March 12, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Thursday, March 12, 2026

March 12, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:46 PM :: 117 Views

Hawaii dolphin therapist’s case could shape James Comey, Leticia James appeals

VA to Become Legal Guardian for Homeless Veterans

Meth Dealer Also a Homosexual Child Molester

Which is Worse Problem for Hawaii: Corruption or Incompetence?

CB: … There is so much ineffective governance here that the state motto could be “The life of the land is perpetuated in incompetence.”…

Corruptomaina distracts in two ways. First, it overemphasizes the effect getting rid of crooks has on making government better.

Second, it reinforces a common, misleading “it’s all about corruption” mindset that turns people away from incompetence issues….

Consider two examples of awful government …. Both involve government agencies that are serial incompetents, the Department of Education and the prisons. Each involves persistently bad behavior that’s been called out before but continues worse than ever….

In 2021 the Legislature mandated the DOE to have 30% of the food in school lunches purchased from local farmers by 2030.

It’s not happening, not even close. A recent auditor’s report, which by the way uncannily resembles an earlier assessment of the DOE’s school air conditioning failure, basically stated that there is nothing good to report. …

The state just agreed to pay $800,000 to the widow of an Oʻahu Community Correctional Center prisoner who, after repeatedly saying he wanted to kill himself but was never put on suicide watch, was able to get a rope and hang himself.

Prison protocol was violated right down the line. An unqualified intern did the assessment. The prisoner was evaluated by peeking into the cell. Guards were elsewhere when his cellmates called for help. And no one can explain how he got a rope, which as one of his attorneys pointed out is a lot bigger than a shoelace, into his hands….

SA: Editorial: Seriously review furlough program | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

read … Neal Milner: 'Corruptomania' Is A Dangerous Thing - Honolulu Civil Beat

Honolulu City Council reviews $1.07B HART budget for fiscal ’27

SA: … The Pearl Highlands Transit Center and H-2 access ramp are also budgeted for over $231.4 million. “We anticipate being able to start this project by the end of this year, and complete it before 2030,” O’Keefe said.

A Waipahu Station Makai entrance is slated for $20 million as well. “This project is essentially fully designed, and we’re going to advertise for bids for construction soon,” he said.

HART has earmarked more than $67.1 million for construction of park-and-ride lots at the rail route’s East Kapolei and UH West Oahu stations as well.

“So East Kapolei, we are going to build a 900-stall lot there,” O’Keefe said. “And the UH West Oahu will be an 1,100-stall lot.”

That would replace a temporary, 300-stall lot near the latter station. “That 300-stall, temporary lot will go away, and there will be this new 1,100-stall permanent parking facility,” he said….

read … Honolulu City Council reviews $1.07B HART budget for fiscal ’27 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

ICA: 764 Cases Pending--Two Year Backlog

CB: … In 2022, the Hawaiʻi Legislature increased the number of judges on the state’s Intermediate Court of Appeals from six to seven.

Karl Rhoads, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sponsored that legislation because a large case backlog had dogged the ICA for years.

With the addition of a sixth associate judge along with one chief judge, the backlog has come down. But it can still take at least two years to bring a case before the appellate court, which is the last judicial step before the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court.

As of June 30, 764 cases were pending in the ICA, down from 859 the year before.

Rhoads is now pushing a bill to add a seventh judge, which he thinks would help with the backlog. But the ICA, which welcomed the sixth position just four years ago, says it doesn’t want any more judges at this time.

read … Here Comes The Judge? Not So Fast, Says State’s Appellate Court - Honolulu Civil Beat

Involuntary assessment forces 30 homeless into treatment

SA: … On an island where 10 homeless people a month die on the street… More than 30 homeless people who are believed to suffer from mental health or substance abuse issues have been taken off the street and placed under “involuntary” observation through a 4-month-old pilot program that pairs city ambulance crews with Honolulu Police Department officers and state sheriff’s deputies in seven Oahu communities.

Gov. Josh Green in July signed Act 219 into law that allows for “involuntary hospitalization” for anyone deemed “imminently dangerous to self or others.” …

They are assessed by a doctor, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, psychologist or licensed clinical social worker and can be involuntarily held for treatment, mostly at the joint city and state Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Iwilei, which was built to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms that get disproportionately used by homeless people….

Castle Medical Center in Kailua has evaluated 15 of the 34 homeless patients, followed by seven at The Queen’s Medical Center.

“We actually try to take everyone to the Behavioral Health Crisis Center, but that facility is not equipped to take care of significant medical issues,” said James Ireland, director of the city’s Honolulu Emergency Services Department, which operates the Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement branch that works to get help for Oahu’s homeless.

One homeless person CORE encountered had maggots in their wounds and another suffered an injury that reached all the way to the bone, Ireland said….

At the same time, the state Legislature continues to move the latest version of Senate Bill 3142 that would create a new offense of “dangerous intoxication and habitual dangerous intoxication” that would allow law enforcement and ambulance crews to also transport impaired — primarily homeless — people for medical evaluation.

The patient would be put on probation along with mandatory treatment for habitual dangerous intoxication….

read … ‘Involuntary’ assessment of troubled Oahu homeless sees early success | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Shohei Ohtani quietly settles Hawaii real estate lawsuit over $240 million project

CalifPost: … According to TMZ, Ohtani and his longtime agent Nez Balelo have settled their dispute tied to a proposed $240 million luxury housing project on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Attorneys for both sides agreed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, bringing a definitive end to the case and closing the door on all claims tied to the failed development venture….

LINK: Following is a statement from West Point Investment Corporation, Hapuna Realty, LLC, Kevin J. Hayes, Sr., and Tomoko Matsumoto in the matter of Hayes, et al. v. Ohtani, et al, Case No. 1-CCV-25-0001330

read … Shohei Ohtani quietly settles Hawaii real estate lawsuit over $240 million project

Meth Dealer’s Son Running for State House

HNN: … (Convicted 20/lb-a-month meth dealer Moses Kiakona’s son) Paele Kiakona announced his candidacy for the District 14 seat in the Hawaii State House.

Kiakona currently serves on the Maui Board of Water Supply….

… Kiakona is running as a Green Party candidate against incumbent State Rep Elle Cochran.

(CLUE: Green Party will have a Primary Aug 10. Another candidate has pulled papers and she isn’t meth-connected.)

District 14 includes Maalaea, Olowalu, Lahaina, and Kaanapali….

REALITY: Meet the Meth Gang Behind ‘Lahaina Strong’

read … Lahaina community organizer Paele Kiakona announces candidacy for state legislature

ICE Concerns Spur Maui's Move To Pretend To Sever Ties With Feds

CB: … After months of discussion, activism and political maneuvering about immigration enforcement, Maui has “inched” ahead of other Hawaiʻi counties in reassessing its relationships with federal law enforcement agencies.

(CLUE: Trump will be gone in 2.5 years. “inches” x 2.5 years = approximately zero)

The county has at least temporarily untied itself from a partnership its police department has had with the FBI, and the County Council chair said she wants to revisit its agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, too…

In the wake of that no vote on Bill 92, the county was left with the previous police-FBI agreement. Then something happened that surprised even the Maui activists: A county attorney said the police department’s existing agreement with the FBI didn’t hold up legally….

(CLUE: By telling the activists what they want to hear, the attorney let them pretend to have accomplished something—which was their goal all along.)

“Apparently, the practice in the past of Maui Police Department has been consistently to not bring these to the councils,” DesJardins said. “It’s just been the practice and culture of how they’ve worked on these joint terrorism task force agreements.”…

Chief John Pelletier had told the council in January he would work with the FBI to add language to the task force agreement to clarify that Maui police officers could not take part in immigration enforcement.

At the March 6 meeting, Deputy Maui Police Chief Wade Maeda reiterated that pledge — “No immigration enforcement whatsoever” — and outlined other steps. The department would create a new policy, he said, stating that it “understands the sensitivity and cultural significance of immigration in the United States,” and will not enter into a 287(g) agreement….

read … ICE Concerns Spur Maui's Move To Sever Ties With Feds - Honolulu Civil Beat

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