Peace unexpectedly broke out in our public schools as we "flASHback" on the week’s news that amused and confused:
» Gov. Neil Abercrombie and schoolteachers reached a tentative agreement on a new labor deal, potentially ending a bitter two-year battle. The governor gave up his demand for a roughing-the-quarterback penalty and the teachers gave up their demand for halos.
» The Senate Ways and Means Committee passed a budget that splits the difference between what Abercrombie asked and what the House provided. Oh, goody, we get burned by both the frying pan and the fire.
» Ways and Means kept $50 million on the state books for900 vacant positions the House had deleted so departments can use the money for employee vacations and overtime. Is it too much to hope it’s not vacations and overtime for the vacant employees?
» Senators provided $8 million for Abercrombie’s Hawaii Growth Initiative, which offers cash incentives to innovative entrepreneurs. This is where the government, which is notoriously slow to innovate, spreads its ignorance to the private sector.
» The Senate Judiciary Committee declared feral birds a health nuisance because they poop on people’s property. The same could be said of senators.
» A gas cloud three times Earth’s massis moving toward a black hole at the center of the Milky Way, say astronomers working at Mauna Kea. It resembles the state budget making its way to a legislative conference committee.
» Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz wants to study the feasibility of hosting the Olympic Games in Hawaii. Right, the Olympic gods are going to trust the building of stadiums to people who haven’t been able to fix the Natatorium in 30 years.
» Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation President Dean Okimoto and anti-GMO activists exchanged harassment claims after a shoving match and display of middle fingers at the Capitol. The sad thing is, it was the most elevated discussion yet on this issue.
» Some City Council members doubt Mayor Kirk Caldwell can spend the $150 million he wants for road repairs next year. The city has never had a problem spending road repair money; the problem has been not spending it to repair roads.
» Police were summoned to Waikiki to deal with a swarm of honeybees buzzing around visitors’feet on Kalakaua Avenue. Officers had to decide whether to call a beekeeper to neutralize the insects or wait for aNorth Korean missile to solve the problem.
And the quote of the week … from National Weather Service lead forecaster Henry Lau: "Better weather is expected, but I will caution that there are early indications that … unsettled weather may linger. There’s a chance it may worsen." He’s allowing for the possibility that teachers will vote down the contract.
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Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.
