SB401: House Approves Gut-n-Replace Gun Ban Bill
Deadline for Real ID Hawai‘i driver’s license is coming soon
HPD officer accused of leaking information to suspects in deadly fireworks explosion—so he gets reassigned to Records Division
HNN: … A Honolulu police officer is on restricted duty for allegedly providing confidential information to suspects in the deadly New Year Eve’s explosion in Aliamanu.
Officer Austin Ewaliko, a five-year veteran of the force, has had his police powers removed while the criminal investigation continues, HNN Investigates has learned.
Ewaliko is being investigated for allegedly researching the case on the department’s internal system, then giving confidential information to the accused.
Legal expert Megan Kau said Ewaliko could face criminal charges from unauthorized access to a computer to obstruction of justice, depending on the factors of the investigation….
Retired HPD deputy chief John McCarthy said, “Those are serious, serious allegations.”…
Days after the deadly incident, HPD Lt. Deena Thoemmes said witnesses and suspects refused to cooperate.
It’s not clear what Ewaliko’s relationship is with the accused.
Kau said Hawaii is unique because so many people on both sides of the law are related or having personal relationships…
Ewaliko was assigned to the receiving unit, which is the cellblock at the time. He was reassigned to the records division after his powers were restricted….
(Hello? Hello? ‘RECORDS DIVISION’ is his assignment AFTER being accused of ACCESSING RECORDS to benefit criminal suspects???)
SA: Off the news: Officer allegedly leaks Aliamanu blast info | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
SA: HPD officer suspended after allegedly sharing Jan. 1 fireworks investigation information | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … HPD officer accused of leaking information to suspects in deadly fireworks explosion
Hawaii Tour Chopper Crashes: FAA Coverup?
CB: … The pilot of an air tour helicopter that disintegrated in midair over Kailua in April 2019, killing him and two passengers, should not have been in the cockpit that day because the boss who cleared him to fly wasn’t qualified to make that call.
That allegation, made by a Federal Aviation Administration whistleblower more than five years ago, was one of two substantiated by FAA investigators in a report published without fanfare in 2022 and recently disclosed to Civil Beat in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
But investigators did not substantiate the whistleblower’s broader allegations that the FAA’s office in Honolulu failed to enforce safety regulations for air tour companies. Nor does their report say anything about that office’s role in granting the operator of the air tour company the authority to certify the pilot working for her.
U.S. Rep. Ed Case, who has made air tour safety a signature issue, hadn’t seen the report until Civil Beat asked him to comment on it. He called on the FAA to do a “more thorough and transparent investigation” of the whistleblower’s allegations.
“Without a comprehensive review, there is little chance that those responsible for the agency’s failures will be held accountable, leaving public safety at continued risk,” he said in a written statement provided to Civil Beat.
The investigation followed a deadly period for the companies that fly sightseers and adventurers around the islands. Between April and December of 2019, three crashes left 21 people dead: the Kailua accident, a skydiving plane crash in June that killed 11 and a Safari Aviation helicopter disaster on Kauaʻi that December that killed seven.
In the case of the Kailua wreck, a local FAA manager had improperly granted the head of Novictor Aviation the authority to certify her own pilots to fly, according to the whistleblower and the FAA report. Just 10 days before the accident, the head of Novictor determined that the 28-year-old pilot was qualified to carry passengers on air tours. The wreck occurred on the pilot’s fourth day of flying tours around Oʻahu.
The FAA’s Office of Audit and Evaluation found that no corrective action was required, however. Days after the wreck, an FAA inspector had revoked the owner’s authority to certify pilots, and agency staff later verified that the company’s pilots were qualified.
That FAA inspector went public several months later with his allegations. Investigative staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation deemed his allegations credible, documenting them in a fact sheet released in January 2020.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, then chair of the committee, asked the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General to investigate.
But that never happened, Civil Beat has learned. Instead, the Inspector General “re-referred” the case to the FAA’s Office of Audit and Evaluation in February 2022 – effectively allowing the FAA to investigate itself.
Case questioned how that happened.
“The lack of serious review and the failure to fully probe the causes at the heart of these concerns raises troubling concerns about the accuracy of the investigation’s findings,” Case told Civil Beat.
The fact that the agency’s internal investigation substantiated two of the whistleblower’s four allegations “highlights a fundamental failure on the part of the FAA to properly oversee an industry that is clearly operating without sufficient oversight,” Case said….
read … Pilot in 2019 Oʻahu Helicopter Crash Wasn’t Properly Certified, FAA Says
Hawai‘i Tourism Authority chair recommends putting audit probe ‘to bed’
SA: … Hawai‘i Tourism Authority board Chair Todd Apo told the HTA Administrative and Audit Standing Committee on Monday that he did not “see an abuse of discretion” regarding Hawai‘i Convention Center discounts received by two nonprofits affiliated with the previous HTA board chair, Mufi Hannemann, and recommended putting the matter “to bed.”
The committee was expected to take action on issues raised in the fiscal year 2024 HTA Independent Financial Audit, which was presented at HTA board meetings on March 25 and 27 and led Hannemann to resign his position as board chair, though he remains on the board. State Auditor Leslie H. Kondo, who was expected to speak at the committee meeting, did not show up.
The financial audit of HTA’s fiscal year 2024 by Accuity LLP, a firm contracted by the state auditor’s office, determined that there were procedural deficiencies that allowed for free food and rent for events at the convention center, but did not issue a finding of fraud….
read … Hawai‘i Tourism Authority chair recommends putting audit probe ‘to bed’ | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
ICE detaining COFA migrants after arrests
SA: … The 25,000 Hawaii residents from countries of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau who are legally allowed to live and work in the U.S. are facing greater risk of removal if they have been arrested, charged with or convicted of certain crimes — even years after they have served their sentences in jails or prisons.
They are among the larger population of noncitizens in Hawaii who are under the watchful eye of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that they have arrested noncitizens “who have been arrested, charged with, and/or convicted of crimes such as assault, possession of a weapon, driving under the influence and other criminal activities that pose a high risk of bodily harm to others.”
Honolulu-based immigration lawyer Neribel Chardon told the Star-Advertiser that ICE is detaining noncitizens across the state who have been arrested but not charged with a crime….
Meanwhile: Nearly 150 Hamas-lovin students have had visas revoked nationwide and could face deportation
read … ICE detaining COFA migrants not charged with crimes | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Real Solutions Needed To Fix Police Recruitment Crisis
CB: … We are incredibly fortunate to have several military bases on our shores, populated by well-trained men and women who could make excellent first responders. These veterans have the skills, discipline, and experience necessary to transition into law enforcement roles.
The key, however, is to provide the incentives that would encourage them to stay in Hawaiʻi and become part of our police force.
To do this, we must change the way the government and our citizens view police recruitment. One approach is to make our police officer bonuses more competitive with those of neighboring West Coast cities, which have successfully recruited HPD officers we’ve already trained and paid for. We cannot afford to continue losing these officers to other states.
Housing is one of the biggest concerns for military members transitioning to civilian life. When I left the military, I spent two years basically homeless, working as a security guard, and I almost returned to the military before being hired by a West Coast police department. This housing issue is something we must address head on.
One solution is to negotiate with the military to utilize unused base housing for police officer recruits, specifically targeting military personnel who have expressed interest in joining the police academy.
This agreement would be limited to candidates who have been approved for an academy class and given a starting date. This would make it a manageable number of recruits to avoid overwhelming the system.
read … Real Solutions Needed To Fix Police Recruitment Crisis - Honolulu Civil Beat
State and Honolulu County in negotiations over major land deal
HNN: … At the center of the deal is city-owned land under the Alii Place office tower, which both the city and state government have had their eye on for years, because it is close to both the state Capitol and Honolulu Hale, and could be a convenient new home for government offices and even lawmakers during major renovations.
The deal was proposed by powerful state House and Senate money chairs, Senate Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz and House Finance Chair Kyle Yamashita.
Yamashita told his committee Alii Place was big enough to house all the state offices now renting space in Honolulu, and the rent savings would be about enough to cover the cost of buying the building.
“It’s almost like a no-brainer but we still need to cut the deal with the county and get them to agree with this,” he said.
Honolulu County owns the land under the tower and it houses the city prosecutor’s office and a parking garage that generates about $800,000 a year for the city.
So, city managing director Mike Formby says the city says is reluctant to give it up, but willing to negotiate….
read … State and Honolulu County in negotiations over major land deal
2026 Hawaii House Analysis: Democrats Maintain Their Reign
CPR: … Since Hawaii joined the union in 1959, Democrats have dominated the state’s congressional delegation. The 1st District, anchored in the capital city of Honolulu, has only elected two Republicans to Congress: Pat Saiki, who served from 1987-1991, and Charles Djou, who was elected in a 2010 special election and served a single term. The 2nd District, which encompasses the Neighbor Islands and the rural outskirts of Oahu, has never elected a Republican.
Though the state’s two House members are in different ideological wings of the Democratic Caucus, neither are in danger of losing reelection next year. Ed Case, a moderate former Blue Dog, and Jill Tokuda, a member of the Progressive Caucus, both overperformed Kamala Harris in 2024 and would be difficult to topple in a primary contest….
read … 2026 Hawaii House Analysis: Democrats Maintain Their Reign | Cook Political Report
Hawai‘i County settles Injection Well Sewage Lawsuit
BIN: … Hawaiʻi County is taking steps to address treated sewage discharged from the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant flowing into Honokōhau Small Boat Harbor six miles south of Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport.
Hawai‘i County reached an agreement last week with community group Hui Mālama Honokōhau after the nonprofit filed a civil lawsuit in 2023 accusing the county of violating federal laws by discharging treated sewage from its Kealakehe plant to waters around Honokōhau Bay through groundwater….
This agreement with the nonprofit follows a partial settlement reached last year in which the county acknowledged that it needs a Clean Water Act permit for the treatment plant’s wastewater discharges and committed to applying for the required National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit….
EJ: Hawaiʻi County Agrees to Improve Wastewater Management and Protect Honokōhau Harbor from Water Pollution - Earthjustice
PDF: Settlement Agreement
read … Hawai‘i County reaches agreement with nonprofit to address treated sewage entering Big Island waters : Big Island Now
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