Blangiardi Fiscal Year 2026 budget--Spending up 8.4%, CIP up 15.8%
Hawaii defense contractor exec must face some campaign finance conspiracy claims
Hawai‘i students turn local ingredients into unique products through entrepreneurial program
City adds three more town hall meetings on proposed sewer fee increases
Hawaii Assisted Living Costs Highest in USA
OHA Scam Fails Again: Senators kill bill lifting residential ban on Kakaʻako Makai
HPR: … State senators nixed a controversial measure that would have allowed the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to build high-rise housing along the waterfront area of Kakaʻako, also called Kakaʻako Makai.
The state transferred the land to OHA in 2012, but residential development on the property is banned….
The Senate Ways and Means, and Judiciary committees deferred the measure as they could not come to an agreement on language for the bill with the Water and Land Committee.
The deferral means the measure will not pass this legislative session ….
(CLUE: Sen Moriwaki is VChair of WAM.)
Kewalo: Gather to celebrate the death of bill SB 534
SA: Bid to undo Kakaako Makai housing ban fails | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
SA: Off the news: OHA’s grand Kakaako vision shelved again | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
SB534: Text, Status
Years of OHA Failure at Kakaako
read … Senators kill another attempt at lifting residential ban on Kakaʻako Makai
Misdemeanor Plea Deal: Honolulu officials charged in Kealoha retirement payout case
SA: … Honolulu’s former managing director, corporation counsel and police commission chairperson were formally charged with misdemeanor conspiracy by the U.S. Department of Justice today in connection with the $250,000 retirement payment in 2017 to former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha, according to federal court documents.
The charges are part of a plea deal announced last month. The single misdemeanor charge for each official is a departure from the felony charges secured against the former city officials more than three years ago.
Michael Wheat, the special prosecutor handling the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, retired on Dec. 31. Federal prosecutors have not said why they decided to settle a case they took to a grand jury and secured felony indictments on Dec. 16, 2021….
At a 10 a.m. hearing Tuesday before Senior U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi, Sword and Leong will agree to pay a $100,000 fine and serve one year of supervised release as part of their plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Leong and Sword each signed a plea agreement to “the count in the forthcoming superseding information, with a sentence of time served, one year supervised release, and restitution,” according to federal court records.
Amemiya entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors, according to court documents.
The charge against Amemiya will be amended to a misdemeanor, and provided Amemiya abides by the conditions of the agreement, the charge against him will be dismissed as long as he is not convicted of a crime….
HNN: Plea deals end decade-long scandal surrounding corrupt police chief
CB: Honolulu Officials Who Arranged Illegal Kealoha Payout Agree To Pay Up - Honolulu Civil Beat
SA: Off the news: Kealoha scandal officials get slap on wrist | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
SA: Corruption probe ends with misdemeanor sentences | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
REALITY: Wheat Retires, Corruption Investigations Over: Its Party Time Again -- Sweet Deal for Former city officials Guilty in police chief payoff conspiracy
read … Honolulu officials charged in Kealoha retirement payout case
Teachers union preps Hawaii college officials to respond to ICE inquiries
PNS: … Following President Donald Trump's executive order lifting Immigration and Customs Enforcement restrictions in protected areas, the American Federation of Teachers is offering guidance to colleges in Hawai'i and nationwide.
The AFT, National Immigration Law Center, and Presidents' Alliance have released guidelines for colleges to handle ICE encounters by establishing protocols and understanding their rights.
Christian Fern - executive director of the University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly, an AFT affiliate - said there have not been any high-profile incidents on island campuses yet.
"We've seen a couple of things on the news," said Fern, "but I think it's far less than what we've seen taking place in places like New York or some of the largest cities in the nation."…
read … Teachers union preps Hawaii college officials to respond to ICE inquiries / Public News Service
CNHA: Native Hawaiian Convention Coming to Tulalip Indian Casino
425B: … The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement will hold its 2025 Native Hawaiian Convention at the Tulalip Resort & Casino — only the second time CNHA will host its convention on the U.S. mainland and the first time it will be held on federally recognized tribal land. …
read … Native Hawaiian Convention Coming to Tulalip | News | 425business.com
Hawaii vacation rental occupancy drops nearly 20 percentage points compared to 2019
PBN: … Hawaii vacation rentals were 59% occupied during January, 2025, compared to 78% in January, 2019….
read … Hawaii vacation rental occupancy drops nearly 20 percentage points compared to 2019 - Pacific Business News
Protectionist Jones Act Actually Encourages Hawaiʻi Reliance On Foreign Energy
CB: … Unless the Jones Act is amended, Hawaii will join other states and territories cut off from affordable domestic liquefied natural gas….
read … Protectionist Jones Act Actually Encourages Hawaiʻi Reliance On Foreign Energy
Pricey Honolulu Police Robot Dog Is Out Of Service
CB: … In the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, flush with federal relief money, the Honolulu Police Department made national headlines for spending $150,000 on a robot dog.
A four-legged machine that can walk and even dance, Spot was ostensibly purchased to take people’s temperatures at a city-run homeless encampment, an explanation that attracted so much criticism that HPD leaders were hauled before the Honolulu City Council in 2021.
There, they defended the six-figure purchase by saying Spot would actually be useful for years to come.
“The ideas you can come up with would be endless as far as its future potential use beyond the pandemic,” then-Lt. Mike Lambert told the council.
Four years later, Spot is playing dead. …
In fact, Spot hasn’t been used since 2021, she said, and the department apparently doesn’t know what to do with it. …
read … It's Your Money: Pricey Honolulu Police Robot Dog Is Out Of Service - Honolulu Civil Beat
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