May 28, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Thursday, May 28, 2026

May 28, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 9:27 AM :: 370 Views

Hawaii’s “Paper Bag” Corruption Case - Keli’i Akina interviews Alexander Silvert

Hawaii AG decides against joining Medicaid fraud roundtable at White House

Hawaii AG Leads Opposition to 'Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act'

Star-Adv: "Stop this investigation before you catch more crooks!”

SA: … what began as questions about $35,000 in a paper bag accepted by “an influential state legislator” is mushrooming into a scandalous cloud engulfing at least three top-level officials: Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, now on unpaid leave; Human Services Director Ryan Yamane, who abruptly retired last week, at the governor’s insistence; and former Public Utilities Commission chairman Leo Asuncion, who suddenly resigned in November seven months before his term was up. All have been questioned by the state Attorney General’s Office, whose expanding probe now includes millions of dollars of COVID-test contracts, which federal investigators also are delving into….

an expeditious wrap is urged. With each passing day and new prominent name, public confidence into political integrity takes a beating — eroding trust in governing leaders and hardening cynicism about who public servants are really serving….

TRANSLATION: "Stop this investigation before you catch more crooks!”

Public harm, of course, is intrinsic in any act of government fraud or corruption. Secondarily, though, damage can be done via disruption of the public’s business. In Luke’s case, she was a champion of the Ready Keiki preschool expansion and of Connect Kakou, to advance digital access statewide. Loss of a visible advocate for worthwhile causes can mean loss of momentum, even diminished funding for efforts.

As for Yamane, his 2024 appointment as Department of Human Services director brought some optimism. DHS has one of the largest state department budgets at $4.2 billion, serving 1 in 3 Hawaii residents with benefits and services.DHS’ Child Welfare Services division, in particular, is chronically deficient, and the 2021 presumed murder of Isabella Kalua, 6, amplified the tragic, horrific consequences of a dysfunctional CWS system. It was hoped that Yamane’s 20 years in the state House, working largely on health and DHS issues, would help the tattered department onto a better path; instead, he’s embroiled in controversy while other DHS managers have also left or are leaving soon….

TRANSLATION: “We need these crooks to run DHS and build nursery schools."

Read … Editorial: Bring fraud probe to quick, clear end | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Push for renewed look at legislative corruption petition

HNN: … Former federal attorney Alexander Silvert sent a three-page letter to state House Speaker Nadine Nakamura and Vice Speaker Linda Ichiyama on Wednesday, asking them to bring back the petition he started last year that collected more than 900 signatures.

Silvert said recent developments show it’s needed, and the petition should be recalled.

Nakamura ordered the petition filed with no further action on April 22. Some representatives objected to her plan.

Silvert’s new letter cites circumstances that now “demand immediate action.”

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke put herself on unpaid leave on April 23, one day after Nakamura filed the petition with no action.

Luke received a target letter from the state attorney general’s office as part of the criminal investigation.

Former state representative Ryan Yamane abruptly resigned as head of the Hawaii Department of Human Services after getting a subpoena on May 19.

Yamane’s apparent involvement shows the criminal case has expanded from one alleged bribery case involving a $35,000 exchange to incidents including COVID-19 funds….

“We now know that the AG’s investigation has expanded greatly into a whole new area, but it’s the same issue, possible corruption of legislators by business people to get money, taxpayer monies, which they either misuse or steal,” Silvert said….

Silvert said he is focused on the House because the state Senate ignored the petition altogether….

Read … Push for renewed look at legislative corruption petition | Hawaii News Now | HNN Investigates

Why Housing Affordability Progress Stalls Out In Hawaiʻi

CB: … The reforms most directly linked to lowering housing costs are well understood and readily available. They do not require new taxes or federal coordination. They require repealing rules that our own state and local governments created.

And yet, those reforms consistently stall. They get carved up in committee or die on third reading — often at the hands of the same legislators who just identified housing as their top concern….

The political calculus here is familiar. Existing homeowners vote. Future residents, young renters, families priced out, workers who have already left — these groups do not yet exist as a constituency. Legislators who prioritize reelection will serve the first group. Legislators doing their job will serve both.

Every year parking mandates remain in place, every year missing middle housing remains illegal on most urban land, and every year ADU permitting remains exposed to local discretionary overrides, the cost of housing continues to outpace the incomes of the people who need it most.

That burden falls disproportionately on renters, younger households, and the workers whose departure legislators routinely lament from the same podium….

Read … Why Housing Affordability Progress Stalls Out In Hawaiʻi - Honolulu Civil Beat

Hawaii's Wildfire Liability Cap— A High Bar That Protects No One — and Who's Whispering in the PUC's Ear?

IM: … The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has initiated an engagement process for a landmark rulemaking proceeding under Act 258 — legislation passed in 2025 that authorizes the PUC to set a liability cap for Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) in the event of future catastrophic wildfires. The PUC hosted an informational webinar on May 22, 2026, and is accepting written public input through June 15, 2026.

This rulemaking will determine how much HECO can be held financially responsible if its equipment or operations cause another devastating wildfire — and how much of that risk will ultimately be shifted onto ratepayers and fire victims instead of shareholders. The stakes could not be higher.

Public input matters. You can learn more and participate at the official PUC Liability Cap Rulemaking page,

What Triggers the Liability Cap? The "Catastrophic Wildfire" Definition

Before any liability cap can apply, a wildfire must first qualify as a "catastrophic wildfire" under Hawaii law. The definition is set out in HRS §663-8.8(f):

"Catastrophic wildfire" means a wildfire occurring in the State on or after July 1, 2025, that substantially damages or destroys more than five hundred commercial structures or residential structures designed for habitation or, for an electric cooperative, a wildfire that substantially damages or destroys more than fifty commercial structures or residential structures designed for habitation.

Read that carefully. The liability cap — and the entire wildfire recovery fund framework — only activates when a wildfire destroys more than 500 habitable structures. For electric cooperatives (which in Hawaii means Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, or KIUC), the threshold drops to 50 structures — still a significant event….

…approximately nine fires in all of recorded American history that come close to or exceed the 500-structure threshold. Most are in California. Only one — the 2023 Lahaina fire — occurred in Hawaii. And that fire happened before July 1, 2025, which means it is explicitly excluded from the new definition.

The conclusion is stark: in all of Hawaii's documented history, no wildfire has ever met the statutory definition of a "catastrophic wildfire" under HRS §663-8.8(f). The Lahaina fire came closest, but it is grandfathered out. Fires on Kauai have historically destroyed only a handful of structures at most — a 2011 brush fire destroyed two homes and damaged two others, and that represents one of the largest documented structure-loss events in Kauai's fire history...

Read … Hawaii's Wildfire Liability Cap— A High Bar That Protects No One — and Who's Whispering in the PUC's Ear? | Ililani Media

Hawaii bill quadruples tax-deductible savings for first-time homebuyers

PBN: … A bill that quadruples a 44-year-old cap on a tax-deductible savings account for first-time homebuyers in Hawaii has passed through the Legislature and awaits Gov. Josh Green's signature.

The Individual Housing Account program, established in 1982, allowed residents of Hawaii to save up to $5,000 per year for an individual and $10,000 per year for a married couple, money that could be deducted as contributions from their Hawaii state gross income, effectively reducing their state tax burden.

The cap on the savings account, which can be opened with a participating financial institution, has not been raised since the program was created. Senate Bill 2552 would raise the cap to $20,000 per year for an individual and $40,000 per year for a married couple filing jointly.

The money in the Individual Housing Account must be used towards the down payment or closing costs for the purchase of a primary residence in Hawaii. …

Read … Hawaii bill quadruples tax-deductible savings for first-time homebuyers - Pacific Business News

State to execute master development agreement around stadium

SN: … It took a few extra months and one more closed-doors session, but the state has reached a master development agreement with its private partners to build out the roughly 70 acres surrounding Aloha Stadium.

“Happy as heck, man,” interim stadium manager Michael Yadao told Spectrum News after the Stadium Authority voted unanimously Wednesday to have him execute the deal. “I'm so happy it's done. I'm so happy that we can move forward.”

March 2029 remains the contracted target for completion of a new stadium by development team Aloha Halawa District Partners.

The “MDA” — which covers the non-stadium portions of the total 98-acre site like housing and commercial districts — was one of the last and most important aspects of the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District project still unresolved, even after Stanford Carr, the de facto leader of AHDP, announced at a demolition ceremony in mid-February that the major terms were agreed upon.

Yadao said there was difficulty achieving a quorum of board members to approve it at the Stadium Authority’s meetings since that day, in part due to the Kona low storms that thrashed the state in March and early April. When subtle changes were made to the MDA in the interim, the process of briefing board members had to restart, he said.

On a bustling swap meet day at the Lower Halawa Lot, the authority weaved between visitor traffic to meet at its makeshift headquarters at the southern end. After a 20-minute executive session (closed to the public and media), board vice chair Andrew Perreira made a motion for Yadao to execute the deal between the Stadium Authority and AHDP. It was seconded and passed.

Terms of the agreement are not yet available but officials have pledged the documents will be made public once they are all completed. The parties have yet to finalize the ground lease (in reality, a framework for many smaller lease contracts) for the non-stadium portion of the 98-acre site. Yadao said that is “90% there.”

Yadao said he wants the public to understand that contracts shouldn’t be “taken in isolation, that they should be seen as a total deal.”

The state’s commitment to the stadium is locked at $350 million. AHDP and its investors are expected to cover at least another $300 million to build a 31,000-seat venue, and cover operations and maintenance costs for 30 years. In return, AHDP will build out the surrounding area with its own money over decades, but stands to reap the profits into the distant future….

Read … State to execute master development agreement around stadium

Teens Suing Kamehameha Didn’t Have Scores To Get In, Lawyer Says

CB: … Two people suing Kamehameha Schools over its admissions policy giving preference to Native Hawaiians weren’t ranked high enough to advance to a stage where their race would even be considered, a school attorney said Wednesday.

That’s important because it may determine whether the plaintiffs — identified as I.P. and K.S. — can even proceed in the lawsuit if they never had a chance of attending Kamehameha based on their application scores.

But a lawyer with Students for Fair Admissions, which brought the lawsuit, said the group would want to conduct an analysis to determine if there is a bias against non-Native Hawaiians throughout the admissions process.

Those arguments came out during a hearing Wednesday over how best to proceed with the lawsuit, which was first filed in October.

There are currently four plaintiffs, including K.S. and I.P., who both applied and were rejected and parties identified only as Families A and B. They all allege that the school’s Native Hawaiian admissions preference is discriminatory….

In addition to determining if K.S. and I.P. should be able to proceed in the lawsuit, school lawyers also want to evaluate whether other groups identified as Family A and Family B actually intended to attend Kamehameha. According to the lawsuit, they never applied.

(CLUE: If they applied, they would be easy to identify.)

BACKGROUND: Kamehameha Admissions: Without Affirmative Action Defense, Who Needs Victimology?

Read … Teens Suing Kamehameha Didn’t Have Scores To Get In, Lawyer Says - Honolulu Civil Beat

‘Disproportionate Punishment’ for Tourist Who Threw Rocks at Endangered Seal in Hawaii?

J: … Truly, there is no form of backpedaling on Earth that has quite the velocity, or inherent amusement, of the everyday idiot who just became an internet pariah because they were caught on tape doing something viciously stupid or cruel, and are now attempting to form-fit a new narrative that casts themselves as the secretly noble party….

…it seems a bit disproportionate to potentially levy tens of thousands of dollars in fines and the threat of jail time upon an undeniably stupid tourist, for an attempt to harass an endangered species that did not even strike the animal in question. While Lytvynchuk is flying back to Hawaii and entering a courtroom to stand trial for behaving like an idiot, the very same government that is prosecuting him under the Endangered Species Act is intentionally gutting that same act in order to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, despite being told point blank that this will almost certainly lead to the extinction of the critically endangered Rice’s Whale, of which there are less than 100 left on Earth. At the same time that Lytvynchuk potentially faces a few years in prison for chucking a rock, a Florida tech bro is attempting to lead the charge to strip endangered species protections from an entire bird species because he doesn’t want to pay a fee to help conserve them. ….

Read … “Please Feel Bad for Me” Pleads Tourist Who Threw Rocks at Endangered Seal in Hawaii

TROs Denied Before Puna Killing Spree, Manhunt

CB: … Three days before Jacob Daniel Baker went on an alleged killing spree — leaving three older men dead and sparking an ongoing manhunt — his neighbors reported they feared for their lives. But the court system failed to intervene and police were not alerted.

One neighbor was living on a Pāhoa farm with Baker and reported feeling nervous about his increasingly erratic and aggressive behavior. On Friday afternoon, she had asked a judge for help.

“Jacob Baker has threatened my life,” Janelle Honer wrote in an application for a temporary restraining order filed with the Third Circuit Court just before 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

A second woman, Angelia Romero-Hanson, filed a TRO application against Baker about an hour later.

“I came to stay on my friend’s farm only to realize that all the women left because this man threatened to kill them,” she wrote. “Please approve this as soon as possible.”

The courts closed shortly thereafter for Memorial Day weekend without acting on the women’s requests for protection. On Tuesday, Judge Michelle Kanani Laubach denied both applications due to “insufficient evidence.”

By then, two men who lived near the Pāhoa farm were dead. Hours later, police responded to a call about a third man who was found deceased nearby.

Police now suspect Baker killed all three.

On Wednesday morning, an islandwide manhunt ensued for the 36 year old. At a press conference with Mayor Kimo Alameda, Chief Reed Mahuna said capturing Baker was the department’s No. 1 priority. The chief said he wasn’t aware of the restraining order applications that had been filed against Baker days earlier. …

Read … Puna Killings: Neighbors Asked For Help. It Didn't Come In Time - Honolulu Civil Beat

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