May 5, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Tuesday, May 5, 2026

May 5, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 11:54 AM :: 179 Views

Hawaii 2nd-Worst State to be Police Officer

State Transfers $89M More GE Tax Revenues to Pay for Rail

Indictment: $647K Embezzled from Homeowner Associations

March: Tourist Count and Spending Both Down

After Raising Your Taxes, Conference Committee Gives $55M to OHA

Honolulu police chief search down to six secret candidates

KHON: … The search for Honolulu’s next police chief is entering its final phase, with a decision expected later this month after an extensive process involving community input and national recruitment.

The Honolulu Police Commission has narrowed the field to six semi-finalists, selected from an initial pool of 41 applicants. The candidates were identified with the help of a national recruitment firm, which also gathered feedback from community leaders and conducted surveys to determine the qualities Honolulu needs in its next police chief….

On Tuesday, the six semi-finalists will be interviewed virtually by four community stakeholder panels. The panels—made up of about 30 representatives from first responders, government, community organizations, and the Honolulu City Council—will evaluate each candidate.

“All six will get exactly the same questions in their group, and then at the end of Tuesday, each panel will consolidate their findings,” Foster explained. “They’re not going to rank them. They’re going to do strengths and weaknesses. It’s not their job to tell us who they want. It’s their job to help keep us even more informed.”

Commissioners will not actively participate in those discussions but will instead listen and gather information to guide their decision-making.

On Wednesday, the commission will meet in executive session to review feedback from the panels and select a group of finalists. Those names will then be released publicly.

“That’s when we go public with the finalists,” Foster added, noting confidentiality has been key to attracting strong candidates who may not want their current employers to know they are seeking new positions.

From there, the timeline moves quickly. Finalists will appear together on PBS Hawaiʻi’s “Insights” on May 14, where the public can learn more about their vision and qualifications. They will also meet with Mayor Rick Blangiardi on May 18, who will provide input to the commission via a letter.

On May 19, commissioners will conduct final, in-depth interviews with each candidate before making their decision.

The new police chief is expected to be selected during a public meeting on May 20….

Read … Honolulu police chief search nears final decision

Hawaii lawmakers head into final vote week with more than 270 bills still in play

KITV: … Hawaii lawmakers are entering the final stretch of the 2026 legislative session, with more than 270 bills now moving toward final votes this week.

You can view the full list of measures here

These bills have already cleared conference committees and reached what lawmakers call final decking, meaning the final version has been set and is ready for a vote.

Lawmakers are expected to take up those final readings starting Wednesday, with final votes happening before the session adjourns Friday….

HPR: 5 things to know going into the final week of the legislative session | Hawai'i Public Radio

L360: Hawaii Lawmakers OK Ending Tax Credits To Fill Budget Gap - Law360 Tax Authority

Read … Hawaii lawmakers head into final vote week with more than 270 bills still in play | News | kitv.com

‘Sue Big Oil’ Bill Fails

BL: … Hawaii was one of a handful of states to propose this type of polluters-pay bill and state lawmakers there advanced the legislation further than sponsors in other states. Both the Hawaii House and Senate passed their own versions of the legislation and then lawmakers from both chambers were appointed to a conference committee to iron out the differences in the two iterations, but failed late Friday ...

Read … Hawaii Bill to Help Insurers Sue Polluters Fails Late in Session

Without Luke, What Happens to Preschool Initiative?

CB: … While Hawaiʻi runs some of the highest quality public preschools in the nation, it ranks among the worst states for 4-year-old children’s access to these programs, according to a recent report from the National Institute for Early Education Research.

Coming off a challenging legislative session, advocates worry that momentum around universal preschool could further stall as Luke steps away from office. Luke led lawmakers in appropriating hundreds of millions of dollars for preschool classrooms in 2022, but investments may slow unless lawmakers continue to make early learning access a top priority, Tsuchiya said.

(CLUE: As families flee Hawaii, there are fewer students in DoE. Luke’s solution was to extend education 2 more years with pre-k. But Luke is gone and there is nobody at DoE who cares enough to save their own department.)

“We’re going to need our lawmakers to support that investment,” Tsuchiya said. “Our priorities shouldn’t come and go because one person goes.” ....

Parkway Village is one of two preschool-only charter schools in the state, which serve a total of roughly 180 students and are tuition-free. The two schools receive $171,000 per classroom in state funds.…

Read … Hawaiʻi Families Need Preschool. Who Will Fund It? - Honolulu Civil Beat

KHON: Hawaii tourism faces challenges amid flight cuts

Swimming in Money after Hiking Your Taxes, Legislators Consider Giving OHA $55M for no Particular Reason

SN: … Senate Bill 903 passed a legislative conference committee last week

The conference draft of SB 903 — the eighth revision since the bill was first introduced at the start of the session — provides for $55 million previously held back by the current annual cap to be appropriated from the Carry-Forward Trust Holding Account and transferred to OHA for specific use for Native Hawaiian programs and services that address education, health, economic development and community-based initiatives and that face critical, short-term funding needs…

Read … Legislature to vote on releasing $55M in held OHA funding

Cesspools: Hanalei Pushes For $19 Million Sewer System

CB: … The water table sits just 3 feet below the surface of the ground in some parts of Hanalei on Kaua‘i’s North Shore. That’s a problem when the coastal town has roughly 115 cesspools dug down about three times that deep, causing untreated sewage to enter the groundwater and then make its way to the surrounding streams and the island’s iconic bay.

In addition to sometimes making people sick, the bacteria, nutrients and other chemicals in the wastewater have been linked to algae overgrowth and coral disease, threatening the marine environment.

Hanalei has been looking for a solution to its wastewater challenges on and off for decades. Its latest effort culminated in a yearlong wastewater planning study led by a local nonprofit, The Hanalei Initiative. It recommends the community pursue a liquid-only, pressure sewer system that will cost $19.26 million over 30 years. That determination was based on the system’s cost, environmental benefits, long-term resilience and ability to minimize disturbing soils in areas with Native Hawaiian ancestral remains, or iwi kūpuna. …

(DO THE MATH: $19.26M / 115= 167K each / 30 = $5,500/yr / 12 =$465 per month per unit)

Read … Hanalei Pushes For $19 Million Sewer System

Fewer AAPI Adults Report Hate Incidents -- Poll

CB: … A new poll out Monday, as AAPI Heritage Month begins, from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that about one-quarter of AAPI adults have personally experienced a hate crime or incident in the past year, such as verbal harassment or physical assault. That’s consistent with a survey conducted last summer, but down from an October 2023 poll where 36% said they were victims of an act of abuse tied to their race or ethnicity over the prior year.

Preliminary FBI data also reflects a decline as the pandemic receded into the background. Based on information submitted by law enforcement agencies, anti-Asian hate crimes and bias crimes overall fell between 2024 and 2025….

Read … Fewer AAPI Adults Report Hate Incidents But Racism Concerns Linger, New Poll Shows - Honolulu Civil Beat

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