Hot Topics for Wednesday, July 23^rd, 2008

The Honolulu Mayoral race is set. Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi has filed to run for mayor. She will be joined by UH Professor Panos Prevedorous and Incumbent Mayor Mufi Hanneman and others.  Many of you called supporting Ann Kobayashi.

Laura Thielan from the Department of Land and Natural Resources joined Rick in the studio for “Talk Story” with Hawaii’s leaders, the KHVH hosted Statewide broadcast. Numerous questions and concerns were answered by Laura.

Should the state bail out the hotel industry? Tourism is Hawaii’s number one industry and at a low point. The airline industry had a few casualties and the state was chided for not stepping in. This raises the question once again, should the state bail out businesses? Shouldn’t the businesses fend for themselves and cut operating costs?

Richard Cricchio from HELP U Sell realty joined Rick in the studio to discuss the real estate market.  They covered mortgage interest rates and the result of the government’s bail out of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Hot Topics  for Tuesday, July 22^nd, 2008

Should we drill for oil domestically? Techonlogy has advanced to where the amount of land needed is minimal in comparison to years past? Would you support this? Will the possibility of domestic drilling lower oil prices?

The  presidential  election has taken a back seat in the headlines. Oil prices and the economy is consistently on the  front page. The election is a little over 100 days away. Are we up to speed on the candidates’ plans for America?

Mike Majchrowitz from Fox News joined Rick via telephone to talk about the election and Barack Obama’s trip to the middle east. Is there a media bias favoring Obama?

City Councilman Charles Djou joined Rick in the studio for their weekly segment. They discussed Charles’ initiative to put the rail issue on the ballot. They also covered the pro-raill ad campaign. The city’s budget was also brought up for discussion.

A Florida missing child case is a  haunting reminder of the case of “Peter Boy” Kema.  Where is “Peter Boy”? Can authorities do more? The  last news story on this case was a recap over 3 years ago. Where does the Big Island police stand on this?

Hot Topics for Friday, July 18^th, 2008

Happy Aloha Friday!

The Department of Education has announced cuts. Among the cuts, may be the Junior Varsity sports programs at a number of schools. Why are the students being penalized? Are there other positions or budgets that could be cut in lieu of J.V. sports?

A 10 ton whale carcass has finally been removed. The stench from the whale lingered almost a 1/4^th of a mile away. Could this have been avoided? The carcass was spotted over 20 days ago. Can you think of a worse job to have than to clean up this mess?

Online Dating? Have you tried it? Does it work? Darren called in and said that he met his wife online and that another family member got married after meeting someone online as well.  Craigslist.org has become a popular spot for personal ads.

The U.S. Army has announced plans to shoot live pigs and treat their wounds and treat their gunshot wounds in a medical trauma exercise for soldiers headed to Iraq.
The Army says it's critical to saving the lives of wounded soldiers. Animal-rights activists call the training cruel and outdated.  Do you think there is a viable alternative to this practice?