Exactly a week ago - on a Sunday afternoon - the County Council's Budget and Finance Committee began wrapping up its arduous work on the fiscal year 2016 budget by proposing a $621 million county budget, nearly $79 million lower than the mayor's proposal. Lower real property tax rates were also ...
Criminal defense lawyers like the Fifth Amendment. It's got a lot of good stuff in there like the right to a grand jury - the right to have total strangers decide if the government has enough evidence against you to even accuse you of committing a serious crime. And, of course, we can't forget ...
As this legislative session draws to an end, there have been both plusses and minuses in terms of session results for the Maui Chamber of Commerce, which is typical, understanding how fast the process moves, the work involved in advocating for or against measures, the diverse group of ...
It was an unusual reason to leave the country and visit the land of beaches, bikinis, condos and clutter. An invitation came via email. "Would you be willing to present a program at the Rotary Club of Kihei Sunrise?"Two considerations prompted hesitation. Arriving in Kihei at 7 a.m. would mean ...
The United States Tax Court recently decided a case that is important to small-business owners in several states, not just Hawaii. It's important because 77 percent of small businesses are organized as "pass-through entities," suchas partnerships, LLCs, or S corporations, where the business ...
I had that darn dream again last night, one of several that recur every couple of years or so. It's a short one, more like a cherished memory than a fanciful vision. The setting is always unremarkable, either an empty room or a generic outdoor scene. This time, I was sitting on a freshly mowed ...
Celebrating many Hawaiian cultural traditions the authentic way for the last 22 years, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua has established some new traditions of its own.When it "Opens the Doorway" to the 23rd annual Celebration of the Arts on Saturday with chants by participants clad in the clothing and ...
Q: I am curious as to who is responsible for the cleanliness of restaurants in Maui County. Would it be the state or the county health departments? I'm talking about those that have the green pass certificates displayed mainly. The reason I'm asking is ever since we have lived here, we have ...
Zoning for the proposed new West Maui hospital, to be developed by Newport Hospital Corp. on nearly 15 acres in Lahaina, will be considered by the Maui County Council at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.As stated in the Land Use Committee's report to the council, "the project is needed because West Maui has ...
There is a strange site in north Kihei. It's across the old Maui Lu and next to what now seems to be a defunct condominium. A grove of tall and skinny coconut trees surrounds a large boulder. The boulder is enclosed by a low rock wall under a grove of tall coconut trees.If you don't know where ...
After reading a number of recent letters in The Maui News, it is apparent there's a need for a discussion of who does what in Hawaii. Those who received an A in local civics need read no further. The Tahitians and Samoans who sailed up from the South Pacific brought a system of government to ...
As you might be aware, in 2000 Hawaii enacted a medical use of marijuana law (Act 228, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000). The problem, of course, has been how to get this medical marijuana to those who need it without violating other laws. So this year our Legislature is working on House Bill 321, ...
Thursday, my third and youngest granddaughter will be 10 years old. Five days later, No. 2 will turn 11. As Tevye and Golde ("Fiddler on the Roof") mused, I don't remember growing older; when did they?Lula and Lotus live in Michigan, so we only get to see each other once every couple of years. ...
Saturday morning is coming down voggy and gray as I join the slow parade on the winding road to Hana.Or as I think of it, the road to mana.Hawaii Public Radio's signal is fading in and out so I put Keali'i Reichel's "Kawaiokalena" in the CD player instead. It's the perfect soundtrack for the ...
Dot to dot is a popular activity among children. A blank page is covered with dots and each dot has a number or letter next to it. Connecting the dots in the correct numerical or alphabetical order creates a picture out of an apparently chaotic scattering of dots.From this activity came the ...
Q: I have a question regarding the South Maui Community Park. My understanding is that it's to be built in three phases, with Phase 1, the softball field (many softball players I know say it's one of the best fields in the state), playground area, and one soccer field having been open three to ...
A public hearing by the Maui County Council is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. regarding real property tax rates for fiscal year 2016, which begins July 1, 2015.If you are unable to join us at the Council Chambers, tune in to Akaku Maui Community Media on Channel 53.Real property tax is the ...
You wouldn't think Hawaii is a good place for spies. The weather is too nice for clandestine activities and all that cloak and dagger stuff, right?Wrong. We might be an ideal place for espionage. We're an American state, but an outlier at the same time. We're a major hub for just about every ...
National Small Business Week (May 4-8 this year) will soon be here. It has been held every year since it was established in 1963 to recognize the critical contributions of American entrepreneurs and small-business owners, who cre-ate nearly two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year, ...
Maui used to follow Mainland cultural developments by five years, or so. That's all changed due to instant communication. When it comes to pot, national acceptance of using medicinal and recreational weed is catching up with the way the island was some 40 years ago."Until the heepies come, I ...