July 23, 2025 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

July 23, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 6:35 PM :: 1064 Views

DoE Ready to Resume Most School Bus Routes

$350M Aloha Stadium Funding Illegally Extended

CB: … the outcome hinges on rules and how they are interpreted. Does the stadium funding, which was originally made in 2022, continue until the present and beyond? Or has the deadline for spending the money passed?

Here are the facts.

In 2022, the Hawaiʻi Legislature passed Act 248, appropriating $350 million in general obligation bonds for a capital improvement project, a new stadium at Hālawa. It was part of the supplemental budget for fiscal year 2022-23. This Act amended the previous biennial budget for 2021-23, enacted in Act 88 in 2021….

But Act 88 came with a condition: If capital improvement funds are not “encumbered” — meaning committed through a signed contract or similar obligation — by June 30, 2024, they expire.

That deadline passed without the signing of a contract.

So — is the money gone? Not necessarily.

In June 2025, according to a media report, State Comptroller Keith Regan, who heads the Department of Accounting and General Services, extended the encumbrance deadline to June 30, 2026.

When asked in personal communication for the legal basis for this extension, DAGS cited Comptroller’s Memorandum No. 2023-16 and HRS 40-90. But that raises more questions than it answers.

The memorandum applies to “claims encumbrances,” which cover non-contractual obligations. But building a stadium clearly requires a contract encumbrance. Since no contract was signed, it’s unclear if any encumbrance — of any kind — legally exists.

Even more confusing, HRS 40-90 appears to apply to encumbrances becoming void, and not whether they can be extended…

Read … Public Left In The Dark On Aloha Stadium Spending - Honolulu Civil Beat

Army secretary aims to move quickly on leasing training land in Hawaii

HNN: … Driscoll’s first visit to the islands in his official role follows the state’s rejection in May of the Army’s final environmental impact statement to retain its lease at Pohakuloa.

He and fellow top Army brass met with Gov. Josh Green on the matter Monday.

“This land matters to the U.S. Army. We have to be able to train here, and so one of the things we talked about with the governor about is the timeline for closing this out and getting to a firm agreement,” Driscoll said.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George said, “Our soldiers love it here. Our families love it here. And so we’re just going to have to move forward and I think figure this thing out together.”

Gov. Josh Green told us in a statement:

“We are always looking to find solutions to large challenges and it was very good to spend significant time yesterday speaking with the Secretary and his team.

“We will be exploring possibilities on the military leases together in the coming days and weeks, and he now better understands how important it is to us to work together for the good of Hawaii’s people and our land, while we all work together protect our country.

“I’ve updated our congressional delegation about our meetings, and will make sure to get the community’s input as we move forward.”….

CB: Army Wants Faster Movement On Deal For Hawaiʻi Live-Fire Training Lands - Honolulu Civil Beat

AP: Army secretary aims to move quickly on leasing training land in Hawaii

E&E: POLITICO Pro | Article | Army chief wants to move quickly on Hawaiian training lands deal

Read … Army secretary discusses future of Pohakuloa training during Hawaii visit

Lahaina ‘historic guidelines’ to produce ‘stop work’ orders against fire victims

MN: … Prior to the fire, the property included a 1,050-square-foot dwelling that was built in 1972, according to a Jan. 24 letter from the state to the county. The State Historic Preservation Division had some recommendations that included adding wood trim to the windows and changing the style and materials of the shed roof, which wasn’t a common type of roof for homes in the historic district.

But they weren’t required to make the changes, and Lillis said the consultant told the county the owners did not plan to alter the roof design.

Langer, one of the property owners, declined to comment.

Now, in the wake of the April agreement, a home like that would have to comply with the guidelines before getting a permit, Lillis said.

“We’ve never changed what the expectation is,” Lillis said. “It’s whether or not (the homeowners) have to follow that expectation.”

The department did not immediately have the number of homes that were approved before the agreement with the state, and the number of homes that received recommendations for changes to match the historic district.

When the community raised concerns over the home at a meeting in Lahaina earlier this month, Lillis said the home had been incorrectly approved because of an administrative error, and that the county was considering whether to issue a “stop work” order. She later told the Hawaiʻi Journalism Initiative that after checking on the date of the permit, which according to county records was issued on March 24, she realized the home had been approved correctly because it came before the agreement with the state.

Residents at the meeting, including Keahi, were frustrated by what they saw as massive, modern homes getting through the permitting process and changing the character of Lahaina’s historic areas. Mikey Burke, a Lahaina resident who lost her home in the fire, said the architects and draftsmen behind the projects should know better.

“They live and work and do business on Maui, and they are the ones making these designs that are going to change the character of the district,” she said.

For Keahi, who split time between Maui and the Midwest growing up, and whose husband was born and raised in Lahaina, it’s important that the rebuilt homes reflect the community’s history, especially at a time when the county is trying to revive sites like Moku‘ula, the former residence of Hawaiian royalty that now sits beneath a public park next to her neighborhood.

As she drives around the community and sees posters of future massive homes that will be built, she worries about what Lahaina will look like in the end.

“We have all these things that we’re trying to save,” Keahi said. “Are we saving the town’s integrity of building back historical?”

Keahi said it’s not too late for the county to make things right and require homes to comply with historical guidelines that weren’t enforced before….

Read … Maui County now making Lahaina historic guidelines clearer and enforceable after agreement with state

Trump’s school voucher law raises questions in Hawaii

SA: … The country’s first-ever federal tax-credit school voucher program gives states the opportunity to opt in, but that decision is not so straightforward in Hawaii.

Under President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending package, individuals and businesses can receive a 100% federal tax credit — capped at $1,700 per individual — for donations to nonprofit Scholarship Granting Organizations, which then award private school scholarships to K–12 students.

The program, set to launch in 2027, is designed to expand educational access and increase school choice nationwide. But it requires states to formally opt in to participate.

The Hawaii constitution prohibits public funding of private education, and state leaders are now grappling with whether, and how, the new federal program might fit within those limits.

“The governor’s office, in coordination with the Hawai‘i State Department of Education, is closely evaluating the program’s structure, its implementation requirements, and its compatibility with Hawai‘i’s constitutional prohibition on the use of public funds for private education,” the state Department of Education spokesperson said in a written statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

State officials also have engaged Hawaii’s congressional delegation and are awaiting guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department on administration details should Hawaii opt in.

Supporters of the voucher system say the federal program offers an innovative way to support families that want alternatives to public schools but cannot afford rising tuition costs. While the tax credit does not directly fund students or schools, critics argue it amounts to a backdoor form of public subsidization of private education — something that has faced legal and political pushback in Hawaii before.

The resistance is grounded in formal legal opinions, including a 2003 ruling by then-state Attorney General Mark J. Bennett, who advised that publicly funded voucher programs would likely violate Hawaii’s constitutional ban on using public funds for private education. Over the years, legislators such as then-state Sen. Sam Slom and then-state Rep. Gene Ward have championed school choice and voucher initiatives, sparking ongoing debate within the state’s political and educational communities….

Big Q: Should Hawaii opt in on the federal tax credit school voucher program? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Read … Trump’s school voucher law raises questions in Hawaii | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Affordable Housing Scam: Convicted Felons Still Practicing Law

ILIND: … both men continued to practice law and appear in court on behalf of clients over the three years between their indictment in 2022 and conviction in 2025.

The whole process of attorney discipline is shrouded in layers of secrecy, ostensibly to protect the public, but which mostly protect the reputations of those attorneys being investigated, as well as ODC itself. See my 2022 post, “Hawaii’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel has long considered itself a secret enclave.”

Court records show that on July 9, five weeks after Sulla and Zamber were convicted, ODC filed petitions asking the Supreme Court to issue an order “immediately restraining” both men from the practice of law, and to consider this a suspension from law practice for purposes of court rules.

That seems like it should have been a simple matter, but more two weeks have passed and the court has taken no action….

Read … When “immediately” apparently isn’t | i L i n d

IDG/Waika Lobbying Presentation Full of Outdated Info

IM: … Lee stated that IDG proposes that a 50-100 MW geothermal plant be constructed to displace fossil fuel. Lee stated that the plant will not become operational until 2045. Hawaii Island is likely to generate all its electricity from renewables by 2040.

The roadmap he presented to the Council stated that the plant would be permitted and built in 2031-35 and be in “steady state operations” in 2035+

Lee made several references to Hawaii`s use of coal, something that Hawaii already achieved. (eliminated in 2022)

(CLUE: Waika is just going thru the motions delivering an outdated power point presentation so they can check the boxes necessary to get paid on the ‘community engagement’ contract they got from Dela Cruz.)

The roadmap image included an undersea cable. Lee explained that the military was considering an interisland electric cable to increase resiliency to protect Pearl Harbor from a blackout.

The military transferred much of its electric grid to HECO (in 2019) and has no publicly announced plans to build an interisland electric transmission line. The military is working on beefing up fiber optic cables, some of which run between islands.

Lee was asked if Waika had responded to any HECO request for proposal. Lee said no….

Read … Geothermal Presentation Meets Skeptical Hawaii County Council | Ililani Media

Maui fires class-action settlement to be disbursed

HNN: … Anyone who suffered losses from the 2023 Maui wildfires is eligible for a share of the $4 billion settlement.

A total of $135 million has been set aside for a class-action lawsuit.

Attorney Kyle Smith explained to Judge Peter Cahill on Tuesday that it is reserved for victims who suffered smaller losses.

“It basically provides a home for lower value claims, people who don’t want to hire attorneys,” Smith said.

A victim who suffered a significant loss such as death of a relative, injury, or a burned home are urged to hire an individual attorney.

An individual plaintiff is known as an “IP.”

All other victims will fall into what’s called the “class.”

There are similar categories like a business loss, but qualifications are different.

“A business loss claim in the IP camp is likely going to be more substantial let’s say because they’ll be in the fire zone. A business loss claim in the class camp might be less substantial because it’s tied to tourism losses or some such outside the fire zone,” said Smith.

Smith said notices to the public will be going out this week.

“Online ads, media, radio, all these things essentially announcing the class settlement and where people can go to file a claim.”

A court-authorized website has been set up for people to learn more and see if they would qualify.

Smith said victims have until October 1st to decide if they want to be part of the individual settlement or the class settlement….

LINK: https://www.mauifiresclasssettlement.com/

Read … Maui fires class-action settlement to be dispersed

Council Chair sends out Maui County-wide mailer on Bill 9

MN: … A newsletter with information on a proposal to phase out transient vacation rental use in apartment districts is being delivered to homes across Maui County this week, Council Presiding Officer Pro Tempore Tasha Kama announced today.

Kama, who holds the council seat for the Kahului residency area, said her newsletter includes background information on Bill 9 (2025), including its stated purpose and potential effects.

“With so much at stake, it is easy to see why there are some very strong opinions about this proposal,” said Kama, who chairs the committee. “My goal with this newsletter is to send accurate, simplified information directly to community members to further our collective understanding of the bill.”

The newsletter is being mailed to residences countywide and PO boxes in Hāna, Lahaina, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. The newsletter will also direct people to a page on the council’s website for more information and background on Bill 9: https://www.mauicounty.us/bill-9-2025-overview/.

The council’s Housing and Land Use Committee will reconvene at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 23 in the Council Chamber for deliberations on the proposal….

PDF: Download (PDF, 1.05MB)

Read … Maui County Council answers questions on Bill 9 as committee members reconvene for deliberations : Maui Now

Private initiative propels effort to bring new fire station to West Maui

MN: … Joseph Pluta and other members of the West Maui Improvement Foundation held a blessing on the plot of land in late June that will become home to the Olawalu fire station. On Monday, Pluta, the organization’s president, said the group was conveyed access to a deed from the Olawalu Homes Inc. to five acres of land that will house the fire station.

Put simply, rather than waiting for the county to do something, the foundation acted privately to secure the land for the station.

“This is a miracle in process, unparalleled anywhere in the state of Hawaii,” Pluta said….

The foundation also has purchased a modular, pre-fab firehouse structure assembled in Canada for just under $3 million with donated funds. …

Read … Private initiative propels effort to bring new fire station to West Maui | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News

Bill would restore some media access to HPD radio communications

SA: … As drafted, the bill would require the chief to “enter into a written agreement with local media outlets for the purpose of providing access to the Honolulu police department’s dispatch radio communications.” The police chief would also need to provide an annual report to the council on HPD’s media relations and personnel training.

But the bill dictates that not just anyone would receive HPD’s radio communication transmissions.

The news outlet, which must operate within the City & County of Honolulu, needs to hold a valid broadcast license issued by the Federal Communications Commission, or, pursuant to state law, be a recognized legal or public notice publication, the measure states.

Bill 46 also requires that a legitimate news outlet have “a verifiable track record of professional journalism, including the employment of full-time editorial staff, adherence to a publicly-posted code of journalistic ethics, and a history of continuous publication or broadcasting for at least 10 years.”

HPD Interim Chief Rade Vanic, who indicated initial support for the measure when it was first heard by the Council last month, has since backed away from that position….

KHON: City council debates media access to HPD radios

Read … Bill would restore some media access to HPD radio communications | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Surfing the Nations brings business and redemption to Wahiawā

KITV: … What was once considered a “no-go zone” in Central Oʻahu is now home to bustling cafés, restored buildings, and thriving local businesses—all thanks to a nonprofit that’s proving business can be a force for good.

Surfing the Nations, a faith-based nonprofit, moved into Wahiawā over a decade ago with an ambitious goal: revitalize a struggling block through a unique blend of service, entrepreneurship, and community building. Today, the organization’s footprint along Kamehameha Highway includes Surfers Coffee, Antique Alley, Petite Sweets and several other storefronts that are breathing new life into the area….

Read … Surfing the Nations brings business and redemption to Wahiawā | Top Stories | kitv.com

Mark Zuckerberg’s expansive Kauai compound means money

HNN: … Growing up, Ako would often visit family near Pilaa Beach, where his great-grandmother and her brother are laid to rest.

“The ʻāina on Kauaʻi at Moloaʻa Bay is so, so important to me and who I am as a kanaka that when I hala, when I pass, I’ve already told my son that my remains are to be cremated and the ashes are to be scattered in the bay here,” Ako said.

Protecting his family’s burial sites became Ako’s life mission after Facebook founder Zuckerberg moved in, buying and restricting access to 740 acres of land….

Read … Mark Zuckerberg’s expansive Kauai compound has some worried over iwi kupuna

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