Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding

[leilanidude]

I lived MANY YEARS on the island without ever leaving it

As did I; guess what, it doesn't count.

Agreed with the exception that HiloJulie tried to make a point related to where one is at any given time.

The Florida and Texas tax situations are very advantageous vs Hawaii, although I do have to pay some Hawaii State income tax.

[HiloJulie]

Agreed with the exception that HiloJulie tried to make a point related to where one is at any given time.

The Florida and Texas tax situations are very advantageous vs Hawaii, although I do have to pay some Hawaii State income tax.

So, in other words, you reap the "benefits" but let the REAL Hawaii taxpayers pay for it.

Sounds about right.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

After the Lahaina fire, a woman who lost her job in the visitor industry was able to find funding for a non profit that planted trees above Lahaina town.  She organized volunteers who worked without pay replanting the burned out landscape, hopefully to prevent another catastrophe - which cost $5 billion.  Much more than her salary.  She lost her funding due to slash and burn federal chainsaw cuts but people with more intelligence than money saw the value of her efforts, and many of them are individually donating enough to keep her project going.

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/03/07...e-tragedy/

[HiloJulie]

Thanks for posting this HOTPE.

So sad and unfortunate that our "chainsaw" political world has been turned into the equivalent of a roller coaster ride with Sybil at the switch.

To further clarify, in as much as the Maui wildfires have cost around 5 plus BILLION in DIRECT costs of damage it has been estimated that the economic loss to Hawaii is around an additional 4 to 6 BILLION with a now estimated total cost impact to be around 12 BILLION.

[Obie]

Sorry, not a slash and burn chainsaw at all.
You guys really need to do more research.

The program was scheduled to end on September 30th 2025 but ended early due to mismanagement. Is that better, Julie ???

"The CEO of Maui Economic Opportunity acknowledged the nonprofit had trouble getting its arms around the federal program, created in the months following the August 2023 fires. She enrolled too many people too rapidly, she said, fell behind in billing the government and failed to make a key budget adjustment."

[leilanidude]

Obie, you won't ever have the last word from the wicked witch of Puna.

Maybe she should start her own thread titled:

HiloJulie's last word on everything - try to beat her at the game!

[HiloJulie]

Sorry, not a slash and burn chainsaw at all.
You guys really need to do more research.

The program was scheduled to end on September 30th 2025 but ran out of money early.

"The CEO of Maui Economic Opportunity acknowledged the nonprofit had trouble getting its arms around the federal program, created in the months following the August 2023 fires. She enrolled too many people too rapidly, she said, fell behind in billing the government and failed to make a key budget adjustment."

Yes, YOU should do more research.

The funding cut was NOT due to the fund running out of money. It was just cut off, and yes, admittedly the poor bookkeeping aspect of the MEC had a lot to do with that decision, but the reality of the original funding appropriated, which was done so “conditionally,” only 50% of it was actually spent.

https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/12/maui-f...-troubles/

“According to U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson Monica Vereen, the state was “conditionally approved” in 2023 for a $21 million grant to fund the program and has so far received $10.5 million of that award — $6.8 million of which had been paid out to Cabebe’s nonprofit through October.”

So, once again, you post your opinion so confidently as fact!

Obie, you won't ever have the last word from the wicked witch of Puna.

Maybe she should start her own thread titled:

HiloJulie's last word on everything - try to beat her at the game!

Thank you for such an informative post, that in as much as it has nothing to do with the threads subject or anything to do with Hawaii and is in complete violation PunaWeb's rules about making personal attacks, it shows beyond any doubt what it is you really are!

Good Job L-Dude! I hope you’re taking your daily influx of Vitamin A!

Now, do you have ANY comment of the impacts of these federal cuts on Puna, Hilo, the Big Island and Hawaii, or are you just here to show off your 12-year-old boy mentality?

Maybe even post a made up "fact?'

ETA: Your mention of starting a new thread got me to thinking.

Bill Maher occasionally does a skit on his HBO Real Time Show entitled "I Don't Know It For A Fact... I Just Know It's True!"

I'm thinking you and Obie could get together and start a new thread with that title.

Now, admittedly, there may be a copyright issue with Bill in using that title, but the good news is that I have contacts with some key people over at Bill Maher Productions, the production company that owns the rights to the Bill Maher show, and I am quite sure I could negotiate a very good deal for letting you and Obie use that title.

My bet is that with you and Obie running the "I Don't Know It For A Fact... I Just Know It's True!" thread it would be quite a hit!

[Obie]

. She enrolled too many people too rapidly, she said, fell behind in billing the government and failed to make a key budget adjustment."

I guess you are calling this lady a liar. I read her statement and posted it here as a fact, you of course are entitled to your incorrect opinion.

[HiloJulie]

. She enrolled too many people too rapidly, she said, fell behind in billing the government and failed to make a key budget adjustment."

I guess you are calling this lady a liar. I read her statement and posted it here as a fact, you of course are entitled to your incorrect opinion.

I'm not calling anyone a liar.

The funding was simply cut off. It was not due to the fund running out of money.

As the sourced news story stated:

"In an emailed statement, a state official said the revision was part of an ongoing process of reassessing the grant after 70% of it was spent."

“These adjustments do not signify a reduction in funding but rather an appropriate reflection of the evolving circumstances,” wrote Maricar Pilotin-Freitas, administrator of the state labor department’s workforce development division, which manages the U.S. Department of Labor grant."

Further, as I stated, the shoddy poor bookkeeping aspect of MEC did not help matters.

---

I will say that I think I can understand your confusion in the matter.

As this news story reports:

Funding cut, layoffs impact Maui recovery

"On Monday, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations informed Maui Economic Opportunity, which administers the grant on Maui, that it did not have enough funds to cover MEO’s January payment request for reimbursement and that continued funding through the U.S. Department of Labor remained uncertain."

However, that is solely because of, as the same linked news article states:

"This week’s abrupt freeze of the National Dislocated Worker Grant due to federal funding cuts has local leaders scrambling to help some 131 displaced workers who had been employed in wildfire recovery operations."

So, yes, a person could say the fund ran out of money. But that's not the reality, or the fact of the matter. It's because the Federal Government cut off the funding to the State, who happen to be the guys who write the checks.

[MyManao]

Julieweb is just one giant Bicker Board now. Hate, anger, and long winded histrionic posts ad nauseam...

No kidding, eh? Kinda makes it hard to participate anymore.. all you get is Julie in your face all day everyday. Seriously, if you don't want to talk with Julie don't post. (It's amazing she has so little of a life she can be here 24/7 posting gibberish.. give her a topic and away she goes..)

I think Rob, if not putting some kind of posting limit on her, should charge her rent. Change the name of the site, ditch thee ol' Punaweb lava flow logo, and let her put whatever kine branding up there she wants.. for a fee. A big fee. Charge the chic an arm and leg.. by the word.. the letter.. he'd make out like a bandit. That way at least something positive would come of it all..

It's sad when you look at the few people left willing to put up with the nonsense.. Bravo P'Tang, Leilanidude, Obie, Edge.. such fortitude. Puna deserves better. Especially when we have the pre-Julie days of Punaweb to remember.. I mean, come on, the TomK PaulW shit show was nothing compared to this waste of bytes..

Sheesh we could go back further.. can you imagine Julie telling Pam Lamont how to run her affairs? How to mind her Ps and Qs?