May 21, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Thursday, May 21, 2026

May 21, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 3:35 PM :: 343 Views

Meet Your new Chief: David Lazar and Chesa Boudin—a timeline

Anti-ICE San Franciscan Lazar to be Next Honolulu Chief

Case closed: Hawaii officials pay up for unconstitutional censorship of political memes

Hawaii AG Releases Firearm 'Concealed Carry' Statistics

Hawaii Convention Center Bans Off-Duty Police Officers From Carrying Firearms

Federal Jury Convicts Hanapepe Man of Producing, Receiving, and Possessing Child Pornography

Green Signs Automatic Young Brother Rate Increases into Law

SA: … Talk about premature, on top of overstepping. The state Legislature approved Senate Bill 2694, to force the state Public Utilities Commission to give interisland shipper Young Brothers (YB) automatic annual rate increases of up to 5% over the next three years — raises that the PUC had rejected just six months ago on consumers’ behalf.

The fact that YB was able to persuade legislators to make an end run on the regulatory commission doesn’t mean it’s sound policy. Unfortunately, instead of vetoing SB 2694, Gov. Josh Green quietly signed it into law Tuesday.

In January, YB had already hiked rates 25.75%... At that time, the PUC also correctly denied YB’s additional request for automatic yearly rate adjustments …. The PUC, clearly not convinced that YB was doing all it could on cost- containment and efficiency, also imposed strict oversight conditions on the shipper and banned more rate increases for at least two years….

SB2694: Text, Status

Read … Editorial: Embattled shipper passes the buck | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Homeless solution starts with compassion, accountability (and it will be ended only by force)

SA: … Other countries — some far less wealthy than ours — have dramatically reduced street homelessness through sustained, practical efforts: combining housing with mandatory treatment for addiction and mental illness, enforcing laws against open drug use and encampments, and providing real pathways back to stability. They treat it as a solvable problem of public health, safety and compassion, not an inevitable tragedy we must simply tolerate. Here in America, we too often throw up our hands and say “it’s complicated” while the suffering goes on and on ….

Read … Column: Homeless solution starts with compassion, accountability (and it will be ended only by force)

Point-in-Time Count 2026 shows Oahu homelessness shifting toward shelters

HNN: … A federally mandated survey found 4,539 people were experiencing homelessness on Oahu during the 2026 Point-in-Time Count, with new data showing a shift toward more sheltered individuals and a decline in the unsheltered population.

The Point-in-Time Count was conducted Jan. 26, 2026, with more than 300 volunteers surveying across the island from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It captures a one day snapshot of people experiencing homelessness through interviews, observations and service data compiled by outreach teams and agencies.

Of those counted, about 51% were sheltered and 49% were unsheltered. Officials said the unsheltered population dropped about 20% compared to 2024, marking the first time since 2018 that sheltered individuals made up the majority of the total count….

SA: Oahu homeless count shows slight uptick, but some improvements | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

CB: Homelessness On Oʻahu: 'Pretty Big Change' In Sheltered Count - Honolulu Civil Beat

Read … Point-in-Time Count 2026 shows Oahu homelessness shifting toward shelters | Hawaii News Now

New Homes — Even Expensive Ones — Help Everyone

CB: … In March, the University of Hawai’i Economic Research Organization published a working paper describing what happened after The Central, a 512-unit mixed-income condominium tower near Ala Moana, opened in 2021. The research team traced who moved into each unit, where they came from, and what became of the homes they left.

The result is what economists call “housing filtering.” Here’s how it works: When residents move into a new apartment, their previous home becomes available to someone else, who in turn leaves their home for someone else to purchase or rent. UHERO estimates that because of housing filtering.

The Central generated more than 500 vacancies across Oʻahu in its first three years. Those freed-up homes were, on average, larger than the new condos, with more bedrooms, and about 40% less expensive per square foot. Critically, these benefits stayed local. Of the families that moved into The Central and whose prior addresses could be identified, 88% had been living in Hawai’i. And the vacancies they created extended across Oʻahu, from Kāneʻohe to Kapolei.

Read … New Homes — Even Expensive Ones — Help Everyone - Honolulu Civil Beat

Family of man killed in Hawaii Island crash says death was preventable

HNN: … In August 2024, the state Department of Transportation announced between mile post 23.5 and 26.1 “will become no-passing zones effective upon installation of signs and pavement markings.” The DOT said “the work will be completed that Thursday.”

But a recent drive along the highway in both directions shows a curved road with no signs, dashed lane dividers and Winston’s roadside flowers.

Jeffrey Foster, the family’s attorney, said since March 2024, there have been five fatalities on the stretch of highway where Winston was killed.

“Those five fatalities all occurred because passing is allowed. There’s no signs. There’s no signage saying no passing. The lanes allow for passing that has to change,” Foster said.

Two days after the crash, DOT Director Ed Sniffen said, “It’s very clear that along this route, people are driving way too fast for the passing zones. So we’re reconsidering whether or not we should have passing zones in about 10 of those 15 to 20 that we have out there. We may be eliminating a lot more of them.”

The family said they support calls from Hawaii County’s mayor and police for more traffic safety measures.

“My son was just simply going to Costco and it didn’t have to happen. It’s preventable,” Paddleford said….

Read … Family of man killed in Hawaii Island crash says death was preventable | Hawaii News Now

Planned Parenthood to Offer Abortion pills "just in case" in Hawaii, Washington

NPR: … for the first time, a Planned Parenthood affiliate is offering what's called the "advance provision" of abortion medication. The initiative, shared exclusively with NPR, launched Thursday and is called "Just In Case Abortion Pills." It means people can have the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol on their shelf to be used in the future if they want to end an early pregnancy….

Read … Abortion pills can be ordered "just in case" they'll be needed in the future : NPR

The Trump Trap

CB: … I don’t bother with the liberal media Trump critics anymore. … Being caught in the bubble of listening only to people who share your views contributes to polarization, dehumanization and diminishing trust of others….

How many times does that opinion of yours have to be reinforced? Apparently, as many as possible. The biggest problem with The Trap is that it’s biased — not because it is too partisan but because it’s too narrow.

It’s biased in favor of a kind of knowledge that is laser-focused on the president and on the events of the day, ignoring so many other important things.

And that’s the bubble. “You can spend years inside a bubble,” Jesse Singal, a journalist and podcaster, writes, “convincing yourself and your friends both that a certain thing is true and that you all have a moral imperative to believe it is true.”

No other view, then, is worth considering.

This contributes to polarization, dehumanization, diminishing trust of others, increasing distrust of institutions and a narrow view of the world around you.

Those things are the reasons why, as Jonathan Haidt puts it in The Atlantic, American life has become “uniquely stupid. And it’s not just a phase.”…

Read … Neal Milner: The Trump Trap - Honolulu Civil Beat

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