City Accepting Bids for Kalihi Rail Station TOD Development
Matson still refusing EV shipments to Hawaii
SA: … No, Matson, Hawaii’s largest ocean cargo carrier, hasn’t resumed shipping new or used battery-powered electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and there’s no word on when the suspension announced July 14 will be lifted. A spokesperson said in an email Tuesday that there are no updates to the company’s announcement, which said Matson supports “industry efforts to develop comprehensive standards and procedures to address fire risk posed by lithium-ion batteries at sea and plans to resume acceptance of them when appropriate safety solutions that meet our requirements can be implemented.”
You knew about the ban but wondered whether it was lifted because when you called Matson’s automated customer service line you heard instructions about shipping EVs; those details are outdated. The company’s website is up to date, saying “Matson does not transport battery-powered electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles due to the hazardous material classification of their lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries have a high energy density and are classified as hazardous materials under both domestic and international regulations. Because of this high energy density, fires involving electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are much more dangerous than combustion engine vehicles.” …
Worldwide, serious fires on ships carrying electric vehicles have occurred, “including those resulting in fatalities and major material losses, such as the Fremantle Highway (2023), Felicity Ace (2022) and Sincerity Ace (2019). There are diverse opinions on the dangers and on the methods to combat such fires,” according to the International Maritime Organization.
More recently, in June, the cargo ship Morning Midas, which was carrying 3,000 new vehicles from China to Mexico, including 70 EVs and 680 hybrids, sank off Alaska after an uncontrollable fire erupted; the crew escaped. News reports said the blaze appeared to be a thermal runaway fire, associated with large lithium-ion batteries.
The IMO is drafting international regulations for the transportation of new energy vehicles, including EVs, but those rules aren’t expected to be finalized before 2027…
July, 2025: After Latest Fire at Sea, Matson Begins Refusing Shipment of Electric Cars
read … Has Matson resumed shipping EVs to Hawaii?
Legal Fake Biofuel: Hawaii Can Have 100% ‘Renewable’ Electricity This Year and it will be 99% Diesel
IM: … Achieving 100% renewable electricity in Hawaii is easy if one exploits long-standing legal loopholes….
…on the Hawaii books: Splash all fossil fuel with tiny amounts of biofuel and the product can be called renewable. Thus Hawaii electricity could be 100% renewable this year with just a splash here and a splash there….
read … Hawaii Can Have 100% Renewable Electricity This Year | Ililani Media
Judge dismisses $324M Hitachi lawsuit against HART, city
SA: … A $324.1 million lawsuit brought by Skyline’s principal contractor against the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation has been derailed — at least for now.
On Aug. 14, 1st Circuit Court Judge Shirley Kawamura dismissed Hitachi Rail Honolulu JV’s “breach of contract and unjust enrichment” claim that it filed in December against HART and the City and County of Honolulu over stated delays that allegedly occurred during construction of the city’s more than $10 billion rail system.
The judge’s ruling, following the city’s January filings of motions to dismiss the lawsuit, nixed Hitachi’s claim on three separate counts.
But according to the minutes of the court hearing, two counts dismiss the company’s suit “without prejudice” — meaning aspects of this legal case are provisionally closed, but could be re-filed later….
read … Judge dismisses $324M Hitachi lawsuit against HART, city | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
OHA to profit as Hawaii governor approves $1.6B Iwilei infrastructure upgrade plan
PBN: … As construction on Honolulu's Skyline rail system advances, Gov. Josh Green approves an infrastructure upgrade plan that could spur transit-oriented redevelopment around the Kuwili rail station (Iwilei) with an estimated price tag set to go as high as $1.6 billion….
BACKGROUND:
read … Hawaii governor approves $1.6B Honolulu infrastructure upgrade plan - Pacific Business News
Blangiardi: $100M to fix Waikiki natatorium?
HNN: … While supporters of the pool still hold out hope, the mayor says he wants to be honest about the facility’s future.
In 2018, it was estimated that it might cost $35 million to rebuild the natatorium pool and Friends of the Natatorium was willing to find the money.
But now, the ballpark estimates are $50-to-100 million, and who will accept liability is also unclear.
On Spotlight Now Tuesday, the mayor expressed doubt it can happen….
BH: Honolulu Whip-Saws Again On Restoring Historic Oceanfront Landmark - Beat of Hawaii
read … Mayor casts doubt on Waikiki natatorium pool restoration
Term Limits? City Council chair announces run for reelection
HNN: … City Council chair Tommy Waters plans to run for another term next year.
He made the announcement on Spotlight Now Tuesday.
The city charter states that a council member can only run for two full consecutive terms.
Waters won his first term in a 2019 special election against then-councilmember Trevor Ozawa.
The chair said (claims) that makes him eligible to run again.
“You remember Ann Kobayashi?” Waters said. “She actually served almost 20 years in the city, but when Duke Bainum died, there was a special election. She finished off Bainum’s term, then served two terms.”….
CB: The Sunshine Blog: Tommy Waters Will Run For Council Again. For The Third Time - Honolulu Civil Beat
read … City Council chair announces run for reelection
Proven Loser: Corey Rosenlee will run for Hawaiʻi House seat held by Rep. Elijah Pierick (again)
HPR: … former teachers union leader Corey Rosenlee is running for the state House of Representatives in the 2026 election.
Rosenlee is the Democratic candidate for District 39, which covers parts of Leeward Oʻahu like Royal Kunia, Village Park, Honouliuli, Hoʻopili and a portion of Waipahu.
He also ran for the seat in 2024, but lost to Republican Rep. Elijah Pierick, the incumbent, by 11 votes… (And he lost to Pierick in 2022.)
CRITICAL ISSUE FOR REPUBLICANS: Long Lines Suppress Republican Votes on Election Day: City Clerk Plans to do it Again in 2024
read … Corey Rosenlee will run for Hawaiʻi House seat held by Rep. Elijah Pierick
Honolulu firefighters push for COVID hazard pay
HNN: … “We’re being up close and personal with them (COVID patients) because they are sick. They are having trouble breathing, they’re having chest pain, they’re dizzy and all the symptoms with COVID,” Cluney recalled.
Five years later, the city has compensated most essential workers, including police officers, government employees, and healthcare workers. Many received hazard pay totaling 10s of thousands of dollars from a city budget of $150 million.
Honolulu’s firefighters did not receive such compensation because their contracts at the time had no provision for it.
However, the city is still offering $7,500 to firefighters and other workers with similar contracts, such as bus operators.
But firefighters such as Cluney, who risked bringing the virus home to vulnerable loved ones, would like more….
read … Honolulu firefighters push for COVID hazard pay
Overcrowding in Maui classrooms forces redistricting plan
HNN: … on his first day at Maui Waena Intermediate School, she got a phone call.
“You’re not supposed to be in our district. Your son wasn’t supposed to be registered at this school,” Ortiz said she was told. “But you guys allowed me to register him in July? Nobody caught this until the first day of school? How is this OK? Who’s not doing their job properly?”
Ortiz is one of thousands who received a letter from the department back in February notifying Central Maui parents of a redistricting plan....
State Sen. Troy Hashimoto, who represents Wailuku, Kahului, Waihee, Waikapu, and Waiehu, says the state is spending more than $50 million designing a new middle school in Waikapu.
(WOW: $50M just to design?)
He says they need about a million dollars more to start construction…
read … Overcrowding in Maui classrooms forces redistricting plan
Less Than Half Of Hawaiʻi Teachers Went To High School In-State
CB: … Only a third of educators in a recent survey said they felt well-prepared to integrate Hawaiian language, culture and history into their lessons….
read … Less Than Half Of Hawaiʻi Teachers Went To High School In-State - Honolulu Civil Beat
Can ‘Improvement District’ Save Downtown Honolulu's Small Businesses?
CB: … The bottom line: as many as 20% fewer workers on a given day than before the pandemic, said Mike Hamasu, who studies downtown Honolulu as consulting and research director for Colliers Hawaiʻi.
“It’s basically that you have a bunch of people working from home,” he said.
The City Council’s proposal is to expand the special improvement district currently governing Fort Street Mall. Property owners will have to pay a new fee to fund what proponents envision as a 14-person crew of roving security guards, custodians to pick up litter and remove graffiti and a pressure-washing team to clean public spaces throughout the day.
The City Council will hold a public hearing Sept. 3 on the bill establishing the new business improvement district, which is bounded by Richards, Bethel and King streets and Nimitz Highway….
read … Can A New Tax Save Downtown Honolulu's Small Businesses? - Honolulu Civil Beat
Ex-HPD officer seeks reduced prison time for child sex crimes
SA: … A former Honolulu police officer who admitted using his ex-girlfriend’s daughter to help set up a child prostitution ring while working as an officer is asking a federal judge for a 15-year prison sentence….
Jordan, who faces a possible prison term of 30 years, raped multiple children including “those under his care,” according to a 14-page motion to detain him that was filed June 4, 2022, in U.S. District Court, which labeled Jordan a “prolific sexual predator.” The motion details his “duplicitousness” in using his position as a police officer and HPD resources to sexually assault children….
Since the complaint was filed against him, Jordan said, he found God and is engaged to a mother of two girls….
Jordan served as a patrol officer from Nov. 4, 2013, until he resigned on March 26, 2021, during an HPD Professional Standards Office investigation into his sexual abuse of children….
HNN: Former Honolulu police officer sentenced for child sex crimes
read … Ex-HPD officer seeks reduced prison time for child sex crimes | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Kauaʻi Man Died On His Birthday After Airport Staff Encounter
CB: … Morris was detained by airport law enforcement officers, along with an airline employee, who called Kauaʻi police for backup with a disorderly man in the ticketing lobby. When police officers arrived on the scene about 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 26, they found Morris unresponsive on the road between the terminal and the public parking lot.
Police tried to resuscitate him. They also administered a dose of Narcan, an opioid antidote used to reverse an overdose. An ambulance transported Morris to Wilcox Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy would later reveal there were no opiates in his system, the family said….
Morris’ mother filed a lawsuit alleging that her son was beaten to death. By the time police arrived on the scene, the lawsuit claims, it was too late: Airport security guards were found sitting on top of her son’s corpse.
“It’s a wrongful death, I’m sorry,” Bryan said. “I wish that he was here but he’s not so we have to speak up for him.”
The lawsuit names as defendants Barry DeBlake, an airport security guard, and Allied Universal Security Services, the company that hires security personnel to staff the airport.
DeBlake is a former Kauaʻi police officer who was fired in May 2024 after 23 years with the department for harassment and creating a hostile work environment by engaging in unwanted physical contact with a subordinate officer. In 2020, DeBlake was arrested for domestic violence of a household member at his Līhuʻe residence. The incident, which left a 29-year-old woman injured, occurred while DeBlake was on duty. Court records associated with the case are sealed.
The lawsuit claims Allied Universal’s decision to hire DeBlake despite a history of misconduct as a Kauaʻi police officer shows a “deliberate disregard for the foreseeable risks.”
A spokesperson for Allied Universal Security Services declined to comment on the lawsuit. DeBlake could not be reached for comment.
Bryan’s attorney, Matthew Mannisto, said he is working to uncover the identities of two unnamed defendants — a second airport security guard and an airline employee. Both, he said, are believed to have witnessed or participated in the events that led to Morris’ death.
The Hawaiʻi Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the death because it occurred at the state-run airport. …
read … Kauaʻi Man Died On His Birthday After Airport Staff Encounter - Honolulu Civil Beat
CNHA ‘Council’ Leaves Hawaii Again
HNN: … The Hawaiian Council is hosting the 2025 event at the Tulalip Resort Casino in Tulalip, Washington from October 5, through October 7.
This year will mark the second time the convention, which is the largest gathering of Native Hawaiians, will be held on the continent. This year also marks the first time it will be hosted on federally recognized tribal land.
The Council says that with more Native Hawaiians living on the continent than across the islands, this year’s gathering will provide an opportunity to reconnect….
read … Registration opens for 2025 Hawaiian Convention
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