Traffic The Halawa onramp to the westbound H-1 Freeway was reopened at 2 p.m. State officials say there is an emergency closure of the Halawa on-ramp to the H-1 freeway westbound today due to culvert erosion Officials said crews will be filling in the eroded areas and that the on-ramp will reopen for this afternoon’s rush hour Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More Hawaii — The new stadium project in Halawa heads toward an important milestone without nearly $50 million in special project funding that the Hawaii Legislature was expected to convey in the 2025 session The $49.5 million of previously allocated money for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District has been held up by disagreements between the House and Senate on the progress and direction of the project The release of the money was not included in House Bill 300 Friday was the last day of the session for conference committees to recommend bills for final approval “Lifting of the ceiling bill is dead,” State Sen Stadium officials said Thursday that they are still on track for a full contract agreement with development team Aloha Halawa District Partners this summer They have already signed a pre-development agreement with AHDP effective March 31 It's not going to slow the project,” Stadium Authority chair Brennon Morioka said of the holdup of the special fund money at the board’s meeting in old Aloha Stadium “It just makes the financing a little bit more complicated and cash payouts is going to be a little bit slower because we're going to have to access monies very differently and much slower than what we would have.” The AHDP group headed by developer Stanford Carr can begin to bill the state for up to $3 million from the $350 million in stadium general obligation bonds for things like site work schematics for stadium design and final master planning that would go into a final agreement The $49.5 million in the stadium special fund (for a total of nearly $400 million put forward by the state) was meant to cover the state’s own costs for consulting and other miscellaneous fees between the execution of the contract through construction completion — estimated at three years with a targeted stadium opening of fall 2028 Now stadium officials will have to get it in the 2026 Legislative Session “I think the concern is that (Legislators) want to see the project move forward before approving,” stadium manager Chris Sadayasu said “I think that's one of the challenges that So it is potential that if we get the documents signed and we can go next session and show that there is a project there's demolition that's taking place and nearing completion and so at least would be the strategy moving forward.” House Bill 1494, introduced by Reps. Andrew Garrett (Manoa) Kyle Yamashita (Upcountry Maui), initially called for the Halawa project to be scrapped and a new stadium to be built on the Manoa campus Stadium officials have dismissed the notion as unfeasible and the bill was reworked to release the special fund money with conditions on progress without the Manoa component also called for the release of the money and ultimately died after bouncing between the House and Senate It just makes our job a little bit more difficult They tentatively plan to begin demolishing the old Aloha Stadium in August The Stadium Authority has a standing $8.7 million annual ceiling to draw from to cover operational costs no matter how much special project money has been allocated to it Officials are effectively asking the Legislature to widen the “delta,” Morioka termed it so that the special fund can be accessed and payments can be made in a speedy manner "It just makes the financing a little bit more complicated and cash payouts are going to be a little bit slower because we're going to have to access monies very differently and much slower than what we would have," Morioka said construction to relocate the Swap Meet is underway in the Upper Halawa Lot Sadayasu said he expects that to be finished in mid-June Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com Investigative stories and local news updates Coverage of the Hawaiʻi State legislature in 2025 Award winning in-depth reports and featured on-going series Get the week’s news delivered straight to your inbox Raita Fukusaku had served almost 30 years for the shooting deaths of a famous Japanese psychic and her son A man convicted in two murders that triggered a media furor in Japan in 1994 died Monday after he was found beaten and stabbed in his cell at Halawa Correctional Facility on Oahu had served almost 30 years for the shooting deaths of Japa­nese fortuneteller Toako “Koto­tome” Fujita and her son Goro Toako Fujita’s body was found in a Honolulu apartment that had been set on fire Her son’s body was found the following day in a car parked nearby Toako Fujita was well known because she had been consulted by Japanese political and corporate leaders Fukusaku was arrested after he tried to pawn her jewelry in Japan.  Fukusaku was the first Japanese national charged with murder to be extradited to the United States Fukusaku was indicted for shooting both victims but denied he pulled the trigger He claimed Japanese “yakuza,” or organized crime figures but he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the slayings The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Fukusaku was found unresponsive and bleeding on the floor of his cell Honolulu police reported he was found at 11:30 p.m He was a general population inmate described as a docile prisoner by corrections staff “It was determined that the victim had been assaulted and stabbed by his cellmate a 38-year-old male,” Honolulu police said A statement from corrections officials said he also suffered trauma to his head and neck Prison staff immediately called 911 and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until Emergency Medical Services workers arrived and took over Fukusaku’s cellmate was immediately removed from the cell and placed in a holding unit The cellmate was not publicly identified.  The case is the second killing of a Hawaii prison inmate this year. Anton Myklebust, 46, was found beaten and strangled in a cell at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy The state Department of Law Enforcement Criminal Investigation Division is leading the investigation into Fukusaku’s death Prison officials and HPD also are investigating Unfortunately, being named a finalist for a Pulitzer prize doesn’t make us immune to financial pressures. The fact is, our revenue hasn’t kept pace with our need to grow, and we need your help Civil Beat is a nonprofit, reader-supported newsroom based in Hawaiʻi. We’re looking to build a more resilient, diverse and deeply impactful media landscape, and we hope you’ll help by supporting our essential journalism Kevin Dayton is a reporter for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at kdayton@civilbeat.org Civil Beat has been named the best overall news site in Hawaii for the 14th year in a row by the Society of Professional Journalists Hawaii Chapter By Christine Donnelly Editors' PicksFeatured Columns Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading Question: Regarding the Halawa Interchange closures according to the Department of Transportation which said in a recent news release that this roadwork would begin the week of April 27 and last about two weeks The department notified “O‘ahu motorists of the upcoming nightly closures of the Halawa and H-3 Freeway off-ramps (Exit 1D and Exit 1E) from the westbound Moanalua Freeway (Route H-201) for work activities on the Halawa Interchange.” Crews will be working to install in-pavement loop detectors to track vehicle volumes and striping throughout the work area,” the news release said Motorists will be detoured westbound through the H-99 Stadium/Aiea Exit to access the H-3 freeway during this ramp closure so it won’t be just Hawaii people in line at the airport Department of Homeland Security has estimated that about 61% of driver’s licenses and state identification cards in circulation will be REAL ID- compliant by the time enforcement begins May 7 citizens and REAL ID-eligible noncitizens who knew they would board a domestic aircraft on or after that date likely were more motivated than the average person to meet the requirement the Transportation Security Administration has warned people to expect delays in airport security lines as enforcement begins we’ve heard from eligible people over the years who had trouble supplying the proof needed to obtain a REAL ID including older women who had been married multiple times and took their husband’s name each time The name on their birth certificate did not match their current name and they no longer had the marriage certificate(s) or divorce decree(s) needed to trace their identity Anyone who still needs to track down vital records in U.S. states and territories can check 808ne.ws/3nxmJ8t for contact information but be forewarned that the the National Center for Health Statistics’ website apparently has not been updated recently; some details may be out of date Q: People have been asking about Social Security Are they changing the way you sign up for that not according to the Social Security or Medicare websites the Social Security Administration scrapped its plan to restrict phone serv­ice — claimants can continue to apply for their earned benefits over the phone As for Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older, and some younger people with certain conditions or disabilities: Claimants sign up through Social Security, via the website, by telephone or in person. For more information, see ssa.gov or medicare.gov. To help determine when to enroll in Medicare, use the tool at 808ne.ws/3EjbZWP I am not familiar with parking around Honolulu Hale so I looked it up because I had errands to run in the vicinity and I decided to check near Kawaiahao Street and Mission Lane for a shady spot within walking distance but I couldn’t park because they were completely blocked People had set up tents right in the street I would like to send much mahalo to Emergency Medical Services attendants C Maglasang and Keegan Loo for helping this kupuna with her chemo port Their expertise and kokua saved me from going to the ER and from much anguish Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInHONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The suspect accused in a deadly stabbing in Halawa early Sunday morning has been charged was charged Monday with second-degree murder and second-degree assault Officers said they initially responded to a report of an argument around 12:30 a.m near Kalaloa Street at the parking lot of Makalapa Community Center they found a 45-year-old woman lying unresponsive on the ground bleeding profusely and a 33-year-old woman bleeding from her leg You can tell someone is in trouble when they scream like that,” said one resident Police rendered aid until Honolulu Emergency Medical Services arrived and treatment was transferred over to their care Paramedics transported both women to a nearby hospital The 45-year-old woman was listed in critical condition but was pronounced dead just before 3 a.m The other victim was treated and later released Murder Investigation in HalawaA female in her 40s was fatally stabbed and a second female was injured shortly after 12:30 a.m. The suspect, who is known to the victims, is being sought at this time. #honolulupd #cchnl An initial investigation determined that both victims were hanging out with the suspect and drinking at a nearby park and Lautalo stabbed both victims and fled the scene before police arrived “The suspect is believed to be the ex-boyfriend of the female victim,” said Lt a witness observed that the suspect was punching a female several times and fled the scene on foot The witness then saw it was not punches but that she was being stabbed multiple times.” Residents in the area did not want to go on camera but tell HNN the parking lot is known to be a hangout on the weekends Murder Investigation in HalawaA female in her 40s was fatally stabbed and a second female was injured shortly after 12:30 a.m. The suspect, who is known to the victims, is being sought at this time. #honolulupd #cchnl By Leila Fujimori Crime in Hawaii An Oahu grand jury indicted a 38-year-old man today for murder in the death of Maylila Pulu and for attempted murder in the stabbing of a second woman early Sunday morning at a Halawa park was seen allegedly stabbing Pulu multiple times the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release Lautalo was indicted on second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder which both carry a sentence of life with the possibility of parole he could face a sentence of life without the possibility of parole as he is subject to extended sentencing as a multiple and persistent offender Police were called to Kalaloa Street at 12:30 a.m “This tragic death due to domestic violence has no place in our community,” Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said in a written statement “Domestic violence can impact anyone regardless of age We will do everything to secure a conviction in this case.” Reggie Lautalo is being held without bail at the Oahu Community Correctional Center The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office encourages anyone who is a victim of domestic violence to reach out for help by contacting: >>The National Domestic Violence Hotline, www.thehotline.org or by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) >>The Domestic Violence Action Center of Hawaii, domesticviolenceactioncenter.org or call 808-531-3771 or 800-690-6200 Hawaii — The alliance of companies working with the state to develop the 98-acre site of Aloha Stadium into a new mixed-use district made a full presentation directly to members of the public for the first time on Monday night The community had sometimes-pointed feedback In addition to showing off some previously released renderings for a new stadium and the outlying restaurants shops and parks of the area it has dubbed “Aloha Live!” the Aloha Halawa District Partners team led by Stanford Carr of Stanford Carr Development engaged in some Q&A About 75 people attended at least some of the two-hour session held in the hospitality room of old Aloha Stadium which could begin to be torn down in the summer if the state and the bidding group come to agreement on a full contract by June [Note: See below for more photos of the AHDP public presentation.] Carr provided the first timetable for the demolition process saying that it could take 10 months to remove the facility built in 1976 The developers plan to construct a new stadium of at least 25,000 seats on the existing bowl footprint of the previous 50,000-seat edition “We’ve been devoted to this project since the state first put it out for bid in 2021 but I can confidently say we’re the strongest we’ve ever been thanks to the best local and global talent in design in addition to having the foremost experts in arenas urban landscapes and residential communities with renewable energy infrastructure,” Carr stated in an associated release from AHDP special projects manager with the state’s Department of Accounting and General Services told Spectrum News that the state is doing everything it can to make the June deadline but acknowledged the timetable is “super aggressive” for the stadium to open for the 2028 University of Hawaii football season as envisioned “We have to work very closely together,” Kinimaka said “We are meeting with the stakeholders like (the) Department of Planning and Permitting and then the mayor’s office team and our state stakeholders if we just keep moving our ducks and keeping them in a row we’ll try to hit that date as best as we can.” The presentation included a segment from Rob Iopa chairman of AHDP team member WCIT Architecture on sensitivity to and inclusion of Native Hawaiian principles in the build-out of the district He shared a slide on “Pilina Pono” in three areas — reconnecting to the land president and CEO of The Cordish Companies which specializes in mixed-use districts at professional sports venues across the country said the AHDP team envisions an “upgraded” experience for the longstanding Aloha Stadium swap meet with food and drink and live entertainment They laid out a plan for relocating the swap meet to the middle Halawa lot during construction of the stadium still a big revenue generator for Aloha Stadium is set up in the area surrounding the stadium bowl a few times a week “We’re very focused on creating a great experience in every aspect of this project and the swap meet is no different,” Weinberg said Concerns raised by community members included the role of the swap meet going forward and the dispersion of dust particles into the surrounding neighborhood during the demolition/construction process who said he is a longtime swap meet patron gestured at a rendering of the district and said “When I see this I see one mini Kakaako” and worried traditional vendors will get left behind saying they will be “put in the back of the bus.” AHDP officials tried to assuage concerns about the swap meet Carr suggested a separate meeting for vendors to hear their concerns NASED team members had previously attended neighborhood board meetings to get feedback on the project but Monday's gathering was the most detailed to date team leaders shared updates for the envisioned project the state is awaiting the possibility of additional private contributions to the pot of $400 million it has set aside for construction of the new stadium and associated costs Gov. Josh Green floated the prospect of additional money in recent days chair of the Aloha Stadium Authority board told Spectrum News last week that more money could mean additional stadium capacity more loge boxes or even a roof overhang — elements that were discarded over the last few years as construction costs skyrocketed post-COVID Spectrum News asked Kinimaka on Monday how soon that money would have to become available before it was too late to alter stadium plans "I think the design is going to be flexible — it's going to allow for a minimum number of seats and for expansion,” Kinimaka said because you don't want to have to adapt the design later; the sooner we know that we can just move right into construction faster … We're very happy to take donations as quickly as possible.” Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com A 38-year-old man has been charged with murder and assault Reggie Fetolofai Lautalo was charged by the Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney and is being held without bail According to a Honolulu Police Department summary of the incident patrol officers responded to a call of an argument that escalated to the stabbing of a woman at the park Officers observed a 45-year-old woman lying on the ground unresponsive and bleeding profusely while another 33-year-old woman was bleeding from her leg area Officers rendered aid until Honolulu Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived The older woman was in critical condition and was pronounced dead at 2:55 a.m. but the younger woman was treated and released Their identities were not immediately released The suspect fled before police arrived but at 11:55 a.m. the man was located and arrested by the Honolulu Police Department Police said the initial investigation found that both victims were drinking and hanging out with the suspect before the argument and stabbing The latest deaths would make the number of suicides the highest in a single year since 2020 Two more Hawaii inmates have died in prison this fall in what corrections officials believe were suicides bringing the number of confirmed or suspected suicides in the system this year to four That would be the largest number of known suicides in the state correctional system in a single year since at least 2020 Three of the four deaths have been confirmed as suicides and each of the three involved inmates with a history of mental illness The recent deaths come at a time when the state prison system is the target of a class-action federal lawsuit demanding improvements in the mental health services provided for Hawaii prisoners That lawsuit was filed by Honolulu lawyer Eric Seitz, who has described mental health services in the state system as “absolutely atrocious.” The lawsuit seeks appointment of a special master to oversee mental health treatment for Hawaii prison inmates Data compiled by Civil Beat shows a dozen inmates in the state correctional system have committed suicide since 2020 including the most recent suspected suicide at Halawa Correctional Facility that count may be incomplete because the state generally does not announce a cause of death for inmates who die in the system Staff at some state correctional facilities have described a crisis in mental health services in some facilities, with psychologists leaving their jobs at jails and prisons facilities at an alarming rate. One psychologist described it as “a huge mental health crisis” in corrections who is suing the state over mental health care in the correctional system said the state Attorney General’s Office has refused to negotiate a settlement in the case Seitz said the state has failed to make promised improvements in mental health services in the correctional system “and of course Staff in the prisons and jails today are not adequately trained to deal with acute mental health conditions and the state has no other place to put seriously ill prisoners because the Hawaii State Hospital for the mentally ill is full He also alleges the correctional system continues to place mentally ill people in disciplinary isolation cells which Seitz contends increases the likelihood of suicides “Right now the situation is even more explosive and more dangerous than when we started the litigation” in 2019 If the federal lawsuit is successful and the mental health system in Hawaii prisons and jails is placed under outside oversight it would be the second time that happened in recent years Department of Justice sued the state in 2008 alleging it exhibited “deliberate indifference” to the mental health needs of prisoners at the Oahu Community Correctional Center A settlement in that case required reforms in some 40 areas including increasing staffing levels and mandating programs for the mentally ill Christin Johnson, oversight coordinator for the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission confirmed the most recent death at Halawa on Nov An autopsy will be done to determine the exact cause of death The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement that an unidentified Halawa Correctional Facility inmate between ages 30 and 40 was found unresponsive in his cell on on Nov and staff immediately called for assistance The department later identified the deceased inmate as Takson Krstoth, who was convicted this year of burglary and second-degree assault in connection with an attack on a 77-year-old Mililani woman in her home last year. He was sentenced to consecutive prison terms totaling 15 years in that case Krstoth previously served a 10-year prison sentence for fatally stabbing a neighbor in Mayor Wright Homes Staff administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation until the Honolulu Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services arrived and the inmate was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead The department issued a similar statement in response to questions about the death of Hawaii prisoner So’oso’o Motu in October at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy unresponsive in his cell at Saguaro at about 7:38 p.m according to a statement from the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation An autopsy performed by the Pinal County Medical Examiner declared the case to be a suicide by hanging and noted Motu had a history of depression and substance abuse “It was reported that the decedent was depressed and had past suicidal ideations a few years prior to his date of death,” according to the autopsy report So’oso’o’s younger brother said in an interview that So’oso’o told him in a phone call before he died that he had been placed in disciplinary segregation The brothers sometimes spoke Samoan because they knew prison staff could listen in on their calls but So’oso’o never explained why he was being punished He did say he was unfairly singled out by the guards and was upset that his electronics including a television were confiscated He also said there was extensive gang activity at the prison including one gang that tried to recruit him and “he just pretty much said he’s got to watch out for his back all the time.” “He said there’s always something going on in there and it’s hard to face your back to the wall,” Matthan said The Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement and the Eloy Police Department are investigating and the Arizona prison is cooperating with the investigation SCC is a privately operated prison run by the publicly traded company CoreCivic Hawaii holds 940 prisoners at Saguaro because there is no room for them in Hawaii correctional facilities Of the other confirmed suicides this year, one of those prisoners died at Halawa, and another hanged herself at Maui Community Correctional Center Nine of the 12 prisoner suicides or suspected suicides in Hawaii since 2020 happened in the state-run network of jails, including six in the Maui Community Correctional Center alone Official death reports filed with the governor’s office in 2021 called for more staff and mental health services at MCCC following two suicides at the Maui jail Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Director Tommy Johnson declined to comment on the most recent death at Halawa but Johnson said last month that too many mentally ill people are being sent to Hawaii’s correctional facilities Suicides in custody are a growing problem across the country because many of the mentally ill people being sent to prisons and jails don’t belong there, Johnson said last month. A study by the U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics three years ago found that from 2001 to 2019 the number of suicides increased 85% in state prisons In Hawaii the state correctional system operates both prisons and jails Jails and correctional facilities have become “de facto mental health institutions because across the country a lot of those facilities have closed down,” Johnson said Hawaii — The state’s negotiations with Aloha Halawa District Partners remain on schedule — for now — amid the developer team's concerns about producing the money necessary for the venue that is to anchor the 98-acre New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District site in Halawa Recent goings-on at the Capitol have made for a “challenging” first month on the job for interim stadium manager Chris Sadayasu who said at Thursday’s monthly Aloha Stadium Authority board meeting that a longstanding June target for full contract execution with AHDP remains in place “We're progressing the project forward,” Sadayasu told Spectrum News “We’ve run into hiccups with respect to some of the Legislative bills.” NASED meetings are occurring three times a week to go with frequent trips to the Capitol for testimony If an agreement between the state and AHDP can be reached by June the goal is for a 10-month demolition of existing Aloha Stadium that would begin in late June or early July followed by 24 months of construction of a new venue of at least 25,000 seats with an opening target of the fall 2028 University of Hawaii football season How NASED gets to a final agreement remains thorny president of Stanford Carr Development who has been the lead voice for the AHDP consortium 13 testimony in favor of a Hawaii gambling bill that his team is actively seeking help to cover what he estimates will be a price tag of over $700 million for a suitable stadium The state’s contribution of $350 million to that end — “very much insufficient to realize a stadium of quality,” he said — leaves his group with a heavy burden to bear before factoring in up-front costs for relocation and outlying residential and commercial construction That difference of more than $550 million won’t be covered by real estate revenue from the outlying district He was asked by two Senate Committees (Economic Development and Tourism and Commerce and Consumer Protection) what would happen if additional money from casino revenues didn’t transpire “We're pursuing every opportunity in order to find a solution to realize a stadium that we deserve and that will attract other (events) “Realistically (without more money) we would be pencils down Soon afterward, Senate Bill 893 was effectively killed Sadayasu said Carr later clarified his comments “saying that they're still all in (for NASED) Stadium Authority board member Michael Yadao spoke up on the matter remotely Thursday via a Zoom call they've said things that cause doubt and cause concern and lead to confusion both at the Legislature and in the public sphere,” Yadao said sternly “and so I understand that they walked back some of those comments but I do think that it's important that we as an authority make clear to both the Legislature and to everyone in the public that we are moving forward with the development and stadium.” a longtime stadium proponent who represents the Halawa district expressed frustration with the progress of the project in a phone interview with Spectrum News on Thursday afternoon He said he wants to see more transparency on deadlines and benchmarks from the Stadium Authority and more focus from AHDP Wakai introduced a bill that passed through the Senate Ways and Means Committee that would add future "project readiness conditions" to be set by the Legislature on how nearly $50 million in previously allocated stadium operations money would be made available for the Stadium Authority "We're trying to put some pressure on both parties both the Stadium Authority as well as (AHDP) that like you guys better sharpen your pencils and start meeting deadlines and giving the public some level of confidence that a project agreement is going to be signed in the end of June," Wakai said and why you're seeing lawmakers in the Senate just kind of stepping in because we're not happy with the pace of progress on the project." Meanwhile, House Bill 1494, which calls for the state’s $350 million for stadium construction (plus the nearly $50 million for associated expenses) to be shifted to a permanent on-campus venue at UH Manoa, remains alive It was presented as a backup if NASED’s Halawa plans fell through “What it does is forces the Plan B upon the Stadium Authority and that's something that we oppose,” Sadayasu said Wakai said HB1494 was counterproductive and undermines Carr's team's ability to attract investors He said he considered it dead on arrival in the Senate Sadayasu took over for former manager Ryan Andrews at the start of the month; Andrews took a job as director of student recreation services at the University of Hawaii Word that a wealthy donor could infuse the stadium project with cash, a possibility first mentioned by Gov. Josh Green in late January whether it's coming in or not,” Sadayasu said The former deputy stadium manager Sadayasu had his interim salary approved at $149,400 during Thursday’s meeting Sadayasu’s old second-in-command post will remain unfilled at the very least until the Stadium Authority restructures the head job into something closer to a district manager position likely sometime this summer Note: This story has been updated with an interview from State Sen Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com By Peter Boylan Crime in HawaiiEditors' Picks This is “Main Street” at Halawa Correctional Facility seen in November 2019 A Japanese national convicted in the 1994 shooting deaths of a psychic and her son was allegedly stabbed to death in the Halawa Correctional Facility by his 38-year-old cellmate this morning A Japanese national convicted in the 1994 shooting deaths of a psychic and her son was stabbed to death in the Halawa Correctional Facility allegedly by his 38-year-old cellmate this morning was convicted in 1995 of shooting and killing of well-known Japa­nese fortune teller Toako “Koto­tome” Fujita and her son Goro Honolulu police officers responded to Halawa Correctional Facility for an unattended death Officers were told that at about 11:30 p.m Fukusaku “was found with fatal injuries and weapon was recovered nearby,” according to an HPD highlight “EMS was activated and the pronouncement of death was made It was determined that the victim had been assaulted and stabbed by his cellmate a 38-year-old male,” read the highlight The Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement is handling the investigation after HPD’s Criminal Investigation Division-Homicide Detail along with the Scientific Investigative Section assisted with the on-scene initial investigation A state jury found Fuku­saku guilty in 1995 of murder in the shooting deaths of the Fuji­tas Honolulu firefighters found Toako Fujita’s body in the closet of her penthouse apartment at 1350 Ala Moana Blvd with a gunshot wound to her chest after someone started a fire in the apartment firefighters found Goro Fujita’s body with a gunshot wound to the chest in his car in the parking lot of the Park Shore Hotel in Waikiki after the car had been set on fire A Hawaiʻi inmate convicted of the 1994 murder of a Japanese psychic and her son was killed in prison Staff at the Halawa Correctional Facility in ʻAiea bleeding on the floor of his cell with head and neck trauma early Monday according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation "It was determined that the victim had been assaulted and stabbed by his cellmate a 38-year-old male," Honolulu police said in a public information bulletin The cellmate was immediately removed and placed in a holding unit Authorities were still investigating Tuesday The Honolulu medical examiner's office had not yet released a cause of death Fukusaku was the first Japanese national to be extradited to the United States and convicted of murder He was serving a prison sentence for two counts of second-degree murder He was found guilty in 1995 of killing Kototome Fujita and her son Goro Fujita which reported that Kototome Fujita was found shot in her penthouse and that her son was found dead in his car in a parking structure of a Waikīkī hotel The condo unit and Goro Fujita's car were set on fire told KHON-TV he never had any problems in the 30 years he's been in prison He got along with all the staff," Breiner said "I'm not satisfied with the fact that this occurred Hawaii — With a revenue report and swap meet security update out of the way stadium manager Ryan Andrews grinned as he got to the sweet part of a Stadium Authority meeting on Halloween No trick: The New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District project is moving forward The long-delayed undertaking formally advanced one step closer to realization with the state’s announcement Thursday that it signed off on a framework agreement with lone bidder Aloha Halawa District Partners for the 98-acre site’s development After a wait of more than a month while a five-person committee appointed by the Department of Accounting and General Services kicked back AHDP’s general proposal with some questions AHDP was accepted as the “preferred offeror” of the state’s public-private partnership procurement process Eight months remain to shore up details in the “diligence and discussion” phase with a June 30 25,000-seat stadium for the start of the 2028 University of Hawaii football season “Definitely relief and excitement because if we didn’t get to this point the project stopped,” Andrews told Spectrum News “This is a huge deal to be able to move this forward Eight months is a really compressed time for a contract execution of this size but we’re all rolling up our sleeves and putting our work boots on so we can get it done.” Demolition of the corroded husk of old Aloha Stadium cannot take place until the contract is executed and AHDP is named the “master developer.” Andrews said there were three areas that were flagged by the DAGS committee through the Request for Clarifications process While Andrews would not go into details on the areas of concern he said “they included technical requirements of the stadium they included the financial proposal in general making sure they (the committee) understood the numbers.” signed off on the AHDP proposal on Wednesday AHDP was notified before the Stadium Authority meeting Thursday morning The specifics of AHDP’s plan are to be laid out to the public over the next eight weeks, including at some community meetings. Stadium Authority board member Andrew Pereira noted those details will conform with the minimum requirements the state laid out in its Request For Proposals in December 2023 “I know everyone’s champing at the bit to see what this is,” Andrews said in response to a community member’s question on the meeting’s video call “We do have to sit down with AHDP and talk about when we will release images and details so it will be a Christmas gift to the community is what we’re hoping for and planning for.” AHDP is comprised of: Development Ventures Group LLC (The Cordish Company) as the lead equity members; RMA Architects and WCIT Architects as the design team; Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company and AECOM Hunt as the construction team; and Castle & Cooke Hawaii and Wilson Okamoto Corporation as other team members Deputy stadium manager Chris Sadayasu said that elements that must be hashed out over the coming months include site condition surveys finalizing a licensing agreement with UH and finalizing a finance plan NASED and AHDP must also figure out basics about when to meet and how often who appeared at Thursday's meeting remotely said the additional month of back-and-forth on clarifications between AHDP and NASED allowed for some of those matters to progress before Thursday's announcement The state has capped its commitment at $350 million for stadium construction The procurement process calls for AHDP to put up the remaining cost of a stadium plus front the considerable expenses of the outlying residential and commercial development to be built out over decades a longtime stadium project steward with DAGS each uphill climb is even steeper and steeper Stadium Authority vice chair Eric Fujimoto ran the meeting in place of Morioka Fujimoto doled out credit and thank-yous for the NASED team and Morioka “We’ve got four years to be stewards of this opportunity to continue to communicate with the public and we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead,” Fujimoto said This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Hawaii — Leadership of the Aloha Halawa District Partners development team on Thursday laid out its vision for a new stadium on the exact site of existing Aloha Stadium and the outlying amenities dubbed “Aloha Live!” said AHDP seeks to keep the existing concrete foundation of the North and South end zones of the shuttered stadium to save a to-be-announced sum on the pricey project The state is supplying a fixed $350 million for the stadium’s construction which Carr said is not enough to build it at the minimum specifications the state’s New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District team has laid out is to front the remaining cost of the stadium NASED’s minimum specs for at least 25,000 seats luxury boxes and some other features are still in place Stadium Authority chair Brennon Morioka told Spectrum News after AHDP’s presentation and the target for its readiness is still the start of the 2028 University of Hawaii football season Part II of II: pic.twitter.com/EK7zeJnG9t The procurement process calls for final execution of a contract between NASED and AHDP the “preferred offeror,” to happen by June 2025 There is a chance that demolition of old Aloha Stadium could commence before June once the parties determine what materials will be retained from the old stadium The AHDP team displayed a half-dozen new renderings of the stadium and the entertainment area with Thursday’s pitch the first to happen at a monthly stadium meeting The developers said they envisioned the walk from the Halawa Skyline rail station into the new stadium as a similar experience to Downtown Disney with an array of shops and restaurants outside of the Disneyland park proper said “the idea (of Aloha Live!) is to activate these spaces 365 days a year with different activities throughout the year.” Carr said the group would like to house the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame and a Hawaii Music Hall of Fame within the stadium footprint which could help subsidize the venue with paid tours Carr said AHDP is looking at building 4,000 units of housing and said the idea of a school on the NASED site has been floated and that the Aiea community will have a chance to give feedback in upcoming meetings The group has visited the entertainment districts of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium and the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park for inspiration and it is to visit SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in the near future Renderings courtesy NASED/Aloha Halawa District Partners: Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com Privacy Policy | About Our Ads The state Department of Accounting and General Services and the Stadium Authority announced the approval of Aloha Halawa District Partners (AHDP) as the preferred offeror for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) and that the NASED process is on track to open the new Aloha Stadium for the 2028 University of Hawaiʻi football season The state will now enter into the diligence and discussion phase to finalize negotiations for a range of technical and other matters Final execution of an agreement is still targeted for summer of 2025 The next phase of this procurement also includes outreach by AHDP with the surrounding community and other key stakeholders to present further details of its proposal and gather feedback “The governor has made it clear that it’s important for our state to have a quality stadium We have achieved another major milestone working toward that in the NASED process thanks to the commitment and effort by AHDP and the NASED project team,” said Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism Director James Kunane Tokioka “I am looking forward to the next phase where we will be able to finalize the details of AHDP’s proposal and continue our progress toward creating a great new stadium much-needed residential housing and mixed-use transit-oriented development to revitalize the surrounding community.” “The additional month of review was invaluable and helped us strengthen AHDP’s proposal to lay a solid foundation for the remaining negotiations as part of the diligence and discussion phase,” said Brennon Morioka “We also want to thank members of the evaluation committee for all their efforts They made sure that AHDP’s proposal complied with the RFP and demonstrated acceptable value for the state We encourage the community to participate in AHDP’s outreach process to fully understand the details of the proposal the new Aloha Stadium and the surrounding entertainment district.” This remains an active procurement process Further details of AHDP’s proposal will be made public through the community outreach activities that will be conducted during the diligence and discussion phase HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT) notifies O‘ahu motorists of the upcoming nightly closures of the Hālawa and H-3 Freeway off-ramps (Exit 1D and Exit 1E) from the westbound Moanalua Freeway (Route H-201) for work activities on the Hālawa Interchange This work is scheduled for the next two weeks Motorists will be detoured westbound through the H-99 Stadium/ʻAiea Exit to access the H-3 freeway during this ramp closure Special duty police officers will be on-site to assist with traffic control and safety procedures Electronic message boards will be posted to notify motorists of the planned closure HDOT thanks the public for its cooperation as we work to maintain safe facilities For a full list of lane closures scheduled on state roadways, please visit the HDOT website at https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/roadwork/ Hawaii — The sport of college football continues to evolve at a breakneck pace with new rights and compensation for student-athletes taking center stage while loyalties and balances of power between schools and conferences change by the day the state of Hawaii is still playing a waiting game New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District project organizers have yet to accept the lone bid for a new stadium and outlying community on the 98-acre site it was revealed at Thursday’s monthly Stadium Authority meeting at old Aloha Stadium A benchmark point of September – modified last month from early to late September – to name a “preferred offeror” has likely been missed with only few days remaining in the month Stadium Authority board members were hopeful that one of the NASED timeline’s main targets – a fully executed contract in June 2025 – remains intact and a new stadium could still be ready for the 2028 University of Hawaii football season “Regardless of when we formally accept the proposal our goal has been and continues to be a June 2025 date for contract execution,” Stadium Authority chair Brennon Morioka said “That’s critical if we want to maintain the fall of 2028 stadium opening.” The latest holdup for the embattled project is a Request for Clarifications process that has continued to play out as the Department of Accounting and General Services’ handpicked five-person committee reviews minutiae of AHDP’s proposal that was submitted in late July AHDP’s proposal includes not just the stadium but its vision for the outlying 98-acre district including residential and commercial components to be built out over decades “I would share that (clarifications are) not uncommon … for projects of this size and scope,” stadium manager Ryan Andrews said Morioka said a large reason for his hope that June 2025 could still be hit for contract execution was that, with just one bidding team in the mix certain preliminary discussions about the Halawa site may be had now between NASED and AHDP that otherwise could not take place until the selection of the preferred offeror "The fact we’re able to do some of the work that would be done even after the acceptance of the proposal – that’s a promising sign for us," Morioka said a longtime proponent of a new stadium who represents the Halawa district declined comment when reached by Spectrum News on Thursday The specifics of the Request for Clarifications are not known to the Stadium Authority The identities of the committee members have not been made public; they are a mix of state employees and experts in the field of development The group is reviewing the proposal with an eye on five areas: financial Details flagged in any of the five could result in a back-and-forth that AHDP must respond to before the committee can score the overall proposal and give its results to the state comptroller The DAGS committee meets with AHDP members on a near-weekly basis deputy stadium manager Chris Sadayasu said the stadium continues to schedule events in its Upper and Lower Halawa lots It hosted about 15,000 attendees for the Megabon Hawaii dance festival on Sept 7 and this weekend will have pickleball open play during the swap meet The number of development groups vying to build the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District is down to one The state Department of Accounting and General Services said that Waiola Development Partners has withdrawn from the Request for Proposals process The consortium was led by EllisDon Capital and included construction and design-related companies That means Aloha Halawa District Partners is the only priority-listed offeror left The group will still have to go through the RFP proposal and review steps Aloha Halawa District Partners will submit their RFP for review “The RFP was designed to accommodate the possibility of having only one offeror and this withdrawal will not affect the ongoing RFP process,” Brennon Morioka Aloha Halawa District Partners consists of: • Lead equity members: Development Ventures Group • Construction team: Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company • Other team members: Castle & Cooke Hawai‘i and Wilson Okamoto Corp An agreement is expected to be finalized by the end of 2025 It hopes to host the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors 2028 football season Listen and read HPR's previous coverage of Aloha Stadium: UNMC leaders are creating a more vibrant academic health science center and a stronger economy for all Nebraskans UNMC is a welcoming organization working to make all our faculty we work from core values to achieve our strategic goals and vision for transforming the health of Nebraska and beyond The University of Nebraska Medical Center has campuses across Nebraska bonded through a shared culture and in real time The UNMC Department of Public Safety works to provide a safe environment for those who work on Maps and directions to the University of 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the world Seeking b-roll or photographs of our newsmakers Our press kits provide a single stop for media seeking digital assets related to major events at UNMC University of Nebraska Medical Center In The News Search our calendar for virtual and in-person UNMC events How I fell in love with ophthalmology: As physicians and nothing can be more rewarding than helping them to see better Three things people may not know about me: Clinic locations: Truhlsen Eye Institute and Truhlsen Eye Institute at Village Pointe Health Center For appointments and referrals: 402-559-2020 © 2025 University of Nebraska Medical Center The other had been hospitalized with a medical condition A 31-year-old prisoner at the Halawa Correctional Facility died last week after he was involved in a fight one of two deaths at the prison in recent weeks Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Toni Schwartz said in a written statement that Chazaray Mahuka-McShane was pronounced dead at The Queen’s Medical Center on Sept staff at Halawa were conducting a headcount at 2:25 p.m 5 when they saw two inmates fighting in a cell Corrections officers restrained one inmate and the other remained lying on the ground Both inmates were taken to nearby hospitals and one was returned to the prison that evening Mahuka-McShane was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m Schwartz said criminal and internal investigations are pending in the case Mahuka-McShane was sent to prison last year to serve a five-year term for unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and a drug charge after his probation was revoked for those convictions the prison system announced an 84-year-old Halawa inmate who shot and killed his neighbor in a public housing complex in 2009 also died According to a death notice published by the Hawaii Department of Public Safety Schwartz said Yoshida had been hospitalized on July 20 for “an undisclosed health condition,” and no information was available about his cause of death Yoshida was 72 years old when he was sentenced to a prison term of up to 20 years for shooting his neighbor Clare Silva Yoshida’s defense lawyer told the court at his sentencing that Yoshida had suffered from depression for years and his mental health deteriorated after the death of his wife of 33 years in 2008 Yoshida became friends with Silva because they both lived at Punchbowl Homes public housing but Yoshida shot her after she declined his romantic advances Schwartz said the department delayed announcing Yoshida’s death while it conducted an exhaustive search for his next of kin but finally released information about the case after it was unable to locate any family Book a visit Hafsa Halawa is an independent consultant working on political and development goals across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) She now consults independently for a similar broad set of clients on a variety of issues MEI is not able to assist with contact requests media@mei.edu 202-785-1141 x241 events@mei.edu 202-785-1141 x202 development@mei.edu 202-785-1141 x2505 mej@mei.edu 202-785-1141 x210 artsculture@mei.edu 202-785-1141 x2509 communications@mei.edu 202-785-1141 © 2018 Middle East Institute All Rights Reserved | Accessibility Policy | Built by Social Driver The state admitted liability in the case of a 28-year-old prisoner who was on ‘observation status’ in the medical unit The estate of a 28-year-old man who killed himself at the state’s largest prison was awarded $1.375 million in damages Tuesday in a case that demonstrated dangerous shortcomings in the care that correctional officials have been providing to mentally ill and suicidal inmates The state admitted liability without putting up any defense in the case of Joseph O’Malley who hung himself in an “observation room” in the medical unit of Halawa Correctional Facility on July 27 An expert testified in the case that the isolation being imposed on suicidal inmates at the time was comparable to solitary confinement which is known to aggravate the symptoms suffered by mentally ill prisoners The lawsuit was brought by O’Malley’s adoptive father who is personal representative of Joseph O’Malley’s estate Circuit Court Judge John Tonaki set the amount of the award after an online bench trial in January and February Joseph O’Malley was placed on suicide watch seven times at Halawa including at least five times for self-mutilation once when he reported voices were telling him to kill himself and once when he attempted to hang himself O’Malley was charged with misconduct in early July for cutting his own wrist with a disassembled finger nail clipper and prison officials responded by sentencing him to 60 days in lockdown in the prison special holding unit He was placed in solitary confinement and kept in an isolation cell called the “observation room” in the Halawa infirmary where he finally hung himself from the bars of his cell window one of the lawyers who sued the state on behalf of the O’Malley estate said Department of Public Safety has policies and procedures that reflected best practices for caring for suicidal inmates but those procedures were basically ignored by staff at Halawa the Halawa staff who were questioned in the case were unaware of the prison policies and procedures they were supposed to follow Michael O’Malley told reporters Wednesday that he met with the Honolulu Medical Examiner as part of his investigation in the weeks after his son’s death “You seem like you’re in a position to do something about this I’m tired of them sending me bodies from Halawa.” “We wanted to try and do something to ensure that this doesn’t happen to any other family,” O’Malley said Joseph suffered from significant mental illness that became worse as he became an adult any more than having a broken arm is someone’s fault,” Michael O’Malley said Joseph was arrested for second-degree robbery in 2009 for robbing a cab driver with a replica handgun failed probation and was entangled in the criminal justice system from then on He also spent three extended periods in Hawaii State Hospital He was sent to the Oahu Community Correctional Center in 2015 and to Halawa in 2016 when his probation was revoked Otake said the O’Malley family’s legal team identified an array of policy violations at the prison and said Joseph should have been transferred to a medical facility for treatment instead of being held at Halawa The state has a policy that requires that if a person is so mentally ill that they cannot be cared for appropriately in a prison setting “What was shocking is that we learned that they never necessarily even knew that policy or remembered that happening one time,” Otake said Another prison policy says that when someone who is mentally ill harms himself “There needs to be a therapeutic response and it was clear that there was punishment going on Otake also said that expert testimony showed that the medications used by the prison to treat some mental illnesses are “really outdated.” As for the response from the prison system Livingston said that “our understanding is that they already have made some changes although they haven’t been really forthcoming about what those changes have been.” spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety but said in a written statement that the department “has sound policy for the care and custody of inmates with mental illness The Department routinely reviews and updates all policies including the inmate suicide prevention policy which is in accord with national standards.” Michael O’Malley said that “I still have a giant and permanent hole in my heart” from the death of his son and he vowed to press for reforms in the way mentally ill “Joey’s story is not over for me,” he said whatever little role I can play to see that we get the necessary reform Ibrahim Halawa spoke about being a human rights activist and former 4 years political prisoner in Egypt at a TED Talk Ibrahim Halawa has graduated from UCD law school after four “cold and dark” years in an Egyptian prison Ibrahim was born and raised in Dublin and was arrested on a family summer holiday in August 2013 when he was 17 He was arrested with his three sisters during protests against the ousting of then President Mohamed Morsi The women were freed and allowed to return home within three months but their teenage brother was kept in jail where he faced a mass trial with hundreds of others under threat of the death penalty he graduated from the UCD Sutherland School of Law facing 19 charges that could have led to the death penalty “I thought my life was over before it had even begun I remember staring out of that tiny cell window imagining the life I was determined to live smiling in a future that seemed so far away Mr Halawa admitted that he always dreamt of becoming an engineer but prison pushed him towards the legal path which wasn’t easy “But I wasn’t just surviving; I was pushing myself beyond what I thought was possible I travelled extensively to advocate for human rights I took a leap of faith and opened my own business and there were times I felt like I was running on empty but every time I thought I couldn’t keep going I reminded myself that I had survived way too much to stop now.” The graduate thanked his family and his faith for getting him through his darkest times “I owe everything to Allah SWT for guiding me through the darkest times even when I was losing hope for myself,” he said who patiently waited for the day I could be myself again for giving me the opportunity to reclaim my life I’m proud to say that I have achieved more than I ever thought possible Freedom isn’t found in the absence of struggle but in the refusal to let that struggle define you whose unwavering support carried me through the darkest times and supported me in ways both big and small your presence meant more than words can express and I am forever thankful for each of you.” CourtsMan jailed for ‘very frightening’ robbery attempt at Paddy Power bookies in DublinA father of three tried to hold up a bookmakers using a metal implement as a weapon in a “very frightening” robbery attempt The Department of Public Safety is trying to determine the scope of the problem Electrical problems at the state’s largest prison have caused outages throughout the facility that left about 20% of the cells without power at one point last month and it is unclear when the outages started or when they will be fixed The Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission learned of the continuing electrical failures during a tour of the Halawa Correctional Facility on Oct and were told some cells have gone for weeks without power “My understanding is it’s been going on for a while maybe even months at this point,” said Christin Johnson The commission was told it began with a power outage and “it has been extremely difficult to get electricians in to fix the problem and actually keep it fixed.” HCF is the largest and newest of the state’s correctional facilities The 80-square-foot cells in the prison generally house two inmates each and Halawa had a total population of 819 prisoners as of Nov Leaking roofs and deferred maintenance in the prison housing units were cited as problems in a 2003 master plan update for the state correctional system and family members of inmates say prisoners continue to report water sometimes leaks into cells via light fixtures when it rains Department of Public Safety Director Tommy Johnson declined a request for an interview about Halawa’s electrical issues the department issued a brief statement explaining Halawa “is an aging facility that has been requiring increasing levels of repair and maintenance over the years.” “Once Halawa’s leadership became aware of the electrical issue in some of the cells they have been vigilant in their attempts to determine the scope of the problem what the repair will entail and the cost of the project,” the statement said. “The Department of Public Safety and the facility are working on securing funds to address the issue.” Johnson said forcing inmates to sit in dark cells is “a clear violation of federal (correctional) standards,” and violates the inmates’ rights It could even be considered unconstitutional “cruel and unusual punishment” to be left in the dark for long periods of time The cells have windows to allow in light in the daytime “but that’s a tough place to be,” Johnson said “The commission is extremely concerned about this The commission has been extremely concerned about the conditions of confinement of people in the custody of the Department of Public Safety ever since the commission was formed.” But Johnson stressed that the issue is not the fault of the current administration “These are years and years and years and years of built up problems that now suddenly the current administration is forced to deal with,” she said The commission is trying to bring the problem to light in the hope that the department can get the funding it needs to fix the problem who briefed the commission on the Halawa tour during a meeting in Hilo last week also stressed the facility has not been properly maintained during the past 35 years “These are not problems that just happened in the last four years or whatever these are long-term problems that escalated from lack of maintenance which is very common in the state when it comes to state buildings,” she said She said the outages were affecting 20% of the cells when commission members visited last month Some inmates were in the dark in their cells while other cells “were not available for use at all,” she said attributed the problem to “leakages that were coming in from the roof so it was creating a very dangerous situation.” Commission Chairman Mark Patterson said his understanding was the outages left scattered individual cells in the dark throughout the facility but said staff at the prison did not say when the problem began DOH says the pumping and filtration plan will help prevent the contamination from spreading further in the aquifer the Navy will begin pumping millions of gallons of fuel-contaminated water out of the Red Hill well cleaning it through two giant filters and discharging it into the Halawa Stream It’s a process the Hawaii Department of Health said on Friday should be safe for public health and the environment an environmental health specialist with DOH said the community should not expect to see any oil sheen but he says it’s “highly unlikely.” “The Department of Health permit does not allow for pollution into the stream,” he said The fuel-tainted water will travel twice through a granular activated carbon filtration and continuous testing will ensure it is safe to discharge officials with the Navy and DOH said during a media tour on Friday Water samples taken at three points in the filtration system can yield results on hydrocarbon levels within an hour The plan, outlined in an over 200-page report, was developed by the Interagency Drinking Water System Team made up of DOH which is the source of the contamination that impacted the Pearl Harbor area’s 93,000 water users Commander Travis Myers said the Navy has retrofitted the Red Hill shaft pump room to prevent any more of the tainted water from entering the distribution system it will be diverted to pipes that run through the facility’s lower access tunnel then to the aboveground filtration system and finally to the Halawa Stream Kurano acknowledged that some community members have expressed concern about the dumping of water from Red Hill into the stream DOH maintains a level of “health skepticism” when considering impacts to water resources but he noted there is an urgent need to remove the fuel from the well “I think it’s very intuitive for people to understand that the first thing you do when you spill something is to try to collect it up as much as you can before it gets anywhere else,” he said It’s unclear how long the remediation project will take pressure is building to shut down the Red Hill facility permanently State and federal regulators have signed off on a plan for the Navy to remove the fuel contamination from its Red Hill well in Honolulu treating it and discharging it into the Halawa stream Up to five million gallons of water will be pumped from the Red Hill shaft every day to create “a capture zone” in the aquifer the Interagency Drinking Water System Team said in a press release booms and absorbent pads will also be deployed within the well to remove contaminants The pumped water will then run through a granular activated carbon filtration system where the team said it will be monitored and tested before being released into the stream The goal of the filtration is to ensure the discharge meets standards set by the Hawaii Department of Health the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Water Act “GAC filtration is a proven technology used to remove organic chemicals and jet fuel from water,” the team said The 224-page plan was developed by the interagency team The team also received input from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources the University of Hawaii and other community stakeholders DOH approved a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for the operation The decontamination plan was developed after the Navy confirmed last month that fuel from its 80-year-old Red Hill fuel facility had contaminated the water source for some 93,000 people in and around Pearl Harbor The Navy’s discharge permit takes effect immediately and expires in July 2023 The permit requires water to be sampled and tested every step of the way and operators will use field monitoring devices to screen for contaminants in real time “The Navy will also send samples to a certified laboratory for testing,” the team said “If contaminant levels exceed DOH’s acceptable limits at any point the Navy has committed to reuse the treated water and undertake projects to “improve the upper watershed and recharge the aquifer,” the team said Meanwhile, the Navy says it is complying with a DOH order to ultimately drain its fuel facility. However, that process could take months, if not longer and some community members are calling for the immediate and permanent shutdown of the World War II-era tank farm Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters and Vice Chair Esther Kiaaina wrote a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to direct the Navy to permanently remove the facility and the petroleum it holds Doing so would start to repair the “broken trust” within the community The council members said that they believe the Navy’s mishandling of the crisis is jeopardizing national security interests and the overall relationship between the military and the people of Hawaii have for years demanded better stewardship of the land by the military “In spite of the various environmental the State of Hawaii and the City and County of Honolulu have historically supported the United States military’s strategic positions and assets in our communities for decades,” they wrote that the military would like to expand but may be threatened by a lack of community support if trust is not restored Navy to protect our fresh water resources on the island of Oahu by permanently removing the aging Red Hill Facility,” they wrote The Board of Water Supply announced Wednesday it was shutting down its Aiea well the Board of Water Supply also shut down its Halawa well The recent closure comes after the Board of Water Supply was informed by the U.S Navy that it had found contamination at its Aiea-Halawa shaft according to a Board of Water Supply press release The Department of Health said in a press release that the samples collected at the Navy’s Aiea-Halawa shaft were at a level of 920 parts per billion of total petroleum hydrocarbons diesel which is twice as high as acceptable levels The Board of Water Supply’s Halawa well is located 1.5 miles away from the Navy’s Aiea-Halawa well. Last week’s closure of the Halawa well came as a precautionary measure after the Board of Water Supply was informed of contamination at the Navy’s Red Hill well Starting in late November, residents who use the U.S. Navy’s water system reported smelling gasoline coming from the tap as well as experiencing physical symptoms The Board of Water Supply said it took samples earlier in the week from their Aiea and Halawa wells which were sent to a mainland lab and results are expected late next week they have not detected petroleum in their wells BWS manager and chief engineer Ernest Lau said Thursday at a press conference that the Aiea well serves 20,000 people from Halawa to Waimalu including the Pearlridge Shopping Center and the Pali Momi Medical Center He said they would be asking residents to conserve water if it’s raining outside and a resident has an automatic sprinkler He said that shutting down the two Board of Water Supply wells would put a strain on the other wells which would have to keep up with the demand Lau was asked about the Navy’s test results from its Aiea-Halawa well which showed the elevated levels of total petroleum hydrocarbon because earlier on Thursday the Navy had issued its own press release saying they were doing additional tests and claimed the initial “sample did not come directly from the Navy’s Aiea-Halawa well.” they said the Navy received “verbal results of an elevated sample on the Halawa portion of the distribution system,” and that after they received these results they notified the Hawaii Department of Health and Board of Water Supply “After reviewing the detailed results from the independent laboratory conducting the testing the Navy determined that the sample was not from the Halawa well but from an off-service section of the water distribution system,” the Navy press release continued During the Board of Water Supply’s press conference Lau called the Navy’s latest media release “interesting,” adding that after the Board of Water Supply’s initial call from the Navy informing them total petroleum hydrocarbon diesel that they received another call a few hours later from the same Navy representative trying to downplay that the result was not indicative of what’s in the aquifer,” he said Lau asked the Navy representative where the diesel came from if it’s not coming from the Aiea-Halawa well He said he recommended that the Navy take more samples from the well in order to validate the test results He also asked the Navy for the full lab report but said the Board of Water Supply has not yet received it He added that the Navy is still not regularly sending their test results to the Department of Health as requested we’re just going on the basis that it [the petroleum] has gotten into the aquifer,” said Lau shutting our wells down that pump from the same aquifer because we cannot afford to repeat what the Navy’s customers are experiencing right now.” While the cause of the problem has not been confirmed where as much as 250-million gallons of fuel are stored in 20 giant underground tanks that were built in the 1940s when a 14,000-gallon mixture of water and fuel was released The storage facility sits about 100-feet above an aquifer which is where the wells pump groundwater from in order to supply residents living between Halawa and Hawaii Kai the program administrator for the water quality division of the Board of Water Supply said during the press conference that they have reviewed the Navy’s data of the groundwater beneath the Red Hill Storage Facility and that “there are detectable levels of petroleum contamination in the groundwater underneath the tanks.” “The results so far give us concern that there is petroleum contamination from the Navy’s water source at the Red Hill shaft and certainly from the most recent one the Navy’s Aiea-Halawa shaft,” Kawata said Lau reiterated that the best way to avoid the problem was to drain the Navy’s fuel tanks at the Red Hill Storage Facility and that if they don’t do that they risk further contamination of the water system The Department of Health issued an order to the U.S Navy earlier this week to remove fuel from the storage tanks at Red Hill David Ige issued an emergency order to the Navy to suspend fuel storage operations at Red Hill and to develop a plan to drain fuel from its 20 underground tanks Protesters have gathered multiple times in the last two weeks Navy defuel and decommission the Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility The death on Christmas Day is the 11th fatality in a state prison or jail that is being linked to the pandemic The Hawaii Department of Health has determined the death of an 87-year-old prisoner at Halawa Correctional Facility last month was related to Covid-19 making that the 11th fatality in a state prison or jail that has been blamed on the coronavirus since the pandemic began coordinator for the Hawaii Correctional Systems Oversight Commission on Thursday announced the death of the prisoner He was found unresponsive with no pulse at the Halawa prison infirmary at 8:50 p.m. the Department of Public Safety’s deputy director for corrections told the commission on Thursday the Health Department later determined the death was linked to Covid-19 It was the ninth Covid-related death at Halawa The Department of Public Safety’s death notification list identified the inmate as Paul Grubb who was sentenced in 1987 to 55 years in prison for the sexual assaults of three young girls on Maui and had served another nine year prison term there for a similar conviction according to newspaper accounts of the case a lawyer who for years has been placing terminally ill or older prisoners in hospice facilities or nursing homes Merce tried for about 18 months to move Grubb to a nursing home but was unable to find a home that would accept Grubb because he was a sex offender and we tried everything to find someone to take him,” Merce told the commission “We tried to get him back home to Kentucky where he was from originally suffered from a severe heart condition and was deemed eligible for medical release two years ago because he was no longer a danger to anyone said commission members need to have more discussions on “how do we handle the elderly in our system who are really no longer public safety concerns.” Grubb was the 16th inmate to die in a state correctional facility last year. Three of those deaths — Destiny Brown, Jonathan Pico and Diamond Simeona-Agoo — were apparent suicides Staff allege that the number of inmates who tested positive at the Halawa Correctional Facility is higher than official figures Official data released last week shows that more than one-fourth of 64 drug tests conducted at Halawa Correctional Facility were positive or presumed positive over the first two months of this year But staff at the prison say the number of inmates who tested positive for drug use is actually much higher The staff asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation but said it is important to inform the public about the surge in drug smuggling and use inside Hawaii’s largest prison so that additional resources can be committed to cope with the problem and the warden needs help really recognizing that we have a drug problem,” said one staffer The state Department of Public Safety released drug testing data on Friday that showed there were 64 drug tests during January and February the official data showed three were positive for methamphetamine three for marijuana and one for the sedative benzodiazepine and Public Safety spokeswoman Toni Schwartz said those refusals result in an “inference of guilt of a positive test.” That finding then results in misconduct sanctions for the prisoners When asked if that is an unusually large number of positive drug tests she replied: “No number of positive tests are considered acceptable. Unfortunately is an on-going battle for correctional systems across the nation The facilities work very hard to monitor and eliminate contraband pathways.” But prison staff who spoke on condition of anonymity disputed that official account of the testing at Halawa saying far more than 64 drug tests were conducted in January and February Testing done in January made it clear methamphetamine was finding its way into the prison and prompted cell searches or “shakedowns” along with additional drug testing of inmates in three housing units Dozens of prisoners tested positive for meth or Ecstasy use in that crackdown Staff at Halawa also cited an incident this year in which the majority of 25 prisoners being transferred from the medium-security Halawa prison to the minimum-security Waiawa Correctional Facility failed pre-admission drug testing and were immediately returned to Halawa But Schwartz said that account is false and the testing data provided by Public Safety is correct test positive and get immediately sent back to Halawa,” she wrote in the statement “Inmates move back and forth based on changes to their custody level,” Schwartz wrote “If an inmate’s custody level changes to anything above minimum “All of the correctional facilities conduct frequent routine shakedowns for contraband as part of the on-going effort to keep contraband out of the facilities,” she added raising the question of who may be involved Some national advocates have been critical of decisions in other states to eliminate contact visits, pointing out that prison employees are frequently found to be the people responsible for smuggling drugs and other contraband inside One official who is familiar with operations at Halawa who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the information said security screening of staff as they enter the facility is lax at times Halawa has about 330 authorized positions for corrections officers although not all of those positions are filled Schwartz said that “all staff are required to go through screening upon entering and exiting all facilities.” Drug use in the prison has proved to be fatal for some. Two inmates died at Halawa in 2021 after ingesting a synthetic designer drug known as spice It is still unknown how Kanikahekili Cuizon By Leila Fujimori An employee found dead today in a Halawa prison bathroom was the cook supervisor at the staff dining hall at the Halawa Medium Security Facility Public Safety officials declined to say whether foul play is suspected or whether any apparent cause of death could be provided “The death is under active investigation which is normal procedure,” Public Safety said in a written response “We can’t speculate on the cause of death and will be awaiting the coroner’s final determination.” The death comes exactly two weeks after the controversial Senate confirmation of Nolan Espinda who will continue to head for another four years the Department of Public Safety which has come under fire for allegations from staff that leadership perpetuated a culture of fear and retaliation Espinda’s confirmation came despite a Senate committee recommending against it Public Safety has been under numerous internal and external investigations including: 1) an FBI probe into falsifying information relating to inmate rapes; 2) the March riots at Maui Community Correctional Center; 3) the unusual March escape from Oahu Community Correctional Center by an inmate who was shot by a deputy sheriff in a residential neighborhood and returned for treatment to OCCC where he died rather than calling for paramedics and 4) the fatal shooting in February by another deputy of a disabled man who was drinking at the state Capitol Police said an initial investigation reveals no obvious signs of foul play Public Safety said the Halawa Correctional Facility employee was found unconscious in a staff bathroom at about 3:10 p.m The prison’s medical staff member responded and confirmed the man was dead shortly thereafter As for who would have access to the bathroom Emergency Medical Services personnel were called and responded to the scene “Preliminary reports are still being compiled,” Public Safety said late Monday afternoon the Attorney General’s Office investigators and Public Safety Internal Affairs are investigating the death Any further information on the investigation and the worker’s employment history and age will be provided as it becomes available Portions of the iconic lerusalema Hou Church in Halawa Valley fell to the ground last week after sitting vacant since 2015 the church was built in 1948 and at more than 70 years old The church’s Kahu Reynolds Ayau said in 2015 that the church was closing its doors for services because “dry rot and termites have made it a total hazard.” Pilipo Solatorio of Halawa said he recalls helping to build the church when he was a kid worked to erect the structure and it had seen many services celebrations and community losses in its 70 years When members tried to make repairs to the church in recent years they realized they had to first locate the land owner According to a Hawaii News Now report in 2015 the land owner offered to give the church the land but it required Maui County to approve a subdivision “That was over three years ago and we are still waiting for the County of Maui to approve the necessary subdivision,” Ayau told the Dispatch in 2015 The Dispatch was not able to contact the County before press deadline for an update “My members’ grandparents started this church after the 1946 tidal wave hit the valley,” recalled Ayau in 2015 We probably could have gone another 68 years without their [Maui County] rules and regulations.  There aren’t too many churches in Hawaii where 95 percent of the members drive 27 3/4 miles to worship the Lord.” Now that the church roof and steeple have collapsed The Molokai Dispatch will provide updates if available Sign up is easy. 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Sign up now I traveled to Egypt for a family holiday in 2013 at a time when pro-democracy protests were sweeping the country following the deposal of President Mohammed Morsi I wasn’t a particularly political person—I’m still not—but I was curious about what was happening in the country so my sisters and I attended one of the protests taking place in Cairo I did not know then that simply exercising my freedom of assembly would mean four years of imprisonment—or that it would bring me to the brink of a death sentence I was eventually acquitted of all charges in September 2017 and I am home with family in Dublin today but I spent more than four years imprisoned in Egypt all for the “crime” of attending a protest I endured years of torture and mistreatment I was subjected to a mass trial of nearly 500 people, in which I was charged with a non-existent offence that occurred when I was still a minor Watch: Ibrahim Halawa thanks his supporters  there was a distinct possibility that I would be sentenced to death even though children are never supposed to be subjected to the death penalty. Many other minors in Egypt have had the same experience as me, and many of them are still detained in adult prisons Some of them have even been sentenced to death I feel it is incumbent upon me to speak out on behalf of juveniles in Egypt who have been silenced and cannot speak for themselves I know this to be true from firsthand experience: there is no rule of law in Egypt today Entirely innocent minors like me are regularly swept into the criminal justice system and kept there for years on end Children are subjected to Kafkaesque mass trials that bear no resemblance to legitimate judicial proceedings Juveniles are not protected from the death penalty; to the contrary those under 18 are absolutely among the thousands that Egyptian courts have sentenced to death in recent years The years that were stolen from me are the direct result of a despotic government’s quest to crush even the hint of dissent everywhere it appears The years that were stolen from me are the direct result of a despotic government’s quest to crush even the hint of dissent everywhere it appears—and to violate human rights law unashamedly in the process and what is happening to many other people in Egypt—adults and minors alike—is no accident And this should serve as a wakeup call to the world Thousands are suffering under the yoke of oppression in Egypt and no group of people is more emblematic of this suffering than children facing death sentences I implore all those reading to do all they can to ensure that no other child in Egypt has to go through what I went through and to pressure the Egyptian government to protect children from the death penalty The law that allows child of 15 to face death penalty in Egypt. Read more… A mass trial of 529 people resulting in death sentences conducted over just 13 two days cannot possibly have met even the most basic requirements for a fair trial. Read more… Draconian laws ban nearly all forms of public demonstration, and allow all protesters to be punished collectively Read more… Learn more about Egypt’s crackdown on human rights, by reading our report: ‘Stolen Youth’.