The Hawaii Republican Party shed another prominent member Monday as former U.S. Congressman Charles Djou announced he is quitting the GOP, and Councilwoman Kymberly Pine acknowledged she also quietly resigned from the party more than a year ago. Djou, 47, is a former member of the state House, the Honolulu City Council and the U.S. Congress, and has been widely regarded as one of the state’s most electable Republicans.
Djou wrote in a column on the online news site Civil Beat on Monday that the party’s leadership under President Donald Trump is the main reason he left the party. “Sadly today, too many Republicans either applaud Trump’s tirades or greet them with silent acceptance. This leads to an implicit ratification by the GOP of Trump’s undisciplined, uninformed, and unfocused leadership as a core part of the Republican Party. This is something I cannot accept and will not be a part of,” Djou wrote.
Kauai
Terminix fined $168K for misusing pesticides
A commercial pesticide company has been fined nearly $170,000 after a federal agency claimed it misused restricted-use pesticides at four sites on Kauai.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it imposed a $168,535 fine against Terminix International Co. LP for misusing three fumigants: Degesch Fumi-Cel, Profume and Vikane.
The agency said the company failed to follow label instructions and safety precautions before and during the pesticide application.
The violations occurred at DuPont Pioneer in October 2014, Syngenta Seeds in August 2015, Kapaa Shores condominium complex in November 2015 and a Kekaha residence in March 2016.
At DuPont Pioneer and Syngenta Seeds, the agency said Terminix failed to ensure that only certified workers apply a restricted-used pesticide, failed to properly measure the amount of pesticide used and failed to maintain at least two years of routine operations tracking restricted-use pesticide applications.
Similar violations occurred while the company applied pesticides at Kapaa Shores and a Kekaha residence.
