The Conversation

Today on The Conversation, we rebroadcast an ealier show where we talk about how best to protect your family treasures. What's the best way to preserve your antiques, heirlooms and treasures through the years?

Joining us today are:

• Kent Severson, Conservator of Collections at the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture and Design in Kahala. He specializes in treatment stone, ceramics and metals.

In a rebroadcast of an earlier show, we highlight some of the best practices when it comes to protecting, preserving or restoring our family treasures.

To digitize, or not to digitize? Got paper, pictures or - egads! - video tape?

You might not  know where to turn, so we bring together people with the expertise to help guide you in the right direction.

It is a staggering statistic. Suicide is the leading cause of deaths in the island.

Mental illness stares us in the face as we walk or drive by the homeless on our streets and touches us when we learn of that someone we know has lost a loved one to suicide.

Today’s show is a rebroadcast where we focused on this very important issue. Several counties held events in May, which is Mental Health Month to raise awareness.

Today we rebroadcast a show about the challenges involved with getting that little gold star on your drivers license.

You may need a certified marriage certificate to show why your name changed, or do you get your mail at a Post office box? That adds another wrinkle to getting the documents you may need.  We invited the counties and the state health department’s keeper of records to come to our table and be available to answer your questions. We found out that there are some differences across the counties.

Today we share a rebroadcast of our vaccines show. To vaccinate? Or not. Here in Hawaii, recently compiled numbers show what school communities are at risk for measles, as several charter school campuses have large numbers of exemptions for the mandatory vaccinations.

Our guests are:

• Dr Sarah Park, Epidemiologist for the State Health Department,

• Yvonne Lau, Chief Operations Officer at the Hawaii Public Charter School Commission,

Palau Pledge; Genki Balls; Doctor Shortage; Japanese Internment Documentary

800,000 federal workers around the country are about to miss a paycheck as the partial government shutdown prepares to enter its fourth week. Many are in positions vital to public safety and national security, and have been forced to work without pay. With no end in sight, local workers are nearing the end of their financial resources.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie wants to bring the VA into the 21st Century. Secretary Wilkie told Hawaii Public Radio that he wants to modernize the VA’s aging computer systems that deal with everything from hospital administration to college tuition payments. The department was recently in the spotlight for underpaying veterans using the G.I. Bill.

In December of 2018, officials from 22 states met in Hawaii for a meeting of the Western Governor’s Association. Hawaii Governor David Ige hosted the gathering in Kona which was focused on the impacts of invasive species. Invasions from ecologically alien plants and animals are contributing to environmental and economic degredation around the world. In many ways Hawaii is ground zero for the fight against invasive species. This series explores the problem and what can be done to limit the damage.

It’s no secret that Hawaii’s roads are in poor condition. A recent study by TRIP, by a national Transportation research group, ranked Honolulu’s roads and highways as 5th worst in the nation. But with sky high vehicle registration fees, why are our roads still in such bad shape? Our panel explores the state of Hawaii’s roads and offers some explanations and solutions.

Across the islands, residents and visitors are dealing with the effects of Hurricane Lane. Fire and rain have forced evacuations across the Big Island and Maui overnight. Tourists are scrambling as airlines have canceled some flights. There are pockets of power outages across various islands due to the gusty winds even though the Hurricane has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm. Hurricane Lane’s advance has slowed to 2 miles an hour.

Hawaii saw its first hurricane of the season skirt us by last week.

But the focus on preparedness drew our attention to a new app, Harmany, that was born out of two storms in the Atlantic. Harvey and Irma. Adam Huminski and Brian Hilinksi wanted to create something to help link evacuees and hosts during a disaster. They flagged the new app they created to us last week as Hawaii watched the 

Copyright Controversy, Hiroshima Peace Ceremony, Plastics & Greenhouse Gases, Portfolio Project

JANUS Decision, Super PAC Spending, Monk Seal Pup, Wave Glider Drone

The eruption at Kilauea has been disrupting life in Puna for almost 3 months. At present, over 700 homes have been destroyed. Many more have been abandoned due to unsafe conditions and lack of access.

Some residents have been receiving payouts from their homeowners insurance to cover the damage. But others are not so lucky. One Big Island couple is suing their insurer over the company's lack of response.

For the past year, all eyes have been on a rare plant high up in the Waianae mountains; its growth has been live-streamed 24/7.

Six months after the infamous false missile alert, Francine Wai of the Disability and Communication Access board joins us to discuss the efforts to improve communications with members of the disabled community during disasters.

Our housing crisis weighs heavy across the state. This morning, Eric Gill, leader of the Hotel workers, joined us to talk about how Marriott Hotel may be warming to the idea of helping its employees through a housing trust fund.

 The growing problem of people bringing their pets into clinics and dentist offices, grocery stores restaurants, shopping malls and even movie theaters has struck a nerve. Enough so that a new law will kick in that carries fines for trying to pass their pets as legitimate service animals.

Intro Music: Let's Go To Tahiti by J. J. Cale

Outro Music: Fram by Rodrigo y Gabriela

The Honolulu City Council says parking is the number one complaint across the island in all the districts. That is why councilmember Carol Fukunaga has cracked down with a bill that regulates commercial vehicles in residential neighborhoods.

Intro Music: Feels Good by Chuck Mangione

Outro Music: Wildflowers by Made In Heights

We talked to Lisa Laughner, CEO and co-founder of Go Electric, a company that provides microgrid systems to commercial, industrial, and military customers in Hawaii and on the mainland.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell discusses Lime Bike’s entrance into the market and the city’s response. Since the city issued its cease and desist order, Lime has hired Glenna Wong’s Public Relations company to help navigate further negotiations.

A six-month moratorium on sand mining on Maui expires today. Lance Collin is an attorney who represents the community group Malama Kakanilua, which seeks to stop sand mining and development on Hawaiian burial grounds.

In response to April’s flash floods, Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho instituted emergency measures that included a ban on vacation rentals. Now the mayor is considering lifting the ban to address the housing crisis in the wake of the floods.

A lawsuit filed by tenants of a Lahaina affordable housing project has become a bellwether case for the future of affordable housing in Hawaii. Victor Geminiani, an attorney with Lawyers for Equal Justice, is representing some of the plaintiffs in the case.

Heather Lusk is the Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Health & Harm Reduction Center, created from a merger of the Life Foundation and the Community Health Outreach Work (CHOW) Project, that seeks to provide services and combat the stigma of HIV/AIDS in Hawai'i.

Tonight Hawaii Emergency Management officials will be in Maui for an open house meeting. They are winding up a series of meetings to get feedback on a draft plan to help make us more resilient as a state in the event of a natural disaster. We spoke with HI-EMA’s David Kennard about this latest effort.