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Saturday, July 23, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, July 22, 2022

Applications for 11 positions on the new Maunakea Stewardship & Oversight Authority are open
through July 28, as management transitions from University of Hawaiʻi. Photo from UH

MAUNAKEA STEWARDSHIP & OVERSIGHT AUTHORITY is accepting applications for management of the Mauna. There will be 11 members of the Authority. Deadline to send in recommendations and apply for the positions is July 28.
    The new Authority replaces University of Hawaiʻi as the manager of Maunakea. The decision to make the switch was made by the 2022 Hawaiʻi Legislature, with the signature of Gov. David Ige, who said, “I encourage people who have the expertise and commitment needed to shift to a community-based governance model for one of the state’s great natural resources to apply as quickly as possible. Together, we can continue Hawai‘i’s momentum toward a strong and sustainable future." The 11 positions on the Authority will be:

    Chairperson of the Board of Land & Natural Resources, or chairperson’s designee;
    Hawaiʻi County mayor, or mayor’s designee;
    Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaiʻi, or chairperson’s designee (needs state Senate confirmation);
    ʻAina (land) resource management expert with and experience with Hawaiʻi island‑based management (must be confirmed by state Senate);
    Expert in the fields of p-12 public education or post-secondary education (must be confirmed by state Senate);

Maunakea will be managed by a diverse group of Native Hawaiians,
educators, scientists and other experts.
 Photo from Center for Maunakea Stewardship
    Representative appointed by the governor from a list of three names submitted by Maunakea Observatories (must be confirmed by state Senate);
    Individual with business and finance experience who has previous administrative experience in managing a large private-sector business (must be confirmed by state Senate);
    A lineal descendant of a practitioner of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices associated with Maunakea (must be confirmed by state Senate);
   A recognized practitioner of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices (must be confirmed by state Senate); and
    Two individuals appointed by the governor from a list of three names submitted for each appointment by the president of the Senate and speaker of the House (must be confirmed by state Senate).
    To apply, click on the “Department of Land & Natural Resources” tab on the board and commissions website: https://forms.ehawaii.gov/pages/board-survey/. Scroll down to and click on Department of Land & Natural Resources. A drop-down menu appears; select the appropriate box next to the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority; hit SUBMIT at the bottom of the page An application form then appears; fill it out in its entirety. Finally, sign and submit.

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THE HAWAI'I JUSTICE GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE FORUM was sponsored by the Hawaiʻi 
Civil Liberties Union and ʻEkolu Mea Nui earlier this week.
    Former Hawaiʻi First Lady and Candidate for Governor Vicky Cayetano said that the ACLU plays a critically important role in advocating for civil liberties and rights of all people. "I would submit that our country has never been at a more critical stage in terms of our liberties and rights being compromised,
whether it's the overturning of Roe V Wade, the rampage on democracy on January 6 and the ever dismantling of the separation of church and state." She said the appointment of Supreme Court Justices "is a very important role as we've seen in the last three years." 
    Cayetano said she would look into what puts people in the prison system and whether so many people should be incarcerated when many crimes are nonviolent. She said she also wants to determine why so many people are repeat offenders.
    Congressman and candidate for Governor Kai Kahele said he couldn't even describe overcrowding and conditions in Hawaiʻi prisons and called it a "total disaster." He said the private prisons where some 2,000 prisoners from Hawaiʻi stay on the mainland should be terminated. He talked about "place based solutions, pua honua and reconnecting people who have lost their way with the 'āina." He said there would be much collaboration with the legislature to change the prison system and noted that the governor has three critical appointments to make: Attorney General, Director of Public Safety and the paroling board that could change the course of the prison system.
   He also noted that some 40 percent of prisoners are Native Hawaiians who have been imprisoned, incarcerated, and had their their sense of place, loss of 'āina, for over 100 years." He noted that as a young man, he was kicked out of Waiākea High School, arrested at 16 years of age and went to Olomana Boys Home. He spent hundreds of hours of community service, thousands of dollars in restitution for people he affected. He was arrested for assault at age 18.
    Kahele said that "As a kid in Hilo, a juvenile delinquent I was. I was one mistake away from going into this system that we just talked about for 90 minutes. One mistake away. The fact that I'm sitting here right now as a native Hawaiian 30 years later, a sitting United States member of the House of Representatives and candidate for governor - unreal, unreal. That's what I bring to the office of the governor, somebody that has walked in multiple different worlds, worn different hats, bringing different pelina, kuleana and life experiences, to bring people hope. For those 26 percent native Hawaiians in our DOE public school systems, so they can look up and say, 'Hey, you're a native Hawaiian up there, the governor, kia'aina of Hawaiʻi.' So that's what I bring to this race."
    Gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Josh Green did not attend. Also attending the forum were gubernatorial candidates Heidi Tsuneyoshi and Gary Cordery. See the entire Hawaiʻi Justice Forum at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t43r1exd-bU

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.htm

LT. GOV. JOSH GREEN, WHO IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR, WILL SERVE AS ACTING GOVERNOR, when Gov. David Ige attends the Western Governors' Association 2022 Annual Meeting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
    Ige will join the group of bi-partisan western governors to discuss many of the most pressing issues facing the region, such as land use, rural healthcare, the threat of wildfire events, cybersecurity, transportation infrastructure, drought and more. Hawaiʻi's governor is also scheduled to lead a roundtable discussion at the Western Governors' Leadership Institute – highlighting the importance of youth leadership.
    Green will serve as acting governor while Gov. Ige is out of the state, beginning this Saturday, July 23 until Friday, July 29. 

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HAWAI'I ISLAND POLICE ISSUED A WARNING FRIDAY ABOUT A CRYPTOCURRENCY SCAM. It says thieves are using the promise of cryptocurrency to commit financial crimes. Police report that individuals have received text messages from persons claiming to be from their financial institution 
stating that their bank account has been compromised.
    The text message urges the bank customer to transfer their account balance into cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin, until the fraudulent transactions can be resolved.
    Customers are then directed to a bitcoin ATM and instructed to deposit their money, obtain a receipt, and to send a picture of the transaction to the person claiming to represent the bank. The information on the receipt contains account information that scammers can use to electronically steal money from the person’s bank account.
    Hawai‘i Police Department reminds the public that cryptocurrency is not backed by the government and is not an approved U.S. currency. Cryptocurrency funds are not regulated and typically are not reversible once removed.
    Members of the public who receive such a text message, are asked to report it to their financial institution and contact the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311. Also available is Lt. Todd Pataray at (808) 961-2213.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.htm

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC WILL USE HELICOPTERS TO CONDUCT quarterly aerial inspections of its major overhead transmission lines from Monday, Aug. 1, to Friday, Aug. 5.
    The islandwide inspections are scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., however, exact times and routes will depend on weather conditions. Inspections will be conducted in a Manuiwa Airways helicopter and require the aircraft to fly low and slow which may cause some noise disturbances.
    Hawaiian Electric issued a statement to thank the community for patience and understanding. With questions or concerns, please call 969-6666.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.htm