Maui Council Announces Process to Fill Vacancy
County of Maui seeking volunteers to serve on Boards and Commissions
Convicted Felon Arrested and Charged After Stealing Multiple Firearms from a Storage Locker
Restoring ʻĀina, Restoring Ourselves
OHA Board to Decide on Emergency Relief Payments for Native Hawaiians
DLE Top Criminal Investigator Plotted False Arrest of Senator’s Husband
HNN: … The phone conversation is reportedly of Ibarra and an unnamed deputy, who made the recording last year.
On it, Ibarra tells the deputy that he plans on arresting DLE lieutenant Mike Oakland if Oakland does not retire.
(REALLY OBVOUS QUESTION: When will Ibarra be arrested for multiple counts of false arrest?)
Oakland is a witness in a previously filed civil lawsuit against Ibarra and Lowe, accusing them of harassment.
“There was zero basis to arrest Oakland, none whatsoever,” said Megan Kau, attorney for four deputies who filed suit last month.
“Jordan Lowe and Wayne Ibarra were going around exercising their authority against innocent deputy sheriffs and either threatening to arrest them or actually arresting them,” Kau said.
Lt. Oakland is married to former legislator Suzanne Chun Oakland, and Ibarra references her political background but insists in the audio recording that he has approval from the governor’s office to proceed.
“I know his wife was a 20-year senator, you know, and six years prior to that as a representative,” Ibarra said. “The political push is above.”
Ibarra claimed to have spoken with the governor’s office about the matter.
“Before you called, I just got off the phone with the gov’s office and they’re ready to move on this thing,” Ibarra said in the recording.
The governor’s office denied that in a statement to HNN Investigates: “The Office of the Governor had no involvement in the personnel matter discussed.” …
BACKGROUND:
read … Recorded call reveals alleged threat to arrest deputy sheriff in ‘political push’
Ghouls: ‘Progressives’ Try to Exploit Death of Tasha Kama to Force Bill 9 Vote
HNN: … Kama was head of the Housing and Land Use Committee where some of the county’s most crucial issues were heard, including the controversial Bill 9, which was drafted by the mayor in the wake of the 2023 fires.
It would phase out about 7,000 short-term vacation rentals in hopes to provide more long-term housing.
The bill passed out of Kama’s committee this past summer and was scheduled to be heard by the full council on November 12th.
But on Sunday, Chair Lee said it’s been pushed back to “hopefully” in December while the council works to fill Kama’s vacancy.
Other councilmembers are now pushing back.
“Saying we’re not going to schedule it for months when the process started two years ago is not fair, it’s not democratic, it’s not transparent, and this is why council chairs have been unseated in the pass,” said West Maui councilwoman Tamara Paltin.
“I know you don’t support Bill 9. I know you’ve been undermining all of it all this time. So just schedule it,” said Molokai councilwoman Keani Rawlins-Fernandez.
“You know what, I’ll recess,” Chair Alice Lee responded. “And we will recess and recess and recess. We will stick to this agenda period.”…
read … Death of Maui councilwoman may delay controversial bill
Charter Amendment: HART to become Eternal Construction Project
SA: … Options to turn the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation into a permanent agency, and potentially expand its mission to construct things other than the city’s more than $10 billion Skyline project, appear to be coming down the tracks.
HART, which is set to end as a semi-autonomous city agency in 2031, currently oversees the design and construction of Skyline from East Kapolei to Kakaako.
To that end, HART recently advanced the rail line project further east: it’s engaged the Segment 3 contractor, Los Angeles-based Tutor Perini Corp., to conduct $53.2 million in additional design work that’s meant to extend Skyline to Ala Moana Center….
the HART board approved Resolution 23, which states the 14-member panel “supports extensions to the minimum operable segment (from East Kapolei to Ala Moana) that are consistent with the locally preferred alternative and HART’s authority … to develop the fixed guideway system.”
And during the latest HART board meeting, the panel explored potential amendments to the City Charter that might turn HART into the island’s sole transit authority.
Another amendment might authorize HART to construct projects other than rail, even bridges.
Both proposals may be submitted to the Honolulu City Charter Commission, which convenes once every 10 years, and is currently accepting such submissions through Friday.
Any actual changes the Charter Commission recommends will appear as Charter amendment questions on the November 2026 ballot….
read … HART looks to extend its life beyond 2031 sunset date | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Worth $400K? DOE's Top Bureaucrat Could Get 60% Pay Raise
CB: … Hayashi, who started as interim superintendent in 2021 and stepped into the permanent job in 2022, is nearing the end of his first term as schools chief. The Board of Education will vote on renewing his four-year contract with an 18% pay raise in a meeting Wednesday.
Under the new contract, Hayashi’s salary could jump from $249,600 to $294,674. He would also qualify for an annual 5% to 8% raise based on performance evaluations, meaning his salary could grow to $400,900 by December 2029, according to a BOE memo. …
read … DOE's Top Leader Could Get Big Pay Raise - Honolulu Civil Beat
Governor, Congressional Delegation Push Funding for Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea
CB: … Despite some daunting setbacks, executives with the Thirty Meter Telescope aren’t giving up on their plans to build it on Mauna Kea, and are investigating the possibility the observatory could be constructed on a site where an old telescope was decommissioned and torn down.
Gov. Josh Green and the entire Hawaiʻi congressional delegation signed a letter last month promising to work with state officials to establish a permitting process for construction on the sites of decommissioned telescopes on Mauna Kea.
That letter to the chair and co-chair of the board of directors of the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory acknowledges “your commitment to addressing the Hawaiʻi community’s request for a possible relocation to a disturbed site” on the mountain….
The National Science Foundation announced earlier this year it had opted to fund a different large telescope project in Chile, a decision that Liu called “a major challenge.” But TMT planners are working on a solution to that problem.
TMT backers have approached Congress for funding via the NSF, and Liu said in an interview Monday the Senate draft of the 2026 federal budget includes language explicitly supportive of funding for TMT as well as the Extremely Large Telescope being built in Chile.
The House draft supports the development of large telescopes, but does not mention TMT specifically.
“We’re working through that, we have a lot of support from the Hawaiʻi congressional delegation, we very much appreciate it, and the governor as well, but it’s hard to predict in these days how the congressional appropriation process will work out,” Liu said.
U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, who represents rural Oʻahu and the neighbor islands, said in an interview Monday that she and other lawmakers plan to send a bipartisan letter to leadership of the House Appropriations Committee to ask for an amendment to the House draft of the budget bill to include language similar to the Senate version….
PDF: 2510067-GOV Letter to TMT International Observatory (TIO) Chair and Co-Chair of Board of Directors | DocumentCloud
read … Thirty Meter Telescope Planners Consider Other Sites On Mauna Kea - Honolulu Civil Beat
Bishop Street Lawyer May Face New charges in probate fraud case
ILind: … Court records show at least one plea offer has been made by prosecutors, and negotiations over terms of a plea agreement are ongoing and a trial date has been postponed several times.
Chapman has been free after posting a $1 million bail bond. He and his wife took out a $1 million mortgage on their Lanikai home to secure the bond.
More than two years before his indictment, Chapman gave up his license to practice law in lieu of being disbarred by the Hawaii Supreme Court following a lengthy investigation of a different case of probate fraud.
Now, with a possible plea deal still in limbo, prosecutors appear to be ready to play hardball by adding at least one additional charge.
During a court hearing two weeks ago, prosecutors said an additional charge is being considered.
“State updated the court as to a potential new criminal case,” according to minutes of the October 20 hearing. A further update “as to the additional charge” will be provided at a hearing February 6, 2026, the hearing minutes available online show.
There is no other indication of what the additional charge or new criminal case might be.
Meanwhile, Chapman has been traveling….
read … New charges being considered in probate fraud case | i L i n d
Green Sea Turtles are Delicious. Should Hawaiians Be Able To Eat Them?
CB: … The honu has recovered from the brink of extinction, prompting some to ask if it’s time to give Native Hawaiians the right to resume traditional harvesting….
read … Green Sea Turtles Have Rebounded. Should Hawaiians Be Able To Eat Them? - Honolulu Civil Beat
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