Hawaii Daily News Read

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

October 28, 2026 News Read

By Andrew Walden @ 11:04 AM :: 164 Views

Akina: OHA Trustees Punished for Speaking Truth in Whistleblower Case

High cost of Living, Lack of Opportunity 'Equalize' Hawaii

Legislature Seeking Staffers for 2027 Session

Lawyer for Maui police lieutenant wants info on witnesses in federal bribery case –calls them ‘ghosts’

HNN: … A federal magistrate judge denied bail on Tuesday for Maui police Lt. Michael Vaituulala, who is accused of taking bribes to protect criminals.

Vaituulala has a new attorney, William Harrison…Harrison also asked the court to unseal documents. That request was also denied.

“It’s concerning because as a defense attorney who wants to represent a client, you need to know all the facts before you can address them. So it’s like we’re chasing ghosts here,” Harrison said….

(NO NEED FOR TRANSLATION: ‘We’re chasing ghosts.’)

Harrison said he will appeal the judge’s decision.

Vaituulala’s preliminary hearing has been rescheduled to January….

KHON: Judge denies bail for corruption suspect Vaituulala

read … Maui police lieutenant denied bail again in federal bribery case | Hawaii News Now

Friends and Family: Ag Department Invasive Species Contract

CB: … Invasive species experts are alarmed by the state’s signing of a vague $1 million contract with engineers who will be tasked with figuring out what imports are most prone to hosting new invasive species.

The contract, signed in June, was awarded to Shizen Consulting Management, a five-year-old engineering firm. Pest management professionals say the proposal for a pest risk assessment is an exorbitant waste of money, the contractors are unqualified and the work may be redundant.

Shizen’s $1 million contract adds to three biosecurity-related deals signed last year, worth $678,000, awarded to its sister engineering firm EKNA Services. EKNA, formerly known as Edward K. Noda and Associates, shares key senior staff and an address with Shizen. …

Shizen was the only outfit to apply, according to records obtained by Civil Beat, emailing its application an hour before the agency’s deadline….

The final Shizen report could remain confidential, according to the proposal. Previous reports for biosecurity-related contracts executed by EKNA, Shizen’s sister company, are not readily available….

EKNA and Shizen Vice President Brian Ishii has a long history with the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the state, spanning about 20 years. Ishii spent years working closely with longtime state agriculture worker Carol Okada, a formerly retired and controversial figure in the department.

Their work together included the expansion of Kahului Airport and the implementation of better pest management within the facility. That also included work to replace imported goods, such as flowers, with local alternatives. Okada signed off on a $350,000 contract with EKNA in 2006 for a pest risk assessment.

One result of that work was the creation of a failed pest management database, which played a central role in a scathing 2017 state audit of the agency’s Plant Quarantine Branch. The data management system took almost 10 years and $4.2 million to develop but still failed to meet the agency’s needs and was eventually replaced.

Last year, EKNA was awarded three contracts for biosecurity, which included a one-year $240,000 agreement to conduct two “mini pest risk assessments.” Civil Beat requested copies of those assessments, but Ho did not provide them.

The firm also received about $440,000 for two contracts, to design and renovate two agency biosecurity facilities on King and Auiki Streets.

In Shizen’s recent proposal, under relevant experience, Shizen lists EKNA’s work producing 20-year strategic plan for the Hawaiʻi Floriculture and Nursery Association, using a state agriculture grant. The floriculture industry’s connections with Okada, who was supposed to regulate the sector in her longtime role as Plant Industry Division chief, are the main reason she is considered divisive. …

Read … Mission Unclear: A $1 Million Contract Involving Invasive Species - Honolulu Civil Beat

Carpenters’ $12M political spending exceeds all other campaigns

HNN: … With a week to go before the November general election, political spending in Hawaii has reached a new high, and most of it is coming from one source.

The carpenters union political action committee, For a Better Tomorrow, is setting records for spending in support of candidates. The carpenters union is also behind a PAC supporting the RISE bonds constitutional amendment question.

Together, those PACs are outspending everyone else combined….

Reports submitted Monday show For a Better Tomorrow has spent just over $10 million this election season. The RISE Together PAC, which the carpenters union controls, has spent more than $2.8 million. Both groups are still spending.

“It is an extraordinary amount of money,” Moore said. “They are essentially spending as much as everybody else combined.” …

CB: Big Money Continues To Flow In Hawaiʻi Politics As Election Nears - Honolulu Civil Beat

read … Carpenters’ $12M political spending exceeds all other campaigns | Hawaii News Now

Snouts at Trough: Next ‘Green Fee’ projects to involve more ‘public’ input

SA: … A more engaging level of public input is being sought to influence a second round of Hawaii “Green Fee” projects to be selected for around $200 million in state funding.

An advisory council charged with making recommendations is accepting project ideas from the public as well as votes and comments on proposed projects or ideas through an enhanced “public ideas portal” at greenfeehawaii.org, the program’s website.

There is a Saturday night deadline to vote and comment on projects for the council to consider this year, though project ideas received after the 11:59 p.m. deadline will be considered as part of the following two-year funding cycle….

read … Next ‘Green Fee’ projects to involve more public input | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

HTA CEO search continues after 68 applications

PBN: … After receiving 68 applications and interviewing eight candidates, the Hawaii Tourism Authority extended the search for its next president and CEO, according to Hawaii tourism officials.

(TRANSLATION: 60 weren’t even worth talking to.)

The CEO position has been vacant for three years, since former HTA CEO John De Fries stepped down in September 2023. Interim President and CEO Caroline Anderson has held the interim position since 2025….

(TRANSLATION: Nobody wants this job.)

At an Oct. 14 joint legislative briefing before the tourism and economic development committees, HTA Chief Administrative Officer David Uchiyama told Reps. Adrian Tam and Carol Fukunaga that HTA has extended its search for the position.

(TRANSLATION: The 8 weren’t any good, either.)

Applications were set to close Oct. 30, but according to Uchiyama, the position was reopened because the role changed from one hired by a board to a state employee position, creating some challenges during the recruitment process.

"It's been a long process," Uchiyama said.

Uchiyama said he has consulted with the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism's human resources division and the Department of Human Resources Development to revise the job description and classification. DBEDT recommended reopening the search to a wider pool of applicants, including state employees, now that the CEO role is classified as a state position, according to Uchiyama….

Read … HTA CEO search continues after 68 applications - Pacific Business News

‘There’s hope now’: DHHL pilots factory-built homes to shorten waitlist

HNN: … The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands launched a pilot program with modular homes.

They arrive on a barge after being built in a Buena Vista Colorado factory. Fading West Development is the company behind them, and the homes can be quickly assembled on site in upcoming communities.

“They came off the barge on a Friday and they had them all set up here on a Monday. And then a week and a half from there, we had this home that we’re in now with full appliances and fully painted,” DHHL Land Development Division Project Manager Elijah Davidson said.

Under the pilot program, DHHL offered leases for 24 scattered lots. Sixteen are in Kapolei, and eight will be in Waianae.

“I think people will be pleasantly surprised at the quality as well as the size, and hopefully more importantly the cost,” DHHL Chair Kali Watson said.

The developer said the homes are built in the factory in just eight days, and costs range from $250,000 to $350,000. Factor in shipping to Hawaii, and DHHL is still able to offer the homes below market value.

“Right now, the cost for the 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom home is $585,600 as compared to the normal market being $670,000. We’re also offering a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home, which is coming out to $499,000,” Davidson said….

Read … ‘There’s hope now’: DHHL pilots factory-built homes to shorten waitlist | Hawaii News Now

Hawaii congressional delegation intervenes in Kamehameha Schools lawsuit

SA: … Hawaii’s congressional delegation is backing Kamehameha Schools in its legal fight over the institution’s admissions preference for Native Hawaiian students, arguing that Congress has both the constitutional authority and a long-standing trust responsibility to protect Native Hawaiian rights.

U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda filed an amicus brief Oct. 23 in federal court supporting Kamehameha Schools’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Students for Fair Admissions and individual plaintiffs….

Read … Hawaii congressional delegation intervenes in Kamehameha Schools lawsuit | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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