Kauai Home Sales

*****Kauai Real Estate And Local News Update*****

New listings are down a little from the previous weeks while the number of closed transactions remains about the same.  The Poipu Beach Estate lots here on the South Shore are closing escrow so if you see land sales with “0” days on the market this is why.  These lots range from 6000 square feet to over an acre and are in the VDA area, if you would like more information on these give me a call.  For now here is an excel spreadsheet on what was listed and what sold last week CLICK HERE     

*****Lawsuit Against Grove Farm Owner Steve Case Dismissed*****

A lawsuit brought by former shareholders of Grove Farm relating to AOL’s Steve Cases acquisition was dismissed by the Federal Court on Wednesday.  The U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Jones said that Steve Case, founder of AOL, had not engaged in federal security improprieties.  The former shareholders were stating that Case and his companies got confidential inside information to purchase all of Grove Farm shares.  Their suit was filed in 2005 and they were seeking damages of $2.5 billion, after fifty witnesses testified in a month long trial the verdict was the claimants failed to prove their claims.  There had been another suit filed in recent years and was dismissed and a third lawsuit had gone to trial but the jury decided against the plaintiffs.  Two other lawsuits were consolidated in the 5^th Circuit Court on Wednesday and that case is going to be heard in June of 2010.

 *****Inappropriate Emails Gets Tourism Executive Into Deep Water*****

 Alphonso Braggs, president of the Hawaii branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is not happy with Rex Johnson, Hawaii’s top tourism executive.  Mr. Johnson was using his state’s computer to forward X-rated movie clips, slideshows and photographs via email, this discovery being made by a state auditor.  Mr. Johnson was reprimanded and had a pay cut along with his four year contract being reduced to 1 year.  The latest batch of emails that were sent by Johnson to friends using the same computer were racial and political jokes which Governor Linda Lingle says goes directly against what Hawaii stands for and who we are as a people.  While these emails were not written by Rex Johnson they were forwarded by him and civil rights groups are demanding his resignation.  The email “jokes” were involving colored people, Obama and women.  The Hawaii Tourism Authority is under unusual scrutiny now that the tourism industry needs a boost prompting a rededication of this branch to market Hawaii as a vacation destination.   

 *****Illegal Kennel Has Sad Ending For Dogs*****

Last Tuesday night the Kauai Humane Society received the call about the demise of a dog in an illegal dog kennel in Kekaha.  The property is owned by Amfac Development Corporation and the kennel is located on a parcel of land that is currently unrented and was there illegally.  So why did this situation get so out of hand?  An eviction plan was going to be discussed in October between Amfac and the Kauai agricultural division after 2 eviction notices left on the kennel door was torn down and the dogs remained.  Historical agreements going back to the Kekaha sugar days allows people certain access to property for kenneling of animals and in the past this area had been used as a piggery and was home to goats.  The remaining dogs have been removed by the Kauai Humane Society and the kennel operator will be charged.

 *****Burial Law Was Not Followed*****

The California man who is building a home in Ha’ena is back in the news.  A group of citizens have filed lawsuits and have done demonstrations protesting the house building on the site of ancient Hawaiian burials.  Judge Watanabe ruled that the builder can keep building provided that doing so causes no irreparable damage to the burials and that there’s clear access to them.  The attorney for the builder said he’s not an architect and will speak with his client before commenting on what those restrictions mean for the current construction plans which call for the body of the house to be 8 to 8 ½ feet above ground.

*****Kauai Gets Out And Votes!*****On Saturday Kauaians turned out and voted in our primaries.  With the unfortunate passing of our former Mayor, Bryan Babtiste, there was an added election for the position of Mayor to serve for the remaining two years of Babtistes term.  Bernard Carvalho, a Kauai born native, received 39.9% of the vote and former Mayor JoAnn Yukimura received 29.9%, JoAnn Yukimura was Mayor during hurricane Iniki.  Both will now proceed to our November 4^th election.  All of the incumbent Council members who ran received enough votes run on November 4^th along with 9 newcomers. 

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