Federal Court Upholds Hawaiʻi’s firearm age restriction laws
Racism Is Common In Hawaiʻi Schools — And Often Goes Unaddressed
CB: … In a dramatic difference from the rest of the United States, white students surveyed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2023 are far more likely to experience racism in Hawaiʻi schools, according to the survey, with roughly 47% of white students in the islands reporting unfair treatment compared to the national average of 17%.
More than half of Black students surveyed here said they’d faced racism in schools — the highest of any student groups in the state, though other ethnicities were not far behind.
The online survey results are no longer available because they were taken down from the CDC's website earlier this month to comply with orders from the Trump administration. ….
read … Racism Is Common In Hawaiʻi Schools — And Often Goes Unaddressed - Honolulu Civil Beat
ACLU Cites 'Pattern Of Violence' After Murder At Oʻahu Jail--demands mass release of criminals so they can inflict the ‘pattern of violence’ on us
CB: … The ACLU of Hawaiʻi is demanding “swift action” to deal with violence in the state correctional system after an inmate at the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center was killed in an assault by a cellmate.
Eric Scotton’s death early Wednesday appears to be the third homicide in the Hawaiʻi prison system in the past year, an unusually large number for any single year.
According to two sources, Scotton, 33, was being held with two other inmates in a cell designed for one or two inmates in a portion of the jail that is used to house mentally ill prisoners.
The sources who have knowledge of the incident also said Scotton’s alleged attacker was a sentenced felon. That is unusual because inmates who are convicted and sentenced for felonies are generally housed in prisons. …
read … ACLU Cites 'Pattern Of Violence' After Murder At Oʻahu Jail - Honolulu Civil Beat
With massive flooding in Kīhei wreaking havoc every winter, community wonders: When will things change?
MN: … Sometime around 2 a.m. on Jan. 31, Mike Conners received a text from a frantic friend in a nearby unit of the Kīhei Kai Oceanfront Condominiums that she’d just heard a big crack as rain and floodwaters raged around them.
Within 20 minutes, a portion of the 16-unit building sank about 5 feet, trapping one couple. They were forced to cut out a screen window and climb to safety with the help of a condo employee, said Conners, president of the owners’ association.
Maui County says while it is following a master drainage plan, South Maui’s wetland origins make it inherently vulnerable to flooding. But residents and environmental scientists say more concrete action needs to be taken, and more quickly.
“The amount of damage that we saw last year and this year is really hitting home to people the power of this water,” said Robin Knox, lead scientist of the Save the Wetlands Hui. “And things that we have done with our land management and built environment have caused the situation to be worse.”
The strong winter storm that passed through the islands on the night of Jan. 30 brought heavy showers to Maui County, where the 10.17 inches of rain that fell in the Upcountry town of Kula over a 24-hour period were the most of any other location in the state. It knocked out power for thousands of people, closed beach parks, broke water lines in Kīhei and Kula, and forced the closure of South Kīhei Road as crews cleared mud and debris that made it impassable in places.
Residents have come to expect this every winter. In January 2024, South Kīhei Road was closed for emergency repairs after flooding undermined and destroyed part of the roadway. In January 2023, muddy floodwaters inundated Kīhei and a young firefighter died after getting swept into a storm drain. In December 2021, a powerful Kona low wrought so much damage that both the state and county issued emergency declarations….
Maui County’s Kīhei Drainage Master Plan, released in 2022, also has plenty of recommendations. Acknowledging that “the existing storm drainage system on South Kīhei Road is not meant to convey large runoff,” the plan outlines specific needs for detention basins, diversion channels, culvert replacements and other improvements in each district of South Maui. The changes are proposed over three phases, with the first phase expected to take 5 to 10 years and the third phase anticipated for 20 or more years.
It won’t be cheap — upgrades in the Kūlanihāko’i District, including a new bridge on South Kīhei Road, are estimated at $82.2 million, by far the costliest of all the districts. The gulch has received some of the most attention in recent years, with sediment removal efforts in 2023 and 2024 following major storms. In December 2023, the Mālama Haleakalā Foundation landed a $354,000 private grant to design a stormwater detention basin in the Kūlanihākoʻi area….
MN: South Maui community town hall on flood mitigation, Feb. 12 : Maui Now
read … With massive flooding in Kīhei wreaking havoc every winter, community wonders: When will things change?
Suspected meth found at Guam AG's office
GPDN: … GPD said that a preliminary investigation revealed that a civilian employee found the suspected drugs on the floor of the conference room on Feb. 5 and brought it to their superior’s attention. They continued the meeting and forgot the suspected drugs in the room, said GPD.
The next day, during another meeting, a different civilian employee located the suspected drugs, brought it to a supervisor who in turn notified criminal investigators at the AG’s office which seized the contraband and later notified GPD, according to the release….
“This incident also could have been a plant to attempt to discredit this elected chief law enforcer, my attorneys and my office. It also highlights why I terminate any employee that poses a danger to my prosecutors, support staff and myself,” he said….
A field test of the suspected drugs yielded a presumptive positive for methamphetamine. The total weight of the contraband was 3.9 grams, said police….
GPDN: Adelup sends FOIA to AG over hiring of brother, fiancée | News | guampdn.com
read … Police: Suspected meth found at AG's office discovered a day earlier | News | guampdn.com
Congressional Delegation (again) Pretending to Reunite Filipino WW2 Veterans’ Families
SA: … U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, along with Reps. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, and Jennifer Kiggans, R-Va., on Thursday reintroduced the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act of 2025, which seeks to remove visa limitations for these veterans’ children….
(IQ Test: can you count how many times earlier iterations of this bill were introduced without action between 1970 and 2020? Don’t feel bad. I can’t count that high either.)
read … Bill is back to clear way for Filipino WWII vets to reunite with families | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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