Carbon Credit Scheme Drives Gunstock Ranch into Bankruptcy

New Lawsuit Challenges Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship

VIDEO: Fake ICE Agent Beaten in Waikiki

February Tourist Spending Up 10.3%

UHERO: Economic Impact of Post-Fire Maui Tourism Downturn

86% Pay Hike for Honolulu Council--Third Raise in Three Years for Honolulu Politicians (and they got YOU to vote for it)

CB: … If approved, it would be the third raise in three years for top city officials….

The volunteer (crony) commission, which is appointed by the Honolulu mayor and City Council, is proposing 4.7% raises for most elected and appointed officials. Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm’s raise would be closer to half a percentage point.

Under that plan, Mayor Rick Blangiardi would make $237,000, which is 27% more than he made four years ago. Honolulu interim Police Chief Rade Vanic would make more than $261,000, a 27% raise for that position since 2022.

Honolulu City Council members would make $128,000, which is a whopping 86% increase from four years ago…. 

SURPRISED?  In Nov, 2024 General Election, 90.6% of voters were tricked into voting for this pay hike.  See: “Honolulu City Council salary set for annual automatic raises forever.”

read … Another Raise For Honolulu Politicians? Salary Group Says Yes - Honolulu Civil Beat

Kamehameha Schools lawsuit plaintiffs “to suffer mob-style execution”

HNN: … Two of the plaintiffs, a mother and her high school aged daughter on Kauai, are only publicly known by the initials B.P. and I.P. Lawyers say the plaintiffs have not applied to Kamehameha, but their identities need to remain secret because of death threats.

(CLUE:  If accurate, that info is already enough to easily figure out who they are.  It won’t be long until they are outed.  Then what?)

In a federal court hearing, SFFA says after filing the lawsuit, online threats were “calling our families to suffer mob-style execution.”

Hawaii attorney Jesse Franklin-Murdock says in addition to threats and doxing, he got a bag of feces in the mail.

Students for Fair Admissions says there were 125 threats against people related to the case.

Kamehameha attorney Joachim Cox says the public needs to know who’s making the accusations against the school (because he is afraid he will lose in court) …. 

(Why KSBE wouldn’t lose …) Oct, 2026: Kamehameha Admissions:  Without Affirmative Action Defense, Who Needs Victimology?  -- “Congress does not extend services to Native Hawaiians because of their race, but because of their unique status as the indigenous people of a once sovereign nation as to whom the United States has established a trust relationship."

(KSBE should argue the case and win, otherwise this will keep coming up again and again.)

read … Kamehameha Schools lawsuit plaintiffs seek anonymity amid death threats | Hawaii News Now

Hawaii bill aims to shield foster care nonprofits from crushing liability after repeated child torture deaths

IB: … House Bill 1645, now under consideration in the Hawaii Senate, would bar the Department of Human Services from including indemnification and hold-harmless clauses in contracts with child welfare organizations.

The measure would also prohibit requirements that either party be named as an additional insured on the other's liability insurance policy.

The bill would further limit legal exposure by banning pre- and post-judgment interest and punitive damages, removing joint and several liability and eliminating bond requirements for organizations seeking an appeal. Actions against these organizations would be tried by a court rather than a jury, with certain exceptions….

HB1645: Text, Status

read … Hawaii bill aims to shield foster care nonprofits from crushing liability | Insurance Business

Alaska Air signals bigger first-quarter loss as fuel costs surge

SA: … The latest oil price spike could become the first real financial stress test for U.S. airlines since the pandemic, with weaker carriers more likely to shrink, borrow or absorb deeper losses while stronger rivals keep investing and gaining market share.

Alaska Air now expects an adjusted first-quarter loss of between $1.5 and $2 per share, compared with its previous estimate of 50 cents to $1.5.

Shares of the company were down 1.1% in premarket trading.

Alaska said strong demand seen since late 2025 has recently been hit by external events, including weaker Mexico travel due to unrest in Puerto Vallarta and severe rainstorms and flooding in Hawaii, which together account for about 30% of its capacity.

“Impacts are being seen in both March and April, including during peak West Coast Spring Break travel periods,” the company said.

However, corporate demand remained a standout, it said, with forward bookings over the next 90 days up more than 25% year-over-year….

FOX: Jet fuel prices soar, airlines warn of dwindling supplies amid Iran war | Fox News

read … Alaska Air signals bigger first-quarter loss as fuel costs surge | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Council proposes defunding city’s useless ‘Office of Economic Revitalization’

SA: … A city agency tasked with leading Oahu’s economic development may see much of its funding cut and a majority of its positions slashed following a budgetary proposal by the Honolulu City Council.

Cuts to the city’s Office of Economic Revitalization — manned largely by contract- only workers, not permanent civil service employees — may drastically diminish or possibly shutter the agency entirely.

The Council’s proposal to cut OER funding and its staff follows a scathing report issued by Office of the City Auditor in January that asserts OER had not implemented many of its economic programs nor shown transparency in its multiyear financial budgets.

Attached to the city Managing Director’s Office, OER has a stated mission to build a strong economy that improves the quality of life for every community, small business and family on the island. The agency was established through (foolish) a City Council resolution in 2020….

read … Council proposes defunding city’s Office of Economic Revitalization | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

'Pretty Unusual': Big Changes Are Possible At The Kauaʻi County Council

CB: … Four of the County Council’s seven seats are open as three members leave to run for mayor and another terms out. It’s only the second time in 30 years this many seats have been open at one time, and it comes as the island continues to experience a housing shortage and … a worsening doctor shortage ….

read … 'Pretty Unusual': Big Changes Are Possible At The Kauaʻi County Council - Honolulu Civil Beat

Hirono Mocked After ‘No Kings’ Post Backfires Online

NS: …  “This might be the biggest self-own I’ve seen in a while.”  ….

read … Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono Mocked After ‘No Kings’ Post Backfires Online: ‘So You Agree?’ | The Nerd Stash

Usual Suspects Cry a River over use of Pepper Spray to break up Middle School Fight

CB: … In late February, a Honolulu police officer deployed pepper spray against Kapolei Middle School students while trying to break up a fight ….

The fight at Kapolei Middle School broke out around 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 24. A group of girls had attacked another girl, Honolulu police Cpl. Roland Pagan shared at a public meeting. 

A responding officer, who would be the only officer on scene, grabbed one of the girls who was assaulting the victim and attempted to arrest her. A group of girls then grabbed the officer and other kids grabbed ahold of the girl he was trying to arrest, Pagan said. At that point, the officer used pepper spray. …

Emily Hills, senior attorney with the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, said (escalated tensions by saying) she would like to see more counselors and mental health professionals addressing issues on campus rather than police, who can sometimes escalate tensions.

A police officer told attendees at a neighborhood board meeting that the officer used the pepper spray because he was outnumbered.

School safety is an ever-present concern and high-profile fights in recent years led parents and politicians to petition for armed school resource officers in some Oʻahu schools. School resource officers were placed at high schools in Kaimukī, Kapolei and Waiʻanae in January.

(IDEA:  Use pepper spray more often.  It is educational.)

There was no SRO present during the February incident middle school incident but some advocates, say is was (sic) nonetheless a sign there should be less police presence in schools, not more. (They are ideologues.  The facts don’t matter.  The ideology must always be spouted.) They want to instead see a focus on (creating vacant positions) getting more counselors and therapists in schools to help address student mental health and behavioral issues to prevent (exploit) problems such as fights and bullying (to push the gay agenda). 

read … Police Use Of Pepper Spray At Hawaiʻi School Boosts Calls For Counselors - Honolulu Civil Beat

Cameras Have Quietly Appeared In Thousands Of US Cities

CB: … For decades, cars dictated urban planning in the United States.

Few could have predicted that they would one day also double as nodes for surveillance.

In thousands of towns and cities across the U.S., automatic license plate readers have been installed at major intersections, bridges and highway off-ramps.

These camera-based systems capture the license plate data of passing vehicles, along with images of the vehicle and time stamps. More recently, these systems are using artificial intelligence to create a vast, searchable database that can be integrated with other law enforcement data repositories.

As a scholar of technology policy and data governance, I see the expansion of automatic license plate readers as a source of deep concern. It’s happening as government authorities are seeking ways to target immigrant and transgender communities (the other side, and) are already using AI to monitor protests, and are considering deploying AI systems for mass surveillance  ….

read … Cameras Have Quietly Appeared In Thousands Of US Cities - Honolulu Civil Beat

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA:

1. New tax laws in Hawai'i: What residents need to know

2. Affordable housing bills still alive in the Legislature

3. IM: PUC Approved HECO`s Self Build Waiau Repowering Project With Conditions | Ililani Media

4. Kauaʻi County Council hears support, concerns about Santos, an appointee to Planning Commission : Kauai Now

5. US Immigration System Desperately Needs Reform - Honolulu Civil Beat

6. Bill to extract more taxes from rental car industry stalls | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

7. Aquarium fishing considered; 2 public meetings to be held this week - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

FLOOD NEWS:

1. City shares latest Monday briefing on Kona low recovery | Office of the Mayor

2. Haleiwa open for business as North Shore storm recovery continues | Hawaii News Now

3. Hawaii storms caused $1B in damage

4. Maui’s only Target reopens after 16-day closure from flood damage | Hawaii News Now

5. From farms to produce vendors, Kona low impacts widespread | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

6. Editorial: Dole puts state in dam predicament | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

7. Cleanup continues on Oahu’s North Shore, 23 homes ‘lost entirely’

QUICK HITS:

1. Supreme Court rules against Colorado ban on LGBTQ+ ‘conversion therapy’ | AP News

2. Big Q: Will a peace deal be reached in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, now in its fifth week? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

3. Trump Gives Lukewarm Reply On Confidence In Tulsi Gabbard

4. San Diego’s USS Boxer stops in Hawaii en route to transporting Camp Pendleton Marines to Middle East – San Diego Union-Tribune

5. Hoonani Village plans 1,608 affordable units in Kahului - Pacific Business News

6. Used oil transporter and processor in Hawai‘i cited, fined for operating without a permit : Kauai Now

7. Massive worldwide seawater study finds human-made chemicals prolific | University of Hawaiʻi System News

8. Hawaii to reach full fiber coverage by 2026 under Clearfield initiative

9. Makana Eyre: An Inspiring Exhibit On Native Hawaiians That Most Of Us Won't See - Honolulu Civil Beat

10. Maui man faces child pornography charge | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

11. Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approves Kaawanui Solar project | Solar Builder

12. Amentum Relocates Hawaii Office

13. ‘Horrifying’: Oahu woman finds CRB in newly purchased bag of soil | Hawaii News Now

14. Why Your Next Hawaii Trip May Cost Even More - Beat of Hawaii