August 31, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Monday, August 31, 2026

August 31, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 6:28 AM :: 245 Views

How High Cost of Housing Makes Hawaii Homeowners Become Good Budgeters

Panda Diplomacy: Honolulu to face “expectations not to cross any political red lines with Beijing”

CB: … The mayor’s interest in getting a new headliner at the zoo has kicked off a diplomatic process with one of America’s perceived adversaries that will require the sign-off from Chinese President Xi Jinping himself. The arrangement could be a boon to Honolulu’s zoo but comes with strings attached, including an annual fee estimated to be at least $1 million and expectations not to cross any political red lines with Beijing….

Meanwhile: Blangiardi wants Taiwan to fix crumbling, crime-plagued Chinatown Cultural Plaza | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

(QUESTION: See how this works?)

Read … Panda Diplomacy: A Mayor’s Quest To Bring Pandas From China To Hawaiʻi - Honolulu Civil Beat

Nightclub accuses liquor board of (more) retaliation

SA: … A Chinatown nightclub has filed its second federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and Honolulu Liquor Commission, alleging the agency resumed retaliatory conduct that a $670,000 settlement agreement last year was supposed to end.

Scarlet Honolulu Inc., an LGBTQ+ nightclub at 80 S. Pauahi St., filed its 330-page complaint Aug. 21 in U.S. District Court, alleging HLC violated key provisions of the January 2025 settlement by delaying its liquor license applications, restricting access to public records and conducting targeted enforcement actions.

The new lawsuit names the City and County of Honolulu, HLC and Assistant Administrator Anna Hirai as defendants. Scarlet alleges Hirai knew about her agency’s conduct at issue but failed to stop it.

A hearing in this federal case is scheduled before Chief Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Mansfield on Oct. 19, while Judge Micah W. J. Smith is expected to handle any potential trial proceedings, according to Robbie Baldwin, Scarlet’s co-owner.

Baldwin said filing the new lawsuit was necessary because HLC violated its agreement with his alcohol-serving establishment.

“We hoped after the resolution of the first suit the HLC would finally correct itself,” he said. “It’s apparent that’s not happening and a notoriously retaliatory agency just can’t stop retaliating….

2023: Donna Kim’s Ex-Husband Tangles with Gay Nightclub, Gets Media Attention

May 2026: Dope in Vending Machines? Complaint Alleges Honolulu Liquor Commission Does Nothing to Shut Down ‘ballsiest drug op in recent memory’

June 2026: Kakaako Shooting is Latest Problem at Multi-Violation Club on HART Property

Read … Nightclub accuses liquor board of retaliation | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Honolulu Has A Rare Chance To Strengthen Civilian Police Oversight

CB: … Honolulu is about to make a hiring decision that could shape civilian police oversight for years.

And here is what makes it unusual: we do not need to change the City Charter, pass a new law or create another government agency to make a meaningful improvement.

The Honolulu Police Commission will soon select its next executive officer, the person who leads the professional staff supporting the commission’s work.

The commission is Honolulu’s civilian oversight body for HPD….

Read … Honolulu Has A Rare Chance To Strengthen Civilian Police Oversight - Honolulu Civil Beat

Hawaiʻi's Pain At The Pump Is Par Pacific’s Gain

CB: … Hawaiʻi residents may be facing high prices at the gas pump and spiking electric bills thanks to the military conflict with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but Hawaiʻi’s only oil refiner has parlayed the rising fuel prices into hundreds of millions of dollars in profit.

Par Pacific Holdings, the parent of Par Hawaiʻi, raked in $462 million in profit for the quarter ended June 30, an increase of more than $402.6 million over the net income the company reported for the same period a year ago.

Hawaiʻi consumers, meanwhile, aren’t so fortunate. After peaking in April at a record $5.67 per gallon, regular unleaded gasoline prices in Hawaiʻi were hovering around $5.41 statewide, compared to $4.47 a year ago, according to AAA. Residents on neighbor islands have suffered the most. Average prices on Kauaʻi peaked at just under $6 per gallon in May. …

Par’s banner three months came as a result of a positive double whammy for the company. Because of long shipping times to Hawaiʻi, Par Hawaiʻi bought oil at lower costs months in advance of the troubles in the Middle East, then sold the refined products – gasoline, jet fuel and fuel for power plants – at current, high prices.

Also contributing was a global crunch in refined products from the Middle East and Russia, which drove up profit margins – known as “crack spreads” – for refiners globally.

Par did have to take some costly steps to deal with a global shortage of aviation fuel, some of which Par imports from neighboring Asian countries. To proactively make sure it had enough aviation fuel on hand, the company made what Par Hawaiʻi president Eric Wright called unprecedented maneuvers to deal with the federal Jones Act. But the refinery’s profits more than offset these costs….

“We actually chartered a Jones Act barge to increase our ability to bring out fuel from the mainland, and we sourced two cargos under the Jones Act waiver and brought fuel, jet fuel out from the U.S. Gulf Coast,” he said. …

Analysts peg Par’s Hawaiʻi operations as representing about 60% to 70% of Par Pacific’s business, which would mean about $270 million to $323 million in net income came from Hawaiʻi during the most recent quarter, but Wright declined to comment on the breakdown….

Read … Hawaiʻi's Pain At The Pump Is Oil Giant's Gain - Honolulu Civil Beat

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