September 3, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Thursday, September 3, 2026

September 3, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 9:52 AM :: 212 Views

Lowell to Hit Kauai?

HD43: Hawaii Supreme Court considers election rematch

Public input sought on update to UH Maunakea Master Plan

The Power of Voter Participation

Racketeering claims survive against former defense contractor's wife

A Modernized Jones Act Could Help Reduce Hawai‘i’s Cost of Living

Former JAG Prosecutor Gets 20 Years for Child Pornography

Hawaii Supreme Court Justice McKenna Muddies Waters for Trump Third Term

SA: … Acting Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court Sabrina McKenna issued a dangerous and specious argument in the Tommy Waters decision. Even though the law restricts a City Council member to two elected terms, McKenna stated, “Let the person be on the ballot and let the voters decide.”

I fear that this argument might foreshadow the anticipated action the Donald Trump-aligned Supreme Court of the United States might take when Trump “decides” he should run for a third term. “Let the voters decide” is ridiculous when allowing Trump or Waters to be on the ballot when it is contrary to the Constitution, law and precedent….

RELATED: HD43: Hawaii Supreme Court considers election rematch -- “A ‘rematch’ would open the Republican Primary to being decided by Democrats—a violation of Republicans’ freedom of association rights.”

SA: There is a difference between settling a legal argument and preventing another one just like it from cropping up again.

Read … Letter: Judge casts dangerous opinion in Waters case | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Hawaii's high cost of living creates housing struggle for some teachers

HNN: … Tammi Oyadomari Chun, HIDOE deputy superintendent for strategy and administration, said a beginning teacher working year-round earns $66,000 this school year.

“For someone just starting out, it is a challenge to be able to afford housing,” Chun said.

An HIDOE survey conducted two years ago found that 41% of employees who responded said housing costs put them at risk of leaving their jobs.

The department currently has 54 teacher cottages in rural communities. It also opened 47 workforce housing units in Lahaina this year.

Another larger workforce housing project is planned at Mililani High School, with about 100 units.

Sabatino said he is concerned he could eventually be forced to leave Hawaii and return to the mainland, where he has family.

“Right now, I mean, it’s like I’m looking at possibly not even having a place to stay and then I can’t do that, so I might have to move,” Sabatino said. “And with family back in the mainland. So I don’t want to do that though.”….

CB: Hawai‘i Teachers Earn More Than Average — Without Cost Of Living - Honolulu Civil Beat

Read … Hawaii's high cost of living creates housing struggle for some teachers | Hawaii News Now

Storms Shut Down Elevators Indefinitely For Hundreds In Honolulu

CB: … Even if building repairs can be completed efficiently, getting an elevator back online could be delayed by the state’s inspection progress. Major elevator repairs need to be certified by the Boiler and Elevator branch of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

If parts are swapped like-for-like, they may not require an inspector’s sign-off. But new installations usually require a half-day of load and speed testing from a DLIR inspector.

The division has previously been overwhelmed by its workload of routine inspections, its own data shows. And its backlogs are among the worst in the nation, according to Billy Taylor of the National Elevator Industry, the leading trade organization.

Of the 10,000 elevators in the state that required inspection in 2024, only 2,600 were serviced by state inspectors by the end of that year, according to testimony in the House Labor Committee last year. The agency left behind a backlog of 7,400.

The current backlog is a bit less, more like 60%, DLIR Director Jade Butay said Wednesday, with 3,421 out of 8,924 elevators requiring inspection. …

Read … Storms Shut Down Elevators Indefinitely For Hundreds In Honolulu - Honolulu Civil Beat

Sugimura calls for immediate action to address public safety concerns along Pūlehu and Hansen roads, nails Bissen for years of Inaction on Homeless Drug Camps

MN: … Records provided by the Maui Police Department show that the department received 1,023 total calls for service in the Pūlehu Road and Hansen Road area between July 1, 2025, and May 4, 2026, Sugimura said in a news release.

Sugimura notes that both roads carry substantial daily traffic and have minimal roadside shoulders or pedestrian pathways. Vehicles and belongings have encroached onto portions of the roadway, and individuals have been observed entering the path of oncoming traffic, she said.

The situation along Pūlehu Road and Hansen Road comes amid a broader increase in unsheltered houselessness countywide. The 2026 Maui County Point-in-Time Count Topline Report found that the unsheltered population increased by 40% between 2024 and 2026, while overall numbers remained essentially flat….

HNN: Maui County announces interim, permanent safe parking sites for the houseless | Hawaii News Now

Read … Sugimura calls for immediate action to address public safety concerns along Pūlehu and Hansen roads; County administration responds : Maui Now

22 Years Later, Mānoa Stream Keeps Making News

MM: … On Aug. 13, three days before the impact of Hurricane Lala hit Oʻahu, more than two dozen residents had packed a special meeting of the Mānoa Neighborhood Board at Noelani Elementary School to press city and state officials for answers about the stream-clearing work that began, by several accounts, with almost no warning, weeks after the Kona low flooding sent water pouring into homes, cars and the school itself.

“We knew the stream was going to jump before it did, and we sat on that and it killed us. We’re not emergency responders. We’re like, what do we do with this information” said Andrea Charuk, an environmental educator from Palolo.

The $9.5 million emergency clearing project residents had just spent a Thursday night arguing over was barely two weeks old and hadn’t yet reached the Woodlawn Drive stretch, which would be running at record streamflow three days later…

Read … 22 Years Later, Mānoa Stream Keeps Making News – The Mānoa Mirror

DOE opens 18 new public preschool classrooms on Oahu

KHON: … The state opened 18 new public prekindergarten classrooms across 15 campuses. The DOE said the expansion is another step toward ensuring every keiki in Hawaii has the opportunity to benefit from free high-quality learning….

Read … DOE opens 18 new public preschool classrooms on Oahu

Honolulu city agencies used more energy and water in 2025

HPR: … Honolulu's municipal energy and water usage rose significantly last year, according to the city’s latest Annual Sustainability Report.

In 2025, city agencies used about 30 million more kilowatt-hours of electricity — enough to power about 500 homes for an entire year. Agency water use was also up by about half a million gallons per day.

Victor Gregor Limón with the city’s Resilience Office told lawmakers in August that Honolulu could save a million dollars if city agencies brought their energy usage back down to at least 2024 levels.

He suggested that electricity audits could help reduce energy consumption. The Honolulu City Council recently passed a resolution calling for a citywide assessment aimed at reducing energy costs. Results of the assessment are expected by the end of the year.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply consistently reports the highest energy consumption of any city department, as it requires electricity to pump water out of aquifers and deliver it across its system to its customers….

Read … Honolulu city agencies used more energy and water in 2025 | Hawai'i Public Radio

H-POWER was closed for more than 80 days last year

HPR: … The H-POWER facility on Oʻahu helps divert waste from the near-capacity Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill, but during the last fiscal year it was out of service for more than 80 days.

Honolulu officials estimate that 200,000 tons of waste went to the landfill instead of being burned at H-POWER.

Ahmad Sadri, energy recovery administrator with the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Environmental Services, said the facility had to close for several reasons — both planned and unplanned.

“There's fires and explosions that are sustained by unacceptable items in the waste stream, such as propane tanks, other compressed gas cylinders. Lithium-ion batteries have been a major, major issue,” Sadri said Tuesday at an End Landfills Task Force meeting headed by the Honolulu City Council.

The stormy weather has also been an issue, leading to two outages at H-POWER. In one instance, a pole snapped in half on the property. Sadri said they contributed “greatly” to the amount of waste that had to be sent to the landfill.

H-POWER had no more than 54 outage days in any year since 2021. The 200,000 tons of unburned waste that went to the landfill last year was almost double what it received in either of the last two years.

City leaders are working on projects to reduce explosions…

The Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill is scheduled to close in March 2028.

Read … H-POWER was closed for more than 80 days last year | Hawai'i Public Radio

Solar Battery Systems ‘Remotely Disabled’ after Lawsuit

SA: … A Generac spokesperson says the company “temporarily disabled” a subset of first-generation PWRcell batteries while it evaluates their performance, but he would not say how many Hawaii customers are affected or estimate when their battery storage will be restored….

affected Generac customers have expressed on social media platforms such as Nextdoor and Reddit, the battery lockout does affect their solar power backup systems, rendering them useless for storing power to use on rainy days or when the electricity goes out…

Online, customers complained that Generac had given them little explanation as to why their batteries were disabled. Some wanted to know whether it was due to a safety issue like the one that prompted a class-action lawsuit over components of Generac PWRcell solar power systems called SnapRS devices, which the lawsuit claimed may overheat, melt or fail, damaging the overall systems. Generac denied the allegations and denied wrongdoing or liability. Both sides have agreed to a proposed settlement; read more at generacsnapsettlement.com….

Read … Kokua Line: When will Generac unlock our solar power batteries? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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