May 9, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Saturday, May 9, 2026

May 9, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 6:41 AM :: 92 Views

Hawaii constitutional amendment on resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity (RISE) bonds referred to November 2026 ballot

$35K Bribe: AG Issues More Subpoenas

Grassroot celebrates defensive wins as Hawaiʻi Legislature comes to close

Election 2026: 316 Candidates Pull Papers to Run

SB903: Now That Your Taxes have been increased, Legislators Give OHA $55M

House Democrats Proud of Massive Tax Hike, but juvenile sex changes, not so much

Rhoads: SB2471 will force PRP to Change

ASD: … Q: If SB2471 passes, would an organization like PRP be able to continue operating in the same fashion, or is there something that they would have to change about how they do things?

Sen Rhoads: I think this is part of the problem with this bill, is I don't know how everybody's organized, so it's hard for me to judge exactly who will have to change what. Yeah, I think PRP probably will have to change, because my understanding is the money, the big chunks of money they get, are from contracts with their signatories, and there's like a percentage of wages that goes into their, I believe, Taft-Hartley trust and then they spend it from there. But my understanding is that the money from that trust is not all spent on politics. So, at the very least, they'd have to segregate that money, the corporate money that came in, and they wouldn't be able to spend that on politics. But the rest of it, as far as I know, they would be able to spend it just like they're spending so the answer is, it really depends on how, how it's organized….

ASD: Q&A with state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole on SB2471

read … Q&A with state Sen. Karl Rhoads on SB2471

Hawaii lawmakers end session after killing UH athlete payment plan

HNN: … Senate Bill 3263 would have contributed $2.5 million in taxpayer money to set up an endowment system for student-athlete NIL payments.

The measure passed the House but fell one vote short of the 13 needed for passage in the Senate.

Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz said the university was sent a letter that said a plan that would combine state funds with money from tuition and fees “poses challenges the University cannot overcome.”

Although sources said UH later told lawmakers that they could work with the bill, Dela Cruz said, “Where was that in writing?” and pointed out that UH has more than $400 million saved in a tuition and fees special fund.

There was vigorous debate in the House over using public funds to pay athletes.

“Our athletics program carries a pride in an entire state, but it has to compete in a national marketplace that is moving faster every year,” said Rep. Andrew Garrett, House Higher Education Chair. “And in this new landscape, standing still does not preserve tradition. Standing still means falling behind.”

Sen. Kim Coco Iwamoto questioned the long-term cost of the program….

read … Hawaii lawmakers end session after killing UH athlete payment plan | Hawaii News Now

Methamphetamines News: ‘Clean Energy’ is Latest Money Scheme for Lahaina Strong

MN: … “The Lahaina Energy Partnership is a community-led initiative driven by three organizations: Lahaina Strong, Hā Sustainability, and Shake Energy Collaborative.”

REALITY: Meet the Meth Gang Behind ‘Lahaina Strong’

read … Lahaina Energy Partnership invites community to co-design workshop on energy priorities : Maui Now

Kauai doesn’t get much from making tourists pay for rescue expenses

SFG: … In 2023, Kauai County passed a bill allowing officials to seek reimbursement for search-and-rescue expenses from people who intentionally disregard warnings and their own personal safety. It’s the only island where that’s explicitly written into county law….

Following a rescue, the Kauai Fire Department or the Kauai Police Department may refer cases to the Office of the County Attorney to recover search-and-rescue expenses.

“To date, eight cases have been formally referred to OCA for potential recovery of search-and-rescue expenses,” a spokesperson for Kauai County, Alden Alayvilla, told SFGATE in an email March 2. “In each instance where payment was received, the amount recovered did not exceed $2,000.”

Alayvilla said the county is unable to recover helicopter expenses, the highest cost in a rescue operation, due to FAA regulations. The law states that public aircraft may “not fly for a commercial purpose to receive compensation for flight operations.”…

In total, Kauai has recovered $3,451.26 in rescue expenses. ….

read … Why Hawaii struggles to make visitors pay for rescue expenses

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