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May 29, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:57 PM :: 975 Views

Can the Trump Administration save Honolulu from wasting $2.5B on Sand Island Sewage Plant?

DBEDT Lowers Hawaii Economic Growth Projections

Joe Gedeon Appointed to Fill Gene Ward's House Seat

New Republican Chair Pledges to Focus on Winning Elections

Hawaii Democrats Tout Marijuana Crackdown Legislation

Hawaii Firearms Bills Passed in 2025

Failed ‘Assault Rifle’ Ban a Sign of Things to Come?

CB: … Hawaiʻi lawmakers have passed an array of bills over the years to tighten the state’s firearms laws, considered among the strictest in the nation. In 1992, they banned sales of semiautomatic “assault pistols” such as the civilian version of the MAC-10. In 2018, they responded to the deadliest mass shooting in American history by banning bump stocks. This year, they shored up their prohibition of ghost guns, which can be created with a 3D printer and assembled at home.

But this year, lawmakers also failed to restrict sales of semiautomatic rifles with large magazines. Though popular with gun enthusiasts, such weapons have been used in many mass shootings on the mainland.

The ban on those guns was effectively blocked at the last minute by Democratic Sen. Lynn DeCoite, who said she wanted to exclude rural residents, subsistence hunters and conservation workers who use those weapons to combat invasive species such as axis deer and feral pigs.

(QUESTION: Is rural Hawaii the next extension of West Oahu’s Republican tilt?)

Experts in firearms laws say the language DeCoite offered in her proposed amendment would have diluted the proposed restrictions in Senate Bill 401 so completely that the new law would have been largely unenforceable.

Senate Judiciary Chair Karl Rhoads, a leading advocate for the bill, said as much during the debate before the pivotal vote on the Senate floor. “This amendment creates a huge carve-out for the sale of assault weapons,” he told his colleagues. “If we pass it, it basically eviscerates the underlying bill.”

According to Republican Sen. Brenton Awa that was the whole point. “Essentially what this amendment does, if you don’t get caught up in everything that’s in it, is allows us to kill the bill,” he said.

None of the other senators bothered to argue with Awa, and minutes later he proved to be correct. The amendment passed 13-12, with Senate President Ron Kouchi from Kauaʻi casting the tie-breaking vote. He then announced the bill was shelved for the year.

That vote was a strikingly rare example of Senate Democrats joining with their Republican colleagues to muster a majority. It also suggests Hawaiʻi’s longstanding political consensus on firearms may be fracturing as senators from mostly rural districts join forces with a handful of Republicans to push back on the issue….

read … Failed ‘Assault Rifle’ Ban Was The Victim Of Convoluted Politics - Honolulu Civil Beat

PUC to Require MLP to Register as Water Utility so they can be forced to choke off water supplies to drive up the cost of housing and make more people leave Maui

IM: … TY Management Corporation filed a formal complaint with the Public Utilities Commission, asserting that Maui Land & Pineapple Company (MLP) is operating illegally as a water utility.  MLP transmits water for public use. As such, it is required to obtain a CPCN.

The Public Utilities Commission opened docket no. 2025-0188.

Ty noted that public utility is defined by state law to include “every person who may own, control, operate, or manage as owner, lessee, trustee, receiver, or otherwise, . . . any plant or equipment, or any part thereof, directly or indirectly for public use for the. . .production, conveyance, transmission, delivery, or furnishing of . . . water.”

No public utility is allowed to commence its business without first having obtained from the Commission a certificate of public convenience and necessity. 

County-owned water utilities do not have to file with the Commission….

MORE OF THE SAME: Bissen names Meth Dealer’s Son to Maui County Board of Water Supply

BWS Votes to Give State Water Commission control of Oahu – First Step, dumping water into dry Waianae streambeds

read … Some Water Utilities Fail to Register With Public Utilities Commission | Ililani Media

Legislators to Abolish HTA?

SA: … Rep. Adrian Tam (D, Waikiki), chair of the House Committee on Tourism, warned the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority during a Wednesday board meeting that the coming passage of Senate Bill 1571 —which upon Gov. Josh Green’s signature will dramatically change HTA’s governance model — reflects a loss of confidence so deep that he is already considering a bill to upend the agency next year.

(The Star-Adv wrote this article without using the words 'CNHA' or 'DeFries'.  That takes skill.)

Tam told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that SB 1571 represents the biggest governance changes to HTA since it was created, but that it may not be enough to fix all of the agency’s shortcomings. Tam said that he is exploring drafting a bill to implement all of the recommendations in a third-party governance study released last July by Better Destinations LLC, founded by Cathy Ritter. The study, which cost nearly $300,000, recommended that a private, independent, nonprofit Destination Stewardship Organization (referred to as a DSO) replace the HTA, which was created by the state Legislature more than a quarter of a century ago.

The new model, dubbed “Governance with Aloha,”  is described by Better Destinations as a “community-first regenerative mindset” that delivers not only a healthy tourism economy but addresses local priorities and improves unique assets through ongoing collaboration.” …

If Tam and other lawmakers push the Better Destinations recommendation forward, it likely would put HTA’s long-standing and largest contractor, the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau, back in the driver’s seat — after all the private nonprofit membership organization was founded in 1945 making it many decades older than HTA….

One of the changes on SB 1571 clarifies that the Hawai‘i Convention Center must reflect a “Hawaii” sense of place versus a “Hawaiian” sense of place.  (In case you don’t get the hint.)

(TRANSLATION: After CNHA gutted HTA--stealing half of HVCBs contract—legislators are ready to abolish HTA in favor of HVCB.  The CNHA/DeFries wrecking crew is now in charge of the telescopes on Mauna Kea.)

read … Hawai‘i Tourism Authority could be replaced with new governance | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Maui fire survivors could see first paychecks from $4B settlement this year

HNN: … Maui Judge Peter Cahill approved the distribution plan for the $4 billion wildfire settlement on Wednesday.

Fire survivors need to meet important deadlines in order to see their first paychecks before the end of the year.

Special masters Cathy Yanni and Retired Judge Daniel Buckley detailed exactly how the money will be distributed among approximately 22,000 individual plaintiffs.

They presented 10 categories which include wrongful death, physical injury, displacement, business loss, among other damages….

read … Maui fire survivors could see first paychecks from $4B settlement this year

Hawaiʻi solar industry to be gutted as State, Federal Subsidies are Killed Off

HPR: … If the Republican-led measure makes it through the Senate and President Donald Trump signs it into law, clean energy companies would need to break ground on new commercial projects within 60 days of the bill’s signing to be eligible for certain tax credits….

The reconciliation bill would also put the residential solar market on a tight timeline because federal credits that support rooftop solar would sunset at the end of this year.

And under the bill’s current language, third-party investors in (lessors of) rooftop solar systems would no longer be eligible for a tax break….

The rollback of federal support for solar and other clean energy markets comes as companies are bracing for the impacts of tariffs.

“A lot of the manufacturers are telling us, hey, price increases are coming,” said Will Giese with the Solaray Corporation.

He said that despite the threat of higher prices, solar companies are still feeling the pressure to build new systems before the federal government eliminates its tax credits.

Meanwhile, Hawaiʻi may sunset an important state-level renewable energy incentive. Lawmakers have sent a measure to Gov. Josh Green that would wind down a tax credit for renewable energy in the next five years. Several clean energy stakeholders are calling on the governor to veto the measure….

“I would be surprised if the current industry in Hawaiʻi that exists today, the amount of jobs that it has, exists in six months,” he said….

read … Hawaiʻi solar industry expects setbacks from U.S. House spending bill | Hawai'i Public Radio

Panda Express And A Bathroom? Honolulu Airport’s $14M "Upgrades" Spark Debate

BH: … Hawaiian Airlines (Alaska), which controls Terminal 1 and the adjacent Mauka Concourse, funded the project. According to HDOT and the airline, it included a fully rebuilt restroom, a new breakroom for TSA workers, and the first of two new Panda Express locations. This August, the second location will open in the distant Terminal 2, where Alaska still operates….

read … Panda Express And A Bathroom? Honolulu Airport’s $14M "Upgrades" Spark Debate - Beat of Hawaii

Assault video exposes use of untrained guards at Oahu jail

HNN: … A rampaging inmate at Oahu Community Correctional Center injured two corrections officers Monday while an untrained emergency guard watched helplessly.

HNN Investigates obtained a video of the incident, which the United Public Workers union says proves corrections officials are failing to follow their own safety rules.

The two guards in Monday night’s assault weren’t seriously injured, but the lack of action from the third guard, an emergency hire in a high security module, raised alarms about the overall safety of Hawaii’s biggest jail.

The adult corrections officers in Hawaii facilities are represented by UPW. Spokesperson Maleko McDonnell said the use of guards on temporary 89-day contracts has been controversial for years….

... In January, Johnson blamed the union for letting an interim agreement on overtime management expire, which led to overtime abuse....

REALITY: Audit: 50 Years of UPW Overtime Games at DPS

REALITY: Hospital Crisis: How to Use Union Work Rules for Fun and Profit

read … Assault video exposes use of untrained guards at Oahu jail

Guards Selling Drugs to Inmates:  Another Multiple drug overdose in Halawa

HNN: … “During COVID, when there were no family visits, there was still drugs in prison. But they used to say, ‘Oh, it’s the family is bringing them in,’ and you know, they found out that it was several ACOs (adult corrections officers) or several people who work in the prison that were bringing in drugs,” Brady said.

Mail inspections should be regularly conducted, however it’s unclear if staffing levels are impacting their ability to conduct such checks.

Some drugs, like one known as spice, come laced on papers, and are harder to detect. Others suspect staff may be bringing it in.

“I hate to put a blanket over all ACOs. We have some people who work in the prisons who really understand what their job is,” Brady said. “Like anything else, I think there are some bad apples and you know some of them ended up in federal prison because they were bringing in drugs.” …

read … Possible drug overdose in three Halawa inmates prompts emergency response

Forced out by SHOPO, Kauaʻi Police Chief finally announces retirement date

KITV: … In a letter to the Kauaʻi Police Commission, ‘outsider’ Chief Todd Raybuck said he’s retiring on June 12. He first announced he was leaving back in November.  Now a ‘local’ chief will be selected ….

read … Kauaʻi Police Chief finally announces retirement date

City grant program for rail-affected businesses doesn’t amount to much

SA: …  the city’s so-called transit construction mitigation fund, or TCMF, grant program — which Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed into law under Bill 40 in February 2024 — was supposed to individually award any struggling, eligible business located along the rail corridor into Kakaako with a $10,000 grant.  But the city says only a few grants — out of the dozens of applications its received thus far — were actually awarded. …

read … Changes coming to city grant program for rail-affected businesses | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Lawmakers demand answers from Navy on dummy bombing plan of remote Hawaiian island

HNN: … The bombs are 500-pound dummies and the military’s past exercises there have been shrouded in mystery.

Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, and Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda want the Navy to complete a full environmental impact statement that could shed light on a lot of unanswered questions.

The crescent-shaped island called Kaʻula, 23 miles southwest of Niʻihau, is so remote it’s mostly known by fishermen and cultural practitioners….

read … Lawmakers demand answers from Navy on dummy bombing plan of remote Hawaiian island

AI Hallucination? Hawaiʻi Attorney Cited For Submitting A Fake Case

CB: … James DiPasquale, a business attorney who works in Hawaiʻi and New York, was handling the appeal of a lawsuit while he also had his hands full preparing for a major federal civil rights trial. To assist with the appeal, DiPasquale said he (allegedly) enlisted the help of a per diem attorney in New York who produced a filing that cited the Hawaiʻi case Greenspan v. Greenspan.  A case that does not exist. …

The Hawaiʻi Intermediate Court of Appeals caught the error and asked DiPasquale if the citation was a “hallucinatory citation generated by an artificial intelligence platform.” DiPasquale told the court he doesn’t use AI in his own legal work and doesn’t know for sure if his hired help used it. 

That attorney, whom DiPasquale declined to name, has “ghosted me,” he told Civil Beat….

The issue has captured the attention of the courts in Hawaiʻi, whose leaders are exploring the subject. 

Last year, Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald ordered the formation of a committee on AI and the courts to research the technology’s capabilities and determine how the courts should approach it. 

In an initial set of guidance issued in January, Recktenwald noted that attorneys must continue to follow the state’s rules on professional conduct and civil procedure. A final report from the committee is due before Dec. 15. …

CN: Keaau Development v Lawrence intermediate court appeals Hawaii ruling not AI

read … AI Hallucination? Hawaiʻi Attorney Cited For Submitting A Fake Case - Honolulu Civil Beat

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