January 2, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Friday, January 2, 2026

January 2, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:36 PM :: 1524 Views

9th Circuit Halts Hawaii Green Fee Tax on Cruise Lines

To Protect 13,190 Fraudsters, Hawaii will Accept $33M SNAP Cuts

CB: … After declining to turn over data on residents who use food stamps to the federal government, including their immigration status, Hawaiʻi faces the threat of losing tens of millions in funding to operate the food aid program.

Brooke Rollins, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, vowed this month to withhold the federal funds used to administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from states that have not complied.

The state chose not to provide the data because it “is committed to protecting the personal information of individuals applying for and receiving SNAP,” said Scott Morishige, who heads the Department of Human Services division that manages the program.

For Hawaiʻi, that could mean a loss of up to $33 million in federal funding in 2026…

Such an event would force the state to make tough decisions about hiring freezes, delays in technology upgrades and perhaps layoffs of administrative staff and eligibility workers…

(CLUE: Dream on.)

Rollins targeted administrative funding, not funding that goes directly to recipients, which Moore called “a very strategic way for the federal government to put pressure on states; it’s both evil and clever.”

(TRANSLATION: Giving money to illegals is a mission from Allah.)

Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for SNAP.

If their children are if born in the U.S., COFA citizens, Cuban and Haitian immigrants, and certain lawful permanent residents can qualify for benefits.

In Hawaiʻi, at last count, there were 13,190 people with unspecific citizenship or identified as non-citizens receiving SNAP, Morishige said….

a 2025 Congressional Research Service report found fraud in the $100 billion program rare. For example, in 2021, it said, states tried to recover $54 million in benefits that were “trafficked” — sold for cash — or where fraud was committed during the application process. Errors made by state agencies, in the form of SNAP benefit payments that were too large or too small, were a greater source of financial loss – some $10.5 billion in 2023.

(CLUE: Meth heads will sell their EBT cards for 50 cents on the dollar.)

Hawaiʻi had an error rate of 8% in fiscal year 2024, down from about 21% the previous two years. That’s compared to a nationwide error rate of 11.7% in 2023….

(TRANSLATION: 21% Fraud.)

the federal government pays 50% of the state’s administrative costs. Under the changes that are to take place in October, that share drops to 25%.

Other changes the bill contained included stricter eligibility requirements and work requirements that kicked-in in November. Some estimates are that the changes could cause 13,000 Hawaiʻi residents to lose at least some SNAP benefits….

(DO THE MATH: 13,000 = 13,190.)

read … By Resisting Feds' Demand For Personal SNAP Data, Hawaiʻi Could Face Cuts - Honolulu Civil Beat

Expired emergency food assistance funds wiped from SNAP cards

HNN: … Many SNAP users in Hawaii discovered their cards were empty Thursday.

That’s because a special $250 payment from the state’s Hawaii Emergency Food Assistance Program (HEFAP) expired on Dec. 31.

The Hawaii Department of Human Services said HEFAP is separate from SNAP, and funds cannot be carried over or reissued per Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 17, Chapter 687….

read … Expired emergency food assistance funds wiped from SNAP cards

After Two-and-a-half years, Maui County finally takes first steps towards issuing rebuilding permits in Lahaina’s business district

MN: … Maui County has released draft guidelines to help streamline and jumpstart the more complex rebuilding of the iconic Front Street and the rest of the commercial district, which does not look much different than it did nearly a year ago when the cleanup of debris from the August 2023 wildfire was completed.

(TRANSLATION: The County has artificially obstructed the Front St rebuild for two-and–a-half years.)

The guidelines are the latest attempt to move forward rebuilding of businesses after the first two years of Lahaina’s recovery have centered on residential recovery, which the county made clear was the priority. But now with 105 homes completed, 300 more under construction and nearly 200 more home building permits being processed, focus has begun to turn to recovering Lahaina’s commercial center….

The community will have the opportunity to give their input when the draft guidelines come up for discussion before the Urban Design and Review Board at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and the Cultural Resources Commission at 9 a.m. on Thursday.

The guidelines outline details that property owners and their architects will need as they rebuild in a commercial district that overlaps with areas of historic significance. Based on their location and the type of project, property owners can determine what design guidelines apply to their plans before pursuing the review and approval process. …

the biggest issues are the lack of certainty and the time it takes to get a permit. Until September, the property owners didn’t know whether the county planned to widen Front Street, forcing owners to potentially adjust their plans. Even when they are able to submit their applications, it becomes a waiting game. The county won’t issue a permit until the project is reviewed by the Cultural Resources Commission, and the commission also needs input from the State Historic Preservation Division.

“It’s like everybody’s waiting for everybody,” Mason said. “It just seems to be taking longer than it should.”

Mason is frustrated that it’s taken over two years to figure out some of the details, but he thinks the release of the design guidelines is a good thing. He said they could help provide a “measuring stick” for both the Cultural Resources Commission and the State Historic Preservation Division and help move project reviews along.

“The creation of the guidelines is an indication of forward movement, and that is a good thing to me,” he said. …

MN: Draft proposals for rebuilding historic Lahaina to be presented | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News

read … Draft guidelines aim to streamline complex rebuilding in Lahaina’s business district : Maui Now

Trump helps Hensel unify UH

SA: … When Wendy Hensel took the helm of the University of Hawaii system on Jan. 1, 2025, any notion of a gradual “honeymoon phase” was quickly dashed by an accelerating series of national ~~and local~~ disruptions.

Within weeks of her arrival, shifting federal policies — including Trump administration changes affecting diversity, equity and inclusion priorities and research funding — forced Hensel to make decisions that could shape the university for years to come.

(CLUE: A godsend for Hensel. She almost automatically unifies the 100% Democrat UH system against the evil Orangeman.)

At the same time, she inherited a 10-campus system grappling with enrollment pressures, student success gaps, workforce demands and longstanding systemic inefficiencies.

(CLUE: Divisions over those issues evaporate as the system unifies to face the external enemy.)

“It started within three weeks of my presidency with changes in direction, in terms of DEI changes in federal funding priorities. Some of that threatens some pretty consequential values of the institution and the mission of this place, more so than many other places and universities,” Hensel said.

“Our job was not to ride the roller coaster with the changes but to craft a path that was thoughtful, deliberate and protected the mission of the institution.”

(TRANSLATION: I effortlessly unified the campuses behind a counter strategy to defeat any effective impact by the evil Orangeman.)

That approach drew early support from the UH Board of Regents. At its October meeting, the board completed its first formal evaluation of Hensel since her appointment.

“We were very pleased with her comprehensive self- evaluation, which highlighted accomplishments, challenges and ongoing initiatives that advance the strategic mission and goals of the 10- campus system,” Board Chair Gabriel Lee said in the evaluation. “President Hensel has demonstrated strong, steady leadership during an unprecedented time for higher education, and we have even greater confidence in her ability to lead today than on the day we hired her.”

(See? Told you.)

read … University of Hawaii leader pushes AI, student support initiatives | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Oʻahu Needs Sidewalks. Should The County Be Required To Build Them?

CB: … “There aren’t enough sidewalks,” Honolulu Star-Bulletin journalist Cornelius Downes wrote in his first article of a 1964 series on sidewalks. “Some that do exist are in poor condition.” …

In 2006, when longtime Sierra Club volunteer Randy Ching proposed amending the Honolulu City Charter to “make Honolulu a pedestrian- and bike-friendly city,” more than 72% of voters approved the amendment.

The city still hasn’t hit that mark almost two decades later. More than 25 pedestrians and bicyclists have been killed on Oʻahu streets this year alone, on par with the tally from the year voters passed Ching’s amendment.

And despite repeated commitments to build sidewalks, the city still lacks about 900 miles of sidewalk along its roads, which it estimated in its 2022 Oʻahu Pedestrian Plan would cost over $2.6 billion to rectify. …

read … Oʻahu Needs Sidewalks. Should The County Be Required To Build Them? - Honolulu Civil Beat

EMS responds to multiple possible fireworks-related injuries on New Year’s

HNN: … On Wednesday, at around 10:35 p.m., EMS treated a 7-year-old girl for burns from a possible fireworks-related incident near the Kaneohe area at Nana Place.

EMS then took the girl to the hospital in serious condition.

On Thursday, about 10 minutes after midnight, paramedics were called to a suspected fireworks blast in Kaneohe on Liula Street.

EMS said they treated a 63-year-old woman for a traumatic injury to her abdomen and a 65-year-old woman for a traumatic injury to both lower extremities at the scene.

Both women were taken to the hospital in serious condition.

A man in his 60s was treated for a minor injury and declined transportation to the hospital, EMS said.

In Waipio, at around 12:11 a.m., EMS responded to Waipio Point Access Road and treated a 48-year-old man for a possible fireworks-related injury to the head. He was then taken to the hospital in serious condition….

KHON: Department of Law Enforcement fireworks covert operation ride along | News | kitv.com -- According to HPD's arrest log, two fireworks-related arrests were made. A 51-year-old male in Haleiwa at 9:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve and a 24-year-old male in Honolulu at 2:54 a.m. on New Year's Morning….
SA: At least 5 people injured, 2 arrested in fireworks-related incidents on Oahu | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
KHON: Maui Fire Department tackles 22 fires over New Year's Eve
HNN: 2 arrested as Honolulu police respond to nearly 600 fireworks violation calls
KITV: Paramedics take man in serious after suspected firework-related injury in Waipahu | Local | kitv.com
KHON: Five treated overnight for potential fireworks injuries: EMS
CB: Drones And Tougher Fireworks Enforcement Usher In The New Year
SA: Hawaii sees calmer New Year’s celebration | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

read … EMS responds to multiple possible fireworks-related injuries on New Year’s

New Hawaii registry threatens hemp businesses with closures

PBN: … A new law creates a state registry for retailers and distributors of manufactured hemp products and requires all hemp businesses selling these products in Hawaii, including online sellers, to register with the Office of Medical Cannabis Control and Regulation.

While supporters of the regulation believe it will make Hawaii’s cannabis industry safer, opponents believe it will be detrimental to businesses and even claim it’s unlawful under the 2018 Farm Bill….

read … New Hawaii registry threatens hemp businesses with closures - Pacific Business News

Just a Data Illusion: Is Hawaiʻi Releasing Inmates Without IDs?

CB: … Despite a mandate from lawmakers, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has made almost no progress in helping more people in Hawaiʻi’s prisons and jails get vital identification before they are released.

Between November 2024 and October 2025, about half of incarcerated people released from state prisons — more than 340 people (out of 692 released) — lacked the IDs needed to secure housing, obtain a job or open a bank account, according to a recent report to the Legislature.

(CLUE: This may be an illusion. Keep reading.)

Lawmakers passed a bill in April requiring the corrections department to help interested inmates obtain a driver’s license or state ID at least a year before they are to be released. The bill amended a 2017 law that required the department to inform people in custody that they can get assistance obtaining documents like a state ID, a birth certificate or social security card while incarcerated and moved up the date at which the department is supposed to start the process….

The director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Tommy Johnson, insists that many of the people who are marked as leaving prison without an ID may actually have one. He said his staff asks people at intake if they have vital documents. Sometimes a friend or family member is holding onto an incarcerated person’s documents. Others, he said, refuse offers to help them get one and the department can’t force them….

people who are incarcerated can run into a timing problem when trying to get a state ID before they leave. To do that, they need proof of a valid social security number. But an application for a social security card requires a confirmed release date and can only be processed within 120 days of that date, according to Johnson. That process can take several weeks….

For people leaving jails, the numbers are even higher, but the problem is trickier to solve. The population is more fluid, with people often leaving in a matter of days or weeks rather than years. That makes it difficult for staff to help people complete the lengthy process of getting an ID or other vital paperwork. Johnson says that he thinks that the numbers may also be off here, because people might not have their identification on them when arrested or may leave it with someone to hold onto….

Hawaiʻi law requires people to apply for a driver’s license or a state ID in person. But incarcerated people can’t get to the DMV unless they are on furlough and allowed to leave for appointments. The corrections department was given funding to install machines in correctional facilities around the state to allow ID cards to be processed on-site, but only Hālawa Correctional Facility has a portable machine currently.

Plans to purchase more were tabled when the Honolulu Department of Motor Vehicles outsourced printing IDs to the mainland. Instead, the corrections department brought the portable machine from Hālawa to the Women’s Community Correctional Center late last year and plans to bring it to other facilities.

(CLUE: If there is a driver’s license machine in DPS facilities, corrupt prison guards will use it to make fake IDs and sell them to prison gangs.)

read … Hawaiʻi Is Still Releasing Inmates Without IDs Needed To Reenter Society - Honolulu Civil Beat

No Surprise: City aims to expand Waimanalo Gulch landfill

SA: … The city plans to petition for a special-use permit to expand the approximately 200-acre solid-waste landfill at 92-460 Farrington Highway by 92.5 acres, according to city documents. The move could extend the life of the 36-year-old garbage dump, which is set to close in 2028 even though it is not expected to reach full capacity until 2032.

Both the proposed extension of the current permit and the expansion will need to be brought before the state Land Use Commission and Honolulu Planning Commission for approval….

read … City aims to expand Waimanalo Gulch landfill | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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