May 6, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

May 6, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 9:39 AM :: 193 Views

$255K Income Needed to Buy Home in Honolulu

Young Brothers Stole $26M In State Money (and it’s not the first time)

CB: … Interisland shipper Young Brothers ~~diverted~~ (stole) more than $26 million in wharfage fees it was supposed to remit to the state in 2024 and 2025 and instead used the money to help cover its own operating expenses, according to the company and state officials.

(IDEA: Jail.)

Young Brothers still hasn’t paid that money back to the state and now owes the Department of Transportation about $30 million including penalties and interest.

(IDEA: Jail.)

That move by the company to essentially help itself to a multimillion-dollar loan from state funds is coming to light as Young Brothers lobbies the Legislature for a controversial bill to grant it automatic rate increases of up to 5% per year over the next three years.

(IDEA: Jail.)

Young Brothers has encountered resistance to the automatic rate increase proposal in Senate Bill 2694, in part because the state Public Utilities Commission just granted the company a whopping 25.75% rate increase that took effect Jan. 1….

State Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen told Civil Beat the company informed state Harbors Division officials in fall of 2024 that it needed to retain the wharfage fees it had collected to pay salaries and continue operations.

(CLUE: YB parent SaltChuck has regulated interisland and unregulated cross-ocean operations. It is the job of management to make the regulated operations appear as unprofitable as possible to justify PUC rate hikes. Any C-level manager who does not do this is incompetent.)

Administrative rules governing state harbors have mechanisms for repaying late fees, “and this is the same type of situation, just on a bigger scale,” Sniffen said. He said Young Brothers also withheld wharfage fees during the pandemic to help cover its operating costs….

(TRANSLATION: YB is a recidivist thief.)

Angelo, executive director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Division of Consumer Advocacy, said the situation is more complex than Young Brothers suggests.

He cited PUC documents from 2024 showing Young Brothers decided to issue “multiple discretionary dividend payments to its parent company” Foss Maritime Co., which is owned by transportation giant Saltchuk.

Young Brothers made those payments “despite the company’s significant financial decline and foreseeable capital expenditures and debt obligations,” according to the PUC filing…

(See? Told you.)

SB2694: Text, Status

Read … Young Brothers Held On To $26M In State Money To Cover Its Costs - Honolulu Civil Beat

After Raising Your Taxes, $50M deposit proposed for Hawaii’s state ‘rainy day’ fund

SA: … The forecast for state finances earlier this year at the Legislature was pretty cloudy, but Hawaii lawmakers guiding spending now want to reserve $50 million in revenue for a future rainy day.

(TRANSLATION: We just had a ‘rainy day’. Instead of using the fund, these clowns raised your taxes and put money IN to the fund.)

Representatives of House and Senate committees overseeing state finances recently agreed to deposit $50 million into the state’s Emergency and Budget Reserve Fund, also known as the “rainy day” fund.

The move, if approved by the full House and Senate and enacted with or without the endorsement of Gov. Josh Green, would boost the fund’s estimated balance to about $1.67 billion from around $1.62 billion….

Read … $50M deposit proposed for Hawaii’s state ‘rainy day’ fund | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

After Burning COVID Money, Honolulu’s useless ‘Economic Revitalization Office’ faces defunding

SA: … In response to a potentially defunded OER, city Deputy Managing Director Krishna Jayaram said that over the past few years the city had worked to transition OER to a “general funds” agency, rather than one largely supported by a mix of funding sources including pandemic-era federal funds…

(TRANSLTION: Kill us now that the COVID money is gone--or pay us forever.)

Read … Honolulu’s Economic Revitalization Office faces defunding | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

‘Peter Boy’ lawsuit drags on: ‘What the state did was terrible. The liability is obvious’

HTH: … Eight years after filing a wrongful-death lawsuit, the siblings of Peter Kema Jr., also known as “Peter Boy,” are still trying to hold the state accountable for its role in the death of their brother, who was tortured and killed by their father in 1997.

A settlement conference has been scheduled for July 30 in the case by Honolulu Circuit Judge James Ashford. A civil trial is scheduled for Sept. 28 in case an out-of-court settlement isn’t reached by then….

Rosenberg said the state has made a monetary offer to settle, but “it isn’t enough.”

“I don’t know that the state has learned its lesson,” he said. “Here on Oahu, there’s a bunch of agencies that provide services. The state contracts with them. And the problem I’ve seen between the agencies and the Department of Human Services is just really lax. They’re not sharing information. They’re not paying attention.

“There are other bad cases, including child deaths and foster parents who tortured the child before they were murdered.”

Rosenberg pointed to the cases of Ariel Sellers, also known as Isabella Kalua, and Geanna Bradley, two Oahu girls prosecutors say died after being tortured and starved by their caregivers — Sellers by adoptive parents Isaac Kalua III and Isabella Kalua, and Bradley by Brandy Blas, Thomas Blas and Debra Geron, her legal guardians…

According to Rosenberg, the state is self-insured for up to $2 million, but its commercial insurers are “out there, and they’ve hovering around the negotiations.”…

Check out Who Gets Big Settlements:

Read … ‘Peter Boy’ lawsuit drags on: ‘What the state did was terrible. The liability is obvious’ - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Ex-city administrator’s case in Kealoha payoff won’t be dismissed early

HNN: … Honolulu’s former managing director, who was involved in the illegal payoff of disgraced ex-police chief Louis Kealoha, will not get the deferred prosecution agreement dropped early as requested.

In a status conference meeting Tuesday, Roy Amemiya’s attorney, Lyle Hosoda, asked for the charges to be dismissed now, saying his client completed the requirements: paying $50,000 in restitution and completing hundreds of hours of community service.

Federal prosecutors acknowledged Amemiya’s efforts but refused to end the agreement ahead of the March 2027 date.

Last year, Amemiya admitted to helping the city arrange the $250,000 payoff in 2016, three years before Kealoha was found guilty for obstruction and other crimes.

As a result of his admission, Amemiya got a two-year deferred prosecution agreement which states all charges in the information document will be dropped with prejudice if he fulfills the requirements….

Read … Ex-city administrator’s case in Kealoha payoff won’t be dismissed early | Hawaii News Now

Political influence in Hawai‘i by the numbers

ASD: … A shockingly low percentage of people vote in Hawai‘i, notes ASD opinion columnist Rick Hamada. Something to keep in mind as we see what the Hawai‘i State Legislature passes this week….

Read … Hamada: Political influence in Hawai‘i by the numbers

China: If Blangiardi wants Pandas, he must let us spy on INDOPACOM

SA: … The mayor’s recent trip to China opens a door for more than just tourism; it creates a pathway for specialized investment in new energy and artificial intelligence. Currently, the “tech gap” between the U.S. mainland and Asian allies is often widened by bureaucratic bottlenecks and outdated permitting.

(CLUE: Blangiardi asked for Pandas. This is China’s counteroffer.)

By streamlining these mechanisms in Honolulu, we can invite partners — from Japan, South Korea and Australia to innovative sectors in China — to utilize Hawaii as a secure “merge point” for tech transfer. This allows Hawaii to bridge the technological gap without compromising national security principles. This hub would be powered by the very technologies it integrates, and creates a specialized professional class for local families that is resilient to the fluctuations of the global travel market.

The governor’s commitment to a “green Hawaii” positions us as the ideal testing ground for a decentralized energy grid — the “fuel” of modern industrial deterrence. High-wage industrial jobs in hydrogen fuel cells, advanced geothermal energy and AI-driven logistics require the secure, resilient energy grid we are currently building.

Secure AI capacity needs resilient, sovereign locations. Hawaii, as the headquarters of INDOPACOM, is the logical site for the data and energy hubs that will define the next decade of Pacific stability. By leading in these sectors, we provide the “infrastructure of intelligence,” making us an indispensable gateway between Washington, D.C., and the major capitals of the Indo-Pacific….

(TRANSLATION: We want to spy on INDOPACOM. And we have pandas.)

Read … Column: Hawaii well-positioned to act as U.S.-Asia tech hub | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

DHHL to hold public meetings on statewide geothermal energy exploration

HNN: … The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands will hold a series of public meetings this summer on plans to explore geothermal energy statewide.

DHHL held a mock meeting Monday in Kapolei to prepare for unveiling the plans to the public. The agency wants to explore 12 potential sites for geothermal energy on its land from Hawaiʻi island to Maui County, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi….

This is the second mock meeting DHHL has had to fine tune its message. Nine geothermal public meetings are planned across the state this summer as close as possible to the potential sites.

Project leaders say DHHL spends $32 million per year on electricity costs for 11,000 homesteaders. It would cost $6 billion to get 29,000 people off its waitlist, and geothermal would provide more economic sovereignty and the ability to deal with higher energy costs.

“We need revenue streams and there’s a variety of benefits that geothermal provides, but more importantly we want to be at the forefront rather than be a passive observer,” Watson said….

The public meetings are scheduled as follows:

Monday, May 18, 6 p.m., Kanikeha Community Center, Ho’olehua, Moloka’i

Friday, May 22, 6 p.m., Kahikinui Community Center, Kahikinui, Maui

Saturday, May 23, 10:30 a.m., Hana High School, Wākiu, Hana, Maui

Wednesday, May 27, 6 p.m., Keaukaha Elementary School, Humu’ula, Upper Pi’ihonua, Pu’ukahu, Kawaihae, Hawai’i island

Friday, May 29, 6 p.m., Na’alehu Community Center, Kama’oa, Pu’u’eo, South Point, Hawai’i island

Friday, June 12, 6 p.m., DHHL Kapolei, Lualualei, Wai’anae, Valley, O’ahu

Monday, June 15, 6 p.m., Waimānalo Community Center, Waimānalo, Ha’ikū, Waiahole, O’ahu

Friday, June 19, 6 p.m., Kapa’a Elementary School, Upper Wailua, Kaua’i

Read … DHHL to hold public meetings on statewide geothermal energy exploration | Hawaii News Now

From flights to food, Hawaii residents feel the pressure of rising fuel costs

HNN: … Travelers who rely on Mokulele Airlines are feeling the impacts of rising fuel costs. The company increased fares by an average of $10 per seat on Monday.

Some kupuna from Molokai said plane tickets on Mokulele are already high, deterring them from making doctor’s appointments on Oahu….

Read … From flights to food, Hawaii residents feel the pressure of rising fuel costs | Hawaii News Now

County launches Molokai deed restriction pilot program

MN: … The program is offering grants of up to $100,000 to qualified applicants who agree to a voluntary 25-year deed restriction. To be eligible, homeowners must earn less than 140% of the county’s area median income, occupy the property as their primary residence and own no other residential property.

Homes must be located on Molokai, classified as owner-occupied under Maui County Code and free of other mortgages, deed restrictions and tax liens.

Grant funds may be used for home repairs, renovations or other eligible expenses, including mortgage or utility payments. Recipients will have 12 months from the program’s implementation date to use the funds.

Applications became available May 4 and must be received by the Housing Department by 4 p.m. May 29.

Under the deed restriction, homeowners who decide to sell must notify the county, which will have the first right of refusal.

The department will then initiate a buy-back process and calculate the allowable sale price to ensure the property is sold to an income-qualified Maui County resident household.

The deed restriction will remain in effect for the balance of the 25-year term and will continue to apply to any subsequent owner during that period.

The department expects to assist five households…

Read … County launches Molokai deed restriction pilot program | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News

Hawaiʻi Balks At Funding Maui Fire Victim Health Study

CB: … University of Hawai‘i researchers are scrambling to plug a $1.5 million gap to continue studying the long-term health and social effects of the 2023 Maui fires after state lawmakers quietly dropped a bill to fund it last week.

The Maui Wildfire Exposure Cohort Study, or MauiWES, has furthered the understanding of the ramifications of the disaster on victims and connected participants with medical care, mental health resources, housing assistance and other services.

Unless a new funding source is identified, that work could come to a screeching halt, according to Ruben Juarez, one of the researchers heading the study with the UH Economic Research Organization….

Since MauiWES launched in 2024, it has received about $2.3 million from the state and additional funding from the Hawaii Community Foundation, Kaiser Permanente and the National Institutes of Health. …

Researchers have contacted Maui County officials and nonprofit representatives to see if they might be able to help bridge the gap, Juarez said, and they have been working with Gov. Josh Green’s office “to determine whether there is a path forward to rescue MauiWES.” …

Read … Hawaiʻi Balks At Funding Maui Fire Victim Health Study - Honolulu Civil Beat

First neighbor island kauhale is changing lives on Maui

HNN: … At the location on Pulehu Place, there are 64 units with rents ranging from $250 to $600 a month.

“To make that affordability possible, it takes these kinds of alternative developments,” Carvalho said. “These communal facilities, it keeps infrastructure costs low, but it also helps people who are coming out of homelessness build social connections.”

To learn more, apply, or refer someone, click here....

Read … First neighbor island kauhale is changing lives on Maui | Hawaii News Now

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