November 2022 Newsletter

Welcome to AAJA Hawai‘i’s monthly newsletter! Here, you’ll find chapter updates, upcoming events, member bylines and more.

If you have a story or career update you want to share with our AAJA family, let us know at hawaii@aaja.org!

Chapter Updates

Join us at our Nov. 17 pau hana at Village Bottle Shop & Tasting Room (outdoor patio)! We’ll be there from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Parking is available at SALT Kaka‘ako and costs $3 for every 30 minutes. Per Village’s rules, attendees under 21 are allowed until 8 p.m.

Let us know if you can attend: tinyurl.com/4n9rtas5. Deadline to RSVP is 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 10.

We’re pleased to announce our 2023 leadership:
President: Noelle Fujii-Oride
Treasurer: Casey Harlow
Board member: Diane Lee
Board member: Cassie Ordonio
These members will join Wes Nakama, our national board representative, in serving the chapter next year. Thank you to all who participated in our elections!

Member News

Welcome new Hawai‘i member Thomas Heaton of Honolulu Civil Beat! We’re so happy to have you join us.

Member Bylines

Public schools show academic progress, but state education ‘at a critical juncture’
Hawai‘i Public Radio’s Casey Harlow reports on the state education department’s newly released Strive HI Performance data for the 2021-22 school year. “Overall, the latest report shows year-over-year progress in language arts, math and science proficiency. Aptitude in English language arts rose two percentage points to 52%. Math proficiency increased by six points to 38%. Meanwhile, science competency saw a five-point boost to 40%”

Game: How Long Does It Take To Get A Permit From Honolulu?
Honolulu Civil Beat’s April Estrellon built a game to allow players to step into the shoes of a DPP permit applicant and gain a sense of the challenges and choices that appear throughout the process.

Ripple Obtains Long-Sought Documents of Former SEC Official Who Declared Ethereum Not a Security
Decrypt’s Ryan Ozawa reports on the latest update in a high-profile legal battle between Ripple and the Securities and Exchange Commission over the SEC’s assertion that XRP was illegally sold as an unregistered security. “The documents revolve around former SEC director William Hinman and a much-publicized speech he delivered in 2018 declaring that Ethereum—like Bitcoin—was “sufficiently decentralized” and thus not subject to federal securities regulation.”

Report: Mandatory mediation saved hundreds of tenants from eviction
Hawai‘i Public Radio’s Jason Ubay reports on a pandemic mediation program that has kept tenants in housing better than mediation alone. “The study found that 87% of Act 57 cases resulted in settlement. That’s compared to 47% of pre-COVID summary possession mediations, and 52% of summary possession mediations during COVID.”

US Supreme Court’s Decision Not To Hear American Samoa Citizenship Case Gets Mixed Reaction
Honolulu Civil Beat’s Anita Hofscheider reports on the high court’s decision to not hear a case that sought to challenge the lack of birthright citizenship in American Samoa and overturn racist legal precedents that have been used to justify different treatment for residents of U.S. territories compared with those in U.S. states.

Child Care Is a Labor of Love (Translation: It Doesn’t Pay a Living Wage)
Hawaii Business Magazine’s Noelle Fujii-Oride reports on how the median wage for local child care workers is only $13.79 an hour. “For years, advocates both inside and outside the child care field have called for higher pay and greater support for Hawai‘i’s child care workers. This past session at the state Legislature, they unsuccessfully pushed for the creation of a pilot program to increase child care wages and for general funds to pay stipends to UH students interested in early education careers.”

Local Job Openings

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawai‘i’s largest daily newspaper, is hiring for a reporter with several years of daily newspaper experience to join its Local News Desk. This reporter/writer will have the ability to develop daily stories, as well as in-depth topics on longer-range projects. An ability to recognize important developments, navigate government bureaucracy and embrace real people will be essential. More information here.

KHON2 is seeking a news anchor/reporter who will serve as the primary presenter of news stories and other content for all platforms. Minimum five years’ experience in news reporting or anchoring required. More information here.

Hawaii News Now is hiring for an assignment editor with sound news judgment, refined communication skills and excellent time management. This position will oversee newsgathering and plan evening news coverage across multiple platforms. More information here

Other Updates

Applications are open for The New York Times’ Local Investigations Fellowship. The fellows will spend a year, paid by The Times, to produce signature investigative work focused on their state or region that will be published by The Times. More information here.

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