Prohibition Ends: Trump Legalizes Medical Marijuana

Trump Restricts Tongan Travel to US

Hitachi lawsuit is wooden stake in HART?

SA: … There’s more at stake in the legal battle between Hitachi Rail Honolulu JV and the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) than damages, hefty as those would be monetarily. Hitachi claims “gross mismanagement of the Skyline rail project [which] caused countless delays and other errors,” and seeks “at least $320 million, plus interest.” …

the effect of any finding that HART mismanaged construction and contracts would bear on the agency’s reputation….

The outcome of this dispute will color the future of Skyline, and HART. State law authorizes the semi-autonomous city agency’s operation through 2031…

(IDEA: Abolish HART.)

HART also was recently authorized to manage preliminary design work for extending Skyline farther — from Kakaako to Ala Moana Center. If designs earn public approval and funding, some would press for HART’s continued existence….

Budgeting — including a new round of applications for city, state and federal transportation aid — and extension of HART’s life past 2031 would be required before an Ala Moana segment can go forward. A favorable resolution to the HART-Hitachi legal showdown will help that cause….

read … Editorial: Hitachi lawsuit is make or break for HART | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Musical Chairs: Aloha Stadium Authority hires executive with ‘connections’

SA: … The Aloha Stadium Authority board voted at its final meeting at the facility Thursday to install #3 Michael Yadao as deputy manager ahead of the facility’s dismantling and replacement in Halawa by the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District.

It was also announced Thursday that #1 Chris Sada­yasu will no longer be the stadium’s interim manager, but will assume a different job with the state. Sadayasu was interim stadium manager since February, when #2 Ryan Andrews resigned as stadium manager to work as director of student recreation services at the University of Hawaii.

(TRANSLATION:  They are all moving around quickly so none of them can be held accountable for the unfolding disaster.)

The board discussed last month how the state jobs of stadium manager and deputy manager may be replaced by positions called executive director and development manager, because of the state’s changing role in regard to the stadium. For now, it is unclear how that will evolve, and there is just the deputy manager position.

(TRANSLATION:  They are all moving around quickly so none of them can be held accountable for the unfolding disaster.)

Yadao was chosen for the stadium post largely because of his experience and connections with the Hawaii construction industry….

(KEY WORD:  “Connections.”)

read … Aloha Stadium Authority hires executive with construction background | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Aloha Stadium pretends to begin demolition

HNN: … Although the outside may look the same for now, the project to tear down Aloha Stadium has begun.

(CLUE: If you can’t see it, it’s not demolition.)

On Thursday, the Aloha Stadium Authority held its final meeting inside the stadium, as work began last week to cut utilities and remove hazardous materials.

(TRANSLATION:  Power still on. Stadium Authority still meeting in old offices.)

The Hawaii Department of Accounting and General Services said state crews, in partnership with Aloha Halawa District Partners (AHDP), will remove furnishings. Afterwards, the stadium will be dismantled, which is expected to take approximately 10 months.

(CLUE:  Moving the furniture around is not the same as demolition.)

DAGS said that as (before) the (real) demolition progresses (starts,) a dust fence will go up ….

(REALLY OBVIOUS QUESTION:  Will any demolition be conducted in 2026?)

KHON: PHOTOS: Aloha Stadium's demo has begun (sort of). A look inside:

read … Demolition of Aloha Stadium begins

Poor policies lead to lack of UH football sponsors

SA: … The folly of Hawaii’s big government philosophy is culminating in the lack of wealthy enterprises to fund University of Hawaii football. Elite college football power stems from wealthy private contributions, not from state funding.

Why our dearth of wealthy enterprises? To wit, multinationals shun our severely taxed regulatory environment: bizarre duplicative state/county land use policies; an onerous general excise tax on top of income taxes that impacts every business transaction when other states’ excise taxes normally are applied only to selling alcohol and marijuana; xenophobia that keeps stronger utilities out when they can power up dotcoms; and the Jones Act’s exclusion of foreign shippers, which keeps Hawaii from being a trans-Pacific commercial hub.

Hence, we’re renowned for political graft, hidden taxpayer subsidies to hospitals and local airlines, and a bloated state government whose per capita costs ranks among the highest in America. Kiss UH football goodbye….

read … Letter: Poor policies lead to lack of UH football sponsors | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

How Trump’s move to end marijuana prohibition could affect Hawaii

HNN: … “This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers, and future treatments,” Trump said.

Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule One drug under federal law, the most restrictive category, alongside heroin, ecstasy and LSD.

Trump’s order directs federal agencies to begin the process of moving marijuana to Schedule Three, the same category as Tylenol and codeine, which could pave the way for the Food and Drug Administration to study its medicinal uses….

“The issue that we need to address is what’s going to happen when cannabis is in federal Schedule Three. All of a sudden, dispensaries could be required to satisfy DEA and FDA registration requirements for producing a Schedule Three controlled substance,” Otto said.

“Under Schedule One, everybody just kind of ignored the situation, but under Schedule Three, there are actually processes for regulating and enforcing,” he explained.

As for whether Hawaii will legalize recreational marijuana, that decision still rests with the state Legislature, which has rejected similar proposals several times….

SA: Trump signs order to ease marijuana regulations, sparking industry hopes | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

KITV: Federal drug policy change prompts Hawaii marijuana legalization talks | Video | kitv.com

read … How Trump’s move to reclassify marijuana could affect Hawaii

Should A State Worker Be Able To Lease Public Property Without Bids?

CB: … The HCDA board strengthened Nakamoto’s power to help small outfits like the shed earlier this month. A controversial new policy gives the executive director the authority to lease out some 9 acres of state-owned buildings and properties around Kakaʻako to small businesses and nonprofits at below-market rates.

Although the new policy lets the executive director use the standard request for proposal process to lease properties, similar to a public bid, to lease properties, the executive director also can strike deals without competitive requests for proposals or public solicitations. Whichever way he goes, he doesn’t need board approval….

Located in the former home of the POW! WOW! art collective, the Honolulu Kūpuna Shed expects to need a new home by the end of 2026 as its building is replaced by a condo tower….

“We’ve been under the wing of Craig and HCDA,” Speer said. “They’ve been very supportive of us.”…

read … Should A State Worker Be Able To Lease Public Property Without Bids? - Honolulu Civil Beat

Red Hill victims win attorney fees as appeal continues

SA: … A U.S. District Court judge this month ordered the federal government to pay more than $160,000 in attorneys’ fees to plaintiffs in the Red Hill civil lawsuit, following a nearly $600,000 judgement issued in September and amid an appeal on behalf of child victims….

read ... Red Hill victims win attorney fees as appeal continues | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Man accused of killing Maui police officer wants jail calls kept secret

HNN: … Maui Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin argued Kaneholani was well aware phone calls from jail are recorded and can be used against him in court.

In the recorded call with his sister, she told him, “Boy, gotta watch what you say.”

“Why?” Kaneholani asked.

“Because they’re recording,” his sister replied.

Kaneholani responded, “I don’t give a (expletive). Record everything I say. (Expletive) (expletive) (expletive).”

His sister replied, “They can use it against you in court though.”

Kaneholani said, “I don’t give a (expletive). They can use whatever in court. They can all suck my (expletive). (Expletive) (expletive) (expletive). (Expletive) all of them. (Expletive) them. (Expletive) you. (Expletive) the judge.”

Judge Peter Cahill is expected to make a decision on the evidence in January….

read … Man accused of killing Maui police officer wants jail calls kept secret

Another CWS Disaster: Bryson Mahoe sentenced 20 years for sexual assault of minors

KHON: … Bryson Mahoe was sentenced for the sexual assaults of two siblings — who, along with two other siblings, were in the care of his mother, 55-year-old Dorothy Mahoe — by the Department of Human Services.

Prosecutors said the assaults occurred over several years while the children were under the age of 14 years old.

They also said his mother, Dorothy, knew her son was abusing the children, but didn’t stop it.

In July, she was found guilty of four counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Minor in the Second Degree and four counts of Persistent Nonsupport.

Prosecutors provided evidence that Dorothy “physically abused and neglected all four siblings, including leaving them locked in a room for extended periods without food or water.”

She was sentenced to four years in prison in November ….

SA: Wahiawa man gets 20 years in prison for sexual assault of foster kids | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

2022: Father defends Wahiawa man accused of trading food for sex acts with 2 minor girls -- It is not the first time Bryson Mahoe has been accused of filming a -female against her will.  In 2016 he pleaded no contest to violation of privacy in the first degree, a Class C felony.

read … Bryson Mahoe sentenced 20 years for sexual assault of minors

HUD Plan Leaves Hawaii Homelessness Industry Worried About How to Promote Transsexualism Among Street Kids, Operate Needle Exchanges

CB: … Lusk, at Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center, predicts that her organization would lose about $200,000 in HUD funding for its outreach to homeless LGBTQ youth….

Service providers apply to the continuum for funds from HUD, which last year distributed $16.2 million to organizations on Oʻahu. A separate continuum of care, Bridging The Gap, covers Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi and Maui, which together received $4.2 million last year….

Menino said the greatest impact would be on Hawaiʻi island because most of the permanent supportive housing stock is in Hilo, where 166 people are living in 56 different locations…

HUD called it a “self-sustaining slush fund” and said a majority of the department’s funding would instead go to transitional housing and services intended to increase self sufficiency. Under the new funding rules, only 30% of homeless housing funds could be used for permanent supportive housing projects, down from 90%. 

HUD last week withdrew those changes, just before its attorneys were to appear in court to defend them against legal challenges. The next hearing in the case is set for Friday….

Programs known as rapid rehousing that provide short-term rental assistance to people facing homelessness are slated for major cutbacks. Programs with diversity, equity and inclusion goals would be excluded from funding. Nonprofit applicants could also be turned down if they previously followed now-prohibited DEI practices….

read … HUD Plan Leaves Millions For Hawaiʻi Homeless Housing In Limbo - Honolulu Civil Beat

QUICK HITS:

1. Big Q: How is the Trump administration doing on the economy and affordability? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

2. 2026 State Tax Changes Taking Effect January 1st | Tax Foundation

3. Kaua‘i's Robinson Family Quietly Pursues New Industrial Development - Honolulu Civil Beat

4. Future is unclear for largest coffee farm in Hawaii | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

5. Kauaʻi Doctor Takes Aim at Health Risks from Roundup Chemical - Hawaii Business Magazine

6. Tenants, mayor demand action on deteriorating Chinatown Cultural Plaza

7. US military strikes more drug boats in Pacific, surpassing 100 deaths

8. Planes Without Pilots Are Here | Ililani Media

9. A reason for hope: 25 years of conservation impact at Palmyra Atoll - YouTube

10. Kirstin Downey: Food Shortages In Hawaiʻi? A Lesson From World War I - Honolulu Civil Beat

11. Kokua Line: Why don’t all Hawaii eateries have public bathrooms? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

12. Trump officials announce over $11B in arms sales for Taiwan | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

13. Corps hopper dredge Essayons arrives in Hawaii for repairs | WorkBoat