September 12, 2025 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Friday, September 12, 2025

September 12, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:56 PM :: 383 Views

Falsely arrested by their own Department? A year later, some Sheriff Deputies return to duty

State Supreme Court Overturns Five of Green's Emergency Proclamations--Upholds Others

Maui Police Officer Celebrates Murder of Charlie Kirk

Petition: Big Island Needs Mental Hospital

State task force tackles slow Hawaii building permit process

SA: … A task force recently created by Hawaii’s Legislature has begun to work on “simplifying” the building permit process statewide in an effort to unleash more construction and economic development.

The 34-member panel held its first meeting Thursday at the state Capitol, with most of the five-hour effort devoted to understanding the work of county and state agencies involved in processing building permits.

One big and perhaps not-too-surprising takeaway from presentations and discussions at the meeting was that the involved agencies have significant staff vacancies that reduce permit processing capacity….

(CLUE: If the permitting process were simpler, we wouldn’t need as many people to implement it.)

The task force has a challenging goal to simplify the building permit process in Hawaii, which presenters described as complex and to a large degree bogged down by poor work submitted by applicants.

(CLUE: If the permitting process wasn’t designed as a game of ping-pong, initial applications would be of better quality.)

State lawmakers established the Simplifying Permitting for Enhanced Economic Development (SPEED) Task Force by passing House Bill 1406 earlier this year. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Josh Green on May 29.

The new law, which formed the SPEED Task Force within the House of Representatives, appropriated $200,000 for staff and administrative costs over two years before the panel disbands on June 30, 2027….

read … State task force tackles slow Hawaii building permit process | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Drunk Illegal used Hawaii Drivers License to re-Enter US

SA: … Abraham Moreno Garcia, 51, aka “Estevan Carvajal Villagomez” and “Carlos Daniel Lopez,” was removed at least three times for illegally reentering the U.S., and has two felony convictions for coming back to the country after he was removed.

During one of those reentry attempts, Moreno Garcia used a Hawaii driver’s license as proof of citizenship….

According to federal court documents, Moreno Garcia came to the attention of law enforcement after a 2024 Kailua-Kona arrest for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant when he was stopped for speeding 64 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone.

“He had watery and glassy eyes and an odor of alcohol on his breath. He did not have a license, insurance, registration, or a certificate of inspection,” read an Aug. 29 sentencing memo authored by Ching, asking for a 12-month federal prison sentence. “The vehicle also had fraudulent tags and several empty alcohol bottles. He failed the field sobriety tests and displayed signs of impairment.”

He was driving without a license, insurance, and vehicle registration. Moreno Garcia had two convictions and six other drunken driving arrests. He also had two prior federal convictions for illegally reentering the United States.

“(S)tarting in 1998, while illegally in the United States, (Moreno Garcia) began his criminal activity, which includes at least nine arrests and/or convictions for driving while under the influence of an intoxicant,” read Ching’s memo. “This made him a threat on the roads of New Mexico and Hawaii. It’s no small miracle that he avoided killing anyone while drunk driving. Since 2002, he has been removed from the United States twice.”

Moreno Garcia was convicted in 2019 in Hawaii for illegal reentry and sentenced to five months in federal prison. He was sent back to Mexico in March 2019.

He reentered the U.S. illegally and was arrested on Hawaii island in March for the immigration violation….

read … Deported man gets year in prison for repeatedly returning to U.S. | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

City Homeless Ambulance Service Crushed by Inability to Forcibly Commit the Insane

CB: … CORE launched in October 2021. It was initially supported by $5 million in federal pandemic relief funds, Ireland said at the time. The program was meant to divert nonviolent, homeless-related emergency calls from the Honolulu Police Department and Emergency Medical Services (and hospital ERs).

(CLUE: It is doing this.)

Teams of social workers and EMTs were to respond to 911 calls, mitigate crises, and steer people toward services and hopefully get them off the street.

(CLUE: It is not getting them off the street. But it is not possible under the current system.)

In 2024, CORE directed 125 people into temporary shelter or behavioral treatment facilities, according to data the city provided to Civil Beat. The program has a $2.7 million annual budget and is paid for through the city’s general fund, Enright said.

(DO THE MATH: 365/125 = One bum in shelter every 2.9 days. $2.7M/125 = $21,600 per bum removal—but the value of answering repetitive homeless EMT calls is not included in this calculation.)

Tupola said her concerns about the program include that it is now relying on EMTs who can provide medical treatment but cannot deliver the full range of social services and referrals. That is also diverting the EMTs from other calls where they might be more needed, she said.

(REALITY: Jawboning lunatics to get them to utter the magic words that allow us to transport them to Iwilei takes time.)

CORE “appears to consistently fail to refer individuals in crisis to local community organizations for assistance. CORE’s social workers lack practical experience and established relationships in the community,” Josh Frost, policy advocate at ACLU Hawaiʻi, said in written testimony….

(REALITY: The ACLU is front and center in the effort to keep the homeless, homeless by denying us the right to forcibly incarcerate them in lunatic asylums.)

SA: Editorial: CORE homeless program needs, benefits from audit | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

read … Has City Homeless Services Program Lost Its Way? Audit Will Check - Honolulu Civil Beat

Panhandling: Council to consider revised pedestrian conduct bill following mayoral veto

HTH: … The Hawaii County Council is set to revisit legislation regulating pedestrian behavior near roadways, following Mayor Kimo Alameda’s recent veto of a similar measure.

Bill 82, introduced by Council Chair Holeka Inaba, is scheduled for discussion at 9 a.m. Tuesday during the Policy Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit meeting. The proposal would amend the County Code to prohibit individuals from entering a roadway, obstructing traffic, or approaching vehicles for the purpose of soliciting or delivering goods, services or employment—unless the vehicle is legally stopped.

The bill also prohibits individuals from standing near streets or highways to offer vehicle-watching or guarding services. Under the proposal, “good or service” does not include aid or assistance provided during emergencies or traffic accidents.

The measure includes exceptions for emergency aid and protected speech, such as holding signs in areas that do not obstruct traffic. It also allows pedestrians to use sidewalks and other non-traffic areas, as long as they do not block traffic or approach moving vehicles….

read … Council to consider revised pedestrian conduct bill following mayoral veto - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Hawaiian culture finds a new home as Observatories Shuttered

KITV: … At the summit of Mauna Kea, something new is unfolding at the Gemini Observatory….

The observatory has launched its first-ever Hawaiʻi Culture and Language Residency, a program designed to move into the void created by the removal of astronomy to Chile, where science is appreciated .…

read … Hawaiian culture finds a new home at the Gemini Observatory | Local | kitv.com

Hawai‘i Island Republicans to hold vigils in remembrance of conservative activist Charlie Kirk

BIN: … Vigils on the Big Island are scheduled for Friday in Kailua-Kona, Volcano and Waimea, and on Saturday in Hilo….

Kailua Kona: Old Airport Beach Park, Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. Prayer led by Pastor Spencer Baker of Big Island Baptist Church. Contact: Sylvie Madison at comms@westhawaiigop.org
Waimea: Church Row, Friday, 6 to 7 p.m., Contact: Monique Perreira at info@westhawaiigop.org
Volcano: Cooper Center (skate park area), Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. Contact: Kawika at kaneiaupuni@gmail.com
Hilo: Hilo Bayfront, Saturday, 6 to 7 p.m. Contact: Marie Ruhland at mamasonruhland@gmail.com

HTH: ‘He gave me confidence’: How Charlie Kirk connected with young men - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

read … Hawai‘i Island Republicans to hold vigils in remembrance of conservative activist Charlie Kirk : Big Island Now

Ian Lind uses ai to blame Charlie Kirk for his own Murder

ILind: … orders up two ai robots who blame Kirk for his own murder ….

Meanwhile: Charlie Kirk 'killer' identified as Tyler Robinson after assassination in Utah

read … Searching for words

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