It’s the last Sunday in April and time to “flASHback” on the month’s news that amused and confused:
>> Las Vegas fixture Cirque du Soleil announced agreement for a new Hawaii-themed show in Waikiki. It’ll be a high-flying production telling the hair- raising story of how Gov. Josh Green and the Legislature ran through a $2 billion surplus.
>> Green pushed back the projected opening of a new Aloha Stadium another year to 2028, and said the cost could go up to $399.5 million and the capacity down to 25,000. It’s Hawaii’s patented public works formula: Wait longer, pay more, get less.
>> With the Hawai‘i Convention Center’s roof leaking buckets and new leaks at state buildings downtown, House Speaker Scott Saiki said the shabby maintenance at state properties is the result of “lack of funding, lack of planning, lack of foresight, lack of staff.” But never any lack of excuses or finger-pointing.
>> Angry that one of her bills failed, state Rep. Natalia Hussey-Burdick allegedly tried to get her Democratic colleagues arrested for drunken driving as they left a Capitol pau hana gathering. You know we’re in trouble when our competing legislative factions are drunk vs. stupid.
>> Freshman Republican Rep. Kanani Souza stopped attending party caucuses after describing her GOP colleagues as a “cult” that bases policy on religion rather than facts. She says they don’t have a clue; they say she’s doesn’t have a prayer.
>> Rail CEO Lori Kahikina said she was caught by surprise when Mayor Rick Blangiardi said he wanted to open the first segment between Kapolei and Aloha Stadium in July. For Honolulu rail the only thing more terrifying than a deadline is a budget.
>> The rail agency said big change orders for utility relocation that will likely cost $75 million won’t raise the overall cost of the $10 billion project. They’ve been saying that about change orders since the project cost was $5 billion.
>> Somebody rigged 1,700 “smart” city parking meters to divert the e-payments from the city’s account to their own. City Council members needed something to tide them over until their 64% pay raises kick in.
>> The Council turned over discussions on plotting the city’s future property tax collections to a special permitted interaction group, known as a PIG. Finally, some truth in advertising.
>> The Department of Health advised residents to stay out of Kailua Bay after fecal bacteria exceeded permitted levels. The permitted levels are based on the daily average in the Capital District.
>> The state held a financial literacy fair to educate the public on how to handle their money. Getting advice from the state on managing your finances is like taking lessons from Natalia Hussey- Burdick and Kanani Souza on making friends with co-workers.
And the quote of the month … from Sen. Karl Rhoads on why lawmakers gutted a bill to increase political competition via publicly funded elections: “It’s kind of hard to explain. That seems to be what members can tolerate, is the way to put it.” More simply, lawmakers can’t tolerate competition for their jobs.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.
