October 22, 2026 News Read

By Andrew Walden @ 10:24 AM :: 147 Views

Trial delayed for Hawaii sober-driver arrest suit amid records fight

Prison cell command center orchestrating flood of drugs into Hawaii

City: Only 1,886 customers approved for sewer bill credits

Hawaii Churches and the Global Great Awakening of 1857

5-4 Preliminary Vote: Looks Like OHA has a New CEO

CB: … Earlier this year, the Board of Trustees were split over the handling of a lawsuit from former CEO Stacy Ferreira, who was removed from her post last September. Her suit alleges her removal was a retaliatory move by the office and its trustees for reporting board chairman Kai Kahele to state authorities over his handling of the office’s budget. …

That division over the lawsuit arose again on Wednesday, with a faction led by Kahele voting in favor of Sylva. Trustee John Waiheʻe IV joined four dissenting trustees in opposing her nomination, and sided with that group in supporting Apo instead.

(TRANSLATION: ‘Game Over for Kai Kahele.’)

Reached by phone after the vote, Apo said he didn’t want to talk until the after a final approval tomorrow.

Apo spent six years as a Honolulu City Council member representing the Westside before taking on roles at Disney and Ward Village.

One area in which he stood out from the other finalists for the CEO position was in Kakaʻako Makai, where OHA owns about 30 acres of land but has been unable to build residential towers because of a ban on such developments imposed by the Legislature.

Apo, who worked for Ward Village as it developed luxury condos just across the street, said that OHA should look at building what it can within current zoning rules. He is also open to considering a land swap with the state for land that may be easier to develop….

KITV: Office of Hawaiian Affairs votes to select Todd Apo as top choice for its next CEO | News | kitv.com

read … Looks Like OHA Has A New CEO

Hawaii: Toughest state for aspiring homeowners

NYP: … Hawaii topped the ranking as the toughest state for aspiring homeowners, with residents needing an estimated five years to save for a down payment.

The typical home in the Aloha State is valued at $833,340, putting a 15% down payment at a whopping $125,001 — the highest in the country.

Even with a median household income exceeding $100,000, residents would need to put away about $2,080 a month to reach that goal….

The analysis used August 2026 home values from Zillow, household income and rent data from the Census Bureau, and estimates of grocery, health care and transportation expenses.

It assumed households earning their state’s median income could consistently save half of what remained after those living costs, with the other half going toward taxes and other expenses.

The calculations start with zero savings and don’t account for interest, closing costs, changes in home prices or unexpected expenses — meaning the actual road to homeownership could be considerably longer for some buyers….

Read … New Yorkers face one of the longest waits to save for a home

Lahaina has not been rebuilt. It is still waiting

OM: … “Some of us have spent years trying to navigate the permitting process simply to rebuild on property our families have owned for decades. We are trying to get permits. We are trying to get utilities. We are trying to find jobs. We are trying to figure out how we are supposed to remain in a community that no longer has the infrastructure and economic opportunities it once had.”…

MN: With new school 3 years away, Lahaina elementary students, staff make do in post-fire temporary campus : Maui Now

Read … Lahaina has not been rebuilt. It is still waiting

Profitable Non-Profits: Hawaii County Council Votes to Approve Homeless Slush Fund Quick Before Audit

HTH: … Bill 192, which adds an additional two years to a five-year pilot program launched in 2022 to set aside a minimum of $9 million annually for a Homeless and Housing Fund to provide grants to local nonprofits, passed its second and final reading with a vote of 5-2. If signed into law by the mayor, it will extend the sunset date for the program from 2027 to 2029.

Council Chair Dennis Onishi and Puna Councilman Matt Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder were the two opposing votes. Both council members raised concerns about whether the funding was actually translating to visible results, especially in downtown Hilo. While dozens of community members have testified in support of the fund and said it was helping nonprofits to do meaningful work, both council members said they wanted to see the results of an ongoing audit of the program before voting to extend it.

“If the audit does come back and any conflicts of interest or other things that could be built into a case to say in the negative of the extension, and we voted yes on something, I mean, it’s your name on the box, so I’ll be voting no today,” Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder said.

While the audit was initially anticipated to be completed this year, county Auditor Clare McAdam said it will likely not be finished until early next year….

Read … Busy day for the County Council | Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Defense attorney’s death delays Isabella ‘Ariel’ Kalua murder trial

HNN: … Case could be pushed back years, legal experts say

The murder trial for the adoptive parents of 6-year-old Isabella “Ariel” Kalua faces another delay after a sudden death on the defense team.

Emlyn Higa, a former deputy prosecutor turned defense attorney, died recently from an illness. He represented Lehua Kalua, the adoptive mother of the child who disappeared in August 2021.

Police say she was tortured by Lehua and Isaac Kalua.

Victor Bakke, a defense attorney and former deputy city prosecutor, said the death will delay proceedings for both defendants.

“A new attorney will have to be brought in and will have to get up to speed,” Bakke said. “They do have to do their due diligence and make sure that they’re satisfied that the defendant is being defended properly.”….

Read … Defense attorney’s death delays Isabella ‘Ariel’ Kalua murder trial

'Sadistic' Cult: Hilo High Schooler Preyed On Girls Online

CB: … They started chatting about social media and the internet, but quickly, the conversation turned sinister.

The granddaughter mentioned an online chatroom she had been involved in and a teen boy, also in Hawaiʻi, who had been sending her manipulative messages and trying to exert control over her.

He’d done other disturbing things, too, like pressure other girls in the chatroom to carve his name into their skin with sharp objects. If any of the girls disobeyed him, he would threaten to release sensitive photos of them or harm their family members.

“I said, ‘You know, I have to tell somebody,’” the grandmother told Civil Beat. “The next morning, I called the FBI.”

The online world the girl had fallen into was far deeper and darker than her grandmother initially realized. The boy who pulled her into it was Kalana Limkin, a teen living in Hilo who was then just 16 himself. …

Read … 'Sadistic' Cult: Hilo High Schooler Preyed On Girls Online - Honolulu Civil Beat

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