March 10, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Tuesday, March 10, 2026

March 10, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:03 PM :: 129 Views

Audit Finds 26 Inconsistencies in Luke Campaign Spending Reports

Why Are Transit Buses So Expensive?

HDOT: Traffic Death Rate Lower Than Last Year

Case: New Visa Rules Harm Tourism

How Mike Miske Killed Himself to Protect $20 Million Estate

CB: … In the days leading up to his death, convicted crime boss Michael J. Miske Jr. started slowly tapping into the stash of fentanyl that he’d paid to have smuggled into federal prison.

Miske wasn’t known for using hard drugs and, according to federal prosecutors, he wasn’t turning to opioids in an effort to make prison life easier: He was setting the stage for a suicide that he may have hoped would allow him to pass along $20 million in ill-gotten gains to his granddaughter.

In new documents filed Monday, federal prosecutors say Miske, who led Hawaiʻi’s most notorious criminal organization, killed himself just as they were in the process of obtaining through a criminal forfeiture process assets that were either used in the commission of Miske’s crimes or purchased with criminal proceeds. …

Federal prosecutors had agreed in June to work toward a settlement with the interested parties. But now the government is moving to amend its complaint based on evidence that Miske obstructed justice and interfered with the forfeiture proceeding by conspiring to smuggle drugs into the prison and die by suicide. …

About three months before his death, Miske transferred properties that had been found forfeitable into his trust, including two boats, a Ferrari, five vintage vehicles and five business bank accounts that were held in the names of other members of his enterprise, according to the government’s amended complaint. He also removed several individuals from his trust, leaving a minor identified as N.M. as the sole beneficiary. Miske’s granddaughter has been identified by those initials in other court filings.

In early 2025, an inmate who had been incarcerated with Miske told federal investigators Miske had expressed a belief that his death would interfere with the government’s ability to seize his property, “based on advice Miske had received from his attorney(s),” the complaint says.

Michael Kennedy and Lynn Panagakos, who represented Miske during his criminal trial, did not return calls and emails seeking comment. Burch, the attorney representing Miske’s trust, did not respond to a phone call or email.

Investigators also found Miske got the fentanyl that killed him from a former inmate who was out on supervised release, the complaint says. Miske arranged with an associate to give the man a vehicle he owned as compensation. The man then purposefully violated the conditions of his supervised release to be re-arrested and brought back to the Federal Detention Center with smuggled fentanyl and other contraband.

Another source was the one who told investigators that Miske started taking small amounts of fentanyl in the days leading up to his overdose to mislead investigators into thinking he was a regular user so they would consider his overdose accidental. …

It’s unclear if prosecutors are pursuing charges against the inmates they say conspired to smuggle fentanyl into the facility….

PDF: MiskeAssetForfeitureAmendedComplaint | DocumentCloud

read … Mike Miske Killed Himself To Protect $20 Million Estate, Prosecutors Say - Honolulu Civil Beat

Senate WAM Moves its own Version of Green’s Tax Hikes

ASD: … However, the two bills have diverged somewhat, with the Senate Ways and Means Committee proposing a new version of SB3125 to retain some of the planned tax cuts, but only for the lower income brackets. For example, beginning in 2027, the measure proposes that anyone with taxable incomes lower than $350,000 per year can still receive their planned tax cuts, while those above that threshold would not.

Another previous version of the Senate bill seemingly attempted to reinstate the tax cuts at higher income brackets, but Green’s office was concerned that version would not offset the state’s budget shortfall.

The Senate version of the measure also includes a broad repeal of several different tax credits in 2029.

Those cut credits include:

• A renewable energy credit allowing taxpayers who have installed solar- or wind-powered energy systems to receive credits of up to $500,000, depending on specific factors.

• A capital goods excise tax credit from 1987 allowing businesses to have the general excise tax costs of new property purchases to be reimbursed.

• A “high technology business investment” credit, allowing “qualified high technology businesses” to receive credits of up to $700,000 for investments into said businesses.

• A renewable fuels tax credit offering up to $3.5 million for producers of fuels with lower carbon emission rates than fossil fuels.

• A technology infrastructure renovation credit, whereby businesses could be reimbursed for investments into infrastructure such as high-speed internet, improved ventilation and cooling systems, or facility security systems.

• A ship repair industry credit reimbursing up to 30% of a business’ expenses toward building drydocks in Pearl Harbor. However, this credit was slated to be terminated at the end of 2026 anyway.

On the other hand, the House measure substantially broadens a child care tax credit. Currently, taxpayers making more than $50,000 annually can only claim 15% of dependent care expenses, while people making less than $25,000 per year can claim up to 25% of expenses.

HB2306 would expand the credit, allowing people making up to $80,000 per year to claim 50% of expenses as a credit. It also adds further tiers for higher-income taxpayers, whereby people making $140,000, $150,000 and $160,000 could claim 15%, 10% and 5% of child care expenses, respectively.

The Senate bill includes a section where the child care credit could be amended, but with the specific values of those amendments unspecified.

Finance committees in the House and Senate discussed their respective bills last week….

read … Pause on tax cuts still advancing despite debate

Hawaii bill to make insurance companies ‘sue big oil’ blows up in Keohokalole’s face

E&E: … Keohokalole said he was “shocked” when his bill failed on a 9-4 vote Wednesday in the Senate’s powerful Ways and Means Committee, where Democrats hold 12 of the 13 seats and the committee chair recommended passage.

Two of the “no” votes were from Democrats who had co-sponsored Keohokalole’s bill with other senior Democrats....

read … POLITICO Pro | Article | Oil industry helps kill Hawaii bill to make it pay for insurance hikes

Council reviews mayor’s $5 billion budget for 2027

SA: … Stating its focus is on being fiscally prudent; city officials say next year’s budget is $133.6 million less than Honolulu’s current one at $5.2 billion, which the mayor signed into law in June 2025.

The city administration also has stated it will not increase real property tax rates next fiscal year….

read … Council reviews mayor’s $5 billion budget for 2027 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Lawsuit Challenges Hawaii’s Ban on Concealed Carry Permits for Non-Residents

AL: … A new federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii is challenging the state’s policy of refusing to issue concealed carry permits to non-residents, arguing the restriction violates the Second and Fourteenth Amendments.

The case, Solinsky v. Lopez, was filed on March 7, 2026, by Johnathan Solinsky and the Hawaii Rifle Association (HRA). The lawsuit names Hawaii Attorney General Anne E. Lopez as the defendant in her official capacity and seeks declaratory and injunctive relief against Hawaii’s residency requirement for concealed carry licenses.

At issue is Hawaii Revised Statutes §134-9(a), which requires an applicant for a concealed carry permit to be “a resident of the State.” The plaintiffs argue that requirement effectively bars visitors from legally carrying firearms for self-defense while in Hawaii.

According to the complaint, Solinsky is a Virginia resident, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and firearms instructor who frequently travels to Hawaii. On September 5, 2025, he applied for a concealed carry permit through the Honolulu Police Department.

The application was ultimately denied on February 3, 2026, solely because Solinsky is not a resident of Hawaii….

read … Lawsuit Challenges Hawaii’s Ban on Concealed Carry Permits for Non-Residents

The best Youtube videos on Hawai‘i’s problems

ASD: … One video published a year ago, for example, profiled Hawai‘i’s power grids.

Before you assume it’s a boring topic, keep in mind that the video has since attracted two million views. People want to learn more about Hawai‘i.

On Youtube, national and international media organizations use the lack of paywalls to continually attract audiences years after a story is published.

Of these, the hardest-hitting example is John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight.” On August 15, 2024, Oliver published a segment that quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of views. …

A video by Wendover Productions opens at a Safeway on Kapahulu Avenue in Honolulu. It covers the unique logistical challenges facing the State of Hawai‘i, whose closest port is Los Angeles. …A video on Hawai‘i’s rigid aluminum cans attracted nearly twice the population of the Hawaiian Islands….

read … The best Youtube videos on Hawai‘i’s problems

Who Really Pays For Tariffs?

CB: … I own and operate Mana-Su LLC, a Hawai‘i-based health and wellness company (HealthyManaSu.com).

We import:

bottles, caps, labels, and cartons from Hong Kong;
health vinegar in bulk from Okinawa, Japan; and
assemble everything in Honolulu under the brand Mana-Su….

read … Who Really Pays For Tariffs? - Honolulu Civil Beat

Kauai Finds New Ways to Make Owners Tear Down Beachfront Homes

CB: … Bill 2984 would give the Planning Department the authority to request cost breakdowns of home improvements, plus receipts. The department could also do its own estimates if the homeowner failed to provide the receipts.

If the cost of improvements were found to exceed the 50% threshold, the department could require that the improvements be removed, or the structure be entirely relocated outside the setback.

Another major paradigm shift in Bill 2984 is a requirement for coastal homeowners to get a state-certified shoreline survey for any repairs exceeding $125,000. …

Chip Fletcher, dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa, said the proposed rules are appropriate because they recognize the ~~scientific reality~~ (nonsensical hysteria he’s been spreading) that sea level rise is driving coastal erosion and will be with us for centuries. (And some people actually believe this stuff, when NOAA reports only 6” of sea level rise at HNL in the last 100 years.)…

read … Kauaʻi Wants To Get Tough On Beachfront Home Renovations As Tides Climb - Honolulu Civil Beat

Green Fee at ‘Work’—Paid to go Hiking

HNN: … Applications are open—hiring hikers for the Na Manu Elele Steward Program….

read … Hawaii stewardship program hiring hikers across the state

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