November 11, 2025 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Tuesday, November 11, 2025

November 11, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:08 PM :: 270 Views

Three names on list to fill vacant Maui council seat

Survey: 75% of Hawaiʻi’s Workforce May Leave

HPD finds Missing Tennessee Child Living in Van with Criminal in Hawaii

HPD Seeks Community Feedback to Enhance Public Safety Services

PUC Chair Resigns

Alleged Chinese Spy Given Hawaii Mansion

60 Mentally Ill Inmates at WCCC

SHPD Begins Updating Statewide Historic Preservation Plan

EXPOSED: How AG Lopez Stalling Bribery Investigation Until Statute of Limitations Runs Out

HNN: … Democrat Della Au Belatti and Republican Kanani Souza have been pushing for clarity in the bribery scandal that already sent two other lawmakers to federal prison.

Belatti started the effort in May after learning that a third, unnamed, influential state legislator may have also been a target after allegedly taking $35,000 during a 2022 FBI operation….

Belatti said that may not have qualified for a federal crime and that’s why the FBI investigation stalled. “The feds are not going to prosecute a state crime. That’s for our state law enforcement to do,” said Belatti, who represents Makiki and Punchbowl.

On May 19, she wrote to acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson, asking him to “immediately provide the appropriate agencies with the identity and investigative reports” about that mystery elected official….

Belatti feared the Hawaii statute of limitations would expire.

Two months later, on July 20, Belatti and Souza sent a letter to Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez and the executive directors of the Campaign Spending and Ethics commissions.

The letter said Belatti had met with Sorenson, who told her “if there were state law enforcement officials interested in these reports, a request could be made directly to his office and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Belatti and Souza wanted Lopez to make the effort and reach out, but Lopez did not. Instead, in her response to the representatives, she said her office “stands ready, able and willing to assist” the feds in the public corruption investigations should they reach out to her office….

(CLUE: This is why the Miske gang’s slogan is ‘Defend Hawaii’—because they never get punished within the state judiciary.)

Souza, who represents Kapolei and Makakilo, said she was surprised that “nothing was being done at the time, but it also reiterated the fact that it is upon the Hawaii State Legislature to take action and to take control of the situation if no other state agency was currently doing their due diligence.”

Belatti and Souza no longer want closed investigations to be launched by the state attorney general or either commissions. They instead think that time has passed and the public should now be allowed to view legislative hearings on the topic….

(TRANSLATION: Thanks to Lopez, the only possible punishment is removal from office.)

SA: Hawaii House speaker wants probe of lawmaker in corruption case | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

read … State agencies declined to investigate third legislator in bribery case, internal letters show

Honolulu Mayor wants power to hire and fire police chief

KHON: … Right now, the Honolulu Police Commission is in charge of hiring and firing the police chief. But Mayor Blangiardi says it doesn’t make sense for him not to have a say.

“If you’re gonna hold the mayor responsible, then give him the commiserate authority,” said Blangiardi. “Not having the authority has led to problems that we just recently went through.” …

So the city’s managing director submitted a proposal to change the city charter – to have the commission provide three finalists and give the Mayor authority to hire and fire the chief.

“This selection process has been doing the same thing over and over for decades, and it’s pretty clear right now that it’s not working and it needs to be changed,” said Nick Schlapak, SHOPO President….

read … Honolulu Mayor wants power to hire and fire police chief

Money News: OHA Wants ‘Seat at table’ in Army Land Negotiations

CB: … On Friday, OHA Board Chair Kai Kahele wrote a letter to Green calling for his office to collaborate more with OHA and the broader Hawaiian community. The letter came after weeks of pressure by prominent members of the Hawaiian community for OHA to insert itself in the negotiation process.

Specifically, Kahele wants OHA to be a part of the negotiating team that would deal directly with federal officials and co-lead a separate technical working group alongside the state Department of Land and Natural Resources that would hash out the details of a land deal….

(TRANSLATION: Money for 8a Corps.)

HNN: Office of Hawaiian Affairs says governor rushing deal over military training lands

read … OHA: Give Native Hawaiians A 'Meaningful Voice' In Military Land Negotiations - Honolulu Civil Beat

Profit and debt will fund $2B in Hawaiian Electric ventures

SA: … The parent of Hawaii’s largest electric utility is setting itself up to spend close to $2 billion over the next three years on projects that reduce wildfire risk, improve resiliency and add new firm power generation.

Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. outlined its investment plan during a Friday conference call with stock analysts after announcing its third straight quarterly profit this year.

The company, which owns Hawaiian Electric Co. serving Oahu, Hawaii island, Maui, Molokai and Lanai, anticipates investing between $1.75 billion and $2.35 billion from 2026 through 2028 in capital improvement projects funded by retained profits and recently issued debt….

HEI intends to liquidate a 9.9% stake in American Savings Bank at some point ahead, but Deghetto said “we’re not committing to a specific timeline at this point.”…

Equipment improvements since the beginning of 2024 through Sept. 30 include replacing or upgrading 3,628 wood poles, replacing 36 miles of copper power lines with stronger aluminum lines, upgrading 10,361 fuses, and replacing 2,989 lightning arresters with fire-safe lightning arresters, the company said.

HEI, which has a wildfire safety strategy under review by the state Public Utilities Commission, also said it has hired an in-house meteorologist, installed 101 weather stations in wildfire-prone areas, and operates 135 A.I.-assisted video cameras to detect fires….

(CLUE: This is what HECO should have been doing instead of wasting millions trying futilely to adapt to intermittent wind and solar power supplies.)

read … Profit and debt will fund $2B in Hawaiian Electric ventures | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Green Energy Scammers Grift Legislature for More Subsidies

SA: … new state tax-credit funding for renewable energy expansion …. more local tax credits were made available for renewable energy and climate change impact mitigation projects …. $651 million in Hawaii renewable energy projects …. electric vehicles, rooftop solar systems and “carbon smart” food production …. low-cost loans for low- and moderate-income households to pay for rooftop solar systems …. plans and projects that make Hawaii more resilient to rising sea level and temperatures — efforts that include pending litigation by the City and County of Honolulu against major oil companies …

Retired (now admitting he was biased) Hawaii Supreme Court justice Michael Wilson urged state leaders to develop a climate protection plan for the islands. Such a plan, he told Rhoads and Gabbard, could start with guarding against the loss of Waikiki Beach, which Wilson said stands to be submerged in 40 or 50 years based on the present rate of global warming impacts and would sap $2 billion of annual visitor spending….

(REALITY: Sea level rise at Honolulu Harbor is 6 inches per century>>>NOAA LINK)

CB: EV Use Has Skyrocketed In Hawaiʻi. Why Is It So Hard To Find A Charger? - Honolulu Civil Beat

read … Hawaii lawmakers urged to act after federal clean energy cuts | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Honolulu City Council approves pay raise for police

HNN: … On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Honolulu City Council unanimously approved a new collective bargaining agreement that would grant officers a 27% raise through 2029.

This deal, negotiated by the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO), means officers would receive a 5% across-the-board raise each year.

The package also includes a one-time $1,800 retention bonus in 2026, along with continued employer contributions covering 60% of health premiums and 100% of life insurance coverage.

The resolution aims to strengthen recruitment and retention efforts amid staffing shortages at the police department....

read … Honolulu City Council approves pay raise for police

Immigration arrests surge in Hawaii as federal agents target courthouses

HNN: … There were 153 arrests in the first half of the year, compared to only 41 in the same period last year, and already far ahead of last year’s total of 89. The 96 deportation removals between January and July dwarfs the only 15 in the first half of last year….

Singh says the Federal Detention Center, where Kauai’s detainees were taken last week, has become a way station for deportees.

The Deportation Data Project said in June 2024, there were only 31 immigration detainees in the facility. In June of this year, there were 91.

“They’re telling me they have approximately 200 beds for Homeland Security and they got a lot of bodies from the mainland that they bring over here. And they also have quite a few from Honolulu,” Singh said….

read … Immigration arrests surge in Hawaii as federal agents target courthouses

Soft on Crime: Man accused of sexually assaulting disabled woman was on probation for another case

HNN: … The 68-year-old said she awoke to the sound of footsteps and she saw Higa with his privates exposed.

She says she fought off Higa for about two minutes before he left and told her not to discuss what happened.

Officers reviewed video surveillance on scene, which shows Higa entering the victim’s bedroom, and heard audio of the woman plead for Higa to stop what he was doing.

Police arrested Higa on Thursday, Nov. 7.

Investigators say Higa admitted to being in the victim’s bedroom but denied the criminal allegations.

On Monday, Higa appeared in court virtually from his cellblock.

His public defender, Arthur Indiola, requested Higa be granted supervised release.

Deputy prosecuting attorney Brittny Marino objected, noting that Higa is currently on probation for another case, in which Higa was convicted of abuse of family and household members, including a minor younger than 14 years old, possessing illegal materials, and criminal property damage….

read … Man accused of sexually assaulting disabled woman denied release

Council OKs vacation rental fee increases

ASD: … The Honolulu City Council approved Wednesday a bill that could leave vacation rental owners on the hook for thousands of dollars in registration fees.

The progress of Bill 62 through the council has been unpopular among owners of vacation rental properties. While the bill’s primary purpose has been to reinstate a few requirements that were inadvertently cut by a 2024 measure, it includes two clauses that would increase registration fees many times over.

One clause would double the initial registration fee for vacation rental properties from $500 to $1,000. But more significantly, the other would require a new initial registration upon any change in ownership or operator; rental owners have said this would require $1,000 payments any time they wanted to change contact information with the county.

Despite previous negative testimony on the matter, the council’s passage of the bill on Wednesday did not draw much comment. In fact, the O‘ahu Short-Term Rental Alliance submitted testimony in favor of the measure, conceding the $1,000 re-registration fee as a necessary evil….

read … Council OKs vacation rental fee increases

Kauai County Charter Review Commission invites public comment

TGI: … The County Charter Review Commission is considering several changes to the County Charter for the 2026 General Election ballot and invites public comment at its next meeting on Nov. 24, at 3 p.m., at the Piikoi Building, Boards and Commissions Conference Room, 4444 Rice St., Suite 300, Lihue….

read … County Charter Review Commission invites public comment - The Garden Island

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