe and Waimanalo by capturing the seat formerly held by his mentor.

The political dynamics of the Honolulu City Council are not expected to change with the election of J. Ikaika Anderson, observers say.

While most Hawaii residents said they have not been affected by the tourism downturn, a whopping 85 percent agreed that the state should do everything it can to bring visitors back to the state.

The residents of a hillside home in Makiki argued over a stolen moped just before the house went up in flames early yesterday morning, killing a man and a woman inside, according to the homeowner.

Nearly $8 million from the federal stimulus bill is headed to the Big Island to improve access and services in its national parks.

Hawaii County has received more than $1.3 million in stimulus money for workforce investment programs.

There's a most unusual farm on the leeward side of the Big Island. It doesn't grow anything, but it's taking a lot of heat.

BOE might review use of force at high school. A small Taser-mounted video camera captured the April 14 Tasering of a Keaau High School student. Campus security camera footage also recorded the incident.

Authorities said a 21-year-old Schofield Barracks soldier was critically injured Thursday morning after he was hit by a car in Wahiawa.

A $500,000 reduction for the Maui Visitors Bureau heads a list of proposed cuts in an austere budget being considered by the County Council that county departments and grant-funded agencies are not happy about.

The Maui Police Department calls state Rep. Joe Bertram III's criticism of its DARE program "offensive."

Kaua‘î has seen its fair share of development over recent years, yet as the island’s natural beauty fades away into a cloud of red dirt and bulldozers, one local nonprofit organization continues to help preserve as much open space as possible for the benefit of multiple generations to come.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Thursday morning edition

Ignoring Gov. Linda Lingle's veto threat, the state House and Senate voted yesterday to raise taxes to help balance the state's budget.

Worse-than-expected news on unemployment and home sales Thursday dampened optimism that a broad economic recovery might be near.

Schools to look at closures, no decisions made. Official says study doesn't mean school will necessarily close.

A volunteer program helps people get ready for a pandemic, and helps others in the process.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a flash flood watch for all Hawaiian Islands from Thursday afternoon through 6 p.m. Friday afternoon.

A pair of motions seeking the dismissal of seven charges of manslaughter against retired O‘ahu auto dealer James Pflueger were denied Wednesday, leaving his indictment intact and setting the stage for a much-anticipated trial that was pushed back from June to October.

Honolulu City Council gave final approval to Bill 4, a measure to ban talking on a cell phone while driving unless a hands-free device is used.

The Humane Society of the United States is criticizing the state for its "cruel" eradication of feral cows and bulls by helicopter on the Big Island last week.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

Honolulu residents have been registering guns this year at a blistering pace that, if kept up, would result in 18,900 firearms registered this year, a possible 13.5 percent jump from last year, reflecting national trends.

Gov. Linda Lingle will sign a bill today allowing married couples and others to live in the same residential care facility. Currently, two non-Medicaid patients cannot live in the same adult residential foster home, even if the two people are married. But the bill will allow married couples, reciprocal beneficiaries, siblings, the parents of a child or best friends to do so.

Hononulu tries online voting. The Neighborhood Commission Office has entered into a contract with San Diego-based Everyone Counts, Inc. for online voting services in the 2009 Neighborhood Board elections, the city announced yesterday.

The House and Senate are expected to vote this afternoon on Senate Bill 1111, which would raise the state's 7.25 percent Transient Accommodations Tax 1 percentage point this year and an additional 2 percentage points next year to 10.25 percent.

Hawaii County must have really hated parting with a landfill bulldozer it sold as surplus in 2000. Hated it so much, in fact, the county's been leasing it back for almost $15,000 a month.

Just days after announcing in no uncertain terms that his office won't tolerate employees politicking on the Internet, Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi found himself defending the use of his own county address, e-mail address and telephone number to register his campaign Web site for mayor.

A bill in the state Legislature that would have banned pit bull dogs or puppies in Hawaii appears dead -- at least for this session.

The University of Hawaii Warrior football team is in their final week of spring practice, and so far, head coach Greg McMackin is pleased with the overall progression of the entire squad, including the secondary unit who entered spring with a big question mark.

If you are seriously delinquent in paying your taxes, look out. On Friday, the state Department of Taxation will post the names of the biggest tax delinquents in the state on the Internet.

Second Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza has ruled there's no constitutional right to engage in recreational dancing, dismissing a lawsuit by a group that has challenged a Maui County Department of Liquor Control rule on dancing in bars. Maui Dance Advocates and its president, Ramoda Anand, filed the lawsuit over the rule that prohibits dancing in businesses that serve alcohol, unless there's a designated dance floor in an area where alcohol isn't consumed.

James Pflueger made his first physical appearance in a Kaua‘i courtroom Tuesday, sitting in the gallery alongside family and friends as a handful of his attorneys argued a pair of motions in the manslaughter case stemming from the Ka Loko Reservoir Dam breach three years ago.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Tuesday morning edition

What, me worry? I live in Hawaii. The islands' laid-back charm and no-rush attitude are known around the world, but a new study may confirm what residents have known all along — Hawaii is the least-stressed state in the nation.

When informed he had been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry on Monday morning, Maui resident W. S. Merwin described the experience as "lovely."

A draft of a state audit is the latest problem for the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, already beset by an investigation into alleged criminal misconduct and a legislative attempt to dismantle the agency.

A proposed 50 percent surcharge on fireworks could cut sales and ease the concerns of the state's estimated 154,000 lung disease suffers, who often dread the smoky New Year's and Fourth of July celebrations. But the state's largest wholesaler of fireworks warns that a tax of that magnitude could put it and many of its competitors out of business and encourage the use of consumer aerials and other illegal fireworks.

This week, Hawaii Air Guard crew chiefs and mechanics got to see one of the 20 F-22s they will receive. The 6-year-old Raptor from the 525th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska made a brief stop at Hickam on its way home from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. By 2011 the squadron will have 20 of the single-seat F-22 Raptors, which it will share with pilots from the Air Force's 531st Fighter Squadron. It will be the only F-22 Raptor squadron in the Air Force led by the Air National Guard.

Students at Roosevelt and McKinley high schools in Honolulu will see a drug-sniffing dog this week in a prelude to regular visits whose goal is to detect illicit drugs, alcohol and gunpowder in common areas on campus. The Board of Education will hold a public hearing Tuesday to gather public input before voting next month on whether to allow random searches of lockers in public schools.

Budgets, buses and bugs will be among the issues Hawaii County Council members will discuss during committee meetings Tuesday in Keauhou. The Finance Committee's 11 a.m. meeting will also include lawmakers' consideration of Mayor Billy Kenoi's proposed $386.3 million operating budget.

Maui County Council members are deleting $18 million in transient accommodations tax revenues from the 2010 budget, planning around the expectation that the state will withhold the money it has shared with the counties for years.

With James’ Pflueger manslaughter trial quickly approaching, the car dealer’s attorneys and the state Attorney General are set to continue their legal wrangling in earnest in Circuit Court starting today. Pflueger, 82, has been charged with seven counts of manslaughter — one for each of the lives lost on March 14, 2006, in the Ka Loko Reservoir Dam disaster. He pleaded not guilty in January and the trial is scheduled to start in June.

We're always debating what to do for dinner. Here's an idea, a free burger at local Jack in The Box locations. The restaurant says its new mini sirloin burgers are the best in town and to prove it, they will give away one burger to each person that asks. The offer will be good through Sunday. At all Jack in The Box restaurants except in Hilo.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Monday morning edition

• An approaching cold front will shift winds from southwest and west ahead of it, to north and northeast after the passage, the National Weather Service said. Clouds and showers will be possible throughout the week the week, forecasters said.
• HONOLULU -- State House and Senate negotiators have agreed to raise income taxes on the wealthy as well as hotel-room levies as part of a state budget package for the next two fiscal years that begin July 1.
• A sprint to fill the City Council vacancy in Windward Oahu comes to an end this week. Voters will learn Thursday which one of 11 candidates will serve out the term of Barbara Marshall, who died Feb. 22 of colon cancer just months after overwhelmingly winning re-election to the seat representing parts of Kaneohe, Kailua and Waimanalo.
• Honolulu is ready to begin a new round of curbside recycling by adding 40,000 customers to the program using the gray, green and blue carts.
• Construction crews have unearthed 68 undated sets of remains at Kawaiahao Church and could run into more before a multipurpose center is finished in 2010, officials said yesterday.
• Services have been set for a Hawai-based soldier killed in Iraq earlier this week. Specialist Michael Anaya died Sunday when a bomb exploded near his vehicle. A memorial will be held next Wednesday at 10am at the Main Post Chapel at Schofield Barracks.
• Merrie Monarch winners: 2009 Overall Winner: Ke Kai O Kahiki, 1,151 points. Overall Kane: Ke Kai O Kahiki, 1,151. Overall Wahine: Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu, 1,142. Best Wahine Kahiko: Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu, 564. Best Kane Kahiko: Ke Kai O Kahiki, 567. Best Wahine 'Auana: Hula Halau 'O Kamuela, 583. Best Kane 'Auana: Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu, 590.
• Molokai Ranch: A year after closure, times are hard but spirit is alive.
• HANALEI — A visitor’s rent-a-Hummer burst into flames late Saturday afternoon at Lumaha‘i Beach after he reportedly got stuck driving in the sand.

Merrie Monarch festivities winding up

'Tea parties' target taxes

HILO -- Bearing signs saying, “Spread my work ethic, not my wealth,” “Stop the Spending,” and I.O.USA,” taxpayers rallied in seven Hawaii cities today to voice their displeasure over pending tax hikes.

It was part of a national “tea party” day in more than 300 U.S. cities in protest of the annual income tax deadline. Thousands participated across the county.

Hawaii’s rallies were organized by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, The Hawaii Republican Assembly, Studio Ryan, Mac Mouse, Admor HVAC and Joe the Builder Inc.

"The more Hawaii's taxpayers find out about what's going on in their government, the angrier they get and the more they want to get involved. That's why projects like the Hawaii Pork Report, HawaiiVotes.org and events like this are so vital," said Grassroot Institute President Jamie Story. "Government officials should know that we are watching and educating the community about what they are doing with our money."

Hawaii is among the highest taxed states in the nation and ranks near the bottom in economic freedom, according to recent national rankings.

"While taxpayers adjust their budgets just to put food on the table, the Hawaii State Legislature is raising fees for everything and is even planning a rise in the general excise tax,” said Paul E. Smith, President of the Hawaii Republican Assembly, which is helping to organize the event. “On top of all that, they increased their own pay by 36 percent! Voters should understand; without a great showing at the 2009 Tea Party, Hawaii voters will continue as economic serfs to the tax-and-spend politicians who control our government."

State lawmakers, however, say raising taxes is probably unavoidable this year in light of an almost $2 billion revenue shortfall.

“Raising taxes must also be part of the solution, and raising the personal income tax on the wealthiest of our society seems to be the best option overall,” said House Finance Chairman Marcus Oshiro, D-Wahiawa, in a statement.

“As we consider all the options available to use, it's important for Hawaii residents to keep an open mind,” Oshiro said. “Taxes are not inherently evil. A tax system allows government to plan for and provide the infrastructure and the services needed for our society to function. That tax system, however, should not only be fair and efficient, but structured in a way that promotes healthy economic growth.”

U.S. Supreme Court rules against OHA

News Flash!

Tip of the hat to Robert H. Thomas for getting us the opinion fast:

http://www.inversecondemnation.com/files/07-1372-1.pdf

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka issued the following statement today in response to a ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court on Hawaii v. Office of Hawaii Affairs:

“I will continue to monitor the case as it is taken back up by the state courts. I still believe the best way forward is through direct negotiations between the state and federal governments and a federally recognized Native Hawaiian government. For these issues to be resolved, Native Hawaiians need a seat at the table. Mainland indigenous people have this opportunity and Native Hawaiians deserve the same chance.”

Video contest publicizes election reform

HONOLULU -- Clean elections advocates have launched a video contest to get the word out about two initiatives currently being considered in the state Legislature.

First prize in the contest is a $100 amazon.com gift card. Second prize is a $50 gift card and third prize is a $25 gift card. Rules are here.

The contest is sponsored by the Coalition to Stop the Tsunami – a group that includes Common Cause Hawaii, Kokua Council, Citizen Voice, Americans for Democratic Action/Hawaii, Progressive Democrats of Hawaii, Advocates for Consumer Rights and the Hawaii Pro-Democracy Initiative.

Campaign finance bills at issue during this legislative session include:

Big Island Fair Elections Pilot. This pilot project is for public funding of Hawaii County Council elections in 2010, and the following two elections. The House passed HB 345, which would delay the pilot to 2014. The bill is pending in the Senate.

Corporate Campaign Donations. Legislators want to allow corporations to donate more than $1,000 in campaign contributions, but opponents have stopped two attempts this year to raise the $1,000 limit. There could be a third attempt using SB 93 and/or HB 345, opponents say.

Governor or Congress? Wanna bet?

So, what’s it gonna be? Governor or Congress-
man?

By 10 a.m. Saturday, it will all become clear. Or as clear as politics gets, anyway.

A few months back, former U.S. Rep. Ed Case asked us what he should be when he grows up. Governor or Congressman?

My bet is Congress. What’s yours?

Case, a Democrat, was representing District 2, composed of rural Oahu and the Neighbor Islands. But he gave up his safe seat to challenge U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka in the Democratic primary. That didn’t go so well, so he sat out the next election.

Republican Gov. Linda Lingle is term-limited so she must now step aside. Lt. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona announced his run for governor early and has already amassed a war chest of $1.4 million. Many pundits, however, don’t think he can carry the state to an unprecedented third consecutive GOP term.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann has said, although not in so many words, that he plans to run for governor. Senate President Colleeen Hanabusa has hinted at it as well. But now that the Democratic heavyweight U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie of District 1 has announced his bid for governor, where will the other pieces fall?

My bet is Case runs for Congress. Washington D.C., not Washington Place, is where he really wants to be. It’s a much shorter jump to U.S. Senate from Congress than the governorship, should one of our two 84-year-old senators die or retire in the near future.

Not that either senator has plans to. Not that they’ve been anything but effective in Washington. Akaka has missed a microscopic 3 percent of his roll call votes and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye just 8 percent of his votes since 1990, according to Govtrack.

Inouye is chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee. Akaka finally sees his shot at getting recognition for Native Hawaiians into a federal act. So they’re not going to be leaving soon. Or at least willingly.

Still, it’s better to be sitting just a few seats away if they do.

My bet is Congress. What’s yours?

Civil unions bill is dead again

HONOLULU – There is a saying that no bill is dead while the Legislature is in session, and one establishing civil unions is no exception.

But the Hawaii Senate killed it a second time today, failing to pull it from a deadlocked committee by an 18-6 vote.

HB 444, which would give same-sex couples all the rights and responsibilities of traditional marriage, already passed the full House and has been languishing a month in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser, a Kauai Democrat who is running for lieutenant governor, has been instrumental in keeping the bill alive. He said the bill has been bottled up in committee by a 3-3 vote, and it’s up to the full Senate to move it forward.

“This is a fundamental issue of the fundamental rights of people,” Hooser said.

Several opponents of bringing the bill forward said they weren’t opposed to civil unions, but they wanted the legislative process kept clean.

“Today is a day when there will be no winners. When one individual is denied rights of others, we all lose But there is a tomorrow,” said Sen. Jill Tokuda, D-Kailua, Kaneohe.

The issue has raised a community reaction like no other in recent memory, with groups on both sides holding candlelight vigils, picket lines and demonstrations.

Several times today, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa had to shush a rowdy standing-room-only crowd, while hundreds more people milled around in the Capitol rotunda, lining up for peeks through the glass into Senate Chambers.

Almost 70 percent of Hawaii voters in 1998 passed a constitutional amendment allowing the state Legislature to define marriage as between a man and a woman. A 1997 law allowed same-sex couples to register as “reciprocal beneficiaries,” including hospital visitation rights, authority to sue in wrongful death cases and inheritance and property rights.

Laws aim for quieter neighborhoods

HONOLULU -- Car alarms, leaf blowers, construction. Neighborhood bars. Motorcycles.

Noise pollution is a big problem on Oahu, and every year lawmakers try to do something about it. And every year, they fail.

This year’s crop of bills includes SB 605, addressing low-frequency noise in particular, setting decibel standards for night and authorizing the state Department of Health and county Liquor Commission to enforce them.

Many residents favor noise control.

“Loud late-night noise continues to polarize our community. Residents want a healthy neighborhood, one that includes them being able to sleep in their own homes at night,” said Susan Lebo, a resident of Chinatown Gateway Plaza in testimony.

Both the Department of Health and the Honolulu Liquor Commission oppose the legislation, saying they don’t have the money to enforce new rules.

SB 466 tackles leaf blowers, making it unlawful to operate them in a residential neighborhood, except between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on any day except Sunday or a federal holiday, and between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday or a federal holiday.

“We generally favor a quieter environment. We appreciate that some people dislike noisy leaf blowers/yard equipment,” said Dr. Chiyome Leinaala Fukino, director of the Department of Health. “Noise can be a nuisance and disturb sleep, even if it does not reach the levels that cause hearing damage. (But) There are also practical considerations in achieving a quieter environment.”

Recognizing the futility of trying to pass a law, Sen. Carol Fukunaga and other senators have created a resolution instead. SCR 62 tackles car alarms by requesting vehicle owners to turn them off or make them less sensitive.

“The activation of a single audible motor vehicle alarm system can disturb and awaken hundreds of area residents,” the resolution states.

Hawaii banks less 'troubled'

HONOLULU -- Hawaii banks are more solid than financial institutions in most other states, according to an online comparison project created by a journalism partnership.

The analysis of bank financial statements by the Investigative Reporting Workshop and msnbc.com found nonperforming loans and foreclosed properties on bank books nationwide more than doubled last year.

But Hawaii banks, which tended to avoid many speculative loans, seem on more solid footing, according to the reports filed by the group. That’s especially true of the larger banks. (Check out your bank here.)

“While the recession has put borrowers of all kinds under increasing pressure, the Workshop's analysis makes it clear that real estate lending is causing banks the most difficulty,” said author Wendell Cochran in the report.

“At the end of 2008, nearly 80 percent of the troubled assets were connected in some way to real estate lending, even though only about 60 percent of all loans were real estate-related.”

The analysis is based on reports every bank is required to file each quarter with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the federal agency that protects deposits and is part of the bank regulatory system.

Bank profits have fallen dramatically, and the troubled asset ratio has risen. The troubled asset ratio is a measure of the stress placed on banks by loans. It compares loans that are not being paid on time, and property already acquired by the bank, against the bank's capital and loan loss reserves. The national average was 9.9.

In comparison, Hawaii’s largest bank, First Hawaiian Bank, had a troubled asset ratio of just 2.5 percent and the second largest, Bank of Hawaii, had a ratio of 3.4.

Hawaii isn't all about sunshine

Hawaii isn’t the best or the worst, but is smack in the middle of a recent report rating states on the openness of government documents.

The Sunshine Week 2009 Survey of State Government Information ranked Hawaii 26th in the list of 50 states, based on online access to a range of government reports. Hawaii provided 11 of the 20 reports studied. Texas ranked first, providing all 20 of the reports. Mississippi ranked last, providing only four.

The state was ranked high for posting details such as statewide school test data, political campaign contributions and expenses, disciplinary actions against physicians, audit reports, teacher certifications, fictitious business name registrations, database of expenditures, consumer complaints, personal financial disclosure reports and school inspection and safety records.

But Hawaii lost points for not providing disciplinary actions against attorneys, environmental citations and violations, nursing home inspection reports, bridge inspection and safety reports, child care center inspection reports, hospital inspection reports, school bus inspections, gas pump overcharge records and death certificates.

Researchers noted that The state Ethics Commission Web site posts multiyear disclosure PDF files for state representatives, senators, the governor and lieutenant governor, members of the Board of Education, trustees and administrators of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, department heads and their deputies, and judiciary administrators, but the courts do not post disclosures for judges.

"Digital technologies can be a great catalyst for democracy, but the state of access today is quite uneven," Charles N. Davis, executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, said in a statement. "The future of Freedom of Information is online access, and states have a long way to go to fulfill the promise of electronic self-governance."

Among the major findings:
The information least likely to be found online were death certificates, found on the Web sites of only five states, and gas pump overcharge records, available online in eight. Also infrequently posted online were schools' building inspections and/or safety ratings, which are posted by only nine states, and school bus inspection reports, which only 13 states posted online.

Information most frequently found online were statewide school test scores and DOT projects/contracts, online in 50 and 48 states, respectively. Close behind was campaign data, reported in 47 of the 50 states; disciplinary actions against medical physicians, 47 states; and financial audits, 44 states.

Death certificates are apparently a revenue source for many states, as they charge relatives and "legitimately" interested parties for copies of the records, or farm out the work to a third-party service such as VitalChek. Some states provide historical access online to older death certificates, mostly prior to 1960, although there generally is a fee for hard copies.

The results were released Sunday at the start of Sunshine Week 2009, which runs March 15-21. The study was developed by Sunshine Week, the American Society of Newspaper Editors' Freedom of Information Committee, the National Freedom of Information Coalition, and the Society of Professional Journalists' FOI Committee.

"This study shows that, while a lot of government information is available online, many states lag in providing important information that people care about," David Cuillier, Freedom of Information Committee chairman for the Society of Professional Journalists, said in a statement. "People should be able to find inspection records for their schools online. And the government shouldn't be charging people for death certificates and other records."

The state government surveys were conducted by newspaper and broadcast journalists, journalism students, state press associations, and reporters and editors from The Associated Press. Several participants went the extra cyber-mile and helped complete surveys outside their own states.

"This is the first comprehensive survey of its kind," said ASNE FOI Committee Co-chair Andrew Alexander. "It tells us that many states understand that digitizing public records is key to open government in the 21st century. But it also tells us that, with a few exceptions, states have a long way to go before they become truly transparent.

"We know that providing public records in digital form is the right thing to do for citizens. But it's also the smart thing to do," added Alexander, who is ombudsman for The Washington Post. "With state budgets under considerable stress, providing public records in digitized form is less costly because it doesn't require a human to process each request for information."

Another crumbling infrastructure

By Edwin Bender

Our democracy's infrastructure is crumbling, just as our roads, water systems and sewers are deteriorating across the country — and we have a unique opportunity now to fix them all properly.

I'll leave the roads and such to the engineers. The infrastructure of our democracy, though, is something I know a thing or two about. You see, more than 16 years ago, I and a few other hearty souls across the country began compiling state-level campaign-finance data and making it available to the public.

We created databases by performing thousands of search-and-replace functions on 700-page Word documents that had been input at state agencies. And, even more time-consuming, we input donor information from innumerable paper reports that candidates had filed at their state disclosure agencies. And we made all this available to reporters via floppy disc and fax.

Then along came the Internet, and we happily upgraded our delivery system. But to this day, we still have to type in data by hand, because many candidates still file paper forms with state disclosure agencies. Can you believe it? In this day and age! What a waste of time.

The lack of uniform disclosure for the 50 states is a failure by design. Fragmented campaign-finance reporting means it's more difficult for people to follow the actions of their elected representatives — otherwise known as holding them accountable. Many candidates don't want you getting too familiar with their donor base. And lobbyists certainly don’t want you looking over their shoulders, especially when their actions might cost you money as a taxpayer.

We disagree with that. We think democracy works best when all aspects of campaigns are held up to the light of day. At the nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute on Money in State Politics, we’ve compiled campaign-finance data from all 50 states dating back to the 2000 elections, as well as donor information for state party committees and ballot measures.

And we’ve compiled a list of lobbyists registered in the states for 2006 and 2007. We update all our data continuously. In fact, we’re on a first-name basis with staff in all 50 state disclosure offices, who for the most part are public servants eager to do good work. They love seeing their work contributed to the data tools and analyses we offer at www.FollowTheMoney.org. To them, we tip our hats.

To the candidates who seem to think that funding public disclosure and ethics agencies is optional, we offer a Bronx salute. You don't have to look far to find examples of a disclosure agency fining a state political party or candidate for bundling or other breach of the public's trust, and you'll likely see the agency's budget on the cutting block next legislative session (Washington state and Alaska offer some sad examples.)

Since lawmakers themselves aren't eager to move disclosure into the 21st century, a host of nonprofit organizations are doing the work for citizens and displaying the results for free access. For our part, we built a tool called Lobbyist Link that lets you see which companies hired lobbyists and in which states, and where those companies also made political donations. (For instance, type "Merck" into our search window and you’ll see plenty of coordinated lobbying and donations in the states that considered the HPV vaccine for schools.)

Our L-CAT feature reveals who gave to specific state legislative committee members, and how much. For example, (big surprise) it turns out that insurance companies are major donors to members of the 2008 Illinois Senate Insurance Committee.

There is tremendous work being done by nonprofit organizations for Sunshine Week to create an index of all public information held by government agencies, at all levels. Project Vote Smart compiles biographical information about lawmakers, their speeches and voting records for the public, and makes it all available at their site, www.VoteSmart.org. The Center for Responsive Politics tracks donations to presidential and congressional candidates as well as national party committees at www.OpenSecrets.org. Many others are looking at government subsidies and contracts, earmarks and corporate influence.

Unfortunately, we nonprofits are doing what we as taxpayers are already paying government agencies to do. (And we do realize those agencies often are between a rock and a hard place because of their budgets.)

So, now, when this country is set to invest billions of dollars on infrastructure projects meant to stimulate a horribly mismanaged economy, isn't it time we also invest in bringing the infrastructure of our democracy up to the 21st century? We aren’t talking rocket science. We’re talking standards that are common in the business world, where accurate, lightning-fast transactions are the norm.

President Obama has committed himself to transparency and accountability: He was co-sponsor of a 2006 federal law that created USASpending.org, which provides detailed federal spending lists, and the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008 that addressed problems at USASpending.org.

That's a start. And it only makes sense. If we’re going to promote democracy around the world, shouldn’t we also promote its health at home?

Bender is executive director of the National Institute on Money in State Politics, Helena, MT