April 30, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Thursday, April 30, 2026

April 30, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 11:08 AM :: 100 Views

Census: Nearly Half of Young Adults born in Hawaii have left state

HART needs $1.6B of your money to get to Ala Moana

PBN: … Up to this point, HART has gotten approval to use $53 million for design work on the Ala Moana extension. But the Ala Moana extension is expected to cost a total of $1.6 billion, presenting a considerable funding gap for the project.

As those plans move forward, HART has confirmed it does not plan to use eminent domain for that station. It also confirmed that it's in very early stages in its plans for Ala Moana and is still negotiating with Ala Moana's owner.

“The site of the proposed Ala Moana (Kalia) rail station is located near the intersection of Kona and Kona Iki streets. Several years ago, HART discussed the location of this station with the owners of impacted properties, including those where Ala Moana Center and The Republik are located," HART Executive Director and CEO Lori Kahikina said in an emailed statement. "Since that time, HART determined that the station could be built entirely on Ala Moana Center property, and acquiring adjacent parcels, such as the site occupied in part by The Republik, was not considered necessary.” …

In 2020, Brookfield Properties came forward with plans to build a 595-unit rental tower at the corner of Piikoi and Kona streets….

(CLUE: Negotiating/litigation tactic to maximize eminent domain payout.)

Read … HART not planning eminent domain for Ala Moana rail stop - Pacific Business News

Emergency Response: 12-years-later Hawai‘i Island firefighter dispute reaches state Supreme Court

ASD: … In 2014, Loyola and Medeiros were fed up with the Hawai‘i County Fire Department. In particular, they had serious doubts about then-Fire Chief Darren Rosario’s ability to lead the department.

That year, the two battalion chiefs sent letters to Rosario, then-mayor Harry Kim, and the county Fire Commission calling for Rosario’s resignation. In his letter to Rosario, Medeiros accused the chief of “dishonesty and lack of leadership” that jeopardized HFD personnel.

In particular, Medeiros referred to a lack of communication during HFD’s response to Hurricane Iselle earlier that year, which Medeiros claimed left firefighters trapped in the field when the storm hit. He also accused Rosario of frequently asking county leadership for more money for the fire chief position while opposing pay increases for the battalion chiefs.

In November of 2014, Rosario placed Loyola and Medeiros on paid administrative leave until an investigation into “insubordinate conduct” by the two battalion chiefs was completed….

The core of the chiefs’ grievances lies in the nature of how they were supposedly punished by Rosario. While the Merit Appeals Board had found that the use of paid administrative leave was proper procedure, Loyola and Rosario argued that they had been specifically left on ice for months in order to deny them overtime pay and reduce their overall retirement benefits.

Loyola said he was placed on leave for seven months and was “never allowed to return to work.” He ultimately resigned in 2016 after more than 24 years with the department; Medeiros followed suit in 2017. Rosario, meanwhile, retired in 2020….

Read … Hawai‘i Island firefighter dispute reaches state Supreme Court

Fake DUI Arrests: HPD officer loses civil lawsuit after failing to show up for court

HNN: … A Honolulu Police Officer accused of making a false arrest and violating the rights of a driver has lost a lawsuit without going to trial.

Circuit Court Judge Kevin Morikone entered a default judgment against current HPD Officer Kelsey Messmer after she failed to appear for a court hearing. The officer was part of a class action lawsuit filed by ACLU Hawaii over the DUI arrests of drivers with zero alcohol in their system.

Messmer and retired HPD Sgt. Darren Cachola dodged a court process server and mailings for months to avoid being served paperwork in the civil lawsuit.

As a last resort, ACLU Hawaii served them via publication using ads in the Star Advertiser that ran for weeks in January and February….

Read … HPD officer loses civil lawsuit after failing to show up for court | Hawaii News Now

Anti-ICE Masking Bills In Hawaiʻi Doomed After Court Ruling

CB: … High-profile bills that would have prohibited federal and local law enforcement officers in Hawaiʻi from wearing masks and required them to display clear identification appear to have died Wednesday in the Legislaure, done in by a federal court ruling.

Other bills that seek to sharply limit the ability of local police agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities were going down to a Friday evening deadline to be advanced, with advocates and legislators hopeful they would win at least some of what they’ve been pushing forward.

The so-called masking bills — House Bill 1886, House Bill 2540 and Senate Bill 2203 — were doomed by a federal judge’s ruling last week that a California law requiring federal immigration officers to wear identification violated the U.S. Constitution by illegally regulating the federal government’s activities. …

advocates hope two bills in particular might carry those provisions forward. House Bill 1768 would bar local law enforcement agencies from making agreements with the federal government to participate in immigration enforcement. Senate Bill 2057 would prohibit law enforcement agencies from using local funds to support civil immigration enforcement.

Action to advance both bills — including negotiations between Senate and House lawmakers — would have to take place by 6 p.m Friday for them to stay alive….

“There was a lot of spaghetti that was thrown at the wall. And we have been seeing what sticks,” said Liza Ryan Gill, co-coordinator of the Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights.

One bill that has so far stuck is House Bill 1870, which would prohibit local officials from facilitating civil immigration enforcement in certain locations including schools, health care facilities and churches. President Donald Trump discarded a similar and longstanding federal policy after taking office last year.

That and another bill, House Bill 1839, which would require police to notify immigrants in their custody of their rights before they can be interviewed by immigration authorities, are to be heard Thursday in a conference committee. …

CN: Ninth Circuit puts the brakes on California's 'No Vigilantes Act' | Courthouse News Service

Read … Anti-ICE Masking Bills In Hawaiʻi Doomed After Court Ruling - Honolulu Civil Beat

SB2471: Legislators want to Waste Money on Futile Lawyering

ASD: … this is a Legislature insisting that Hawai‘i is so broke, it can’t afford to let taxpayers keep the tax cuts we were promised. But to get cute with the U.S. Supreme Court? Suddenly, money is no object! ….

Read … Pipikaula Corner: The bill that won't name its target

Small businesses continue to form the backbone of Hawaii’s economy

PBN: … Small businesses continue to form the backbone of Hawaii’s economy, accounting for 144,375 firms — 99.3% of all businesses statewide — and employing nearly half of the private workforce, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2025 state profile. …

Read … National Small Business Week May 3-9 spotlights Hawaii entrepreneurs - Pacific Business News

Six Years Later: Car dealers still plagued by Oahu DMV processing delays

HNN: … Oahu car dealers say long-running delays in title and registration processing are disrupting sales and deliveries, and they’re now pressing city officials for faster turnaround times and clearer communication.

Frustration continues to build among dealers. Jake Wurthner, owner of The Car Shop in Kaneohe, says it can still take weeks to process titles and registrations for used vehicles. “My thoughts is, probably the system is broken, otherwise it would be working by now. It’s been six years.” …

During the meeting, city officials highlighted DOORS, the Dealer On-Demand Online Registration System, which has been available for several years at no cost and allows dealers to submit paperwork electronically to help reduce processing times.

Hashiro says she wants to emphasize “we’re not forcing auto dealers to use doors. right But what we’re seeing is that by using doors, then their titles and registrations will be processed faster. On average, two to three days right now compared to the dealer paper drops, right, at two to three weeks. So there’s a huge difference when we receive information electronically versus paper, because when it’s paper, our staff has data enter that information.”

Dealers say increased awareness and use of the system could help improve efficiency. Rima Braden of Auto Sourcing Carousel says the short-term solution relies on wider adoption.“the short-term thing is really going to be integrating with DOORS…I just think there could have been maybe more effort in making sure everyone knew about it, because I didn’t even know about it. I’m one of the people that could have probably used it the quickest.” …

Read … Car dealers raise concerns over Oahu DMV processing delays | Hawaii News Now

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