A quiet election with some big shifts – tidbits from the results

The 2024 General Election may have seemed like a typical, low-key local affair, but it delivered a few surprises that weren’t exactly on anyone’s radar before November 5.

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Financial Strain in Hawaiʻi : The SMS Update and Key Lessons for Local Businesses on Navigating Procurement Challenges

The key question emerging from the shutdown of SMS is whether Hawaiʻi’s government and private entities are helping or harming local firms through their procurement rules and procedures when hiring local firms for consulting and other work. Additionally, it raises the issue of whether the “buy local” philosophy is genuinely supported by these rules.

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From Coast to Coast: How America Is Prepping for November 5

As Election Day approaches, a new mindset emerges across the country—one of readiness overreaction. From Coos Bay to Washington D.C., voters are shifting their focus from fear of the unknown to strategic preparation for the future. Whichever candidate wins, this blogger saw Americans embracing resilience, getting ready to adapt and thrive in the next chapter of our nation’s story.

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Hirono’s 2024 commercial: featuring local roots and national advocacy

Senator Hirono, therefore, is providing a strategic reminder that fierce advocacy can attract resources back home, even if it clashes with the local preference for subtlety. Which, despite our wish that it was not, is a more effective way to get things done in Washington DC.

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DBEDT, HHFDC navigate a smooth transition following SMS collapse

The State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) and the Hawai‘i Housing Finance & Development Corporation (HHFDC) have recently confirmed that the state contracts previously held by SMS Research & Marketing Services, which recently shut down operations, have been transferred to other entities.

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SMS Vanishes: State Contracts in Limbo

So the question now becomes more focused as to the current situation at hand, that a company with a large value, and with their work with Maui and the Lahaina wildfire, high profile studies, that in the matter of a few days, the company has shuttered its doors?

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Race for the 16th President: Meet the Contenders

The University of Hawaii is soon to select its 16th President as David Lassner, who has led the campus for over 10 years, is retiring. Last week the State of Hawaii was told who the candidates are to replace Dr. Lassner.

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