June 14, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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June 14, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 9:29 AM :: 945 Views

June 14, 1900: The Abolition of Slavery in Hawaii

Hawaii Medicaid Fraud Control Problems Go Back 42 Years

Medical Debt Is Not the Disease; It Is a Symptom

Defending the First Amendment

Legislature approves bills that could help boost local food production

Election 2026: Socialists Form Alliance with Meth Dealer’s Son

CB: … a ~~new~~ (renamed) group (of the same washed-up socialist failures), Moho ʻĀina, is promoting a group of 13 likeminded candidates in the 2026 elections it says are all rounded in ~~aloha~~ ʻā~~ina~~ (methamphetamines)….

The Moho ʻĀina slate: Paele Kiakona (son of convicted 20lbs-a-month meth dealer Moses Kiakona), Kahi Paccaro, Nadia Alves and Kekoa Kealoha. Middle row: Keoni Kuoha, Kuulei Keawekane, Kalehua Kaopua, Jordan Kapono Nakamura and Tina Holt. Bottom row: Nani Brown, Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Kiʻi Kahoʻohanohano and Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian.

The group says it is speaking directly to the frustration that “too many ~~locals~~ (meth-heads) feel apathetic toward politics, that the system is rigged against them (except when shoplifting), so it’s not worth the time to continue engaging.” Moho ʻĀina is calling for “a sea change” in Hawaiʻi’s government.

(TRANSLATION: Sea Change = Import more meth on fishing boats.)

You can read more about the 13 candidates for the state House and other races who have pledged to Moho ʻĀina’s principals (sic?) on Instagram and on its website. They include Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, a member of the Maui County Council (who is spelling her name Rawlinz Fernandez on the Moho ʻĀina website.)

REALITY FOR THOSE WHO CAN HANDLE IT: Meet the Meth Gang Behind ‘Lahaina Strong’

Read … The Sunshine Blog: Changing Of The Guard At Hawaiʻi Emergency Management - Honolulu Civil Beat

Election Commission Clown Show: Will Republicans Reappoint ‘Deniers’ June 30?

CB: … commissioner, James “Kimo” Apana, unsuccessfully tried to recuse himself because he felt it was a problem for him to vote on a new chair if Apana himself won’t still be on the commission come July 1. The terms for commissioners Cushnie, Barbara Dalton and Lindsay Kamm also expire June 30, so it’s unclear who will be on the board come July….

(CLUE: Cushnie’s lawsuits are ghost-written by Karl Dicks. Who’s that? >>> LINK.)

Ultimately, if a new chair is not chosen by July 15, the chair selection may fall to the chief justice of the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court. The current CJ is Vladimir Devens, who was appointed by a Democratic governor and confirmed by majority Senate Democrats.

July 15 comes six days before primary ballots are supposed to first begin arriving in mail boxes statewide.

(CLUE: Current HIGOP Chair Shirlene Ostrov is the former chair of the Hawaii Trump Campaign. Trump wants election deniers on election commissions in all 50 states.)

In the meantime, two new laws are intended to ensure that Hawaiʻi still has a chief election officer — the person who certifies the primary and general election results — should the commission fire Scott Nago anytime soon: One says the chief must be fired for cause and the other establishes a succession plan should the chief position be vacated….

REALITY: Hawaii Republican leaders secretly met with Miske Hitman Lindsey Kinney

Read … The Elections Commission Is Struggling To Elect A New Leader - Honolulu Civil Beat

Case v Keohokalole Primary

CB: … “Do you want a puppet?” Case asked. “Or do you want somebody that actually tries to get problems solved and actually tries to find solutions that will actually work for the country?” ….

Read … Experience Or New Energy: Case Squares Off Against Keohokalole for Congress - Honolulu Civil Beat

East Oahu voters get a say on Council’s fat pay raises

Shapiro: … City Council Chair Tommy Waters is fighting to prevent his reelection bid in East Honolulu from becoming a referendum on the highly unpopular 64% Council pay raise he rammed through in 2023 ….

Meanwhile: Trevor Ozawa backed Michael Miske’s ‘tree’

CB: Will Caron: Dust-Up At The East Oʻahu Corral - Honolulu Civil Beat

Read … David Shapiro: East Oahu voters get a say on Council’s fat pay raises | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

$328M DHHL Kalima Settlement Payout Nears End

SA: … A genealogical hunt to find beneficiaries of a $328 million Hawaii legal settlement is nearing a likely incomplete end after more than two years of difficult and often emotionally searing work.

The effort led by court-appointed attorneys represents a final phase of parceling out proceeds from the settlement reached four years ago in a class-action lawsuit filed against the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands 23 years earlier in 1999.

Kalima v. State of Hawaii alleged that DHHL failed to timely award homestead lots to qualified applicants, who must be at least half Hawaiian and can receive house, farm or pastoral lots under renewable 99-year leases that cost $1 a year and can economically uplift families for generations.

Because state officials strung out the litigation for so long, close to half of the 2,515 beneficiaries in the case died before they could be compensated. So a team of legal representatives was formed to seek out heirs entitled to settlement proceeds.

That work, however, has not been easy. And now, after much success, it’s approaching an end with a few hundred cases involving heirs remaining to be processed, including around 100 where no prospects have been found….

Read … DHHL legal settlement distribution nears end | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

OHA Ambush: 24 hour notice to Investigate KITV Buy

SA: … The OHA Board of Trustees voted 4‑5 on May 28 to reject spending up to $172,500 for an initial confidential review of the stations’ parent company, Allen Media Group. The proposal is now back on the June 24 agenda — this time routed through the Investment and Land Management Committee chaired by OHA Vice Chair Keoni Souza, who was among the four trustees who supported the earlier request.

Souza said the renewed discussion is not the result of new information but of unanswered questions that trustees could not resolve before the first vote. “Most of those questions could not be answered,” he said…

… Souza said whether OHA has the capacity to take on the deal “depends on the acquisition costs and the operational costs long term.”

“We may decide to partner up with another organization in the future — that’s not off the table at all,” he said, noting that OHA, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Kamehameha Schools and nonprofits such as the Hawaiian Council have increasingly collaborated on shared priorities.

If the committee advances the item with at least five votes, the full board could consider it at its trustee meeting on June 25.

“It could be as quickly as the next day,” Souza said.

He emphasized that trustees still lack basic financial details, including whether the stations are for sale, the potential purchase price, and long‑term operational costs.

“We don’t even have those hard numbers,” Souza said. “We want to be able to obtain that information of substance … in order to justify any acquisition.”…

Souza said he expects another close debate when the motion comes before his committee. He said this motion differs from the original one in that it splits the due diligence activities into two phases, with $45,000 allocated to begin and the other $127,500 to be allocated if interest remains….

Read … OHA reconsiders exploring KITV/KIKU deal | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

HMSA says fee-for-service has value; prove it

SA: … HMSA wants to move back to fee-for-service. The public deserves more than a broad policy announcement. HMSA should explain how a revived fee-for-service system would differ from the old model. What safeguards would prevent a repeat of past problems, and how patient access, quality, and costs would be protected and fair physician payment instituted and maintained.

If the HMSA believes this change is necessary, it should say clearly what will be different this time and why the public and primary care physicians should trust that the shift will lead to better care rather than a return to old flaws….

Read … Column: HMSA says fee-for-service has value; prove it | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Solar Industry: Without Subsidies we are doomed

SA: … “The untouched provisions of the bill will still slash any available renewable incentives for any future projects, and terminate them entirely in a few years,” said Wayne Tanaka, director of the Sierra Club of Hawaii. “Unless and until the Legislature acts, a dark cloud will continue to hang over the local solar industry, and by extension, our clean energy future.”…

Read … Hawaii climate goals are at risk, advocates warn | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Police Busy in Lahaina

MN: … With more than 200 homes rebuilt and another 300 under construction, Lahaina’s population is slowly returning. But with many lots still empty and police resources limited, residents are working to stay vigilant until their neighbors can come home.

The Maui Police Department has seen a growing number of calls for service and reports in the Lahaina burn zone this year. From Jan. 1 to April 30, the department received 1,322 total calls for service and 667 total reports, compared to 1,009 calls for service and 330 reports during the same period in 2025, according to data provided to the Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative.

That includes 232 citations (MPD did not specify what the citations were for), 53 personal assistance cases, 46 motor vehicle accidents and 21 abuse cases. During the same period in 2025, the most common incidents included 44 motor vehicle accidents, 26 personal assistance cases, 21 suspicious cases and 18 abandoned vehicles.

Thefts have gone down slightly, with 16 reported during the first four months of 2025 compared to 14 reported in the same period this year….

Read … Lahaina residents try to stop increasing crime as more people return to burn zone : Maui Now

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