September 8, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

September 8, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 12:29 PM :: 70 Views

Hawaii County Transient Vacation Rental Registration Now Live

Luke corruption trial pushed to 2027

ASD: … Back on Aug. 6, Yamane’s attorney William Harrison filed a motion to continue the trial on a later date, as the discovery phase — in which both sides prepare witnesses and evidence to be presented at trial — had not yet begun and the breadth of the case made it exceedingly unlikely that the process could be completed on schedule.

Other attorneys, including Fuchigami’s lawyer Eric Seitz and Luke’s lawyer Richard Sing, co-signed Harrison’s motion.

At a hearing Friday, attorneys proposed that the trial be delayed by a year or more, suggesting varying dates between June and October of 2027. Prosecutor and Deputy Attorney General David Van Acker did not protest, although Judge Paul B. K. Wong did not land on a specific date Friday; an exact date will be determined at a scheduling conference next Wednesday.

By Wednesday, Fuchigami will also need to decide whether to keep Seitz as his attorney. Van Acker filed a motion in August arguing that Seitz has a conflict of interest in the case, having previously represented state Department of Health Deputy Director Cathy Ross, who will be a witness for the prosecution in the case….

Read … Luke corruption trial pushed to 2027

Congress Passed Housing Reform. Hawai‘i Can Make It Work

CB: … The ROAD to Housing Act updates federal regulations to lift red tape and open streamlining opportunities for home construction at the state and county levels. To enjoy these perks, Hawai‘i needs to update our laws to take full advantage.

For instance, ROAD removes arbitrary laws that restrict and increase the cost of manufactured home choices. Today’s modern manufactured homes are built using newer technology and more affordable construction methods, and look the same as old-school homes built onsite. Local regulations have long discriminated against these types of homes because of stigma.

If we can update Hawai‘i’s laws to treat manufactured home choices the same as other homes, we can deliver more affordable homeownership opportunities all across the islands. The result could be an increase in manufactured housing types (and associated housing construction) across the United States.

Federal law is clear that the state of Hawai‘i will need to make changes to legalize forms of manufactured housing without a permanent steel chassis in the 2027 legislative session.

Similarly, ROAD encourages streamlined guidance for apartment buildings to be constructed more efficiently with one stairway (rather than two at different sides of the building). In housing circles, this is also known as single-staircase reform. For decades, this form of construction, which is less expensive to build and just as safe to live in, has been illegal across municipalities and counties in the United States (including here in Hawai‘i)….

Read … Congress Passed Housing Reform. Hawai‘i Can Make It Work - Honolulu Civil Beat

Delays: Hawaiʻi's housing affordability problem

ASD: … That argument is not wrong. Hawaiʻi’s permit processing times run more than triple the national average. In Honolulu, a single-family home permit took a median of 394 days in the first half of 2025, before new processing software was introduced. Multi-family units took 585 days. Those delays are real, and they cost real money.

But here is the part of the story that doesn’t get told as often: Hawaiʻi has been building housing. And for most families in this state, it still doesn’t matter. They still can’t afford it….

Hawaiʻi County remains the relative outlier. The median single-family price of $465,000 is the lowest in the state by a wide margin. …

Read … Community Voices: Hawaiʻi's housing affordability problem

'Kick In The Face': Hawaiʻi's $2M Business Registration System Slammed

CB: … The Hawai‘i Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ new, $2.1 million “Business Express” registration system is causing what users describe as interminable delays in processing documents needed to start and operate businesses. Processes that previously might take a few days are taking weeks or months. …

Read … 'Kick In The Face': Hawaiʻi's $2M Business Registration System Slammed - Honolulu Civil Beat

No Water, And No End In Sight: A Big Island Condo Copes With Lala

CB: … It has been more than three weeks since flooding from Hurricane Lala rampaged through the condominiums called Colony I at Sea Mountain in Kaʻū, wiping out the complex’s water, sewer and electrical service. By now almost everyone else has left, but Steve Brewer is still there in his rented unit because he has few other choices.

Power has been restored, but the privately operated water and sewer systems that serve the complex were heavily damaged in the storm. Punalu’u Water and Sanitation, which operates the complex’s water and sewer systems, informed unit owners after the storm that “potable water service is unlikely to be restored anytime soon.”…

Read … No Water, And No End In Sight: A Big Island Condo Copes With Lala - Honolulu Civil Beat

Accused Of Violating Patients, A Hawaiʻi Doctor Still Practices

CB: … Nine women accused Dr. Gregory Yim of performing unnecessary breast exams that violated their sense of trust. The Hawaiʻi Medical Board has taken no action….

Read … Accused Of Violating Patients, A Hawaiʻi Doctor Still Practices - Honolulu Civil Beat

Hawaii Officials Prevail in Challenge to State’s Hemp Rules

B: … Hawaii’s definition of a legal hemp product and related testing standards to ensure compliance survived a legal challenge brought by two business owners.

Hawaii’s “more stringent laws regarding the sale and distribution of hemp are not superseded by federal law,” the US District Court for the District of Hawaii said in a Sept. 4 order dismissing the case. Judge Jill A. Otake also denied the plaintiffs’ bid to amend their complaint.

The owners of Oahu Dispensary and Provisions LLC and Elevated Enterprises LLC alleged that regulations issued by the state’s health department, which set standards on how hemp products are ...

Read … Hawaii Officials Prevail in Challenge to State’s Hemp Rules

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