DTRIC Insurance to Quit Hawaii
‘Hawaiian Council’ Schemes for 2026 Legislature: Gambling and Recreational Cannabis
SA: … Kuhio Lewis, Hawaiian Council CEO, told the Star-Advertiser, “We are watching the landscape of gaming closely. Obviously if gaming is going to come, we want to be at the table. I was surprised at how close it got last year.”
Experts tackled the opportunities and challenges of legalizing gambling in Hawaii during a panel Wednesday at the convention. Tyler Gomes, chief administrator of Kilohana and former deputy director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, moderated the panel, where he talked about DHHL’s failed effort to get state lawmakers to approve a casino resort to pay for housing for beneficiaries.
Brandon Maka‘awa‘awa of (Bumpy Kanahele’s) Nation of Hawai‘i expressed concerns about past gambling bills, saying they lacked provisions for Native Hawaiians. “There would be social ills, there are always social ills. But our people need an economic boost,” he said.
Anthony A. Marnell III, CEO of Marnell Companies, said his team has met with Hawaii state officials and legislators and sees potential for a casino on Maui and up to three casinos on Oahu, in places like Waikiki, Ko Olina and the stadium.
Teri Gobin said the Tulalip Tribes or other tribes might explore partnerships if Hawaii opens to gaming or recreational cannabis. “People would love to jump on that. It would probably be easy to fund,” she said….
“Gaming has been what we call the cash cow,” said Teri Gobin….
2023: CNHA Inside Track: Robin Danner Snags Gig in Governor's Office
Feb 2025: Senate Bill 893 would have granted 20-year licenses for casinos at the new Aloha Stadium Entertainment District and at the Hawaii Convention Center.
Sept 2025: HTA Whistleblower Isaac Choy Illegally Fired by Governor’s Chief of Staff
read … Convention explores how tribal gaming has helped Tulalip | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Tulalip Confab: Hawaiian ‘Haves’ Raking in the Bucks
SA: … Kuhio Lewis, CEO of the Hawaiian Council, and Chief of Staff Nick Carroll recently walked the entry to Ko Olina Resort, where they’re helping bring to life the historic ahupuaa (division of land) of Honouliuli — once a retreat for alii (royalty), a navigational marker for fishermen, and a source of natural abundance.
A few repurposed Hawaiian hale are the only visible signs that the council — formerly the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement — is working with the Ko Olina Community Association and Ko Olina Resort Operators Association to activate two undeveloped parcels totaling 17.96 acres….
read … Native Hawaiian empowerment gains momentum | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Honolulu Rail Reaches Airport After 14 Years, But Not Waikiki
BH: … The city estimates that more than 2,000 daily riders will start or end their trip at the airport….
read … Honolulu Rail Reaches Airport After 14 Years, But Not Waikiki
Hawaii minimum wage to rise by $2 in 2026
HTH: … Hawaii workers earning minimum wage will see the state’s biggest pay bump in years when the new rate takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026, jumping from $14 to $16 per hour — an increase of $2 that outpaces most other states.
The scheduled increase, approved by state lawmakers in 2022, is part of a multi-year plan that will eventually raise Hawaii’s minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2028….
read … Hawaii minimum wage to rise by $2 in 2026 - Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Sen Keohokalole hearing on PUC Corruption
SA: … the state Senate’s Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee held a hearing in June on anonymous allegations of misconduct by the Public Utilities Commission’s chief of policy research, Randy Baldemore, without receiving any input from the accused. Ultimately, these accusations were ‘found to be unsubstantiated and without merit’ by the ‘professionals’ assigned to investigate this matter.
This premature and uncalled-for action by the committee is a rookie move by its chair. Now, this individual seeks to replace U.S. Rep. Ed Case….
June 2025: FULL TEXT: Whistleblower Exposes PUC Parties with HECO Execs--“We are setting ourselves up for the largest cost increase to consumers in history"
Oct 2025: PUC Corruption? DCCA says Nothing to See Here, Just Move Along
read … Letter: State senator, Case lack ideal political qualities | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Kapalua: Billionaires Squabble over Maui water, land
SA: … Litigation between two companies on Maui with billionaire owners has spread from contention over water to land, and specifically control of an association representing landowners at Kapalua Resort.
TY Management, the owner of two golf courses at the resort that are shuttered due to a lack of water flowing through a system owned by Maui Land & Pineapple Co., filed a second lawsuit against MLP in September after suing in August over the water shortage that led to the cancellation of a prestigious January PGA Tour Sentry tournament worth $50 million to Maui’s economy.
The new lawsuit contends that MLP “sneakily” acquired supermajority voting power in the nonprofit Kapalua Resort Association by adding nearly 2,000 acres of largely undeveloped land to the West Maui resort area.
According to the complaint, which was filed Sept. 25 by TY Management and an association representing owners in the gated Plantation Estates subdivision at the resort, the move by MLP boosted its voting power in the resort association to 73.5% from 33.2% and gave MLP the ability to unilaterally change things including rules and fees for maintaining resort common areas.
“These actions stripped Plaintiffs (and all other KRA members) of meaningful participation, voting power, and financial protections, leaving them subject to the unchecked dominance of a single corporate member: MLP,” the complaint filed in state Circuit Court said.
In a statement, TY Management, a firm headed by Japanese billionaire and Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai, said the complaint attempts to correct “serious breaches of governance, transparency, and fairness within the Kapalua Resort Association” by MLP promoting its own interests at the expense of Kapalua homeowners and businesses.
MLP, which began developing Kapalua Resort on former pineapple fields in the 1970s and previously owned the two golf courses, called the lawsuit a frivolous attempt to obstruct progress toward “revitalizing the association” and enhancing the resort.
“This won’t deter us from exercising our rights or moving forward as a community,” the public company, majority owned by Hawaii-born billionaire Steve Case, said in a statement. “We invite the luxury estate owners and billionaire-backed golf courses to join us in advancing the resort for the benefit of all.”…
read … Legal feud over Maui water expands to land | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Hundreds more ‘paper leases’ for Hawaiian home lands are being awarded on Maui. Now the state must deliver
MN: … driven by a historic $600 million allocation from the State Legislature and an urgent need for housing after the 2023 Maui wildfires, the department is making a big push to award more than 2,600 leases statewide this year, including more than 1,200 on Maui. …
In April, the department awarded leases for 91 turnkey homes at Pu‘uhona, its first residential project on Maui in nearly 20 years. In September, it awarded 105 agricultural lots on Maui, the first agricultural leases given out since the early 2000s. And in November and December, it plans to hand out 1,100 leases for four housing projects across the island. …
But many of the leases come with a promise that the department has to deliver. The four projects set to be awarded to beneficiaries in the next two months have yet to start construction, and the first homes won’t be ready until 2028….
read … Hundreds more ‘paper leases’ for Hawaiian home lands are being awarded on Maui. Now the state must deliver : Maui Now
Affordable housing deed extension bill revived after near-death experience
MN: … Rawlins-Fernandez and Sinenci were attending the 2025 Native Hawaiian Convention in Tulalip, Wash., according to the Office of Council Services.
What followed the 4-3 vote was a aftermath discussion that confronted the loss of a measure after several years of committee work.
“We just have to bring it back again another way,” someone said as the measure’s failed vote sunk in.
But Council Chair Lee said: “No, no. It’s failed. Period. It doesn’t automatically go back. It has to be revived through another bill… Are you guys counting the votes?”
Speaking to the three members who voted against the bill, Johnson said: “I’d ask you guys to reconsider… We were all in these meetings where we hammered out the details. I conceded some of my things. Council Member Kama conceded some of her things.
“Why can’t we pass this because we all kind of gave up something, and now we got nothing,” Johnson said.
Lee noted that two council members were absent Friday, and if they had been present, “this probably could have passed.”
She added: “I never was supportive of this because of my experience with housing.” (Lee is a former director of the County’s former Department of Housing and Human Concerns.) She said she was “ferociously” against a former 50% requirement of affordable housing that led to years of virtually no development of affordable housing in Maui County….
read … Affordable housing deed extension bill revived after near-death experience : Maui Now
Police Called to Investigate Child’s Birthday Party at School Playground
CB: … The playground at ʻAikahi Elementary School is perfect for Maya Childress’ three kids. The slides and climbing structures are small enough for toddlers to safely play on weekends, and the large monkeypod trees and benches offer parents a shady spot to watch their kids.
The only problem: Childress and her kids need to jump the school’s fence or crawl under a gate every time they want to play. The Kailua playground on ʻAikahi Elementary’s campus sits behind a locked gate and is surrounded by no trespassing signs, warning the public that kids should only use the equipment under the supervision of school staff.
Even still, ʻAikahi Elementary draws dozens of children on weekends, with many families considering it the best playground on Oʻahu.
“It puts these parents in a weird situation,” Childress said. “Do I do this? All these other parents are doing it.”
Debates around access to the playground escalated last month when the Honolulu Police Department was called to investigate a child’s birthday party held at ʻAikahi Elementary on a weekend. The police didn’t issue any citations, HPD spokesperson Jocelyn Oshiro said, but the incident sparked widespread frustration on social media…
read … Hawaiʻi Parents Are Hopping Fences To Sneak Into Playgrounds - Honolulu Civil Beat
QUICK HITS: