HB900: Lawyers for Abused Foster Kids?
'Severe Housing Problems' Drag Down Hawaii Health Rankings
DoE Tries to Spin Latest Batch of Failing Test Scores
What happens When UH Hires a Disbarred Ex-Con as Law Professor?
Trump Executive Order Mandates School Choice for Military Families
Taxpayers Buy State Rep Poepoe an Oceanfront 300ac
MN: … Nearly 300 acres of land on Molokaʻi, including a traditional fishpond, have been … uh … ‘preserved from development’ after they were acquired by the nonprofit Kūpeke Ahupua‘a earlier this month….
Kūpeke Ahupua‘a had been trying to raise funds to buy the fishpond since it went on the market for $2 million in August. Thanks to donations, (TPL and your taxpayer dollars) it bought the land on the island’s east end for $1.5 million in a sale that closed Jan. 15.
LINK: Listing "This listing includes approximately 300 acres from the mountain to the ocean comprised of 12 separate TMKs. There is a home built in the 1920s on one of the waterfront parcels and a utility shed. One of the TMKs includes the Kupeke fishpond. There is a public water meter on one of the 12 parcels."
Poepoe said the nonprofit made the purchase not just for itself but so “everybody could rest assured that this would be held in conservation and preservation.” …
(TRANSLATION: It’s ours. No trespassing. Keep out.)
“we actually pulled it off” – Lori Buchanan, sister of Walter Ritte
“The goal is not to make it a place where people can fish ….” -- La’a Poepoe, husband of Rep Poepoe.
(TRANSLATION: The first thing they announce is that traditional Hawaiian cultural practices are banned on this property. L'etat c'est moi. LOL!)
The purchase covers 12 parcels, including the 33.8-acre fishpond valued at $83,000. The largest parcel in the listing is 253.8 acres, valued at $421,900, according to Maui County property tax records. Both are owned by Namahana Buchanan Estate, Buena Ventura Properties and Clifton Steward; several other parcels are owned by the family of the late Stanwood Buchanan Formes.
For years, Formes had (allegedly) allowed Lori Buchanan (Walter Ritte’s sister and Deputy Campaign Chair) and her husband, who is a descendant of Namahana Buchanan but not an heir to the estate, to look after the fishpond. It was a task they entrusted to Poepoe, whose father trained him in lawai‘a, traditional fishing practices.
(Sure whateva.)
The Buchanans had hoped (uh-huh) Formes would sell them the fishpond eventually (yeah), but before they could strike a deal, he died in 2018. Members of his family reached an agreement in 2019 that included asking the court to appoint a special master to sell all of the remaining real property in Hawai’i, according to court documents.
(REALITY: Take advantage of an elderly man as he was dying? This is a very common scheme in Hawaii. Ask Sen Kurt Fevella. It didn’t quite work out, so plan B was to take advantage of taxpayers.)
Kūpeke Ahupua‘a — which includes the Buchanans, Poepoe and his wife Mahina Poepoe, a state representative, and Kawehi Soares, a cultural practitioner — was eager to purchase and protect the land.
Poepoe said they started working with the nonprofit Trust for Public Land to apply for government funding. They put in an application to the Legacy Lands Conservation Commission and hosted a site visit at the fishpond for the commission. …
(TRANSLATION: Your tax dollars bought Rep Poepoe a 300ac oceanfront estate.)
Lori Buchanan, who serves as an advisory resource to the Kūpeke Ahupua‘a board, said it won’t sink in until she can put her feet into the sand of the fishpond. On Moloka’i, about 55,000 acres, or roughly a third of the island, is owned by a foreign company that has been trying to sell the land since 2017 at a price of $260 million. Community members have been trying to raise the funds on their own to buy it.
“That is always hurtful, I think, to our community when as Hawaiians and as local people, we see foreign investment come in and purchase up, because it changes the landscape and it impacts culture to its core,” Buchanan said.
“And so right now, it hasn’t sunk in that we actually pulled it off. … Little baby steps like this, where we are able to set aside lands in perpetuity from development and foreign ownership is the goal. And it’s so awesome.”
(TRANSLATION: Next I want you to buy me Molokai Ranch.)
MEANWHILE: ‘Community Based Energy’: $27.5M in GEMS for Hawaii Democratic Party Officials, Maui Councilmember
read … ‘Feels like a miracle’: Moloka‘i nonprofit purchases fishpond, 300 acres for preservation : Maui Now
Mitsunaga Money Laundering Convict Wesley Segawa confirmed 6-3 as director of Hawaiʻi County’s Department of Environmental Management – immediately identifies ‘contract’ opportunities
BIN: … During public testimony, community members opposing Wesley Segawa’s appointment mentioned legal action taken against the civil engineer 20 years ago.
In 2004, Segawa was charged with money laundering, a class C felony, and contributing money to Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris’ campaign under false names while in the position of chairman for the state’s public housing agency.
(CLUE: Segawa is a cousin of Dennis Mitsunaga.)
According to a Dec. 28, 2004, article published by the Honolulu Advertiser, Segawa contributed more than $60,000 to the Harris campaign from 1998 to 2000, donating money under names of friends and relatives. The campaign limit was $4,000.
“This is a problem, guys,” one testifier stated to the council. “You’re supposed to represent us and look out for this kind of behavior. He does seem like a pleasant man and I wish him well, but this does feel inappropriate.”
Segawa told the council: “I made a foolish and painful mistake over 20 years ago. The court granted me my plea of no contest, and I fulfilled all my legal and financial obligations with the court order.”
(REALITY: He was Chief of the State HCDC and funneled contacts to Mitsunaga and others in exchange for kickbacks. He only got caught because of the Feds.)
Segawa’s record has since been expunged….
(Wow. Now you know who else the expungements are for.)
Alameda said Segawa has provided good insight and already identified three places where pumps could rupture at the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant in Keaukaha, which could result in a massive sewage spill.
Alameda told the council he is drafting an emergency proclamation to Gov. Josh Green so the county can move quickly to fix problems at the plant. He plans to get that request to the governor’s desk next week.
(Non-bid emergency contracts are a great opportunity for kickbacks. Bring an envelope. Here’s how it worked in the 1990s and 2000s.)
Segawa’s confirmation vote was delayed from last week over concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest with his engineering consulting firm Wesley R. Segawa and Associates and Project Management Inc., which have existing contracts with the county, and his lack of experience involving wastewater.
Segawa told the council Friday that he’s taken steps to comply with the county’s Board of Ethics and has removed his companies from the Department of Environmental Management’s project eligibility lists.
(IQ Test: Are you impressed by this?)
Before Alameda took office, Segawa’s consulting firm was awarded a $4.4 million contract in June 2024 for construction management services for the reconstruction of lava-inundated road projects, county officials confirmed earlier this month.
His company Project Management Inc. has two pending construction management contracts with the Office of Housing and Community Development for phase one of Kukuiola, a 16-unit homeless shelter in Kona for potentially $40,000, and construction of Kamakoa Nui Mini Loop Road in Waikōloa. The cost of the road project has not been negotiated.
County officials say these contracts, which started during the last administration, have not been executed.
Segawa said he’s prepared a petition to the Board of Ethics for appropriate action regarding the projects….
HTH: Questions raised about DEM pick, but ultimately Segawa is approved by council
read … Segawa confirmed 6-3 as director of Hawaiʻi County’s Department of Environmental Management : Big Island Now
Lahaina housing: Former tenants eager to return, daunted by four-year wait
MN: … Former residents of the Lahaina Surf and Front Street Apartments — destroyed in the August 2023 wildfires — cheered when they were reassured that both affordable housing complexes would be rebuilt and that they, as residents at the time of the fires, would be given priority to return to redeveloped homes.
Then they heard Hale Mahaolu’s project timeline: public engagement launched Wednesday evening at the Lahainaluna High School; permit applications in December of this year; construction starting sometime in 2026; and completion around June of 2029.
The four-year wait brought a few moments of silence.
Hale Mahaolu Executive Director Anders Lyons told at least 120 people that he knows that sounds like a long time, “but believe me that’s as accelerated as we can get.”
Meanwhile time is running out for wildfire survivors. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s temporary housing assistance ends Feb. 10, 2026. Losing housing assistance then would put many survivors, economically speaking, “between the devil and the deep blue sea”: making too much money for assistance from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, but not enough for market-priced rental housing.
Can't Wait Four Years? Green Announces Plan: Fly 3,000 Lahaina Survivors to Mainland
read … Lahaina housing: Former tenants eager to return, daunted by four-year wait
‘Resident preference’ housing bill unanimously OK’d
SA: … Legislation that seeks a “resident preference” for those who participate in city-run housing programs received Honolulu City Council approval this week.
Without discussion, the Council voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt Bill 19, meant to ensure the preference for city residents who participate in “various housing programs offered by the city” be offered that preference “to the extent allowed by law.”
As defined by the bill, a “city resident” is “any individual who has a stated intent to reside or be domiciled in the city.”…
Bill 19: Text, Status
read … ‘Resident preference’ housing bill unanimously OK’d | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
HB1308: Online sports betting in Hawaii moves ahead in state House
HNN: … The House Committee on Economic Development and Technology voiced unanimous support, including Republican Minority Leader Lauren Matsumoto, who said she changed her vote from no to yes, with reservations.
“I just want to make sure were looking at the guardrails that we put in the regulations we put in as we move forward,” she said.
It’s a little early to place a bet that the bill will get all the way through. It still faces review by two more House committees, the full Senate and the Governor before it becomes law….
Rep. Daniel Holt, a Kalihi Democrat, has proposed several gaming bills over the years, but Hawaii remains one of only two states with no legal gaming allowed….
The bill was supported by labor. Cody Sula spoke for the Iron Workers Stabilization Fund….
At Friday’s hearing, no one opposed HB 1308 in person….
read … Online sports betting in Hawaii moves ahead in state House
HB790/SB589: Reach in Your Pocket to Pay More Solar Subsidies
IM: … Two bills (SB 589 and HB 790) were introduced in the 2025 Hawai`i legislative session to increase the rate at which residential solar electricity is sold to the utility….
read … How Valuable is More Daytime Solar Electricity
Easy Pander: Honolulu Council opposes landfills over Oahu’s aquifer
SA: … Translation: Just keep using Waimanalo Gulch, as intended from the start of this Kabuki play ….
read … Honolulu Council opposes landfills over Oahu’s aquifer | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Grim memories resurface after DNA advances lead to arrest of suspect in Hawaii teen’s 1977 murder
AP: … Former Hawaii lawmaker Suzanne Chun Oakland remembers arriving at school one morning in 1977 to an eerie buzz.
She had met up with girlfriends as usual before class at Honolulu's McKinley High School when she learned a student named Dawn Momohara had been found dead on the second floor of a school building.
“I don’t know how we got word of it, but everything spread really quickly,” Chun Oakland said.
Chun Oakland didn't know Momohara, who was 16, but the unsolved death has haunted her and other McKinley students and staff for nearly half a century. That was until last week, when police used advances in DNA technology to arrest a 66-year-old resident of a Utah nursing home.
The suspect, former McKinley student Gideon Castro, appeared in court via video on Friday from a hospital bed in the medical wing of a Utah jail. Castro told the judge he wanted to hire his own attorney and was ordered to return virtually to Salt Lake County District Court for an initial appearance on Wednesday …
read … Grim memories resurface after DNA advances lead to arrest of suspect in Hawaii teen’s 1977 murder
Federal prosecutors sue to get Miske’s $25M in assets after criminal case upended by his death
HNN: … The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Honolulu is now using the civil court process to try and seize high value items from crime boss Michael Miske’s estate.
The forfeiture process would have been easy for the government since he was found guilty on 13 counts including racketeering, murder and conspiracy, but Miske died from an overdose of fentanyl before he was sentenced.
Miske’s attorneys have asked the court to toss the criminal case citing a legal doctrine that would dismiss the verdicts because he was not sentenced and didn’t have a chance to appeal.
Retired federal public defender Alexander Silvert said the civil lawsuit is the only way to push forward if federal prosecutors want to seize the homes in Portlock, Kailua, and Hawaii Kai….
read … Federal prosecutors sue to get Miske’s $25M in assets after criminal case upended by his death
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