Rep. Joe Souki, D–Wailuku, who was first elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 1982, will resign from the House no later than Mar. 30, pay a $5,000 penalty, issue a public apology and not accept any public office for two years. That’s the finding of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, which on the […]
Quizunderstood: What do you know about how Rep. Joe Souki’s attorney defended him in the media
1. On Feb. 1, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser broke the story that former state Human Services Director Rachel Wong has filed a sexual harassment complaint against Rep. Joe Souki, D–Wailuku. While the story doesn’t detail the allegation(s) against Souki (Wong refused to recount them to the paper, saying she wants a state Ethics Commission investigation to […]
Quizunderstood: What do you know about Hawaii AG Doug Chin’s decision to resign?
1. Timeshares in Hawaii had a 90.1 percent occupancy rate during the third quarter of 2017, according to a Jan. 4 news release from the Hawaii Tourism Authority. What was the state’s hotel occupancy rate during that same period? A. 90.6 percent B. 88.1 percent C. 87.7 percent D. 84.2 percent E. 81.4 percent 2. […]
2017 MauiTime Year In Review
It’s been a helluva year, and that’s not a good thing. For the United States, the watchwords for 2017 have been violence and hatred–against women, African-Americans, immigrants, LGBTQ individuals and basically everyone who isn’t a straight white male. You don’t have to be a master at reading the room to know that greed and ignorance […]
ACLU Hawaii selects Joshua Wisch as its new executive director
After a search lasting nearly seven months, ACLU Hawaii has finally chosen a new executive director. Vanessa Chong, who has run the office since 1984, is retiring next year. Her replacement, ACLU Hawaii officials announced on Dec. 13, is Joshua Wisch, currently a Special Assistant to Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin. According to the ACLU […]
Hawaii Attorney General finally closes big Maui leash law case
I think we all can now breathe a little easier that Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin’s office has gotten justice in the big Case of the Maui Resident Who Didn’t Properly Leash His Dogs. That’s right–today Lady Justice’s hammer fell on Maui Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mark Simonds (granted, it was a tiny hammer, but still). […]
Quizunderstood: Do you know how Southwest Airlines announced they’re coming to Hawaii?
1. On Oct. 11, Southwest Airlines announced that they would start service to Hawaii sometime in 2018. They delivered that announcement on Twitter by responding to a nine-year-old tweet from which Maui resident? A. Brendan Smith (@ReqB) B. David Raatz (@Raatz) C. Sarah Loney Mark (@Mauisadie) D. Amanda (@gfreemaui) E. Chickonmaui (@Chickonmaui) 2. On Oct. […]
Quizunderstood: Do you know what film festival award ‘Kuleana’ just won?
1. On Oct. 6, Hawaii News Now reported that the Campaign Spending Commission filed a complaint against Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa, saying his campaign misrepresented donations to about 40 nonprofit organizations (a charge Arakawa calls “vindictive” and “frivolous”). According to the HNN story, what’s the total value of the contributions in question? A. $10,000 […]
2016 Crime in Hawaii report shows mostly good news for state and Maui County
Last week, President Donald Trump trashed an old Obama Administration rule that prevented the U.S. military from giving surplus weapons and equipment to local law enforcement agencies. His stated reason was based on rising crime rates or a “war on cops” or some other such nonsense. In fact, crime rates have been falling for years […]
Hawaii settlement with drug manufacturer seems a tad small
Justice has been on my mind a lot lately. We seemingly hear about non-stop in the media, both in news and entertainment. In fact, cartoonish notions of “American justice” bombard us so much that it’s sometimes difficult to recognize a true injustice when we see it. I thought about this when I got the Hawaii […]
What it’s like to be transgender in America, and on Maui, in 2017
By Danielle M. Bergan When MauiTime asked me to write an article on trans-rights and transphobia, it sent thoughts racing through my head at light speed. There’s so much happening in and to our Trans community in the summer of 2017 and most of it is a clear and present danger to who we are […]
Hawaii Attorney General offers resources for those impacted by Trump Travel Ban
On a day that’s already seen more than enough miserable news (President Donald Trump spewed more sexist hate on Twitter while the National Rifle Association released a vile new ad that all but calls for violence against liberals), the Hawaii Attorney General’s office sent out an extraordinary news release. Titled “Resources Available To Persons Impacted […]
Quizunderstood: How well do you know Maui Grammy winner Kalani Pe`a?
1. The United States Tennis Association accidentally played the Nazi-era German national anthem during the Fed Cup match at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Ka‘anapali on Feb. 11, according to a Feb. 13 Hawaii News Now story. The song was for Germany’s player Andrea Petkovic, but Petkovic isn’t actually from Germany. Where was she born? […]
Quizunderstood: What do you know about Haleakala National Park’s new sunrise reservation system?
1. In his Feb. 3 announcement that the State of Hawaii would sue President Donald Trump over his Muslim immigrant ban, Attorney General Doug Chin said an attorney and former Obama Administration Acting Solicitor General of the U.S. was advising his office. Who is the adviser? A. Ian Gershengorn B. Don Verrilli C. Neal Katyal […]
UPDATED: Hawaii AG Doug Chin one of 16 attorneys general to oppose Trump’s Muslim travel ban
Amidst reports from around the nation of mass demonstrations in airports, court orders and customs officials standing in flagrant defiance to those court orders, multiple news organizations are reporting that 16 attorneys general from across the U.S.–including Hawaii AG Doug Chin–have signed a statement that “condemns” President Donald Trump’s immigration ban yesterday on Muslims from […]
Hawaii makes ‘progress’ in dealing with massive number of untested rape kits
It’s taken years, but the State of Hawaii finally knows exactly how many untested rape kits exist in neighbor island police evidence lockers, the Hawaii Attorney General’s office announced on Sept. 29 (Honolulu PD data isn’t available yet). Rape kits are great ways to collect DNA evidence in rape cases, but without testing, they’re useless. […]