I slept late this a.m., getting up barely in time to get the trash out for the usual 5:30 pickup. Now I’ve got a kitten trying to climb my legs with those sharp little kitten claws, while the big cats circle for food and sunrise looms. It looks like an abbreviated appearance here.

This update on Ka Leo, the campus newspaper at UH Manoa, came in yesterday:

Thanks for all the blog entries and continual pressuring. It helped strengthen our case for the Web site. The censorship sentence in the contract has been omitted, and everything’s as good as it can be with our site provider, College Publisher.

Our new site includes breaking news capabilities (top right), a surf report for students, a better search field, a tabbed content feature in the middle, polls, podcast capabilities, blogs, photo slideshows, video capabilties and even online portfolios for each staff reporter/photographer that will automatically track their stories, photos and videos.

Please check it out. I can also send you a copy of our newly redesigned print version if you’d give me a mailing address.

Mahalo,
—
Matthew K. Ing
Editor in Chief
Ka Leo O Hawaii

So Ka Leo is back and looking good! Congratulations to those involved.

A bipartisan State House task force charged with coming up with recommendations for a new internal ethics process met again yesterday afternoon. I happened to stop through the capitol and saw the notice, so stayed around to see what progress they’ve made.

The task force, chaired by Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell, received invited testimony by State Ethics Commission Executive Director Dan Mollway, and also decided on other mainland ethics experts who will be asked for advice.

The U.S. Senate ethics rules are being examined as a possible model to lift provisions from. Mollway suggested that in addition to having concurrent jurisdiction over matters covered by the existing state ethics code (Chapter 84 HRS), a House ethics committee could also review behaviors of House members that raise red flags both in performance of their legislative duties and in their private lives. The common concern, Mollway said, is to respond to behaviors that “diminish the stature of public officials” in the eyes of the public and therefore reduce public respect for the Legislature.

House Republicans have made four specific suggestions, including the possible addition of a public member to the committee in order to avoid possible deadlocks caused by party line votes. Mollway initially supported the idea but appeared lukewarm yesterday, saying that after further thought he believes it may be best for the House to take responsibility for managing its own affairs. A number of good questions were raised, indicating that Caldwell and Majority Floor Leader Blake Oshiro are taking the job very seriously.

Two meetings in September were scheduled, so there’s more to come before they get to the nitty-gritty task of drafting specific rules and procedures.

And I noticed that former Star-Bulletin star webmaster Blaine Fergerstrom has landed safely again, this time as Media Production Specialist & Webmaster for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Sounds like a good match. Those lucky buggahs at OHA had better appreciate and make full use of his many talents!