May 20, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

May 20, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 10:07 AM :: 220 Views

VIDEO: Hawaii COVID Schemers ‘Caught Inside’

Feds Bust Guam Scammers--$10M Rip-off hit Shriners Hospital

Another Big Fish: $35K Bribery Investigation Bags Ryan Yamane, Resigns as DHS Director

HNN: … Cabinet member Ryan Yamane abruptly stepped down as director of the Department of Human Services Tuesday.

Multiple sources tell HNN Investigates the announcement came just days after Yamane was called in to testify in the criminal bribery case.

Yamane, when he was a state representative from Mililani, was chair of the House Health and Human Services committee during COVID.

(CLUE: If Luke was worth $10K as Finance Chair, then Yamane would be worth $10K or less as HHS Chair. The $35K bribe recipient is still out there, unknown.)

Sources say the attorney general’s special investigation team is looking into the state’s COVID testing contracts.

“This may be the beginning of a much larger story,” said HNN political analyst Colin Moore. “Are there going to be more lawmakers involved? Is this the tip of the iceberg?”

Yamane’s role in state government

Yamane was appointed director of DHS by Gov. Josh Green in 2024, putting him in charge of one of the largest state departments with 2,400 positions and a budget of more than $4 billion.

Before that, Yamane spent 20 years in the House and it was his time as chair of the House Health Committee during COVID that has him wrapped up in the bribery investigation.

“It became one of the most important committees because they were managing the legislation and the projects around protecting folks during COVID. All of the testing sites were being set up. They were beginning to roll out the vaccines. They had tremendous power,” Moore said….

In his retirement letter to DHS employees, Yamane said his retirement was effective the same day. “After much reflection and with heartfelt gratitude, I am writing to formally announce my retirement effective May 19, 2026.” …

Read … Prominent Hawaii department director steps down amid ongoing bribery probe, sources confirm | Hawaii News Now

Yamane Bribery Focused on $170M for COVID Testing in HB2392 of 2022?

CB: … Yamane, a former state representative, was the chair of the House’s health committee when he sponsored a bill to appropriate $170 million to the health department for Covid testing and mitigation. The health department paid the Kidney Foundation of Hawaiʻi approximately $95 million between 2020 and 2022, mostly for Covid-related work, according to records obtained by Civil Beat.

The Kidney Foundation was invoicing the health department up to $166 per Covid test — a rate experts characterized as “outrageous” in interviews with Civil Beat earlier this year.

According to written testimony from the Department of Health, the $170 million represented a “bridge loan” to allow the department to continue testing services and pay for services previously rendered.

Civil Beat asked the health department for a breakdown of how the funds were spent, including how much went to the Kidney Foundation, but the agency said it was unable to provide the information on Tuesday …

As a state representative, Yamane introduced a bill in 2022 that funneled millions to the Department of Health over two fiscal years to support community testing and surge medical staffing while the state awaited reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Yamane and Cullen were two of the so-called “Three Amigos,” along with former state Sen. Henry Aquino, who voted together to amplify their voice. According to Luke, Cullen and Solidum were close friends. And Solidum and Yamane were acquainted, according to public records.

In 2012, Yamane acknowledged Solidum on the floor of the House as an advocate who had helped shepherd a bill on organ transplants. The bill also directed $300,000 to the Kidney Foundation. Solidum “never let this issue rest,” Yamane said, according to the House Journal. ….

Read … Human Services Director Abruptly Retires Amid Hawaiʻi AG Probe - Honolulu Civil Beat

No Honor Amongst Thieves: Solidum Fled Country with $7M owed to ‘Capture’

SA: … Solidum owned and operated Geopolicy Development Group LLC, the only Hawaii-based shareholder of Capture Diagnostics, an Ohio-based company contracted to handle 10,000 to 15,000 COVID-19 tests a day in Hawaii during the pandemic. Capture Diagnostics filed for bankruptcy in federal court in 2025.

Capture Diagnostics alleges in court documents that Solidum’s company owes it $7 million.

Solidum worked as a lobbyist for the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii starting in 2015 and was working for it during the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020.

Capture Diagnostics’ first major contract in Hawaii in 2020 was with the foundation and Synergy Med Global Design Solutions to provide a mobile COVID-19 laboratory for the City and County of Honolulu at the airport for $166 a test, according to a court filing.

Solidum’s Geopolicy Development Group performed “contractual work” in Hawaii for Capture Diagnostics between 2021 and 2023, according to court records.

Honolulu contracted directly with NKFH to manage and operate the mobile COVID testing lab and the foundation, in turn, subcontracted with Synergy for the mobile lab and supplies.

The Kidney Foundation entered into a separate contract with the state to provide a full COVID-19 testing program that could “deliver same-day results” and then contracted with Capture Diagnostics to provide the diagnostic laboratory and to “expand its licensure” to include a network of pharmacies that would enable the kidney foundation to “deliver on the terms of the State contract,” according to state court records.

To “sufficiently manage and operate the various COVID programs,” the Kidney Foundation hired Solidum’s company, Geopolicy Development Group, the records say.

Capture Diagnostics received $65,978,340 in 2022 and $28,825,576 in 2023 from the NKFH for the COVID-19 testing work, according to federal tax records, for a total of more than $133 million….

Read … Hawaii AG’s corruption probe prompts state director to quit | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

HB2592: Maunakea authority has 2 years to fail—then telescope area goes back to UH control

HTH: … However, he also noted several changes that he said the board had not asked for, including language that gives MKSOA the power to extend existing observatory leases on the mountain prior to the transfer date.

State Rep. Matthias Kusch of Hilo and Hamakua, the primary introducer of the bill, said he felt the lease extension addition was necessary to assuage concerns from the observatories about what could happen to their leases during the transition period….

Tarnas, who noted several of the organizations running the observatories have headquarters in his district, also supported the inclusion of the lease extension authorization.

“That’s a very important thing, because these observatories are huge investments, and the people who are paying for upgrades for these facilities want to know that their investments will have sufficient time to be useful, so that they will agree to make those investments, and this provision will help,” he said.

However, as Komeiji pointed out, the decision to extend any leases is up to the MKSOA board.

He said the board does not currently have plans to extend any leases, and does not think it will be necessary before there is a formal process in place for how to deal with the leases going forward….

While Dec. 1, 2029, is the new date for MKSOA to take over operations on the summit, the agency is still required to adopt a management plan by June 30, 2028. If (WHEN) this, or other deadlines are missed, management will revert back to UH — another new stipulation in HB 2592 that was added by the Senate….

(CLUE: UH just got the telescopes back! Severely damaged by years of pandering to useless anti-telescope activists.)

HB2592: Text, Status

Read … Bill gives Maunakea authority more time to take over management of summit area - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

SHOPO: 90% Support Lambert for Chief

HNN: … After 26 years with the Honolulu Police Department, Vanic has served as interim chief twice. In an exclusive interview with Hawaii News Now, he said the Honolulu Police Commission gave him no indication why he was not selected as one of three finalists for the permanent job.

“I think that’s what kind of led to the disappointment, maybe a little bit of frustration also,” Vanic said….

“Morale is down, there’s different things that are not being done, there are all of these different problems that the department is facing. It kind of just doesn’t take into consideration all of the progress that we’ve made,” Vanic said….

Jonathan Frye, vice-president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, said morale remains low.

“It’s still pretty bad,” Frye said. “It’s mostly been status quo, right, across the board.”

Union survey shows support for Lambert

A SHOPO survey of 635 officers shows nearly 90 percent support former HPD major Mike Lambert as the next chief.

“Advocate for our members, you know, local knowledge, trust, and in the community,” Frye said.

(TRANSLATION: In case you haven’t got the message yet. Those two mainlanders are just window dressing. Lambert has already been picked.)

SHOPO says recruitment and retention are among top concerns. Vacancies have hit 460.

Vanic said the department has approximately 160 recruits in some form of training, which means that over the next 18 months or so, all of those recruits who are in training are going to be entering into a permanent work status.

Vanic said vacancies are a nationwide problem and that as interim chief he couldn’t implement widespread policy changes.

After years of a revolving door of police chiefs, the union is eager for stable leadership….

SA: Honolulu police union supports Lambert for chief, survey says | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Read … Interim Honolulu police chief Rade Vanic speaks out after being passed over for permanent position | Hawaii News Now

Permitting Delays Squelch Solar

CB: … Hawai‘i needs faster deployment, faster permitting, faster interconnection and collaboration between utilities, policymakers, developers and local communities. And the only way to get this done is to work together.

Projects take too long to permit, interconnect and construct. Those delays carry real consequences because every year the state remains more dependent on imported fuel than it needs to be, residents remain exposed to another cycle of global price shocks.

None of this is easy. Hawai‘i operates one of the most technically complex grid environments in the country. Integrating large amounts of renewable energy on island systems requires storage, transmission upgrades, careful planning, and close coordination between utilities, regulators, developers and communities….

Read … Hawai‘i Has Proven Solar Works. Now it Needs Speed - Honolulu Civil Beat

Spotlight Now: Exploring Hawaii’s economy from strain to solutions

HNN: … On “Spotlight Now,” Brewbaker said Hawaii took a major hit during the pandemic — bigger than many other states — and has not fully returned to its pre-pandemic trajectory.

“That’s sort of a definition of resilience: getting back to not just where you started, but getting back to the path you were on before. And adaptation is the key to doing that. The difficulty Hawaii is having is making the necessary adaptations,” he said.

Brewbaker said higher inflation expectations are pushing borrowing costs up, pointing to the 10-year Treasury note moving from about 4% at the end of last year to about 4.6%. He said mortgage rates and other borrowing rates are also being pushed higher.

Brewbaker said housing costs are the biggest driver of Hawaii’s high cost of living, and said the housing portion of the consumer price index has pulled overall costs higher. He estimated the cost of living in Hawaii is about 25% higher than the national average, a gap he said has not changed much since statehood, but said housing costs have climbed….

CB: 'It's Just Tiring': 24 Hours Inside Hawai‘i's Homeless Crisis - Honolulu Civil Beat

Read … Spotlight Now: Exploring Hawaii’s economy from strain to solutions | Hawaii News Now

“Nepotism, conflicts of interest and auditing” Council considers new requirements for profitable nonprofits

HTH: … A Hawaii County Council committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that would require nonprofits applying for county grants to certify they have policies governing nepotism, conflicts of interest and auditing.

The Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs voted 9-0 to send to the full council with a favorable recommendation Bill 156 — a measure requiring nonprofit organizations to certify under penalty of perjury that they adhere to bylaws delineating “the manner in which business is conducted, including management, audit, and fiscal policies and procedures.” ….

Read … Council considers new requirements for nonprofits - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

DHHL Considers Tolls For Mauna Kea Access Road

CB: … The Hawaiian Homes Commission is considering proposals to charge fees to visit Mauna Kea and use those funds to pay for reforestation efforts and restoration of cultural sites.

How much the tolls would cost and the specific projects that would be funded under these efforts is not yet clear. The preliminary proposals come from two competing groups on the Big Island: one is the Waimea Nui Community Development Corp., an offshoot of the homestead association representing Waimea; the other is headed by a Native Hawaiian tour operator called Koa Kia‘i.

Kali Watson, director of the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, said he wants to see the two groups work together. …

Read … DHHL Considers Tolls For Mauna Kea Access Road - Honolulu Civil Beat

Charter Amendment Would Pull Power Away From Hawaiʻi County Mayor

CB: … Hawai‘i County’s mayor would become more of a figurehead under a proposed charter amendment that shifts significant executive powers to an appointed county manager.

The County Council narrowly moved forward Tuesday with plans to put the measure on the ballot this November. Bill 158, introduced by council member Heather Kimball, squeaked through committee in a 5-4 vote and now heads to the full council for approval.

The bill would give much of the responsibilities currently held by the mayor to a county manager that would be appointed by a committee of four council members and the mayor. Kimball said she hopes the model will allow for better continuity and effectiveness in government, ensuring projects don’t languish by depoliticizing key departments and functions. …

Read … Charter Amendment Would Pull Power Away From Hawaiʻi County Mayor - Honolulu Civil Beat

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