Connect with us

Hawaii

‘Booming’ construction helps buoy Hawaii’s economy as tourism lags – The Garden Island

Published

on

‘Booming’ construction helps buoy Hawaii’s economy as tourism lags – The Garden Island






Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hawaii

Service members occupy nearly 14% of Oahu rentals, Pentagon says – West Hawaii Today

Published

on

Service members occupy nearly 14% of Oahu rentals, Pentagon says – West Hawaii Today


A new Pentagon report on military housing in Hawaii found that nearly 14% of residential rentals on Oahu are occupied by service members and their families.

The annual defense spending bill passed by Congress contained provisions requiring the secretary of defense to conduct a review of the military’s housing needs and their effects on the local housing market and to provide a report to the House Committee on Armed Services.

The Pentagon’s response was a short, eight-page report. Its executive summary succinctly declares that the report, which cost $76,000, “responds to these provisions.”

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (D- Hawaii), who sits on the Armed Services Committee and authored the provisions requesting the report, was underwhelmed.

Advertisement

“This uninspired report from the Department of Defense confirms what we all knew: that the military has a major impact on our housing supply and the availability of housing that our kama‘aina and families can afford,” she said in a news release Friday. “If the military is going to be a real partner to Hawai‘i and a good neighbor in our communities, then it’s high time to step up, get creative, and deliver real solutions and investments towards the biggest challenge affecting our people.”

There are roughly 48,500 active-duty service members and reservists stationed in Hawaii. While many of Hawaii’s political and business leaders have touted their presence and spending as a boost to the local economy, their influence on the housing market has at times been a subject of fierce debate.

Military housing allowances in some cases give service members and their families an advantage in looking for housing, which some have charged contribute to high rents as local families struggle with rising costs of living.

In 2011, the RAND Corp. prepared a report for the Pentagon on the impact of military spending on Hawaii’s economy and found that while most military housing in Hawaii comprises privatized on-base units, roughly half of active-duty members live off base and typically rent their housing.

The Pentagon’s latest report says that 60% of service members stationed on Oahu today reside on military installations. The report cites 2023 American Community Survey estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau that found that of the 105,868 occupied, private rental units on Oahu, the military estimates that 14,700 are occupied by active-­duty service members.

Advertisement

It also found that 2,150 service members own homes on the island.

The report says the Defense Department acknowledges that the size of the active-duty military component of Oahu’s private rental market — 13.86% — “is not negligible,” but also adds “it is difficult to calculate the comprehensive impact on housing supply and rental prices, without accounting for other, potentially confounding factors.” Those factors include the economic incentives of short-term rentals or “the many intangible benefits of military families living in the community, (i.e., all the ramifications of having two largely separated communities).”

According to a cost-benefit analysis in the report, it would cost the military $10.8 billion to build the 13,614 government-owned housing units needed to house 100% of service members in Hawaii on a military installation, not including infrastructure such as roads and electricity to support those homes.

Additionally, the military would have to increase maintenance costs by $170 million annually and utility costs by $90 million, without adjusting for inflation.

Alternatively, the report estimates that if the Defense Department were to turn to privatized military housing for troops currently renting off base, it would require approximately $3.6 billion in additional government equity under the minimum government equity requirements for privatized housing.

Advertisement

In a one-sentence conclusion, the report states the department is committed to working with the state and congressional defense committees to ensure service members and military families have access “to livable communities that provide healthy, functional, and reliable housing now and in the future.”

Not enough, Tokuda said.

“When I requested this report, I expected that the Department would do so with fidelity and come to the table with tangible ideas for these shared challenges,” she said. “This report failed to do that. We must hold the Department accountable to the shared responsibility they have to address our housing crisis and deliver real solutions for our people.”

Military spending and construction has continued to grow in Hawaii as the Pentagon shifts its attention to the Pacific, considered to now be the military’s top priority theater of operations amid tensions with China.

U.S. Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii), who sits on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said in a statement that the data in the report “clearly heightens the importance” of efforts over the years by Hawaii’s congressional delegation to ensure more military housing on base and fewer service members in the local housing rental market.

Advertisement

But Case also highlighted a report finding that one challenge facing both active-­duty service members and nonmilitary residents seeking rental housing on Oahu is that “many private landlords prefer to offer their homes as short-term vacation rentals, thereby decreasing the supply of rental units available to the community.”

“I believe that the continued allowance of widespread short-term vacation rentals and continued inability to fully target illegal vacation rentals, significantly reducing the available supply of private rental units for local residents, is far more of a factor in high housing prices than current servicemember participation in our rental market,” he said.





Source link

Continue Reading

Hawaii

MySpace Tom makes rare appearance on mainland after selling his company for $580M and fleeing to Hawaii

Published

on

MySpace Tom makes rare appearance on mainland after selling his company for 0M and fleeing to Hawaii


Tom Anderson, famously known as ‘Tom from MySpace,’ once the default friend on every Myspace profile, is now living a relaxed but adventurous life out of the limelight.

In the early 2000s, MySpace revolutionized social networking, enabling millions to craft online identities, connect with friends and share life updates. 

Co-founded in 2003 by Anderson and Chris DeWolfe, the platform experienced meteoric success. 

With substantial investments from VantagePoint and Redpoint fueling its growth, MySpace was eventually sold to News Corp in 2005 for an impressive $580 million. 

Advertisement

Anderson retired from MySpace in 2009. By 2010, he was no longer the default friend on the platform, replaced by a profile called ‘Today On MySpace,’ or ‘T.O.M.’ 

These days, Anderson resides in Hawaii, where he’s fully embraced a life of leisure and exploration. 

Recently spotted at Costa Mesa Country Club in Southern California, Anderson was all smiles, wearing a butterfly-patterned shirt and baseball cap while enjoying a casual outing with his dog.

Post-Myspace, Anderson has become an avid traveler and photographer, sharing images from breathtaking destinations like the Maldives and the Philippines.  His love for photography, along with interests in surfing, architecture and design, shines through his social media profiles. 

Advertisement

Recently spotted at Costa Mesa Country Club in Southern California, Tom Anderson was all smiles, wearing a butterfly-patterned shirt and baseball cap while enjoying a casual outing with his dog

Anderson, better known as MySpace Tom, is now enjoying a relaxed lifestyle far removed from the tech-world

Anderson, better known as MySpace Tom, is now enjoying a relaxed lifestyle far removed from the tech-world

Anderson sold MySpace to NewsCorp for $580 million in 2005 and retired in 2009

Anderson sold MySpace to NewsCorp for $580 million in 2005 and retired in 2009

His bio on X (formerly Twitter) encapsulates his current lifestyle: ‘Enjoying the good life / New Hobbies: Surfing, Architecture-Design, Photography, Golf.’  

While he maintains a relatively low profile, his occasional social media posts offer glimpses into his life, from cheeky commentary to updates on his hobbies. 

Advertisement

In 2021, he jokingly commented on the state of social media with a playful tweet featuring a photo of then-President Donald Trump, joking about gaining a new friend on MySpace.

Financially secure, with an estimated net worth of $60 million, Anderson continues to explore opportunities beyond his MySpace legacy. 

He’s reportedly dabbled in real estate and expressed excitement about a potential SpaceX investment, though details remain unverified.

Anderson’s beachfront Honolulu condo, spanning 2,492 square feet with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, is valued at approximately $3.7 million, according to Redfin.

For someone whose image is most associated with a grainy profile picture from MySpace, Anderson’s evolution into capturing breathtaking, National Geographic-style landscapes is a remarkable shift.

Advertisement

His journey into photography began at Burning Man in 2011, a festival known for its challenging, dusty environment. 

Anderson co-founded MySpace in 2003 by Anderson and Chris DeWolfe, the platform experienced meteoric success

Anderson co-founded MySpace in 2003 by Anderson and Chris DeWolfe, the platform experienced meteoric success

These days, Anderson resides in Hawaii, where he's fully embraced a life of leisure and exploration. His apartment is pictured.

These days, Anderson resides in Hawaii, where he’s fully embraced a life of leisure and exploration. His apartment is pictured.

Despite the conditions, Anderson captured images that sparked his passion for the art. 

Encouraged by his friend and mentor, photographer Trey Ratcliff, Anderson developed his skills rapidly, even describing himself as ‘kind of blown away’ by his early work in a 2012 interview with photography blog PetaPixel.

Advertisement

After stepping away from MySpace in 2009, Anderson explored various endeavors, including a cameo in an Adam Sandler movie and an attempt to develop a baseball team in Las Vegas. 

However, his transformative experience at Burning Man 2011 marked the beginning of his photography journey. 

Free from financial constraints, he dedicated himself to traveling the world, capturing landscapes from Thailand’s lantern festival in Chiang Mai to lightning storms over the Grand Canyon. 

Anderson told ABC News in 2014 that his photography process combines patience and creativity. 

He said he carefully waits for the perfect lighting and composition in natural settings, but he also enhances his images during post-processing. 

Advertisement

‘The less the camera is able to capture what you’re seeing in a scene, the more editing it needs,’ Anderson said. ‘I’m not necessarily trying to represent nature exactly. I’m trying to make something beautiful like a painter would.’ 

Anderson said he first fell in love with photography while he was at Burning Man in 2011

Anderson said he first fell in love with photography while he was at Burning Man in 2011

A picture Anderson took while hiking on Kauai in Hawaii

A picture Anderson took while hiking on Kauai in Hawaii

Despite his success, Anderson acknowledges his shyness, particularly when it comes to photographing people. 

His landscapes occasionally feature unplanned human elements, but he said portraits or photojournalism aren’t his focus. 

Advertisement

As a key figure in shaping the Internet during the 2000s and a photographer himself, Anderson views the rise of photo-sharing apps and the democratization of photography as a positive development.

‘I think people are feeling more artistic and creative with something like Instagram that makes editing easy. That’s a good thing for sure,’ Anderson said. ‘I meet so many people that are interested in trying photography and I think any boost to one’s creative life is a boon.’ 

Ironically, Anderson’s Instagram handle, @myspacetom, a nod to the persona he created for himself on his platform.

When it comes to returning to the tech world, Anderson said at the time that he was open-minded but not actively interested. 

‘Many people really seem to want that from me. On the one hand it’s flattering,’ Anderson said. 

Advertisement

‘I’ll never say never, because more than anything I like the idea that anything can happen. I don’t know exactly where my life will lead. Adventure and the unknown has always been appealing to me.’

A picture taken by Anderson of Manila, Philippines

A picture taken by Anderson of Manila, Philippines

Last September, Anderson shared a previously unseen direct message exchange with late rapper Mac Miller, sent just days before his untimely death. 

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Anderson revealed the messages with the caption: ‘I never shared this anyone before… @MacMiller asked me to be in a video to be filmed Sep 7, the day he died. Remembering Mac @MacMillerMemoir who passed today in 2018.’

The screenshot showed Miller reaching out to Anderson, inviting him to make a cameo in an upcoming music video.

Advertisement

‘We are shooting a video on September 5-8, and if you made a cameo it would be amazing,’ Miller wrote. 

Anderson replied, ‘Haha – what’s the concept?’ to which Miller explained, ‘just teleporting to a bunch of different locations, and different people are in each one.’

On September 7, 2018, at just 26, Miller died of an accidental overdose at his Los Angeles home. Miller rose to fame in 2011 with Blue Slide Park, the first independent album in over a decade to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Hawaii

‘Exploring Taiwan’: Stephanie Lum traces Hawaii and Taiwan’s shared history

Published

on

‘Exploring Taiwan’: Stephanie Lum traces Hawaii and Taiwan’s shared history


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – This week Stephanie Lum kicks off an exciting Hawaii News Now series “Exploring Taiwan”.

Lum traveled to Taipei as part of an East-West Center and Ming Chuan University journalism fellowship.

In her week-long series, she traces Hawaii and Taiwan’s shared history that dates back thousands of years.

Lum takes us to the village of one of 16 recognized indigenous tribes in the district of Pingtung where Kamehameha Schools students strengthened friendships.

Advertisement

In the city of Taipei, Lum talked with residents and officials about the constant threats from China and shows us Taiwan’s so-called “Silicon Valley” for insight into the island’s dominant microchip industry, incredible ability to withstand catastrophic earthquakes, and ambitious path to renewable energy.

Join us this week for “Exploring Taiwan” with Stephanie Lum on Hawaii News Now at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on KHNL and KGMB.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending