WILL DEMS FURLOUGH LINGLE?
Pardon the cliche, but even though she has yet to make any formal announcement, former Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle is the 800-pound gorilla in the state’s 2012 U.S. Senate race. Longtime Democratic Senator Daniel Akaka is calling it quits, and Democrats like current 2nd District Representative Mazie Hirono and former 2nd District Representative Ed Case are lining up to take his place. What Lingle will do is unknown, but given the following, reported in the respected National Journal back in March, it’s easy to see her readying a run:
“The announcement by Democratic Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii that he will not seek reelection creates the first open Senate seat in the Aloha State since 1990 and presents a rare opportunity for the GOP to take the seat if former Gov. Linda Lingle jumps into the race,” reported Jennifer Duffy, who also writes for the venerable Cook Political Report.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), a powerful political action committee “Committed to Electing a Democratic Senate,” is taking a Lingle candidacy very seriously—so much so that on Aug. 8 they sent out a press release titled “Furlough Flashback! — Partisan Governor Linda Lingle Now Wants To Go To Washington” that denounces the former two-term governor in rather strong terms.
“Not only was Lingle hyper-partisan, nominating Sarah Palin for Vice-President and accusing President [Barack] Obama of palling around with terrorists, she was also a huge disappointment as governor,” DSCC spokesman Matt Canter said in the press release. “Lingle’s decision to gut classroom time for thousands of Hawaii students drew an intense backlash from parents and teachers and was even singled out by the Obama administration as one of the worst decisions in the nation. Now, Linda Lingle is trying to hide her disappointing record as governor as she prepares for a U.S. Senate run. The fact is Linda Lingle tried to balance the budget on the backs of Hawaii students, and Hawaii residents will be sure to repay the favor and furlough Linda Lingle if she runs for Senate next year.”
Damn, that stings. Given the fact that the DSCC is already bashing Lingle in advance of any official senate run announcement, it’s a good bet that Lingle could win the seat next year, previous school furlough disaster or not.
WILL HONOLULU WEEKLY GO UNDER?
And now for some very bad media news that went down over the weekend: Honolulu Weekly, an independent alternative paper on Oahu that just celebrated its 20th year and is owned by publisher Laurie Carlson, is facing a dire financial situation, according to blogger Ian Lind (ilind.net). “In an email sent yesterday [Aug. 5] and forwarded by one of the recipients, Carlson said David Black’s Oahu Publications, owner of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, is demanding payment of about $20,000 in past due printing bills by next Wednesday, August 10,” Lind reported. “They are ‘threatening, essentially, to close down the Weekly’ if they aren’t paid, Carlson wrote.”
This is beyond bad. Honolulu Weekly is, like MauiTime, a member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN), which means they offer the same hard-hitting news, colorful arts and entertainment coverage and comprehensive calendar listings that we do. Recent investigative stories they’ve done include a look at bank foreclosure tricks that were hurting Hawaii families and the pain caused by “sex-tourism” in the islands. They’re also a small (36,142 weekly circulation, according to AAN’s member directory) for-profit company, which means private donations aren’t tax deductible.
According to Lind, Carlson wrote in her email that she’s stopped paying Oahu Publications “not because we are ignoring our obligations but because we needed to use our existing cash flow to pay our current printers, Maui News.” Lind added that Carlson’s Aug. 5 email indicates that she’s already secured commitments for $6,500 of the $20,000 she needs.
A spokesperson with Oahu Publications didn’t return a call seeking comment by press time. Carlson also declined to comment for MauiTime.
“No thanks,” she emailed on Aug. 8. “Not happy that this was publicized. Its [sic] not helping our situation.”
WILL THIEVES RETURN SURFING GOATS?
You read that right: On Aug. 4, person or persons unknown made off with two goats at the Surfing Goat Dairy in Kula, stated a press release sent out Aug. 5 by dairy owner Thomas Kafsack. And it wasn’t the first time, either: “On July 19th—also during daylight hours—someone stole… another 5 of our milking goats from [two] other pastures,” Kafsack added.
So there is, on Maui, a goat rustler out wrecking havoc. I know this sounds silly, but Kafsack says the thefts will seriously hurt his business.
According to Kafsack, the loss of the goats reduces his milking herd by nearly 10 percent. “Milking goats like these have a value of about $12,000 each,” Kafsack said in the news release. “[B]ut they are not only valuable, they are family to us. We know their mothers and fathers for several generations now.”
Kafsack is offering a $5,000 reward for the return of the goats (no questions asked) or for information leading to the recovery of the goats and arrest of the thieves.
If you any information, please call 878-2870.
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