October 29, 2025 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Wednesday, October 29, 2025

October 29, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:51 PM :: 436 Views

Kamehameha Admissions: Without Affirmative Action Defense, Who Needs Victimology?

Hawaii Joins 22 States Suing to Keep Welfare Cash Flowing

HART Board of Directors Elects New Chair and Vice Chair

Maui Council to Meet November 3 to Establish Process to Fill Vacancy

52% of 2024 Hawaii Homicides Unsolved—and 97% of auto thefts

CB: … The state’s crime rate declined by almost 17%, from 75,399 incidents in 2021 to 63,030 in 2024, according to the dashboard. But that was largely driven by a decrease in offenses reported in the City and County of Honolulu. Authorities on Oʻahu reported about 37,700 offenses in 2024, a decrease of about 27%.

On the neighbor islands, the picture wasn’t so positive. Kauaʻi also saw a minor decrease. But on the Big Island and Maui, the number of offenses went up in 2024 compared to the year before.

While clearance rates improved on Oʻahu, those metrics actually decreased in Maui, Hawaiʻi and Kauaʻi counties. A case is considered cleared when a suspect is arrested or the case is otherwise closed due to other factors like the death of an offender or a lack of cooperation by the victim.

Police reported 31 homicides statewide last year, down from a high of 40 in 2022. But police only had a clearance rate of 48%, a substantial drop from 85% in 2022.

Kauaʻi had a particularly tough time solving rape and kidnapping cases, according to the state attorney general’s data. Last year, officials reported 212 kidnappings and 59 rape cases. But the police department’s low overall clearance rate for those crimes — 13% and 10%, respectively — means that only a fraction of such cases were solved. Those numbers are lower than other islands. On the Big Island, for example, the clearance rate last year was 28.2% for kidnappings and 27% for rape cases. In Maui County, the clearance rate was 20.8% for kidnappings and 13.8% for rape cases….

Thousands of cars are stolen each year on Oʻahu. Less than 3% of cases are solved. While the number of car thefts on the island has gone down from about 5,000 in 2021, the number of cases cleared has remained stubbornly low. In 2024, there were 3,596 motor vehicle thefts in the county. Police solved just 83 cases that year….

read … Data Dive: Neighbor Islands Solve More Burglaries, Car Thefts Than Oʻahu - Honolulu Civil Beat

Politicians Begin Posturing Wildly as Welfare Cashflow Cutoff Looms

SA: … The state plans to distribute $100 million in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding to reduce housing and utility costs to help make up for the temporary loss of federal SNAP benefits for 168,947 residents that begins on Saturday.

Two state senators on Tuesday were clearly disappointed that the state is not doing more to help SNAP recipients — 86,229 island households including 62,647 children — who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to put food on their tables after the Trump administration announced that it was suspending automatic SNAP funding on Saturday because of the ongoing federal government shutdown….

Sen. (and Congressional candidate) Jarrett Keohokalole (D, Kaneohe-Kailua) (is) voicing … frustration that Gov. Josh Green does not plan to tap the state’s $1.5 billion rainy day fund to cover the nearly $59 million in monthly SNAP benefits that people will not receive beginning Saturday….

Pressed on why Green doesn’t use the state’s rainy day fund to replace SNAP funding, DHS’ Deputy Director Jerry Campos said that the Legislature would have to schedule a special session to provide “legislative oversight” of any rainy day funding….

read … Hawaii to help SNAP recipients through rent, utility relief | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Hana Hwy Sovereignty Activists Prep Ask for 2026 Legislative Session

MN: … In 2022, the state House of Representatives responded by passing House Concurrent Resolution No. 29. It detailed resident complaints and “encouraged” the state Department of Transportation to work with stakeholders to create a comprehensive management plan for the Road to Hāna.

…Hāna Highway Regulation, an initiative of the nonprofit East Maui Land Restoration, maintains that the highway remains in “continued disarray” because the department has failed to act on the resolution.

“Three years later, no communication or engagement has been initiated by the Department of Transportation,” said Nāpua Hu‘eu, administrator of Hāna Highway Regulation. “But if resolutions are ignored by those named to act, what purpose do they serve? Had DOT fulfilled its directive in 2022, many of today’s recurring problems could have been mitigated.” …

“They don’t hesitate to park anywhere they please and wander into the unknown, forging paths to waterfalls in remote stream areas,” said Kawai Kimokeo, a lifelong East Maui resident, as quoted in the report. “These are places even we as locals avoid out of respect and safety.”…

read … East Maui group escalates dispute with state over visitor misbehavior on Hāna Highway : Maui Now

Caregivers Tax Credit: AARP Prepares Ask for 2026 Legislature

SA: … Nearly 1 in 4 adults in Hawaii — about 260,000 people — serve as family caregivers each year, a role that is largely unpaid and often unsupported, according to newly released data from AARP.

The findings, published Tuesday in Caregiving in the U.S. 2025: Caring Across States, show that 23% of Hawaii residents are currently caring for or recently have cared for an adult family member or friend — a reflection of the state’s rapidly aging population and the deep cultural expectations around caring for kupuna at home….

In Hawaii, where the cost of living is among the highest in the country, caregivers also absorb expenses related to home care, transportation and supplies. AARP says 80% nationally pay out of pocket — an average of more than $7,200 a year — often eating into retirement savings or forcing people to scale back employment.

The report also shows the average caregiver is 49 years old, while the average care recipient is 66. And 34% are “sandwich generation” adults navigating care for both children and kupuna.

The new data arrives as Hawaii heads toward a demographic shift: by 2030, 1 in 4 Hawaii residents will be 65 or older.

AARP is urging state lawmakers to create a state caregiver tax credit — up to $2,000 annually; support a federal caregiver tax credit of up to $5,000; and establish a statewide paid family leave program allowing workers to care for loved ones without losing wages or jobs

At the federal level, AARP backs the Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act, which would expand the use of flexible spending and health savings accounts for caregiving-related expenses….

read … AARP report shows strain on Hawaii caregivers | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Chinatown seniors face steep rent increases at affordable housing complex

HNN: … Seniors living at an affordable housing complex in Chinatown are facing significant rent increases, with some residents reporting hikes of more than 34%.

At the Halewaiʻolu Senior Residences on River Street, 155 affordable rental units house residents 55 and older.

The building opened in 2021 after a lottery system was used to meet high demand for affordable housing. Michael’s Development built and manages the property….

Kamakea, 71, lives on a fixed income. Her listed rent increased from $1,200 per month to $1,610, a $410 increase of more than 34%.

“I don’t think they should, because in actuality, you are going to find a lot of people living on the street,” said Kamakea.

Winifred Spencer, 71, is also on a fixed income and cares for her disabled husband. Her rent increased by 9% or $137 to $1,606 per month….

Michaels Marketing released a statement saying “the community did recently raise on all units, in accordance with government guidelines, after two years of no increases….

The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation said in a letter to residents that 112 units received rent adjustments with an average increase of approximately 10.1%.

“Across the property, 112 units received rent adjustments (7 units at 30% AMI, 94 units at 60% AMI, and 11 units at 80% AMI), with an average increase of approximately 10.1 percent. All increases were confirmed to remain within the program’s maximum allowable rent limits,” the corporation said….

read … Chinatown seniors face steep rent increases at affordable housing complex

Kauai to Purge Mainlanders from Sec 8 List

CB: … Temporarily closing the list, as the county plans to do next week, is more or less a housekeeping exercise aimed at awarding dozens of new Section 8 vouchers while purging unresponsive, far-flung applicants before reopening a fresh list, Kauaʻi Housing Director Adam Roversi said.

The federally funded Housing Choice Voucher Program, better known as Section 8, is a lifeline for Kauaʻi families struggling to afford the island’s astronomical housing prices. Since the current list opened five years ago, it has ballooned to include more than 3,000 applicants — more than triple the number of Section 8-eligible housing units on the island.

The county housing agency that administers the federal program has enough funding to underwrite about 30 new vouchers at this time, Roversi said.

The program requires the county to accept U.S. applicants regardless of where they reside. And although Roversi said the list is dominated by applicants who do not live on Kauaʻi, he said he expects few, if any, mainland-based applicants to relocate to access the housing subsidy….

Roversi said county staff are not aware of any non-Kauai residents moving to the island to receive a voucher since he became housing director six years ago. Nevertheless, applicants from other islands and states continue to clog up the waitlist….

read … Mainlanders Are Filling Up Kauaʻi’s Low-Income Housing Waitlist - Honolulu Civil Beat

New program offers Hawaiʻi seniors guaranteed admissions to nine University of Hawaiʻi campuses

CB: … “I had to figure out how to do the KCC application by myself,” said Bartlett, who graduated from high school in May and is now pursuing the college’s medical laboratory technician program with a scholarship covering her first year of tuition. “I was very confused, and I didn’t understand anything.”

Hawaiʻi lags behind the nation when it comes to college attendance. Just over half of Hawaiʻi high school graduates attend college, compared to the national average of 63%, with roughly a third of graduates attending a University of Hawaiʻi campus.

A partnership between UH and the Department of Education aims to change this by simplifying the admissions process for in-state colleges. The initiative, called Direct2UH, provides all DOE seniors with guaranteed admissions to the system’s seven community colleges. Those with a 2.7 GPA or higher are also guaranteed admissions to UH West Oʻahu and UH Hilo.

… Acceptance letters sent to graduating seniors instruct them to secure their spots by completing a free, simplified application that allows them to select the college of their choice. Admission is contingent on students’ graduation from high school. …

read … Hawaiʻi Is Making A Big Push To Increase College Enrollment. Will It Work? - Honolulu Civil Beat

We Need To Build Financial Capability In Hawaiʻi’s Classrooms

CB: … According to the NFCS, while Hawaiʻi respondents perform relatively well on financial literacy questions, many still struggle to manage their finances effectively. Over half (51%) reported difficulty covering expenses, 41% lacked emergency savings, and 59% had not begun planning for retirement.

These challenges are magnified in an increasingly digital economy. More than half of Hawaiʻi respondents (53%) used their mobile devices for payments, and 62% used them for money transfers, yet digital banking and asset management literacy remain uneven. …

read … We Need To Build Financial Capability In Hawaiʻi’s Classrooms - Honolulu Civil Beat

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