#Linda Lingle

A group of concerned citizens will hold another rally on Maui this Thursday to drum up support for a special legislative session aimed at repealing the state’s furlough Fridays at public schools. The Save Our Schools campaign will be circulating a petition calling for the special session.  Event organizer Liza DeLaRosa Walker called the furloughs […]

Maui Electric Company is requesting a rate increase for Maui County customers in 2010.  The 9.7% increase translates to $28.2 million.  The funds generated are projected for use toward capital improvement projects and increased operating and maintenance costs. If the full request is approved by the PUC, a typical residential home on Maui would see […]

Governor Linda Lingle praised Hawaii’s teachers for ratifying a new contract that will result in 17 unpaid furlough days off, equating to an approximately 8 percent pay cut. Lingle said she realizes it is not what teachers, students, and families had hoped or planned for, “but it reflects the state’s economic and fiscal realities.” “They […]

The Governor and the Hawaii State Teachers Association reached a preliminary settlement in an ongoing discussion of labor negotiations. In a statement released this afternoon, Governor Linda Lingle said, the agreement recognizes the state’s growing budget shortfall and is in the best interest of teachers, students and the general public. She thanked the Department and […]

Governor Linda Lingle has appointed Anita Seyer Wong as the deputy to the chair of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL). Wong has been with DHHL since 2007 handling complex assignments related to restructuring of development financing, legal coordination of housing contracts, as well as overseeing project managers for the department’s Land Development Division. […]

Governor Linda Lingle will hold an emergency meeting with her cabinet directors over the weekend to identify additional spending reductions needed to close the growing budget shortfall.  Today, Lingle said reductions will likely include additional layoffs in order to realize labor savings. The meeting comes on the heels of a reduced revenue forecast that is […]

Governor Linda Lingle is among the people set to testify on Monday on the progress of Hawaii’s spending of federal stimulus funds. More than $1 billion was appropriated for Hawaii in February through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations is being held to gauge the progress […]

Governor Linda Lingle Issued the following statement today as the state prepares for the possible impacts of Hurricane Felicia: “My Cabinet and I have been receiving regular updates, including one today during a Cabinet meeting, from State Civil Defense and the National Weather Service’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center on Hurricane Felicia and Tropical Storm Enrique. […]

State Attorney General Mark Bennett today said the state plans to file an appeal in a case over state worker layoffs. Governor Linda Lingle had sought to implement a furlough plan calling for a three day per month furlough over two years.  The Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA) sought an injunction against the furlough implementation […]

Today was declared USS Hawai’i Day in a Proclamation issued by Governor Linda Lingle.  The announcement welcomes the vessel to the islands.  The warship was named after the island state, reinforcing the strategic role our Hawaii plays in the Pacific. The Proclamation states the following: PROCLAMATION As one of the U.S. Navy’s finest warships, the […]

Governor Linda Lingle today named Craig H. Nakamura to serve as the chief judge of the Hawai’i Intermediate Court of Appeals. Nakamura served as an associate judge on the Intermediate Court of Appeals since April 2004.  If confirmed by the State Senate, he would fill the seat left vacant by former Chief Judge Mark Recktenwald, […]

The group tasked with selecting a site for the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope selected Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, today as its preferred site. Governor Linda Lingle praised the decision by the board of directors of the TMT Observatory Corporation saying, it marks “an extraordinary step forward in the state’s continuing efforts […]

Governor Linda Lingle and U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye exchanged barbs over a notice issued by the governor yesterday, calling for a possible reduction of 1100 jobs. Inouye called the situation unfortunate and voiced his support for the program proposed by labor unions saying it saves money and assures the continuance of state services.  Governor Lingle […]

State Director of Human Resources Development Marie Laderta today notified the United Public Workers and the Hawai’i Government Employees Association of possible reductions in force of more than 1,100 state employees covered by collective bargaining agreements. The issuance of the layoff list comes in accordance with a 90-day notification requirement that must be followed before […]

Governor Linda Lingle has ordered the Hawaii State flag at state and county buildings throughout Hawaii to fly at half-staff on Sunday, July 19, 2009, from sunrise to sunset, in honor of former State Senator Henry T. “Hank” Takitani who died earlier this month. The Governor’s proclamation also encourages residents to display the state flag […]

Kamehameha Schools today announced the appointment of Micah A. Kane as its newest trustee this afternoon (Friday, July 17, 2009).  The appointment was made by Hawaii Probate Judge Colleen Hirai. Kane is a 1987 graduate of Kamehameha Schools and currently serves as the Director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.  His appointment is for […]

Governor Linda Lingle issued the following statement this afternoon (Friday, July 17, 2009): “The State will be sending out consultation letters to the unions Monday morning, listing the names of employees who may be subjected to a reduction in force. “The State believes it was appropriate to first inform the affected employees directly before simply […]

Governor Linda Lingle announced today, a furlough plan for herself and her cabinet. The two day per month furlough goes into effect on August 1, 2009 and is expected to save the state more than $1.2 million annually. The announcement comes after a ruling in circuit court two weeks ago that stopped the Governor from […]

An updated assessment of tax revenues shows the state lost an additional $57 million in FY09-worse than the 9 percent decline projected by the Council on Revenues.    Governor Linda Lingle said she will have to make “tough, realistic decisions to close the budget shortfall.”  She did not specify how many workers would be laid […]

Beginning July 1st, and continuing for the next two years, the governor is implementing three furlough days per month for all state employees.  It’s one part of a three part economic recovery plan that also includes delaying the payment of large bills until July, and scaling back free Medicaid benefits to low-income adults. Lingle said […]