Hawaii Reporter

Today we look at a case now pending in the Hawaii Supreme Court that may give us some insight on county real property taxes and their limits. Once upon a time there were a couple of companies that constructed some large wind turbines on mountain ridges on Maui.  The wind farms aren’t cheap.  The first one built, on the West...

Sharon Yarbrough interviews Kymberly Marcos Pine, the Vice Chair of the Honolulu City Council, and the Chairwoman of the Council's Committee on Zoning and Housing. Pine has continued to serve on the Honolulu City Council for almost six years. As the second-most senior official on the Council, and as the Chairwoman of the Committee on Zoning and Housing, she...

On October 18, 2018, the Supreme Court of Hawaii held oral argument on a petition by the four counties to invalidate the “Con-Am,” namely the constitutional amendment ballot measure that would allow the State to slap a “surcharge,” essentially an additional property tax, on “investment” real property.  We now know that the Court invalidated the ballot measure with an...

This week, we look at another provision that was passed by the 1978 Constitutional Convention to assure our fiscal health—and what our lawmakers have done to marginalize it. As we mentioned in June, Hawaii Constitution Article VII, sections 8 and 9 limit general fund expenditures by an “expenditure ceiling.”  It says that the Legislature is to establish a General Fund expenditure ceiling...

Every day is a lively day here at Honolulu Hale (and at the Kapolei Hale as well). I say your Honolulu Hale because as a citizen you are encouraged to attend committee meetings, and full council meetings. This week the committee on Parks, Customer and Community Services is meeting to discuss a variety of subjects including a master plan for...

Rob Kay, the Honolulu-based author of Lonely Planet’s original Fiji guidebook, along with Lautoka, Fiji-based web and applications developer David Barnes, have launched an updated online travel guide, Fiji Guide . A mobile app, Fiji in the Palm of Your Hand and an events magazine, A Weekly Guide to What’s on in Fiji, are integrated into the site. Fiji Guide...

The Hawaii 2018 Global Breadfruit, Technology & Health Summit being hosted by the University of Hawaii Pacific Business Center Program (PBCP) at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Lai’e, October 15 through 17. Inaugurated in 2016, it is the third consecutive global summit of its kind. Experts, scientists and practitioners from Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia, and the Caribbean will join Hawaii’sagricultural...

One article that recently appeared in the Star-Advertiser was titled, “State forgoing millions in federal reimbursements.”  The state agency referred to in that article was our Department of Education. We have children from indigent families in our school system. Some of them, especially in special education, can and do benefit when they receive services from health professionals. When that happens,...

Lots of the controversy swirling around the ballot measure seeking to impose a “surcharge” on investment property to support public education involves our Department of Education (DOE).  The DOE currently receives an appropriation from the State’s General Fund of about $2 billion and is also able to pull from other funding sources such as federal funds. But did you know...

BY FRANK SALVATO Where the sideshow political circus that is the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings is concerned there are a few quotes and realities that we all should consider. If we are not careful, the mainstream media and the Progressive-Left will turn us all into useful idiots...and that moment is coming quickly. “But the most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success...