February 26, 2014
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Announces VA Home Loans for Hawai'i Island Residents
An updated policy will now allow veterans on the island of Hawai'i to purchase homes served by rainwater catchments. Through the combined effort of Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Health (DOH), loans will now be available to Hawai'i Island veterans looking to purchase a home. The change in policy also affects the families of veterans and those looking to refinance the homes they already own. Previously, rainwater catchment systems were deemed unfit for domestic use by the DOH, which in turn kept veterans and their families from being able to access their benefits.View full article
January 30, 2014
$1.5million released for Manuka Natural Area Reserve
Gov. Neil Abercrombie today announced the release $1,500,000 for the Manuka Natural Area Reserve on Hawaii Island. These funds will be used towards the construction of an ungulate-proof boundary fence aimed to protect approximately 24,000 acres of watershed, dry forest, and many critically endangered plants and animals.View full article
January 24, 2014
Governor Appoints Richard Creagan to State House
From the office of Governor Neil Abercrombie:
Jan. 10, 2014
HONOLULU - Gov. Neil Abercrombie today announced the appointment of Richard P. Creagan, M.D. to the state House of Representatives for Hawaii's Fifth Representative District, a seat recently left vacant by the resignation of Rep. Denny Coffman. The appointment is effective immediately and for the balance of the term.
"Richard's diverse experience as a physician, researcher, farmer, Peace Corps volunteer and educator will contribute greatly to his service to the people of Hawaii," Gov. Abercrombie said. "I look forward to working with Richard as a member of Hawaii's House of Representatives."
Dr. Creagan first came to Hawaii in 1966 and trained for the Peace Corps on Molokai for two months. He then served as a Health Care Worker in the Marshall Islands for two years. He speaks fluent Marshallese. A resident of Naalehu on Hawaii Island, Dr. Creagan is vice-president of Kiolakaa Mountain Farms, which he founded in 1994 with his wife, Marilyn, who works as a labor and delivery nurse at Kona Community Hospital.
As a residency trained and board certified emergency physician, Dr. Creagan worked for 10 years in California prior to moving to Hawaii full-time 23 years ago. Since then, he has worked in the Emergency Department and served as vice-chief of staff at Kona Community Hospital, worked as a Hawaii Department of Health bioterrorism preparedness epidemiologic investigator monitoring disease outbreaks, and helped found and run Hualalai Urgent Care.
Before his medical career, Dr. Creagan was a student and human genetics researcher at Yale University and the University of Connecticut Medical Center. He later helped found and run San Francisco-based AGRI, a firm which focused on animal vaccines and human blood products. The start-up company was eventually bought after five years, which facilitated his move to Hawaii.
As an educator, Dr. Creagan has assisted in teaching junior scientists at Yale and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer, seventh and eighth grade math and science in Pittsburgh, and tutored students in English at Naalehu Elementary School.
Dr. Creagan graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in biology and then with an M.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He recently returned to school and earned a Certificate in Plant Tissue Culture in 2005 and a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2009 from the University of Hawaii at Hilo.View full article