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Honolulu News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
VOLUME XIII NUMBER 1 JULY 1, 2026
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This is not the whole newspaper, but a special complimentary, on-line edition of the general-interest newsmagazine, Continental Newstime. The rest of the newspaper includes national and world news, newsmaker profiles, commentary/analysis, periodic interviews, travel and entertainment features, a science column, humor, sports, cartoons, comic strips, and puzzles, and averages 26 pages per month. Continental Features/Continental News Service publishes, on a monthly rotational basis, special, complimentary on-line newspapers: Washington DC News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
- Honolulu News Edition of Continental Newstime
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* Congressional News Briefs … Congressman Ed Case, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, reports that Congressional Quarterly has noted that he ranks fourth among 214 House Democrats in securing federal dollars for state, local and community projects. For the 2027 fiscal-year, he gained approval for $18,936,300 in Community Project Funding, but since Community Project Funding was initiated five years ago, he has obtained financial support for $325,809,228 in community-backed programs and activities. Mostly recently, that has included $1.8 million for the City and County of Honolulu’s Chinatown Affordable Housing Project; $772,000 for reversing watershed degradation in the Pu’uloa Estuary (Pearl Harbor) and restoration of its fish ponds; $772,000 for the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement’s advanced cargo screening for Honolulu’s ports; $772,000 for the Honolulu Police Department’s Drone as First Responder Project, with improved response times; $772,000 for the Waikīkī Flood Watch Test Project; $772,000 for the Honolulu Police Department’s Critical Incident (shield-and-barricade) Response Apparatus, designed to address natural and man-made disasters; and $1.9 million, so the Honolulu Fire Department can acquire a helicopter-hoist training simulator and an aviation fuel tender for its fire-fighting aircraft. In addition, the Congressman, commenting on the Native American Entrepreneurial Bill that he has co-sponsored, says, “Statutorily authorizing the Office of Native American Affairs will ensure continued access to federal programs and services that support entrepreneurs from our indigenous peoples across the country and help them launch and grow small businesses, and, in turn, promote economic development in their communities.” Speaking of action on spending by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on which he serves, he explains, ” While the measure funds many critical Hawai’i and Indo-Pacific priorities I requested, I regrettably had to vote against this version because the proposed increase in total defense spending [to nearly $1.5 trillion annually if combined with the proposed Reconciliation Bill], is not accompanied by any substantial Congressional oversight of such massive new spending levels, and comes as the Congressional majority and President Trump propose steep cuts to domestic programs that support working people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.” In turn, Senator Mazie K. Hirono, joined by Mark Pocan and Robert Scott in the House of Representatives and Patty Murray, Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse in the Senate, has introduced the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Bill to almost double the maximum Pell Grant award to $15,000, to index the maximum award to inflation, to expand the award to working students—including “Dreamers”—to restore lifetime eligibility to 18 semesters, and to insulate the program serving more than 7 million students from budget shortfalls, and, the Senator says, “eligibility changes.” Hirono explains, “For thousands of students in Hawaii and millions of students across the country, Pell Grants have helped to make higher education more affordable. But as costs continue to rise, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for students to pursue the college and career opportunities that will allow them to succeed in the future.” Senator Hirono, commenting on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Wolford v. Lopez
that enabled people to bring guns onto private property, accused the Court of undermining Hawaii’s “historically-strong gun-safety laws” and “making our state and our country less safe by expanding the presence of firearms.” She expressed that the “Court exacerbates our nation’s gun-violence crisis,” though she continues to be “committed to working towards the common-sense gun-safety policies our country desperately needs.” Also, the Senator, along with Senators Patty Murray, of Washington, and Lisa Blunt Rochester, of Delaware, among other Members of Congress, have introduced a bicameral Resolution marking the 54th anniversary of Title IX of the 1972 Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination against women and girls. Terming biological males who identify as females “vulnerable students,” Senator Hirono accused the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans of attempting “to weaponize this landmark civil-rights law to harm and exclude” trans-gender women and girls. Arizona’s Adelita Grijalva has introduced the Resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives. On his part, Senator Brian Schatz and Senator Mark Warner have joined with Republican Senator John Curtis to introduce legislation requiring clear labels and disclosures on digital content generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Senator Schatz expounds, “People deserve to know whether the videos, photos, and content they see and read on-line are real or not. Our bill is simple—if any digital content is made by AI, it should be labeled so that people are aware and aren’t fooled or scammed.” Highlighting AI abuses and manipulation of the truth, the Senator mentioned the deepfake images of the President being arrested and the AI-generated photo of an explosion near the Defense Department. What is more, the Senate voted 85-5 to approve the Senator’s Reforming Disaster Recovery Act provision establishing a Housing and Urban Development Department disaster-recovery office and a disaster-recovery fund for the “quick release” of funds in a disaster.
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* State Government News Briefs … Hawaii Governor Josh Green, M.D. informs that, since initiation of a federal investigation of bribery and corruption in the state legislature that led to the conviction of former Senator J. Kalani English, then-Representative Ty Cullen, and businessman Milton Choy, state Attorney-General Anne Lopez has opened another public-corruption investigation. In fact, the probe centers on a federally-disclosed transfer of about $35,000. She adds, “Because the investigation remains active, the [Hawaii] Department [of Justice] cannot comment on specific evidence, investigative steps, witness interviews, subpoenas, notifications, or potential charging decisions” without compromising the integrity of the probe or the rights of individuals involved. She adds that the matter has become “complex.” Also, while Governor Green, is away at the Western Governors’ Annual Meeting in Utah through July 2, Acting Lieutenant Governor Keith Regan will serve as Acting Governor, and at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting Governor Green will succeed to the position of WGA Chair for the next year. The Governor has already announced his agenda as Chair, Health Beyond Healthcare, which entails strengthening mental-health outcomes across the West by addressing clinical care and the wider social and environmental factors influencing health and well-being. In other developments, the Hawaii Department of Health’s Food and Drug Branch informs that MorningStar Farms [800-962-0120] has issued a recall of its Buffalo Chik’n Nuggets (10.5 oz.) and Hot and Spicy Sausage Patties (8.0 oz.) due to the potential presence of plastic pieces that may cause injury or pose a choking hazard. Distributed nation-wide and through Don Quijote, Safeway, and Times Supermarket in Hawaii, the company offers a full refund to consumers in possession of either product who contact MorningStar Farms, and the recalled products should be discarded.
* Local Government News Briefs … Mayor Rick Blangiardi announces that, effective July 1, applications for new personalized license plates on Oahu will be processed entirely on-line, relieving satellite city halls of the responsibility of providing in-person application services and reducing delays for the 40,000-plus motorists who use the license plates. Besides, working with the Waikiki Business Improvement District and JTB Hawai’i, the City’s Department of Facility Maintenance is installing 100 enclosed, cultural vinyl-wrap, trash receptacles to discourage “dumpster diving” and to prevent the eye sore of the littering of public spaces. Meantime, for the safe and effective treatment of wastewater for the Kailua and Windward communities, the Mayor and City Council Member Esther Kia’āina have attended a ground-breaking ceremony for two capital-improvement projects at the Kailua Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. Following an Ultraviolet Disinfection upgrade in 2025, a $23,579,000 rehabilitation is planned of the two biotowers—where micro-organisms break down pollutants prior to discharge—and the associated pump-station wetwell, along with a $61,697,316 construction of a new Dewatering Building for removal of excess water from sludge before disposal or beneficial re-use, renovation of digesters, replacement of sludge pumps, and installation of a new Odor Control System with carbon-treatment technology, once the existing Dewatering Building, together with the Odor Control System, the old Digester Control Building, and Final Clarifier Division Box, are demolished. When the City Council last met on June 3, it considered a Resolution urging the administrations of the State of Hawaii and of the City and County of Honolulu to incorporate into future disaster-response plans the lessons learned from community-initiated, disaster-response efforts to the recent Kona Low storms; took up a Resolution for accepting a $5,000 donation from Pacific Harley Davidson for the Honolulu Ocean Safety Junior Lifeguard Program; planned the first reading of a bill to expand the transit-oriented, development special district to include three additional Skyline rail-transit station areas and to incorporate land-use standards/guidelines, given recommendations of the East Kapolei Neighborhood Plan; and, among other matters, discussed a Resolution for determining the real-property tax rates for the City and County of Honolulu for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Next, on July 8, the Council will conduct a Public Hearing on the Mayor’s disputed exercise of his line-item veto power, in an attempt to restore funding to the Office of Economic Revitalization. The Council observes, “Historical interpretations of the line-item veto allow the Mayor to reduce or eliminate an item, not create or expand funding that does not currently exist in the budget. Nothing in the City Charter appears to permit the use of the veto power to restore funding for OER [Office of Economic Revitalization] after the Council removed it.” Poised to discuss overriding the Mayor’s veto, the Council notes “long-standing concerns with the agency, concerns further supported by a City audit, and … the need to examine accountability, program effectiveness, and whether other city, state, or nonprofit programs may be better positioned to deliver those services. This is not about ending economic development.” Council Chair Tommy Waters asserts, “Our Focus is on …ensuring taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and effectively.”
* School District News Briefs … The Board of Education of the Hawaii Department of Education is scheduled to meet again in a Special Meeting on August 13 to cover Student Achievement Committee business and Finance and Infrastructure Committee business.
* Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, as of 10:53 PM on June 28, are partly cloudy, with a temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 71 percent, northeast wind of 8 miles per hour, barometric pressure of 30.01 inches, a dewpoint of 68 degrees, and visibility of 10 miles. The over-night forecast calls for a 40-percent chance of precipitation. In fact, except for a 20-percent chance of precipitation on June 30 and a 30-percent chance throughout Monday, June 29, a 40-percent chance is expected each day through July 2, with daily high temperatures of either 84 or 85 and over-night low temperatures of 78 or 79 degrees.
* Sports … The University of Hawaii-Manoa announces that, on August 9, the Women’s Soccer Team is scheduled to play an exhibition match at Pukalani, Maui against Seattle University at 4 PM, and on August 13, the team is set to play Texas Tech at Waipahu, Oahu at 7 PM. The Rainbow Warriors’ first football game of the season is against Stanford and on August 29, and the team will be on the road for a 1 PM (Hawaii Time) game. Later that day at 4 PM, the Women’s Soccer team is set to play Hawaii Pacific at Waipahu, Oahu.
Travelers Checks by Ann Hattes
Some Tips for Packing [submitted by consumers in a contest sponsored by Samsonite]
1. Always mix family members’ clothing in each suitcase, just in case a suitcase gets lost.
2. Pack a soft 26-inch suitcase inside a 28-inch one, so when you start shopping, you can take the bags apart and have one to hold clothes, the other to fill with purchases made on a vacation, or pamphlets and papers from a business trip.
3. Take along a heating coil and packets of coffee, soup or tea, so you won’t have to worry about room service being unavailable or requiring a long wait.
4. Make a list of everything you plan to pack at least a week before your trip. This way everything will be clean and ready to go.
5. If you are traveling with a spouse, pack toiletries together to avoid duplication (pack only one toothpaste, shaving cream, etc.)
6. Wear your heavier clothes while traveling, instead of packing them.
7. Plastic bubble sheets, rolled up and placed into jacket sleeves and layered between clothing, prevent wrinkles. On the way home, use the bubbles to pack breakables.
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One of the questions Ralph Nader is yet to answer about his book, “Let’s Start the Revolution”:
“Can that ‘left/right coalition’ you mention hang together once formed on certain issues when one side fails to rein in its desire to initiate new spending programs and the other side objects that it’s their money that is to be spent?”
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* Proverbs (chapter 28/verse 22): “He that hastes to be rich has an evil eye, and considers not that poverty shall come upon him.” hastes=hurries.
[A timely warning against get-rich-quick schemes]
A free copy of the Etna, California News Edition of Continental Newstime [dated August 14, 2020] containing the newspaper feature of outdoor writer Lee Snyder is also available by
E-mail request to info@continentalnewsservice.com
*Free
Marion, Montana News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
VOLUME I NUMBER 1 AUGUST 17, 2022
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This is not the whole newspaper, but a special complimentary, on-line edition of the general-interest, periodic newsmagazine, Continental Newstime. The rest of the newspaper includes national and world news, newsmaker profiles, commentary/analysis, periodic interviews, travel and entertainment features, an intermittent science column, humor, sports, cartoons, comic strips, and puzzles, and averages 26 pages per month. Continental Features/Continental News Service publishes, on a monthly rotational basis, special, complimentary on-line newspapers: Washington DC News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
Marion, Montana News Edition of Continental Newstime
Editor-in-Chief: Gary P. Salamone
Continental Features/Continental News Service
501 W. Broadway, Plaza A, PMB# 265
San Diego, CA 92101
(858) 492-8696
E-mail: info@continentalnewsservice.com
* Congressional News Briefs … Marion’s agent in the U.S. House of Representatives, Matt Rosendale, decided he was not going to sugar-coat House Bill 5376. While House Democrats said they were acting to pass the “Inflation Reduction Act,” the Congressman contended that legislation increasing the size of government, raising taxes on hard-working Americans and spending billions of taxpayer dollars on the Left’s Green New Deal was actually an “Inflation Acceleration Act” and he cast a vote against the bill. Warning that the spending would “cripple our nation’s budget,” he noted that the legislation “will also raise an army of 87,000 IRS agents to squeeze more taxes out of already-hurting American families. With frivolous spending and an enlarged, aggressive IRS, the only climate that will be changing over the next year will be the economic climate, and it will get worse.” He offered this solution: “To reduce inflation, Congress must freeze spending, a concept the Left does not understand. Reining in federal spending and reducing taxes to lower inflation will reaffirm confidence in those investing in our economy.” On his part, Senator Steve Daines, commenting on the $739-billion, so-called Inflation Reduction Act of President Joseph Biden and Senate Democrats that he opposed, asserted that Senate Democrats voted against Daines’ amendment to eliminate policies that would increase costs on Made in Montana energy and other amendments that would render the bill “less painful for Montanans.” He characterized, as “supersizing the IRS,’ the plan to hire more than 80,000 Internal Revenue Service agents “to audit small and medium-size businesses and assert control over the lives and finances of Montanans.” He termed a subsidy for “rich people” the provision to offer $7,500 tax credits to individuals making up to $150,000, so they can purchase expensive electric vehicles. Considering the bill “a slap in the face of Montana families,” the Senator added, “The Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spend bill is bad for Montana families, bad for Montana energy jobs and bad for Montanans’ pocketbooks.” Working with Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono, Senator Daines has introduced bipartisan legislation, known as the BABES (Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening) Enhancement Act, to require the Transportation Security Administration to clarify and update guidance, every five years, on handling breast milk, baby formula, and other related nutrition products based on consultation with leading maternal-health experts. Calling the legislation a “Bill to Support Montana Moms,” Daines informs that companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives, and the measure is endorsed by such organizations as the March of Dimes and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Senator Jon Tester, in turn, as the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, announces that the $792.1-billion Defense Appropriations Bill earmarks almost $182 million for Montana priorities, saying, “This legislation will keep America safe by investing in Malmstrom Air Force Base, giving our troops a well-deserved pay raise [4.6 percent], ensuring our servicemen and women are well-equipped with the most up-to-date technology, and shifting resources towards programs that’ll maintain our fighting edge over adversaries like China and Russia.” For example, over in Columbia Falls, uAvionix is due to receive $7 million to develop Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System communications. In addition, he reports that, for Montana, the American Rescue Plan Act means $266 million to deliver high-speed Internet to rural areas of the state, something that is “one of the biggest keys to success for Montana’s students, families, and small businesses.”
* State Government News Briefs … Governor Greg Gianforte has expressed the view that the Montana Supreme Court, after upholding a district-court order temporarily blocking three pro-life bills he signed into law—the Court should not delay bringing into line its 1999 ruling in Armstrong v. State with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision finding that there is no constitutional right to abortion and that the states are entitled to restrict abortion. In other developments, the state legislature has highlighted a recent report by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology that acknowledges findings of the Department of Environmental Quality that the ingestion of too much manganese through drinking water may be harmful, at the same time the Bureau notes that the mineral, naturally present in many common foods, is essential for proper nutrition and that too little may be harmful, as well. Some research shows that adults and children drinking water with high manganese concentrations for sustained periods may suffer from memory and attention problems and motor-skill deficits. But, since most Montanans tap groundwater supplies for their drinking water, they mainly avoid high levels of manganese. Those that do not? The Bureau’s Ground Water Assessment Program reports that 7 percent of the water samples it tested exceeded the recommended health-standard limit for
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adults and children older than 6 years of age. Checking 3,858 water samples from across the state, the Bureau gives assurance that manganese concentrations were low and safe for 85 percent of the well samples it analyzed and that lower concentrations were recorded in samples from western Montana aquifers; higher concentrations, in the eastern part of the state. Specifically, certain aquifers near Flathead Lake, north and west of Great Falls, and in the Missouri River Valley yielded more samples with elevated manganese concentrations. The Safe Drinking Water Act categorizes manganese as a secondary water contaminant, like iron, pH and sulfate, meaning it is safe to drink, but may damage water equipment and transmit an unpleasant odor and taste. The state legislature reports that 380 Montana schools, to date, have tested water fixtures for the primary water contaminant, lead and are implementing remedies for contaminated fixtures.
* County Government News Briefs … The Flathead County Board of Commissioners [Brad W. Abell, Pamela Holmquist, and Randy Brodehl], at its last meeting on August 11, considered six different lakeshore permits, including one at McGregor Lake, one at Flathead Lake, and another at Whitefish Lake; conferred with Erik Mack, of the Planning & Zoning Office, who reported an uptick in zoning violations; discussed giving authorization to publish a Notice of Public Hearing on Road Abandonment concerning an unnamed portion of road off Highway 93 West; took up the matter of authorization to publish a Call for Bids for the estimated $120,000 Fall, 2022 Pavement Striping Project; was due to hear from Liz Wood, of Mountain Climber Transit, on ridership increases, and from Ashley Cummins, Director of the County Library, who reported approximately 1,000 daily patron visits system-wide and who provided an update on the Library Board vacancy; planned to meet with Sheriff Brian Heino; and, among other County business, was tasked to sign a Behavioral Health Hospital Provider Agreement with Logan Health.
* School District News Briefs … The Marion Elementary School District, with the library closed during the summer due to remodeling, plans a Back to School Kick Off Event on September 1, with school starting on September 6. Earlier this month, the District posted a notice that it was hiring for full-time teaching positions in physical education and in the sixth-grade classroom. The School Board is scheduled to meet again on September 12. Meantime, in the Kalispell Public Schools District, Flathead High School announces that classes resume either on August 31 or September 1, depending on the grade level.
* Sports … The Flathead High School Boys Varsity Football Team is set to play Skyview on August 27 at 7 PM and is due to visit Gallatin on September 2 for a 7 PM kickoff.
* Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions 17 miles west-southwest of Kalispell, as of 3:15 PM on August 17, are sunny, with a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 15 percent, barometric pressure of 29.95 inches, visibility of 10 miles, wind out of the south-southeast at 3 miles per hour, and a dewpoint of 36 degrees. The over-night forecast calls for clear skies, northeast wind of 3 to 5 miles per hour and a low temperature of about 55 degrees. Tomorrow, look for sunny skies, with a daily high temperature of about 91 degrees, calm wind becoming east-northeast wind of about 6 miles per hour in the morning. Thursday night, expect mostly-clear skies, with a low temperature of about 56 degrees and northeast wind of 3 to 6 miles per hour.
* Community Calendar … August 19—Pachyderm Meeting of Flathead County Republicans (12 Noon-1 PM) at the Eagles (37 First Street W, Kalispell); August 27—Pheasants Forever Chapter #138 Banquet (5 PM-9 PM), at the Fairgrounds; September 16/17—Quilt Show, at the Fairgrounds; September 17—Glacier Rabbit Show, at the Fairgrounds; September 30—Kalispell Ski Swap, at the Fairgrounds.
Dry Tortugas [Reprinted and Updated] by Lee Snyder
Named “Las Tortugas” (the turtles) by 16th-century Spanish explorers who found the harmless reptiles nesting on its shores, the Dry Tortugas is a collection of several sandy spits and tree-dotted islands. Fort Jefferson, once famous as a 19th-century “American Devil’s Island,” remains one of the world’s largest brick structures. The red brick fort is most famous as the jail where Dr. Mudd was held after treating Lincoln’s assassin for a broken leg.
Fort Jeff, past National Monument, is now part of Dry Tortugas National Park, which, together with the water and island reefs, is one of this nation’s most remote and unique units of our National Park system. While sharks are still occasionally found swimming in the moat, tourists are more likely seen snorkeling around the fort’s outer boundary viewing a dazzling array of fish, coral and sponges. Today, the Coast Guard’s close scrutiny of increasing public pressure allows visitors to see what underwater Florida is supposed to be. Divers claim the park waters are the liveliest anywhere in the state. “Little Africa,” an unspoiled section of coral reef near Loggerhead Key, the largest island in the chain, boasts expanses of staghorn and elkhorn coral more like those found in Caribbean than in Florida waters.
Nearly 27,000 people—mostly fishermen, yachtsmen, and divers—visit the park by boat each year.
But, for a six-week period, the bulk of the visitors attend for another reason. Spring in the Tortugas is definitely a birdwatcher’s delight. Florida’s peninsular shape is like an appendage reaching out into the ocean. Its islands are the first safety offered travelers crossing the Gulf of Mexico…. The “funneling effect” allows for close inspections of the birds in their most colorful breeding plumage—an opportunity that draws enthusiastic birders from all over the world….On any given spring day in the Tortugas, birders with four, five and six hundred birds on their lists are found. Listers with seven and eight hundred on their lists are usually there as guides, having visited the islands years before. But, even so, an errant species from South America, the Bahamas or Cuba could fly by adding to all lists.
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