Mahalo for supporting Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

Women Helping Women and the West Maui Task Force would like to extend our most sincere MAHALO to all those who made our fifth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, held on Oct. 1 in Lahaina, another successful event! Thank you to our main sponsors: The Outlets of Maui, Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset, 5A Rent-A-Space, KONI 104.7 FM, “Burn’n Love” and Fred’s Garage, who were instrumental in making it all happen!

Additionally, mahalo nui to the following:

Our prize donors: Aloha Mixed Plate, Captain Jack’s Island Grill, China Bowl Asian Cuisine, Cool Cat Caf, Duke’s Beach House, Hard Rock Caf, Hawaiian Village Coffee, Iron Imu BBQ, Kaanapali Beach Hotel, KOA’s Seaside Grill, Kobe Japanese Steak House, Leoda’s Kitchen & Pie Shop, Maui Jim Sunglasses, Miso Phat Sushi, Napili Kai-Seahouse Restaurant, Pacific Whale Foundation, P. Denise LaCosta Realty, Penne Pasta Caf, Roy’s Kaanapali, Salon Bella Maui, Slappy Cakes, Star Noodle, Sunshine Helicopters, Teddy’s Bigger Burgers, The Fish Market, The Mauian Hotel, The Outlets of Maui, The Plantation House, The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas, Trilogy Excursions, Warren & Annabelle’s Magic and Zensations Spa.

Special contributors: Honolulu Cookie Company, Photos by Hopsing, Pi Artisan Pizzeria, and Sand & Salt Beach Company.

Our special guests: Emcee Joe Hawkins and Darren Lee from “Burn’n Love.”

And, to all participants, including special mention to the walker teams of the Maui Fire Department, Class 32 Recruits, Maui Police Department, Coach Aloha Kaniho and players of the Lahainaluna junior varsity football team, Maui Search & Rescue Unit, and Byron Tabisola of Aloha Air Cargo.

Congratulations to our award recipients:?Largest Donation – two sunset dinner cruise tickets from Pacific Whale Foundation to Martin Roush of Hawaii Water Service Co.;?Most Sponsored Walker – two Kaanapali Snorkel tickets from Trilogy Excursions to Byron Tabisola of Aloha Air Cargo; Best Costume – two-night accommodations from The Mauian to Justin Herrmann; Largest Team – Lahainaluna junior varsity football players, who won individual gift bags with cookies and free fries card; Second Largest Team – Maui Fire Department, Class 32 Recruits, who received individual gift bags of coffee certificates, cookies and pair of flip flops.

Start getting your teams ready now. We want to see you all again next year and invite every man and boy to participate!

WOMEN HELPING WOMEN WEST MAUI TASK FORCE

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Rent prices skyrocketing

It is time that those who represent the working residents of Maui stand up for a rent stabilization measure and to get it into place before the working people of Maui are priced out of decent housing.

We are the voting people who work to support and serve the infrastructure that is the life blood of the community and who serve a primary vacation destination in the world, which no longer has a high or a low season but now has a steady and strong annual tourist-driven economy.

This economy has underpinned the vacation rental and personal investment properties of people whose short-term rental prices drive up area rents, which eliminate affordable places to live for the same working residents upon which this economy depends, and where there are no rent stabilization measures in place.

Right now, the sky is the limit for long-term renters with the receipt of a 45-day notice, and we can have multiple hikes annually.

As an example, and in response to similar circumstances, California instituted measures to address this issue many years ago. The County of Los Angeles responded with a range that is determined annually by the county for rent stabilization. The range is 1.5 to not more than 5 percent, and it is determined annually based on economy in order to address this issue. This at least meets most employers’ cost of living salary increases for its long-term employees.

In West Maui, the reality for the local working people is this: rents at one Lahaina Town property offering studio apartments have risen from $950 per month in 2013 to a towering $1,375 for the same spaces today. Another Lahaina Town apartment building has increased its rents on its one- and two-bedroom units with similarly inflated prices. The one-bedrooms, once in the $1,000 range in 2013, are now in the $1,500 range. Its two-bedrooms, once in the $1,300 range, are now in the $1,700 range.

The California-owned and managed Honokowai apartment community has had comparable large increases on its studios and one-bedrooms. Parking is treated as an extra cost as well, which is another veiled rent increase.

Why should our quality of life be diminished because of those who take advantage of Maui County’s lack of rent controls? How many working people can absorb a 20, 30 or 40 percent rent increase in order to remain in places we have lived for many years to off-island landlords, who receive their rent payments consistently on time from us?

While this is a great opportunity and return for investors who don’t live here, can we be similarly entitled enough to think to even ask or expect such increases of our employers? We think not.

It is time to put a stop to these abuses of convenience and stand up for the people you represent.

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST

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Many reasons not to vote for Trump

Every day, there is some new antagonizing, fiery statement that never fails to amaze. Should there be any fence-sitting voter, kindly take the time to peruse the following memory refresher. I have empathy for the Grand Old Party as D. Trump carries on. The following run is somewhat in a time frame order. 1) The “Birther Issue,” anti-President Obama, pre-presidency and current; 2) The build a wall between U.S. and Mexico; 3) Deport all Mexicans, even those currently going through legal citizenship process and start over out-of-country; 4) Ongoing Rosie O’Donnell insults; 5) Anti-ALL Muslims; 6) Insults Gold Star Parents, comparing his business acumen to their son’s loss of life while fighting for the USA; 7) Degrades hero status of John McCain’s wartime imprisonment; 8) Previously pro-choice for women’s rights, NOW anti-choice; 9) Anti-LGBT; 10) Promotes punishment for anyone who has an abortion, regardless of rape/life-or-death situation; 11) Went against U.S. government and breaks the Cuban Embargo; 12) Filed six bankruptcies/did not pay his employees, despite his extreme wealth; 13) Refuses to release his IRS tax returns; 14) Insults ALL competitors for RNC ticket; 15) Televised sexually explicit disparaging conversation; 16) Pro-Russia/Putin; 17) Encourages Russia to hack into U.S. Internet; 18) Outsources his OWN businesses to workforces in foreign countries; 19) Mocks disabilities (reporter with MS); 20) Trump University sham; 21) Verbally advocates child care for working parents but does not offer child care for his own employees in his hotels/businesses; 22) Pro-NRA, zero control on assault rapid fire military-type weaponry; 23) Anti-press/media; 24) Instigates riots/unrest among his core followers; 25) Rejects ALL accusations of unwanted advances by females in his past; 26) Promotes divisiveness within the Republican Party AND U.S. citizens of different ethnicity; 27) Feels doing business with dictators is great; 28) Wants to repeal ObamaCare rather than fix it; 29) Televised interview quote, “Oh, I love war;” 30) Would remove U.S. from NATO; 31) Incites/welcomes his core supporters to brawl/attack those who disagree/protest at his rallies, offering to pay their fines/litigation; 32) Bragged that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, NYC, and not be arrested because of who he is; 33) His tax plan will negatively affect the lower-middle class while aiding the upper and ultra wealthy; 34) Said maybe the Second Amendment people can do something about her if she gets elected; 35) Wants to instate Stop and Frisk; 36) Stated he LOVES the under-educated (easy to manipulate); 37) Stated that his opponent is probably on drugs; 38) Claims the entire election is rigged; 39) The Ku Klux Klan (aka the KKK) openly supports him; 40) Disparages House Speaker Paul Ryan and all other Republicans for denouncing him; 41) Tells his supporters to bring a gun to their polling places on voting day; and 42) Wants to allow guns in schools.

And finally, if the above has not dissuaded you at all as far as for whom to vote, please follow his request and make sure to show up to vote for Trump, PER TRUMP.

ANIKA LOKE, Lahaina