Hawaii jumps one spot to the top of the list this month. Leisure travellers are taking advantage of recent airfare sales to Honolulu, driving hotel demand and increasing rates....

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 The assumption that political and social progress will increasingly marginalize religion has dominated many academic circles. However, data on religious belief and practice in the U.S. and around the world defy that theory.

If the majority of the lawmakers and Hawaiian Electric Co. get their way under Senate Bill 367 — the bill designed to finance an interisland cable — the Oahu ratepayer will be solely responsible for the cost of the project, predicted to cost somewhere between $500 million to $1 billion.

Residents and business owners should report any damage to their property, home or business to Aloha United Way by dialing 2-1-1 (Monday through Friday) or to the State Civil Defense toll free line at 855-211-7456 (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).

For years the Hawaii Republican organization has been controlled by Lingle loyalists—even Lingle herself.  But in 2009 Republican delegates elected Jonah Kaauwai GOP Chair.... 

The Commission on Water Resource Management is extending its nomination period until Wednesday, April 6, 2011.  The original application period (October 17 - November 22, 2010) ended before Governor Neil Abercrombie took office.

SB1078: Specifies that the benefits of the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund are subject to negotiation. Clarifies that a decision of an arbitration panel shall be final.

The Hawaiian Homes Commission gave final approval to a general lease agreement allowing Hawaii DeBartolo LLC to develop 67 acres for the Ka Makana Ali‘i Center in East Kapolei. Under the agreed upon terms, Hawaii DeBartolo will pay more than $140 million in rent, over the course of 65 years, to DHHL for use of the land.

Democrat members of two House Committees voted to gut a bill that would have helped parents buy school supplies for their children and inserted language to legalize gambling in Hawaii.

SB 755, which started as a proposal by Senator Carol Fukunaga to help school-age children, was completely rewritten behind closed doors.  Further, the bill was allowed to pass without the standard 48 hour notice to give the public time to comment on this measure.

Companies purchase hotel rooms from hotels at wholesale rates and sell them at marked up rates to consumers.  The Companies collect amounts sufficient to pay these taxes – based on the retail amount charged to the consumer – from the renters of the hotel rooms, but then fail to remit the full amount owed to Hawai‘i.

This legislation appears unlikely to make it out of committee. There is, however, an effort by a dedicated few to attempt to have the bill waived out of committee and put to a floor vote, so we must remain vigilant....

As defined, the offense of violation of privacy in the first degree involves the installation or use of “any device for observing, recording, amplifying, or broadcasting another person in a stage of undress or sexual activity in that place.” – Attorney General Louie

VIDEO from News Conference....

A long list of bad bills that will take away more of your liberty, freedom and money crossed from both houses of the State Legislature as crossover voting commenced on March 8 and 10.

If anyone could trade protocol for self-interest it's the uber-ambitious Hillary and her rock star hubby Bill. Both would like nothing more than to be back in the White House. And if for a second they smell Obama's vulnerability and a potential defeat by the GOP, don't be surprised if she pulls a McCarthy. It's a longshot, but these days in politics anything can and will happen. I can tell you one thing though: I've spoken to many Democrats who'd drop Obama and vote for Hillary in a heartbeat.

This Sunday, March 27, the NRA's state association, the Hawaii Rifle Association (HRA), will be hosting its annual members meeting at the Kokohead Shooting Complex at the "LIFE" shooting bay (first action shooting bay). 

We've been on defense for a long time and simply preventing bad things from happening is no way to actually turn our great nation in a new direction. Now, we're on offense in Congress. 

For the city of Kapaa in particular, it’s all too telling that a simple search for the phrase “Kapaa alcohol” on Google doesn’t turn up a list of fun bars to hang out at but rather a long list of drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers.

Hawaii residents ... have to pay the equivalent of overnight shipping for the slowest shipping times in the country. On average, an order shipped to Hawaii costs $19.17 and spends 4.57 days in transit.