DoE: Teacher Salaries 'Competitive'
House Now Accepting Staff Applications for 2026 Session
DoE Schools: Where is the most violence?
CB: … Two years ago, Kaui Asinsin brought the idea of getting a police presence at Nānākuli High and Intermediate School to her neighborhood board.
Asinsin, who was then a security attendant on campus, was tired of seeing multiple fights per week break out between students.
Now, a pilot program with the police department is almost ready to be implemented at three Oʻahu schools, but Nānākuli High and Intermediate is not one of them….
High-profile incidents also have occurred at Waiʻanae and Kapolei high schools in recent years. A video of Waiʻanae High School students beating a fellow teen went viral in 2022, leading to the arrests of four 17-year-old boys. Two Kapolei High School students were arrested in 2023 after multiple brawls broke out on campus.
During the 2023-2024 school year, Nānākuli High had 125 out-of-school suspensions, compared to 186 at Waiʻanae High School, 219 at Kapolei High School and 39 at Kaimukī High School, according to data published by the Department of Education. Other schools not selected for the program had far more suspensions, such as Waipahu High School, which had 289, and Campbell High School with 272.
(DO THE MATH: 289/180 day school year = 1.6 suspensions per day.)
But it’s unclear what factors went into the education department’s decision, which is frustrating for DeCorte. …
Kila was also part of the initial push for the school resource officer program, and in 2023 sent a letter to Department of Education officials asking for authorization to hire additional after-hours private security guards for the Nānākuli campus. The school had multiple high-profile incidents that year, including a student who was assaulted by eight other teens at lunch and a 15-year-old who was beaten and robbed on campus after school hours....
read … This School Wanted Officers On Campus. 3 Others Will Get Them First - Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Introduce A Lot Of Bills. See Whose Pass — And Fail
CB: … Only about 10% of all bills introduced during a Hawaiʻi session will pass and become law. The 2025 session was no exception — 3,172 bills were introduced in the House and Senate and only 313 became law.
Still, lawmakers are lucky if 10% of their own bills make the cut. A Civil Beat analysis of the 2025 session shows that just one-third of lawmakers had at least 10% of their bills approved.
“The real question is why so many bills get introduced in the first place,” …
The lawmaker who introduced the most bills and saw the most pass was Sen. Karl Rhoads, who saw just nine of his 173 measures succeed. That works out to 5%.
And some bills — notably, the budget bill that funds and operates state government — is must-pass legislation. The author of that measure was Rep. Kyle Yamashita, a Democrat, who scored highest in his chamber for number of bills passed, eight total.
Most of the lawmakers interviewed for this story said they are comfortable with the current system and would not want to further limit the number of bills they can introduce. Senators have no limit, while the House has several limits depending on whether it’s the first or second year of a biennial session and what committee a member chairs….
a good many ideas for bills come from their own constituents.
… those “hero (fake) bills,” proposals “that have little chance of passing but allow lawmakers to show (fake) responsiveness — i.e., be a hero (pander) — to particular groups or constituents.” …
The legislators who introduced the most “by request” bills in the 2025 session were Senate President Ron Kouchi and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura….
Dru Kanuha, the Senate majority leader, introduced the fourth-highest number of bills — 93 total. But 92 of those bills were what’s known as short-form bills, blank pages that can be filled in later should the need arise for major legislation….
All 14 of Awa’s bills died. One of them — Senate Bill 1582 — unanimously passed the Senate but was quickly killed in the House. It called for recognizing the coconut palm as a “culturally significant plant and sustainable staple food source” in the islands….
“So the members are really incentivized to throw the kitchen sink in by a certain date, because they simply do not have the opportunity to raise a new issue come February or March,” he said, adding that sometimes bills are “half baked” so early in the process. “I think if that deadline were removed, then there would no longer be the incentive to dump in the kitchen sink by whatever the January deadline is for a bill introduction.”….
read … Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Introduce A Lot Of Bills. See Whose Pass — And Fail - Honolulu Civil Beat
Another 1% TAT Hike to be Proposed
CB: … The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands plans to ask lawmakers to approve a 1% increase to the Transient Accommodations Tax, which could generate more than $100 million in annual revenue for the department to pursue development and assist its beneficiaries with home loans ….
The 1% increase on tourist taxes would go to the Hawaiian Home General Loan Fund …
Another proposal seeks an unspecified amount of funding for 51 infrastructure projects across the homestead lands that would meet the requirements of the Green Fee law….
read … Tourist Tax Hike Sought For Hawaiian Home Lands - Honolulu Civil Beat
Get a Job: DHS announces changes to able-bodied SNAP benefit recipients
HNN: … The Hawaii Department of Human Services announced Thursday forthcoming changes to able-bodied SNAP recipients.
According to the DHS, able-bodied adults must either meet work requirements on their own, meet an eligible exemption, or participate in a work program for at least 80 hours per month to continue receiving benefits for more than three months.
If an able-bodied adult household member does not meet the work requirements, or is exempt from the new work requirements, that individual will be limited to three months of SNAP and be unable to reapply for SNAP for the next three years, or until the requirements are met.
These key changes will go into effect Nov. 1, 2025….
read … DHS announces changes to able-bodied SNAP benefit recipients
Be part of city charter amendment process
SA: … The Honolulu City Charter Commission is holding community information sessions to raise awareness and encourage participation in the charter amendment process. Once every 10 years, Oahu residents can submit proposals to amend the charter, the city’s foundational governing document. The upcoming sessions:
- >> Monday: 6 p.m. at Waipahu High School cafeteria
- >> Tuesday: 6 p.m. at Windward Community College, Hale Akoakoa
- >> Wednesday: 7 p.m. at Nanakuli Public Library
- >> Thursday: 6 p.m. at Mililani High School cafeteria
- >> Friday: 7 p.m. at Sunset Beach Elementary School cafeteria
- >> Oct. 21: 6 p.m. at Salt Lake District Park
An online Zoom session will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 22; see 808ne.ws/charter Opens in a new tab for more info. Charter amendment proposals are being accepted through Nov. 7 .
read … Off the news: Be part of city charter amendment process | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Blangiardi: New Rail Section ‘a game-changer’
HNN: … For the first time, long-distance commuters traveling by rail may finally get to work and home faster than they can in their cars, according to city officials.
The expansion adds only five miles and four stations to the Skyline guideway, but city officials have high hopes for what the second segment will bring to the project.
“For me, this is really the ultimate in providing quality of life opportunities, economic-wise, economically, time-wise, it’s just going to lend a whole different dynamic,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
The station on Lagoon Drive could be a major hub for commuters. From there, the city says riders will be able to catch a Zoom bus limited-stop route to the University of Hawaii at Manoa or downtown Honolulu, which could be a game changer.
The U line to UH and the A line to downtown will go through Mapunapuna to the freeway. Those routes, along with another limited-stops route to Waikiki, promise a ride from Kapolei to those key destinations in about an hour.
“In an hour. Yeah. It’s that certainty. That is really good,” Blangiardi said….
read … Added miles to Skyline rail could be game changer for commuters
Assaults on Honolulu police officers on the rise
SA: … Assaults on Honolulu police officers are up 21% this year compared with the same period last year, and are on pace to surpass 2024’s total of 43 cases, the Honolulu Police Department announced Thursday.
As of Tuesday, there had been 35 assaults on HPD officers in 2025, which is six more than the 29 cases from Jan. 1, 2024, to Oct. 7, 2024….
HNN: ‘Deeply concerning’: Police chief sounds alarm as assaults on officers rise
read … Assaults on Honolulu police officers on the rise | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Moving the Smokestack: Daniel K Inouye International Airport meets 2030 emissions goal 5 years ahead of schedule
HNN: … The goal is to reduce airport-controlled emissions by 50% per passenger from levels recorded in 2009.
HDOT said HNL continues to exceed its 2030 goal five years ahead of schedule for the second consecutive year, and has renewed its Level 3 Airport Carbon Accreditation designation, showing it meets global standards on sustainability.
Efforts such as implementing autonomous electric shuttle buses, the replacement of fleet vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs) and the installation of additional EV charging stations serving operational areas are all contributing factors….
(TRANSLATION: Moving the smokestack.)
How they did it? BY IGNORING:
- The airplanes spewing jet exhaust
- The cars spewing engine exhaust
- The diesel-fired HECO plants spewing exhaust.
read … Daniel K Inouye International Airport meets 2030 emissions goal 5 years ahead of schedule
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