By Mia Anzalone Editors' Picks Nuuanu Stream supplies water to an auwai — irrigation ditch — near the Dowsett area home of Lisa Wong Some residents in the Dowsett neighborhood of Nuuanu Valley make the resource A small concrete footbridge was installed in order to cross the flowing auwai Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading Mark Ellis’ family has resided in the same Nuuanu Valley home for six generations that once ran through their property’s backyard disappeared with the 15 loi kalo (taro beds) that once grew on their land 200 years ago That waterway was among the 14 original auwai in Nuuanu that fueled the entire wetland of kalo by directing the flow of water from the elevated Nuuanu Stream to pass through downstream loi kalo before returning to the central ditch and Farmers around Hawaii still use the auwai system in their loi kalo today But in a neighborhood that has seen a century of redevelopment and a wipeout of loi kalo it’s impressive that Nuuanu’s auwai continue to flow according to Dowsett resident Brady Jencks who grew up catching crayfish in the auwai outside of his childhood home Only four of the original 14 auwai that date back to before King Kamehameha I remain flowing driveways and alongside roads of more than 300 properties in Nuuanu Valley Residents who have auwai on their properties call it a double-edged sword as the proximity to precious history comes with frequent and backbreaking maintenance It’s a constant reminder of Nuuanu’s ancient Hawaiian history which has seen alii (royalty) reside in its mountainous homes and key battles fought in its forests and cliffs Dowsett resident Lisa Wong said that when the neighborhood was developed in the 1920s residents re-appropriated the function of Nuuanu’s historic auwai — “instead of taro (the auwai pass through) little pretty koi ponds and little waterfalls.” As Nuuanu evolved from its breadbasket farmlands to rice factories and dairy farms and later residential homes Many of the original waterways remain in the backyards of properties but others that once snaked down the natural landscape were rerouted to run alongside neighborhood roads and through front yards “It’s amazing that there was enough care taken to planning to keep them running and build around them instead of obliterating them,” Jencks said Jencks and Wong are at the helm of the neighborhood group Hui Malama ‘Auwai o Nu‘uanu which educates residents on “what they have in their backyard,” Jencks said founded about 20 years ago by the late couple Tom and Lynn Lalakea and resident Shannon Wilson and her late husband meets monthly at Queen Emma Summer’s Palace where it hosts guest speakers and presentations to educate the Nuuanu community of its responsibility in maintaining the auwai system Many residents mistake the auwai in their backyards for a stream sometimes polluting and littering in its water flow a few painters upstream of a residence cleaned their paintbrushes in the auwai Moments later a house downstream found that all of the koi in their pond had died Unintentional poisonings like those occur about twice a year Without regular maintenance and cleanup by the residents themselves the auwai are prone to backing up and can overflow into backyards And “it doesn’t take much” to backlog the flow of water — once Wong said she found an avocado hold up an entire auwai Wong said to prevent the extensive auwai system from collapsing in and cutting off the flow of water neighbors have patched up the ditches’ walls with cement is to traditionally maintain its structure with rocks and mud the loss of the auwai could erase centuries’ worth of Hawaiian history and then people forget about it because that’s what happens,” Wong said “Even people that live here have never seen what those of us who clean have seen amazing views of an auwai that no one gets to see.” suits up in a helmet and a highlighter orange vest — to communicate she’s not a robber and treks down the path of the 2-mile auwai that passes through her backyard and 10 others to clean foliage and debris coming downstream While Wong is sometimes joined by a handful of resident volunteers to clean the auwai she personally takes up the responsibility She said she continues to clean the auwai for the older community who are not physically able to clear their own waterways Earlier this year she fractured her hip when she fell following an afternoon of cleaning the auwai “I’m not blaming it on the auwai but it’s a lot of work,” Wong said director of voyaging experiences at the Polynesian Cultural Center auwai were never meant to be maintained alone In ancient times the cleanup effort was a collective one Farmers would collaborate and share the auwai’s flow of water with each other that would redirect water to each farmer’s loi kalo often alternating days that fresh water would pass through a property Even Queen Emma’s loi was subject to the distributed schedule of water flow King Kamehameha enlisted a workforce of 700 people to build and rebuild destroyed auwai in Nuuanu from the violent battle in three days Kamehameha established Nuuanu as a farmland haven known as the “breadbasket,” that grew taro rice and sweet potato to feed Hawaii’s people “To create lo‘i and auwai was a sacred thing consecrated by certain rituals and sacrifices when the water source was found and lo‘i created,” according to the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Those lessons of collaboration and communal care for the land were the foundation of the values Ellis taught his four grown children grew up playing in the neighborhood’s auwai and it’s up to us as individuals to take hold and to uplift that responsibility,” Ellis said “It’s a double-edged kuleana — yes but it’s going to be hard work.” Jencks has led the efforts in spreading education about Hawaii’s auwai beyond the Nuuanu neighborhood cleanups and education sessions with SEEQS charter school and nearby Nu‘uanu Elementary School which has an auwai running underneath its property The hui constantly strategizes on how best to preserve the ancient irrigation system It has discussed putting the four neighborhood auwai on the state historical register but that comes with its own set of problems “I wish I had a model to model ourselves after but there really isn’t a model where there is a waterway running through hundreds of properties,” she said The end goal is to make the hui a nonprofit organization that could one day have enough funds to repair auwai that need cleaning or to bury auwai that property owners don’t want “What’s interesting about this hui is that we’re just a bunch of neighbors,” Jencks said “We’re doing it because we like to do it Jencks and Wong are passionate about history being passed down and ingrained within the neighborhood’s being “If I’m dreaming about it at night Ellis said the work of Hui Malama ‘Auwai o Nu‘uanu carries on the responsibility of his ancestors to care for the land “That’s why I continue to go to (the hui) because we see value in it for our children,” Ellis said we’ll come back to realize how valuable it is to have that auwai and that water source.” The City and County of Honolulu invested $500,000 to conduct a study to determine whether imposing a tax on vacant houses and condo units would add to county coffers homes and hotels shape the Honolulu skyline The City and County of Hono­lulu’s $500,000 Ernst &Young LLP study over a proposed empty-­homes tax measure asserts the city could garner tens of millions of dollars annually in new revenues But Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration appears lukewarm to the idea of an EHT program one it says could become a huge administrative burden to oversee City Council Chair Tommy Waters — who has co-sponsored Bill 46 to penalize real-property owners who leave their Oahu residences vacant for extended periods of time — claims his bill would largely exempt roughly 80% of households on the island from having to pay an EHT (function(d,s,n){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];js=d.createElement(s);js.className=n;js.src="//player.ex.co/player/bdc806f4-0fc1-40a1-aff0-a3d5239c169c";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}(document,"script","exco-player")); the measure would ensure residential properties are used as actual homes instead of investments During the Council’s Budget Committee meeting Tuesday a Canadian- based Ernst &Young partner presented an information-only briefing regarding his city-hired firm’s first-phase findings of a two-part study related to the feasibility of implementing Bill 46 were based on similar EHT programs used by two of Canada’s largest cities: Vancouver and Toronto we estimated the potential revenues from the tax and the costs associated with implementing and administering the tax,” he added would create a new Residential E tax classification in Honolulu “in place of a more conventional supplementary tax on empty homes,” he said “The bill has two key aspects that impact revenue estimates,” he explained “First is the tax rate and structure.” Previous versions of Bill 46 used a tax rate of 1% to 3% of assessed value “which is consistent with other jurisdictions,” he said “But it is important to note that a 3% rate is significantly higher than existing property tax rates in Honolulu,” he said adding that exemptions were another aspect of Bill 46 “Exemptions are an important part of an empty-home tax policy because they allow for legitimate reasons for a home to be empty and thus not be subject to the tax.” EHT exemptions seen in other jurisdictions include: >> Properties that are temporarily vacant due to the owner’s temporary relocation for work >> Homes undergoing significant renovations or repairs that make them uninhabitable >> Homes that are vacant due to the death of an owner and are being settled legally through an estate most of which are aligned with other jurisdictions,” Bhamani said at least 20% of the revenues from the Residential E classification tax will be directed to affordable-housing programs overseen by the city’s Office of Housing “We have seen in other jurisdictions that it is common to have the costs of the program to be recovered first and then all remaining funds go to affordable-housing programs,” he said Based on tax year 2027-2028 — the first year of implementation of the proposed new law — the study determined between 287,000 to 292,000 taxable properties on Oahu are split between condominiums and noncondos which include single-family homes and apartments “We do this to reflect that condos typically have a higher vacancy rate than noncondo properties,” he said Condos on the island average about $726,000 in value while noncondos like single-family homes average about $1.4 million the study relied upon water consumption data as well as electricity use to flag homes which may be empty “In this case 300 gallons per month in the conservative scenario or 1,000 gallons a month in the optimistic scenario,” he said “This showed a vacancy rate of between 2.4% and 4.2% equating to approximately 7,300 and 11,200 empty properties.” the study determined there was an exemption rate of 81% to 87% “This means that between 13% and 19% of the estimated number of empty homes would be subject to the tax,” he said “This equaled between about 950 and 2,100 properties as the tax base.” “We would expect that this tax would likely result in some owners of these properties releasing their homes to the market so that they are not empty and not subject to the tax,” he added Based on a so-called Annual Behavioral Response Rate Ernst &Young estimated that at a 1% tax rate about 4% of properties — or 38 to 86 units — would return to the market annually on Oahu this rate is also likely to increase,” Bhamani said we must assume there will be some portion of homeowners who do not comply and that some noncompliant properties will remain unidentified through audits.” there’d be a nearly 71% compliance rate we estimated that 65% would be identified and pay both the tax and penalty,” he said “The remaining 35% of noncompliant homes would not be taxed and therefore not count toward revenue.” which includes a 3% boost in the program’s third year the city could gain $29.1 million in average annual net revenue over a 10-year period a 1%-only tax rate would glean $3.2 million in revenue; at a 2%-only tax rate The study also noted it would cost Honolulu about $4.39 million annually to operate the EHT program those who testified had mixed reviews of Bill 46 “Happy to see some signs of life on this (measure),” said Ross Isokane part of a grassroots coa­lition of residents in support of Bill 46 Economic Development and Tourism report that says since 2021 20,000 units have been purchased “by outsiders.” Hawaii Kai resident Natalie Iwasa opposed Bill 46 saying the stated purpose of the EHT was “to incentivize people to rent or sell but this is via a punitive tax that is almost three times the residential (tax) rate.” why not give them a credit in their real property taxes if they convert their home?” she asked ‘We don’t like the way you legally use your property and therefore we are going to tax you,’” she said It’s a bad bill and I do not support it.” Those concerns centered on a lawsuit that arose over the City and County of San Francisco’s Proposition M a November 2022 initiative presented to voters in that city over a vacant-homes tax San Francisco voters passed the proposition — by 54.5% of the vote — which was set to take effect in 2025 Proposition M meant property owners would be charged an escalating amount for each “residential unit” that is “vacant” during the preceding calendar year in 2023 several plaintiffs — including the San Francisco Apartment Association the Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute and the San Francisco Association of Realtors — filed suit in the Superior Court of California over the pending city tax In November 2024 a final judgment in the case was rendered Quidachay ruled in favor of the plaintiffs finding San Francisco’s vacant-homes tax violated the “Takings Clause,” also known as the Just Compensation Clause said San Francisco’s legal case involving its vacancy tax does not relate to Hawaii’s Constitution Deputy Corporation Counsel Reid Yamashiro declined to offer legal advice to the Council in public on the EHT he suggested the matter should be discussed in closed-door executive session though that nonpublic meeting did not occur Questions over how the city would gain compliance over empty homes also surfaced “What did you guys find in your other studies on how you would actually get people to comply?” Council member Andria Tupola asked “Is that like a human person going there and talking to them And then how successful has that been to get people to comply through either of the two of those means?” ‘Is your home vacant or not?’” ‘It is vacant,’ then you are assessed a tax,” he added but I should be eligible for an exemption,’ the expectation is that you provide proof of that exemption.” As far as actually implementing the EHT program city Budget and Fiscal Services Director Andy Kawano suggested the city was not impressed with the findings of the study And he’d note the study indicated only 1,000 units would be converted “after all of the heavy lifting that we have to do.” “If we evaluate what’s important to us as (a city) administration we just don’t see it,” he added “based on the effort that we have to put in and the fact that taxes will go up Hawaii sued major oil companies in state court Thursday West Kauai’s Mana Plain is attracting larger numbers of native waterbirds and migratory.. is a nod to tradition and offers a taste of what’s next By Nina Wu Editors' PicksHealth Certified nursing assistant Nicefora Larobis tends to a patient at the Villas nursing home When Amy Feeley-Austin of Kona was going through a tough time Medicaid was a lifesaver that provided health care for her two young children leaving her and the children with no health insurance It was a sudden and unexpected turn of events she had to scramble to get health care insurance she was able to get coverage for her two children to continue their regular doctor visits as well as specialized services her son needed for a disability She worked for a social services organization at the time but the cost of employer insurance was three-quarters of her salary with employer-­provided health coverage and no longer needed Medicaid after two years She also went on to earn several advanced degrees and is now chief operating officer at Kona Community Hospital will never forget how Medicaid was there when she needed it “This was a very real need,” she said “It was a way to make sure my kids were safe and healthy while I figured out how to address this horrible and we were able to move forward from there.” But Medicaid is under threat, with Republicans in Congress considering cuts to the program as part of a wide-ranging budget package Congress is targeting up to $880 billion in cuts over 10 years Some possibilities include adding new work requirements for eligibility and scaling back the federal share of Medicaid costs KFF said any reduction in federal Medicaid would leave states with tough choices on how to offset reductions Medicaid provides health care coverage for more than 80 million Americans Josh Green ran through the numbers on his whiteboard in a recent social media post saying federal cuts to Medicaid would result in increased medical debt for residents and potentially affect Hawaii’s rural hospitals It would mean fewer people getting their high blood pressure diagnosed or their medication for diabetes “A cut to Medicaid is a cut to all of our care in the country and we won’t let that happen without a fight,” said Green “Please know we’re going to continue to work hard to make sure all our people are well cared for.” and provides health care coverage for more than 400,000 residents It provides health care for 1 in 3 keiki and covers 1 in 3 births in the state It also provides nursing home coverage and home-based care to those who qualify federal funds cover 73% of the $3 billion spent annually on Medicaid At this time there have been no changes to Medicaid funding in Hawaii according to the state Department of Human Services “We continue to monitor the debate over Medicaid funding that is happening at the federal level,” said DHS in an announcement posted to its website “Please be assured that no changes have been made at this time to Hawaii’s Medicaid program We encourage you to continue to access healthcare by making and keeping appointments with your health care professional and picking up any medications that are prescribed.” AlohaCare is nonprofit health plan that has provided coverage for QUEST beneficiaries since its founding in 1994 It is Hawaii’s second-­largest Medicaid health plan Culley-Trotman said Medicaid serves as a vital safety net for individuals and families who cannot afford private health insurance or have limited access to employer-­sponsored coverage Any cuts to Medicaid funding would be “very devastating” for Hawaii “The difficulty of thriving in an expensive state itself is a challenge,” she said you’re challenging the household and people’s ability to take care of themselves There’s going to be disruption in caregiving.” people without routine health care resort to using emergency rooms which is costly and strains the hospital system AlohaCare celebrated Medicaid Awareness Month in April by collecting stories such as Feeley-Austin’s and will continue to do so until federal and state Medicaid budgets are finalized But the uncertainty from not knowing the details is also extremely stressful All of Hawaii’s hospitals would be affected by Medicaid cuts president and CEO of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii A reduction in Medicare reimbursements would increase the financial burden for hospitals “Our hospitals already operate on very “It’s a very challenging health care environment Medicaid covers about 60% of patients at skilled nursing facilities in Hawaii and is the single largest payer for long-term care in the state Raethel said he expects the state Legislature to address federal cuts during a special session in November and that by then Hawaii should know how much and where the cuts will be “The state has been very careful to put aside some dollars so if they do need to close some of these gaps they have the ability to do that in the short term,” he said “but they still have limited ability depending on how draconian these cuts might be.” Hawaii’s congressional delegation is aware of the pending threats and advocating for their fellow Congress members to think about the devastating impact to their states Mazie Hirono condemned the impending cuts to a critical program such as Medicaid warning that it could affect thousands of residents in Hawaii “President Trump and Republicans are working to cut over $800 billion in Medicaid funding which would impact hundreds of thousands of people in Hawaii,” said Hiro­no in a statement “As costs continue to rise for working families Republicans are jeopardizing health care access for millions of Americans in order to pay for trillions in tax cuts for their billionaire buddies Medicaid is an essential resource that helps rural communities and I will do everything in my power to protect this crucial program.” Brian Schatz recently met with The Queen’s Medical Center to discuss growing demands for its emergency department and the potential impact of Med-QUEST cuts A significant share of Queen’s patients are Med-QUEST recipients AlohaCare’s Culley-­Trotman said part of her campaign is to battle the misconception that Medicaid recipients are lazy or unwilling to work nearly two-thirds of adult Medicaid enrollees work either part or full time AlohaCare’s Culley-­Trotman said about 60% of adults on Med-QUEST in Hawaii have a job which leaves them unqualified for health insurance coverage Feeley-Austin says both her children are doing well now with one about to graduate from high school and the other attending college — and she is grateful Medicaid was there when she needed it “It’s very humbling,” she said “I keep going back to there’s this concept especially with everything happening at a national level That’s not always what happens.” or accidents that result in disabilities and serious illnesses — and Medicaid is a safety net Based on an earlier analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Hawaii would have to raise taxes or cut other parts of its budget by an estimated $3 billion over 10 years to maintain Med-QUEST including the Medicaid expansion to low-income adults “Cutting Medicaid by taking away coverage and shifting costs to states will have long-term and expensive repercussions and straining state and local economies,” said the center “Cutting Medicaid is ill-advised and should be rejected.” to states like Hawaii that have expanded Medicaid to low-income adults >> Medicaid is administered as Med-QUEST in Hawaii as a joint federal-state program >> Provides health insurance for more than 400,000 Hawaii residents >> Hawaii is among 41 states that expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act >> Hawaii spends about $3 billion annually on Med- icaid (federal share >> Med-QUEST health plans are offered by managed-care organizations AlohaCare >> The Children’s Health Insurance Program AlohaCare invites residents to share their stories following Medicaid Awareness Month in April at alohacare.org (share story at linktr.ee/sharemystory) By Ian Bauer Politics Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s longtime vow to merge the city’s real estate and housing agencies into one unified operation has come to fruition which advanced the mayor’s plan to create the city Department of Housing and Land Management The Council’s approved merger — which amends the City Charter via the mayor’s executive power to reorganize city departments — will supposedly consolidate key housing and land functions Those tasks involve the city Department of Land Management as well as the city Department of Planning and Permitting and city Department of Community Serv­ices into a single entity with 51 full-time positions executive director of the Office of Housing since November has been nominated by the mayor to serve as DHLM’s director has been appointed to become the new department’s deputy director “This marks the first time in 27 years that the city will have a fully staffed department dedicated to the development of much needed housing,” Blangiardi said in a statement the Office of Housing had just one employee we are launching a department built from the ground up — one that reflects our administration’s resolve to take action and deliver real results for the people of Oahu.” and the leadership to do more — and do it faster,” the mayor added The new department will feature two major new divisions: a housing development division to lead partnerships on city-owned land and a housing finance division to create innovative funding tools that reduce barriers to development DHLM’s formation aligns with the city’s 2025-2028 Strategic Housing Plan which aims to partner with developers to “activate underutilized” city-owned lands on the island and involve using new types of “financing strategies” to build more housing on the island Council member Val Okimoto questioned the city about staffing — including leadership positions within divisions of DHLM that still remain vacant — and the logistics of the new department “I think in theory it seems wonderful (but) I wonder how feasible this is,” Oki­moto said knowing that we still have some vacancies that you’re having to fill how long do you think you anticipate before you’re running efficiently?” Auger said DHLM “won’t be fully funded until July,” with the start of the 2026 fiscal year it takes time to identify really good candidates,” he added “We’re starting with the top leadership for those divisions because generally when you hire somebody to lead a division But it’s still going to take time … and we’ve got to start somewhere.” Cordero expressed displeasure over the way the new city department was brought to the Council I feel like we’ve been pushed into a corner to pass this as well as putting it into the budget to also approve of that budget under DHLM,” she said the mayor announced this (reorganization) in the State of the City in 2023 and we’ve been working closely with Housing Committee Chair (Matt) Weyer on this process “That’s my exact question to you: Why are we doing it in March 2025 We could have had it even at the end of last year and introduced it in March of 2025.” “The simple answer to that is it’s important It’s not an issue of trying to jam the Council.” Council Chair Tommy Waters — who has expressed support for the merged department — recently requested the city administration provide a list of all city-owned properties on Oahu city Managing Director Mike Formby told Waters the city does not have easy access to records regarding city-owned properties “The responsibility for properties was decentralized in 1998 following the disbandment of the former Department of Housing and Community Development,” Formby explained He’d note that one of the goals of the reorganization “is to aggregate all housing programs and properties particularly affordable housing programs and properties into DHLM for centralized reporting consistent with the Charter.” Formby said the inventory of city-owned properties is maintained on the city’s Enterprise Resource Planning System that platform lacks a user-friendly interface for sortable data review and reporting,” he added Formby said city staff are working “to aggregate and update data from various departments which is distinctive and incomplete in its existing format to create a comprehensive database as required” by City Charter He noted the requested “database will be maintained in DHLM.” I apologize that we are not presently able to deliver the requested update,” Formby said “but we are working in good faith on what we agree is a necessary database for both Council and the administration and we will update Council as we make improvements.” Waters said his April 8 request for a list of city-owned properties was related to affordable housing “The reason it’s important is I’m asking each of the Council members to look at city-owned properties in their districts that we can identify for affordable housing,” he added Although he received Formby’s response “Do you have any more information on when we can expect that list?” “I can certainly follow up on that and get back to you on that.” “The idea is we want to help you build affordable housing.” And he added “If we don’t know what properties we have it makes it that much more difficult.” “We do have an inventory of property; it’s just not really accessible in the way that we’d really like to see it be accessible.” Auger asserted that 10 city-owned properties have been identified for up to 2,500 units “which is more than we can currently finance.” Council members Augie Tulba and Andria Tupola were absent from the meeting By Peter Boylan Crime in HawaiiEditors' Picks To help monitor crime and maintain public safety the state wants Waikiki hotels and businesses to allow real-time access to their private security cameras a city security camera at Kalakaua Avenue and Lewers Street including one at Kalakaua Avenue and Lewers Street The state is pitching a plan to Waikiki hotels and businesses that would allow real-time access to the footage from their private security cameras to help monitor crime and maintain public safety If enough businesses buy in to the agreement the state Department of Law Enforcement will make a “significant investment” in license plate readers drones and additional cameras to areas that are not currently covered Director Mike Lambert told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser State officials are in the pitch phase of the project and hope to be actively engaged in memorandum of agreement discussions in the coming weeks and partnerships with private businesses is used in cities such as San Francisco and Miami and is being explored in other tourist hubs it “requires interest and cooperation from the area hotels and business” to allow the Real Time Operations Center access to existing public-facing cameras to assist in monitoring activities that impact public safety “The DLE intends to use Waikiki as its showpiece to promote the SVT concept but we also intend to run similar yet scaled pilots in agricultural areas at state buildings and infrastructure that are susceptible to criminal activity as well as on a handful of Department of Hawaiian Home Lands communities across the state that are interested in the additional monitoring,” said Lambert a former major with the Honolulu Police Department The motivation for turning to technology initiatives is that metropolitan police departments across the country are struggling to recruit Law enforcement agencies and local governments are struggling to address the officer shortage Any kind of county service is difficult as there are more than 2,000 vacancies citywide unpredictable and dangerous nature of traditional police work does not interest young people the way it once did when speaking to the target audience of 16-24 year-olds as well as having opportunities to work with big-name vendors that utilize advanced AI (artificial intelligence) to support law enforcement has created more interest in this field,” said Lambert “The hope would be that these individuals would fill the increasing void in public safety through technology platforms while the law enforcement community at large works to improve interest in traditional policing.” is working on that partnership with the state to bring “cutting-edge technology to Waikiki” to improve public safety the organization’s president and executive director WBID would help organize the businesses and commercial properties to participate in adding more cameras to the public safety network Currently the city operates 31 cameras as part of an overt video surveillance system in Waikiki 26 of those cameras operate around the clock and three work at night but are offline during the day due to an issue with the battery system one due to obstruction of the wireless backhaul signal by surrounding trees and the other because of a power problem and we remain confident in the overall safety of Waikiki While a portion of the security cameras are currently offline the Honolulu Police Department continues to maintain a strong presence in the area with officers regularly patrolling key locations,” read a statement to the Star- Advertiser by Scott Humber Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s communications director The city is planning an inspection in the coming weeks to figure out what is causing camera outages we’ll be able to give a better estimate on how long the repairs will take and how much they’ll cost,” he said and we really appreciate the public’s patience as we work to get it resolved.” The city also operates an overt video surveillance system in Waikiki and is exploring expansion into West Oahu Almost every business and commercial property has public-facing cameras in their private network that face the street The state is investing in a technology network that will be able to have these private cameras added into the broader network of public cameras therefore expanding the number of cameras in Waikiki that law enforcement agencies have access to “While we only currently have 26 (full time) working public safety cameras in Waikiki this public-private partnership can add dozens of additional cameras into the system,” said Abarzua Abarzua noted a visit he made to The Union Square Alliance in San Francisco along with San Francisco Police Department to learn about how they rolled out an identical partnership Union Square was able to add 520 cameras into their system allowing SFPD greater access to help improve public safety The need to prevent crime and improve public safety in the heart of Hawaii’s visitor industry should not unduly infringe on citizens’ right to privacy an attorney and legal director with the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii told the Star-Advertiser that the SVT program is “deeply alarming” from a civil liberties perspective “Pouring resources into license plate readers drones and cameras is investing in the creation of a ‘Big Brother’-like surveillance state While the state may claim to be focused on improving public safety blanketing Waikiki with advanced surveillance technology is not about safety — it’s about public control,” said Kim “We should be extremely wary of initiatives like this one that normalize constant monitoring of everyday life this kind of surveillance will inevitably chill lawful conduct and the exercise of our fundamental rights especially when it’s unclear whether there will be meaningful oversight.” Kim believes any program arising from the partnership between government and private businesses needs strict safeguards to ensure that the data collected is not used for purposes beyond its stated intent we risk opening the door to widespread misuse of our personal information Safety cannot come at the expense of our freedoms,” he said Lambert acknowledged that the biggest pushback will be the arguments on overmonitoring He thanked WBID for supporting the discussions around this initiative and hopes the community will support the additional monitoring with the intent to “identify and deter crime.” I could care less if I’m being videoed as I’m walking down the street if the intent is to deter someone from robbing me The reality is this: If you aren’t breaking the law then there is nothing to worry about,” said Lambert By Allison Schaefers BusinessEditors' Picks and interim president and CEO Caroline Anderson preside during a board meeting on Thursday Hawai‘i Tourism Authority vice president of finance and acting chief administrative officer takes his seat during Thursday’s board meeting HTA chief stewardship officer and interim public affairs officer prior to the start of a board meeting on Thursday in Honolulu Choy has been accused of making racist comments about Native Hawaiians and creating a hostile work environment Ka‘ana‘ana resigned from his role at HTA as of Friday A state senator and some Hawai‘i Tourism Authority board members and former staff say the two main state agencies overseeing tourism failed to respond promptly to complaints about a hostile work environment — including alleged racist and sexist comments — that they said contributed to the recent resignations of five Native Hawaiian members of HTA’s leadership team Ewa Beach) told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Friday that he has asked state Attorney General Anne E Lopez to investigate complaints about a hostile work environment at HTA that allegedly included “a chauvinistic attitude toward women and racist slurs toward Native Hawaiian workers” and “threats made to previous (HTA) leadership.” In a written request sent to Lopez Thursday Fevella said he was recently informed that female HTA board members had submitted complaints to her office regarding Isaac Choy HTA’s vice president of finance and acting chief administrative officer has made female board members feel belittled and has created a hostile work environment a thorough investigation must be conducted and cannot be swept under the rug “I am even more disturbed and outraged by reports that Mr Choy made derogatory and dismissive comments these remarks are unacceptable and unlawful,” wrote Fevella Choy said in an email to the Star-Advertiser on Friday All board and committee meetings are recorded and available on the HTA website.” who was elected to five terms in the House of Representatives serving the Manoa district from 2008 through 2018 also told the Star-­Advertiser on Thursday “I am not a racist,” when asked in person for an interview spokesperson for the Department of the Attorney General said in an email Friday that the department “will not make statements on the existence or status of specific investigations or about possible pending cases.” the Star-Advertiser has obtained a series of documents that illuminate what Fevella is asking Lopez to investigate in relation to HTA which is administratively attached to the state Department of Business >> Former interim HTA president and CEO Daniel Naho‘opi‘i sent a resignation letter on March 19 to the HTA board alleging that the work environment was “at times 25 incident report to Naho‘opi‘i from Tyler Gomes administrator for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s Kilohana alleged that Choy called Gomes and the rest of the CNHA team “dumb Hawaiians,” during an August 2023 meeting and afterward embarked on a pattern of behavior that was “race-based in its inequity.” >> HTA board member Stephanie Iona told the Star-Advertiser Friday that members of the HTA CEO Search Committee adjusted their vetting procedure so that the resumes of all applicants applying for the position went to the entire committee after the contractor running the executive search alleged that an HTA staff facilitator had expressed a concern about Polynesians Choy and DBEDT director James Kuane Tokioka both declined a Star-Advertiser request for an in-person interview and asked for questions in writing The newspaper emailed them questions Thursday and Friday asking about the allegations Choy declined to respond to specific allegations Tokioka told the Star-­Advertiser in an email Friday that CNHA officials were not present at the August 2023 meeting but that he was there and heard Choy use derogatory language during the conversation about CNHA with other HTA staff members Choy that his comments were unacceptable and that he should not use language like that in the future,” Tokioka said Tokioka said he informed Choy during an Oct meeting that he was placing a written warning in his personnel file and would inform Naho‘opi‘i of the written warning to the staff reinforcing that this type of incident would not happen again,” Tokioka said Tokioka said in an email to the Star-Advertiser’s query about other alleged incidents outside of the CNHA complaint “You know these meeting are all recorded and if any of these comments were made at a board meeting it shouldn’t be too hard to find I was never in a meeting that comments as you listed were made.” But according to those who reported the other incidents the alleged remarks were not made during public meetings I have no knowledge of the question or not enough information to answer the allegation “I also want you to know that as an employee of the State I’ve attended numerous harassment classes and when complaints are referred to my office from the 6 divisions and 12 attached agencies of DBEDT I take them very seriously.” the Star-­Advertiser contacted CNHA’s Gomes who said that he waited to file a complaint against Choy because he initially thought the “dumb Hawaiians” comment was a one-off He said that he reconsidered and reported the incident to Naho‘opi‘i after CNHA experienced a series of difficulties relating to its destination stewardship contract is worth $27.1 million for the initial 2-1/2 year term with an option for two one-year extensions I’m well aware of the state’s required trainings through (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) This comment made by Isaac is in clear violation of the state’s policies on hate speech.” Gomes alleged that Choy imposed compliance requirements for CNHA’s contract that differed from what was expected of other vendors Gomes also told the Star-­Advertiser that Choy purportedly delayed the release of checks over a 400-day period to CNHA despite the contract manager approving invoices “Based on what I believe is his underlying anti-­Hawaiian sentiment it is clear that this patterned behavior is race-based in its inequity.” due to concerns with how CNHA/Kilohana Collective’s deliverables were being provided to the HTA at the beginning of the contract Choy or someone from his team to review HTA’s reporting guidelines with CNHA/Kilohana Collective to ensure that the deliverables provided were in alignment with contract requirements.” Tokioka said it was brought to his attention in February that payments to CNHA/Kilohana Collective were past due for more than $3.5 million the HTA program manager assigned to manage CNHA’s contract had not processed the payments I replaced the HTA program manager and assigned Mr Gomes said Thursday that HTA’s payments to CNHA are now current and that since Tokioka intervened Documents obtained by the Star-Advertiser indicate a shift away from the growing Native Hawaiian focus that emerged at HTA under John De Fries the agency’sfirst Native Hawaiian president and CEO who DeFries hired as his HTA chief administrative officer became the second Native Hawaiian to serve in HTA’s top role Naho‘opi‘i was promoted to HTA interim president and CEO but resigned from the role on March 21 after 18 months Other recent resignations by Native Hawaiian staff have included Maka Casson-­Fisher HTA brand manager; ‘Iwalani Kaho‘ohanohano HTA public affairs officer; and most recently Kalani Ka‘ana‘ana “The question we should be asking as a board is ‘How could five top managers leave in less than seven months Do those five managers have a common denominator?’ Yes said she is among the HTA board members who made complaints and called for an investigation Daniel leaves and writes a letter and now Kalani.” Naho‘opi‘i detailed a toxic work environment and a lack of support for the Native Hawaiian community in his resignation letter to the HTA board Naho‘opi‘i expressed disappointment that “some legislators and leaders are not supportive of the strategic shift to a regenerative tourism model including efforts to ensure the commitment to the Native Hawaiian community (as stated in the Aloha ‘Aina Economic Futures signed on by the board).” Tokioka said Naho‘opi‘i did not bring concerns about HTA shifting away from the regenerative tourism model to his attention before his departure Naho‘opi‘i’ said some board members were advocating for board bylaws or legislation that “decreased the control and responsibility of the HTA CEO in supervision of its staff while increasing the powers of the board or DBEDT.” Naho‘opi‘i told the Star-Advertiser on Saturday that a key reason he left HTA was that he was prevented from effectively addressing numerous complaints involving Choy including: two formal complaints from HTA board members one formal complaint from an HTA employee and multiple other informal employee complaints “I was facing a lot of resistance from (DBEDT) HR saying that I should just resolve it from meeting with him,” Naho‘opi‘i said the board has to take care of their own board complaints,” he said Naho‘opi‘i said he felt threatened because Tokioka had tried to discipline him after Naho‘opi‘i represented the HTA board’s position on a bill in 2024 that was not aligned with DBEDT’s position “Every time I tried to do something to discipline staff or even just talk about issues related to HTA Jimmy would step in if things that I was doing did not align with Isaac or his desires,” he said “There’s a long state process for disciplinary action.” promoted Choy to acting chief administrative officer on April 16 while unresolved complaints remained Fevella said he plans to hold a news conference and sign-waving on Monday from 9 to 11 a.m at the state Capitol calling to end racism and chauvinism at the HTA who became interim HTA president and CEO upon Naho‘opi‘i’s departure “We aspire to be an organization informed by Native Hawaiian values and always strive to provide a workplace where our staff and partners feel safe Newly elected HTA board Chair Todd Apo told the Star-Advertiser “The matter is in the Attorney General’s hands and we have to wait for direction from them 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 President Trump has said he wants to deport hardened criminals agents are snaring undocumented children and their adult relatives a Big Island first grader was taken into custody at his elementary school by a Hawaiʻi Police Department school resource officer and turned over to Child Welfare Services.  The agency then turned him over to federal immigration authorities who earlier that day had arrested his father federal immigration law enforcement agents descended on a small blue house in South Kona’s coffee belt region and interrogated a mother and her three children They returned the next day with warrants to apprehend all four who within a week were deported to Honduras federal agents took a 17-year-old South Kona high school student into custody The teenager is now reportedly being held in a youth detention center in Texas.  President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants is going well beyond the hardened criminals he rails against snaring undocumented immigrant children and the adults in their lives The strategy was outlined in an immigration enforcement playbook developed by the Immigration Customs and Enforcement agency or ICE,  days after the new administration took office.  with the state’s largest and fastest-growing Latino population Federal officials say the objective is to check on the welfare of Unaccompanied Alien Children a term used to describe youth apprehended crossing the U.S Those children were then placed by the government with sponsors in the country – guardians who are generally parents or relatives.  The goal outlined in official documents is to make sure the children are safe and not involved in criminal activity Advocates call it an excuse for going after highly vulnerable immigrants and using the knowledge of their whereabouts to entrap the adults charged with caring for them “My concern is that these ‘welfare checks’ are a Trojan horse,” said Becky Wolozin senior attorney at the National Center for Youth Law in Washington “The ICE directive suggests that ICE has discretion to use the information they collect during these visits to carry out arrests and detentions of unaccompanied children and the adults in their homes.” “is cruel and fundamentally at odds with a child’s wellbeing and it seems to have happened quickly in Hawaii.” The enforcement effort has hit the island’s coffee-growing west side with particular force a Honduran immigrant listed as the sponsor for his teenage niece seated outside a store along the Māmalahoa Highway overlooking coffee farms that slope to the ocean Juan returned from work to hear from his neighbors that ICE agents had come looking for him and his niece Now he and his family – his three U.S.-born children attend South Kona schools – leave the house at the crack of dawn and stay away until evening he watches for agents coming up the road to his home At work – he is employed by different coffee farmers and farms his own five leased acres of coffee trees – he scouts exit routes “I’m always worried about what can happen,” he said The Hawaiʻi Police Department had a bit part in each of those three Big Island apprehensions It has cooperation agreements with the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations to work together investigating crimes such as human and drug trafficking and other serious felonies Police Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz has said that his department doesn’t want to enforce immigration laws and that the agreements do not authorize that activity But advocates for immigrants say the agreements put local police on a perilous path toward joining in Trump’s mass deportation campaign In the case of the 7-year-old boy whose father had been arrested Hawaiʻi “law enforcement took the child into protective custody since there was no guardian available,” said Assistant Hawaiʻi Police Chief Sherry Bird.  In the case of the mother and three children they were held in a room at the Kona police station to await transport to Oʻahu Moszkowicz previously said his police department supplied a conference room for the family so they didn’t have to sit in a van for hours he was held at the Kona Police station while Homeland Security Investigations agents processed him after detaining him in a last-ditch effort to win the teenager’s release teachers who knew him raced to the police department lobby on Hale Makai Place north of Kailua Kona carrying documents they believed would show his aunt had custody of him and that he should be released to her They recorded the interaction on their cellphones “There’s formal paperwork that establishes guardianship in emergency contact situations,” Justin Brown a Kealakehe High School teacher who helped gather the paperwork tells Homeland Security Investigations Supervisory Special Agent Isra Harahap on the recording and we’ll put it in the file,” Harahap responds Asked whether the group could continue to contact him at the department that night if they needed anything Harahap says of the police department: “They were just kind enough to give us a place to do the work That incident and others in which local police assisted immigration agents have borne out advocates’ fears that local police are getting wrapped up in immigration crackdowns, said Rose Bautista, a Big Island attorney who spoke against the cooperation agreements in hearings in March at the Hawaiʻi County Council Homeland Security Investigations has two desks in the department’s offices and can deputize officers for certain crime-fighting operations not related to immigration.   The impression the public takes away from the ways police action has overlapped with immigration enforcement said Hawaiʻi County Council member Rebecca Villegas highlights the problem with the agreements She was in the minority who voted against a resolution allowing the mayor to sign them in April And the public does not decipher the legal jurisdictions between different law enforcement agencies,” Villegas said my constituent was not protected by my local police department.” there was speculation that school officials cooperated with ICE According to state Department of Education spokesperson Nanea Ching “No ICE enforcement actions to remove students have occurred on (Hawaiʻi) public school campuses to date.” different reports swirled in the community about where he was picked up including that he was apprehended on the way home from school.  two more school-age children were detained farther east in the days since the 17-year-old was taken away While ICE has publicized some of its larger more dramatic enforcement operations elsewhere in the nation it has not talked about its activity in Hawaiʻi Honolulu-based Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Erin Musso said that data about how many unaccompanied children or adults have been detained on the Big Island since Trump took office in that moment it doesn’t matter,” said Graciela Del Rio a Big Island nonprofit that supports immigrants workplaces and community spaces are feeling it Attendance was down at a popular Easter egg hunt “The understanding among a lot of our students who feel really vulnerable is I’m not safe at school,’” said Brown “There’s just so much fear right now Ely Pacheco arrived in the United States in 2016 as an unaccompanied minor himself soon to be reunited with his father on the Big Island runs a landscaping company and is in the process of getting a green card When ICE started detaining Big Island immigrants his employees didn’t come to work for more than a week, Pacheco said ‘Immigration is all over.’ They’re like He worked for a decade in restaurants and then on coffee farms he is a good basketball player who used to play in a community park only the most critical trips to the grocery store he and his wife go to work and take the kids to school And dropping his children off at school and picking them up feels suddenly risky “We try to send them to school to get a better future,” he said we have hard time to do it because we are afraid to get caught.” A majority of coffee from Hawaiʻi is grown on the Big Island where the industry already has been under siege from Coffee Leaf Rust and labor shortages At least 4,000 acres of coffee trees are farmed in Kona by more than 600 farms according to the Hawaiʻi Coffee Association After hearing that ICE agents were roaming the area South Kona coffee farmer Armando Rodriguez took to locking his driveway gate for the first time ever Statements by immigration agents that advocates could be arrested if they interfere with enforcement operations are worrying too “We don’t feel safe and we never thought this was something that would happen in Hawaiʻii Rodriguez said the crackdown is deterring residents from California and Arizona who would typically fly into Hawaiʻi to work during the upcoming coffee harvest He said a fellow farmer who employs about 40 such migrant workers every year is bracing to lose nearly a third of his crop “They told us they’re not going to come this year,” Rodriguez said “I’m predicting we’re going to lose a lot of coffee because there’s a lot of coffee on the trees.” It’s not clear whether the high number of Latino immigrant workers in the coffee industry — many of them Mexican but in recent years increasingly from Honduras as well — is what has attracted ICE’s attention Sweeps of the Big Island happened during the first Trump administration as well The four-page ICE memo that immigration agents seem to be following now offers few clues. Titled Unaccompanied Alien Children Joint Initiative Field Implementation starting with prioritizing which immigrant youth to focus on — from those who didn’t show up at an immigration hearing to others the government has not been able to contact since they were placed with sponsors to youth “considered a threat to public safety,” to those with deportation orders Subsequent phases include “target packets” created by Homeland Security Investigations field offices which coordinate with ICE to detain and remove immigrants found in violation of immigration laws Since 2014, 170 unaccompanied immigrant children have been released to sponsors in the state of Hawaiʻi according to the Department of Health and Human Services co-coordinator of the Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights said immigration enforcement officials have told her that they are working off a list of about 100 children The ICE memo describes the initiative as a way to make sure unaccompanied children are up to date with their immigration legalities and “conducting investigative activities to ensure (unaccompanied children) are not subjected to crimes of human trafficking or other exploitation.” With each immigrant apprehended, that rings more false to advocates – especially as the administration has taken steps, currently blocked by a court order to cut funding to programs that provide legal representation to unaccompanied migrant children I would call it a mass raid,” said Kara Teng managing attorney of the Honolulu-based Pacific Gateway Center’s Unaccompanied Children Program which offers legal services to young immigrants “Everyone is pretty much collateral damage when ICE conducts these wellness checks.” 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 policy and public affairs as seen through the eyes of our political cartoonists Will Caron is director of communications at the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, a policy research and advocacy nonprofit. Opinions are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat’s views or that of Appleseed. You can reach him at  info@willcaronhawaii.com Honolulu Civil Beat is a nonprofit organization and your donation helps us produce local reporting that serves all of Hawaii Ideas is the place you'll find essays, analysis and opinion on public affairs in Hawaiʻi. We want to showcase smart ideas about the future of Hawaiʻi, from the state's sharpest thinkers, to stretch our collective thinking about a problem or an issue. Email news@civilbeat.org to submit an idea Sign up for our FREE morning newsletter and face each day more informed By Stephen Tsai Six months after being terminated as the University of Hawaii’s athletic director Craig Angelos confirmed he has reapplied for his former position “I wanted to apply and see if I can get my old job back who submitted his application to the search committee on Thursday then UH president David Lassner told Angelos he would not be retained as athletic director It was decided Angelos would complete his 18-month tenure on Dec As an at-will employee who reported to Lassner Angelos said he was “blind-sided” by the move roughly three months of his annual salary of $348,000 UH officials did not disclose details that led to the parting Lois Manin has served as acting athletic director Manin has said she does not plan to apply for the permanent position Zoom interviews with candidates will be conducted on May 19 and 20 “Still living here in the same place,” he said “I’ve been on the island the whole time We’ll be here until we find another opportunity Reflections of a journalist as he begins his sweet 16th year at Hawaiʻiʻs independent online news source Chad Blair is the politics editor for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at cblair@civilbeat.org or follow him on X at @chadblairCB Honolulu Civil Beat started publishing 15 years ago today and Iʻve been here as a reporter and editor from the start — actually a month before the launch I’ve told the story of Civil Beat’s origins before, including just five years ago on our 10th anniversary I write this piece in a more reflective mood than the celebratory state I was in five years ago because the state of American journalism has never seemed so dire The world and Civil Beat’s work has changed since 2020 all coming down during an historic presidential election another historic presidential election and our current uncertain and anxious times — tariffs Something shifted tectonically five years ago and I am proud that my colleagues were on top of it The last five years saw major stories on high-profile political corruption cases the Red Hill environmental disaster and the Maui wildfires Indeed, stories we ran in May 2020 alone pointed the way to topics that would lead our coverage through the present day: climate change leaky fuel tanks and raising the hotel tax In May 2024, we were named a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in breaking news for coverage of the Maui fires Hawaiʻi remains very much impacted by and involved with national events It makes me want to state the obvious: We need independent journalism the Trump administration’s policies have directly impacted the islands and demand greater local reporting The state of the media was also very much on my mind as I attended a Society of Professional Journalists conference in San Francisco this weekend The theme was “Reporting In Hostile Times,” and it drew members from SPJ chapters in Hawaiʻi “Journalists today face unprecedented challenges — press freedom is under attack and the media industry is evolving at a rapid pace,” said the promotion for the conference based on just the last 100 days and counting It’s a fair question to wonder whether journalism can survive worries grow that robots are trying to steal the few good media jobs that remain Artificial intelligence was a major topic at the conference as it has been for several years now at all journalism conferences expanded coverage while others cast warnings Here are a few SPJ conference takeaways that chime with Civil Beat’s mission Nonprofit news websites: Trump’s threats to nonprofit organizations including news organizations such as PBS and NPR Some donors are holding back on giving because of fear of retribution Others are evaluating more carefully whether they are getting the biggest bang for their bucks Takeaway: Don’t turn news audiences into commodities It takes time to build trust and build communities Do these things and philanthropy will follow Artificial intelligence: As a member of the original generation of CB journalists My anxiety was eased somewhat at the SPJ conference — although it was unnerving how many Google driverless ride-hailing cars I saw on the streets of San Francisco Takeaway: AI is already being used to scrape data in order to track state governments for trends in legislation to see how lawmakers vote and to analyze election results albeit with spreadsheets and databases and, in my case a pen and yellow pad.) AI is a tremendous time-saver but AI makes many mistakes and human judgment is essential to fact-checking The words “existential,” “seminal,” “unprecedented” and “uncertain” were used a lot at the conference Supreme Court decision in New York Times Co Sullivan that requires public officials to show actual malice on the part of the press in libel cases survive Will the 1971 Pentagon Papers case that defended the First Amendment right of a free press against prior restraint survive the courts are our greatest hope to preserve the Constitution covered Trump back in the president’s Atlantic City casino days He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and co-chair of SPJ NorCal’s Freedom of Information Committee Peele’s advice to journalists: Work harder electricity and food costs are still exorbitant and homes are still falling into the sea Lack of transparency and accountability in local governance remain By David Shapiro Editors' PicksFeatured Columns presides during the final day of the 2025 Hawaii legislative session on Friday It’s debatable how well the 2025 Legislature took care of constituents but lawmakers diligently looked after themselves They gobbled 48% raises over six years that will ultimately pay $114,348 a year for their part-time jobs blocked campaign reforms that would have made it easier to run against them and gave themselves free child care fellow citizens don’t get The pay hikes came without public hearings or votes after Senate President Ron Kouchi and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura refused to hear Republican bills to decline raises proposed by a Salary Commission appointed predominantly by the Legislature allowing increases to automatically take effect Public outrage was matched by that of unionized state workers “How are you guys going to take that kind of money and throw us pennies?” asked corrections officer Paul Kyles Lawmakers say the high pay is needed to attract more and better candidates for the seats but they did everything they could this session to prevent competition for their jobs from happening Every major measure died that would make elections more open and with less advantage for incumbents — term limits curbs on pay-to-play fundraising that corrupts local politics Death often came unilaterally at the hands of powerful committee chairs or Kouchi and Nakamura without broad member involvement — at least publicly But the Big Bad Wolf image of leadership is partly play-acting Members want to get oversize raises and kill reforms but are chicken to cast unpopular votes So leaders do the dirty work and members are off the hook; that’s how they get to be leaders Disingenuous legislators can then say in the next election there was nothing they could do about pay raises and failed reforms because there were no votes which allows lawmakers to charge the expenses to their campaign funds The bill passed both houses with overwhelming support and is already signed into law by Gov It’s the latest attempt to turn political campaign accounts into personal slush funds following previous acts allowing politicians to make their charitable donations from campaign funds and use their own accounts to give to other candidates So we have on one hand an increasingly corrupt election financing system that legislators refuse to fix and on the other hand lawmakers creating new incentives to grub even more special-interest campaign money they can put to personal use Legislators claim the new child care perk is needed to make it easier for lawmakers with families to serve free child and elder care would make it easier for police officers to serve What has the Legislature done to get free child care for the rest of us The 2025 Legislature did a fine job of protecting its own members from the economic pain of these uncertain times Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com A local nonprofit helped clear upside-down jellyfish from the 800-year-old He‘eia Fishpond Sixty volunteers and staff waded thigh-deep into the historic He’eia Fishpond with nets and five-gallon buckets this week Remove as many invasive jellyfish as possible The task looked impossible as the group walked along the wall which separates the fishpond from Kāneʻohe Bay The jellyfish have spread across the fishpond floor like sea anemones Entertainment Acoba’s lei which won the Mayor’s Grand Prize at the 97th Lei Day Celebration Thursday Acoba won the Mayor’s Grand Prize at the 97th Lei Day Celebration Thursday at Kapiolani Park and First Princess Pualeilani Kamahoahoa look at the gallery of lei in for competition during the 97th Annual Lei Day Celebration Thursday at Kapiolani Park in Honolulu The Mayor’s Grand Prize at this year’s 97th Lei Day Celebration in Honolulu went to Dale Mar T Acoba wowed judges Thursday with his white lei kui made of hypericum and pearl yarrow The city also named winners in 14 other lei categories A total of $5,400 in prize money was awarded in the contest according the city Department of Parks and Recreation Thousands of visitors flocked to Kapiolani Park in Waikiki for the annual celebration which included the lei competition exhibit The theme of this year’s celebration was Ho’okahi ka ‘ilau like ‘ana The competition drew 137 entries in various categories based on the lei-maker’s age the fresh lei from the contest were taken to Mauna ‘Ala and placed on the graves and tombs of Hawaii’s alii By Victoria Budiono Thursday’s arson at Wahiawa District Park is the second major fire at the park in less than a year the Wahiawa United youth football program lost thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi says he is angry and disgusted after the newly renovated playground at Wahiawa District Park was set ablaze Thursday night Honolulu police have opened an arson investigation officers responded to a fire at the park and found the playground structure engulfed in flames The Honolulu Fire Department determined an accelerant was used deeply disappointed and quite frankly disgusted by the senseless act of vandalism and arson that destroyed the newly renovated playground at Wahiawa District Park,” Blangiardi said Friday in a statement “This was an investment in our community — especially for our keiki — and to see it deliberately torched just days after it was completed is nothing short of heartbreaking.” “What happened here is not just criminal; it’s personal It’s a violation of trust and an attack on the spirit of our community We will not tolerate this kind of behavior I have directed our teams to work closely with Honolulu Police and Fire investigators to bring those responsible to justice And make no mistake — we will rebuild this playground.” The mayor said the residents of Wahiawa deserve better and that the city will restore the space to be stronger and more resilient than before because “our keiki deserve nothing less.” Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation officials said in a post that the playground had just been renovated in mid-March and that they had installed new bouncy surfacing The original playground structure was installed in November 2015 Police said no suspect has been identified and that the investigation is ongoing Anyone with information about the arson case is urged to contact Crime­Stoppers at 808-955-8300 or via the P3 Tips app This is the second major fire at Wahiawa District Park in less than a year In August an overnight blaze burned thousands of dollars’ worth of Wahiawa United football equipment The fire destroyed an estimated $20,000 in gear just two weeks before the youth football season began which includes nearly 100 players ranging in age from 8 to 14 was forced to replace critical equipment in a short time frame Although surveillance cameras are installed at the park they are located at the pool area and do not cover the playground City officials have indicated that planning for repairs is already underway Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier headline did not reflect new information from Customs and Border Protection A pair of German teenagers said they were turned away at the border in Honolulu last month because they were unable to present lodging confirmation to Customs and Border Protection officers though the agency said they were turned away because they intended to perform work prohibited by their visas The incident was first reported by Ostsee-Zeitung arrived in Honolulu without hotel reservations for their planned five-week stay on the island Although both travelers had approval to travel to the U.S from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) that does not guarantee entry into the country Customs and Border Protection said officials acted properly based on the situation "These travelers were denied entry after attempting to enter the U.S the other the Visa Waiver Program," CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said in a statement "Both claimed they were touring California but later admitted they intended to work – something strictly prohibited under U.S to have to attest to their accommodations at the border Other countries similarly require proof of lodging Pohl and Lepere said they were handcuffed and given prison uniforms during their detention They were reportedly held in a deportation detention facility in Hawaii overnight before being deported to Tokyo Make your journey safer and smarter: Sign up for USA TODAY's Travel newsletter “It was all like a fever dream,” Lepere told Ostsee-Zeitung “We had already noticed a little bit of what was going on in the U.S we didn't think it was happening to Germans Germany is among the countries that recently updated its guidance for citizens planning to visit the U.S. advising them to be prepared for questioning at the border This story was updated to add new information and change headlines Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com Two young German travelers expected their Hawaii trip to be the highlight of a months-long world adventure and deportation — a stark reminder of the risks some international visitors face at U.S This story was first reported in Germany’s Ostsee-Zeitung newspaper a major regional daily that has been published for over seventy years The German Foreign Office confirmed its involvement in the case providing consular support after the travelers were detained in Honolulu arrived in Honolulu from Auckland with plans to explore Hawaii before continuing to California and Costa Rica their flexible travel style — including a lack of pre-booked lodging for their planned five-week Hawaii stay — raised red flags for U.S the two were accused of potential illegal work intentions a common concern for border officials screening young travelers without fixed plans The German Foreign Office later reminded travelers that ESTA approval does not guarantee entry to the U.S — a decision always left to border officials at the point of arrival The travelers described their detention experience as shocking and surreal After hours of questioning at Honolulu Airport and brought to what they later learned was a deportation detention facility they reported being subjected to full-body scans They were placed in a holding cell overnight alongside long-term detainees including individuals accused of serious crimes Conditions described included sleeping on thin and being warned by guards to avoid expired food the travelers were escorted back to Honolulu Airport in handcuffs and deported — not to Germany avoiding a longer return trip to New Zealand travelers are expressing uncertainty about how they’ll be received in parts of Europe European visitors are raising concerns about stricter U.S with fears of detention or deportation now influencing travel plans has tried to ease concerns of European travelers wanting to visit the USA by saying “If you’re not coming to the United States to join a Hamas protest or to come here and tell us about how right Hamas is or…stir up conflict on our campuses and create riots in our streets and vandalize our universities then you have nothing to worry about.” The ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) allows citizens of certain countries to travel to the U.S where border officials have the final say on whether to grant entry or proof of sufficient funds may be denied entry officials may also raise concerns if they suspect a visitor could be planning to work illegally or stay beyond their permitted time Even honest answers about working remotely or being flexible with travel plans can raise additional questions that may not end well for some visitors flexible travel style — common in places like New Zealand and Thailand — did not translate well when entering the U.S. where stricter documentation is often expected Germany’s updated travel advisory now explicitly warns that “entry to the United States is at the sole discretion of U.S This case highlights the importance of preparation and documentation for anyone planning a trip to Hawaii from abroad Travelers should expect to clearly explain their travel plans show proof of accommodations for their entire stay and provide evidence of onward or return travel Visitors must also have proof of sufficient funds to support themselves while in Hawaii and be ready to answer detailed questions from U.S A vague or incomplete explanation of travel plans could lead to delays While most international visitors experience no issues entering Hawaii this case serves as a cautionary reminder that what works in other countries may not work when dealing with U.S Stories like this could impact Hawaii’s image particularly among international visitors facing high costs and growing overtourism concerns With global media coverage of this case and broader concerns spreading through Germany and Europe some travelers may reconsider their Hawaii plans or choose destinations perceived as more welcoming Hawaii’s reputation as a dream destination depends not only on its natural beauty but also on the overall visitor experience That includes what happens when travelers step off the plane and enter immigration and customs international visitors to Hawaii must be fully prepared for the possibility of detailed questioning at the border Understanding the process and preparing accordingly can help avoid the risk of detention or deportation and ensure Hawaii remains the dream trip it was always intended to be Hawaii became unforgettable for these two young visitors for all the wrong reasons Their story is a cautionary tale for future visitors from abroad Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply you couldn’t pay me to come visit right now Just like you couldn’t pay me to go to Florida or any other Red state I’m not going to risk being detained and deported because an Immigration Officer doesn’t like my social media comments you say some US citizens are worried about visiting Europe There really isn’t a need for concern We know the people coming here are the ones we want to see I can see why these obvious Terroristen were promptly whisked away to confinement and strip searched w/o due process (I think that term is considered a pesky annoyance by current ICE and should be ignored) All this to make sure they didn’t have any weapons and encrypted plots to light another Lahaina type fire… I wonder who did the strip searches? I caught up with the response to this article and I’d say I’m encouraged by the general sense of outrage Very few commenters insisted that this was just business as usual Most were disturbed and have planned alternate travel Hawaii might have to make alternate economic plans I heard trump wants to open a MAGA Tower:) for select gold card holders flocking there As a German I will not leave my hard earned vacation money in a dictatorial uncivilized State where arbitrary rule and contempt for human dignity are the norm Sadly I’ not talking about North Korea You should leave Germany as just recently they announced the following: (such contempt for human beings): Chancellor Olaf Scholz has already set the tone for the new year In an interview with the news magazine Der Spiegel in December he came out in favor of “large-scale” deportations for rejected asylum applicants government figures show that 7,861 people were deported Changes include an end to announcing deportations in advance and extending asylum detention to 28 days Police will also have extended powers to search for those ordered to leave Some of them have gone into hiding because they are Not in any kind of detention facility So don’t even try to defend the Gestapo of your Trump regime I recognize fascists and their inhumane methods You can’t compare tourists who spend a few thousand on a flight and then another few grand on a hotel with guys on dinghies who cross the border illegally groped and thrown in jail just because they didn’t like my face. in exchange for a few thousand that went to waste…no I am telling all my friends around the world not to come here A lot of mean people and a very toxic place! There are mean people everywhere; why should it be any difference in Hawaii Rules are rules to protect us from potential US enemy’s intention Border Patrols need to be controlled pro-active I didn’t like how the 2 women were strip-searched or detained but we don’t have the ‘whole story’ let’s calm down until we really know what happened but I don’t want to fork out a couple of thousand just to be deported right back after 18h flight… I got married in Hawaii and was actually planning to go back there with my family for a vacation But as long as Trump and this administration are in power I’ll avoid the US and prefer to vacation in Canada or Mexico I travelled to the US 10 years ago and it was already exactly like this The arrogance and rudeness of US Border staff always stunned me Coming from Europe and looking obviously like a tourist doesn’t change anything As Americans we came here on scurvy filled boats and flew back on 747’s with chilled wine We became rich by inventing modern medicine And we did that by attracting and welcoming the smartest people in the world to places like MIT and Stanford As we deport literally thousands of college students on F-1 visas China and Europe are welcoming them with open arms realizing we are handing over our future on a silver platter It’s heartbreaking to see the damage that the current US administration is doing to tourism to one of our favourite places to visit – Hawaii We have cancelled our annual month long visit this year – mostly out of protest against the whole wanting to annex Canada but also having to register and carry a paper at all times to avoid fines and prosecution It’s definitely not the Aloha spirit that envelops Hawaii in normal times I saw this on LinkedIn and didn’t believe it was real I flew from Seoul to Honolulu as part of a multi-destination trip I was questioned a little more than I recall any other place Canadian here…The current US administration isn’t doing the job it was elected to do Protests across the nation I hope included Hawaii Paul Revere and the War of Independence were commemorated this last weekend and the church bells of Boston pealed and loudly rang “No taxation without representation” was cried in the streets…The Red Coats marched on the civilian population…If tourists avoid your state A couple of young kids being detained like this is shameful but I’d venture to say that the majority of the rest of the world will attribute this incident with America’s “Bigotry First” policy you believe Trumps policies are racially driven or not and this may very well lead to long term negative affects toward and for America they already had flights booked back from the US California which would have been the next stop in the US after 5 weeks Hawai You don’t have to be a troll to criticize the procedure Especially not when in the transcript of the interrogation the answer: “Travel and to visit my family in California” is changed at the end so that it says: “Work for accommodation and additional pocket money” Source: Interview by Stern with Maria & Charlotte These girls lost their money for the trip and their holiday So if they don’t want them to enter Hawaii/USA why the detention Just let them stay in the airport until next flight I don’t thing any other nation would detain tourist All these comments indicating fear of coming to the USA I am sure there has never been one person mistreated by the police How many other incidents in USA are like this – show me your proof at one of their demonstrations than have this type of incident when entering the USA don’t you think you would have heard more If you don’t like Trump and don’t want to visit This is just one case of many in the past months If you don’t want visitors just stop them at the airport and force them out with the next flight they didn’t enter USA because they stopped them at immigration; whats your motive of detaining and harassing them The point is that the prison they put them in and the other tourists etc are for profit prisons that get paid from the us government per body per day Most of the media leave this out but if you dig you will find it In the past they would not detain them but put them on the next flight out Flights from the us to Europe are hourly not just daily This is how it was before for profit prisons had a special arrangement with the government Mike C: ” Your are more likely to be hurt in Spain you are not more likely to be hurt in Spain or France There was another mass murder in the USA yesterday The USA has 5.8 murders per 100,000 people France has 1.3 and Spain 0.7 murders per 100,000 people there have been numerous instances in the last month or so then extradited wearing leg irons & handcuffs A French scientist was refused entry because of his private comments about Trump but the interpretation has become much stricter and treatment of people refused entry is now more barbaric This is why fewer tourists are prepared to risk visiting This when businesses are screaming with “help wanted” signs out front and cannot find enough workers to keep their doors open Do the Trumpians think that they were going to steal jobs from citizens We all rely on tourist dollars whether you think so or not 100 days in and we are losing our tourists and our savings and most of our federal $ assistance We are aiming for a future when only the rich can come and everyone else will just serve them When will the MAGA Republicans come to their senses and join the effort to impeach the wanna-be dictator I just had a European couple visit me in Hawai’i for a few weeks They had a time of their life and fell in love with the natural beauties The also visited parts of the Mainland and had wonderful time and great memories The only difference between them and many others talking about the “fascist regime” and other nonsense is that they don’t suffer from TDS and are not poisoned by the lunatics in the legacy media So because 2 tourists where not detained it is fine to detain other tourists who hasn’t even entered the country You have two that had been detained for whatever reason and tens of millions that have not been detained Ask millions of those who visited in the recent past there are probably millions of tourists over the years who had a good experience of your country but as any marketing expert will tell you it only takes one bad experience for the news to go viral and put everyone else off It also reinforces the perception that everyone has had for the last while that America is no longer the “land of the free” or indeed very welcoming of anyone visiting its shores it’s incidences like these that scare people away a kind that happens in many Western countries every day and you never hear about them in the legacy media Maybe because their so called journalist are not happy that the current US administration has reduced the illegal entries by over 95% in just a few months the enforcement of the immigration laws may get too aggressive at times but thank the previous administration for the pendulum that went too far In the long run none of this will have a significant impact on the industry as a whole If the demand for Hawai’i continues to suffer it won’t be because of the immigration enforcement but because of the actions of the incompetent local politicians and we all know their party affiliation and their track record if these were two travelers from Russia they would have been welcomed with open arms and a signed photo of the what’s his name… As a Canadian who has visited the US every summer for probably the last 20 years I’m not terribly worried about being shipped off to a Salvadorean gulag (although it’s crazy that there’s a non-zero chance of that happening) but I simply refuse to spend my money in a country that would allow this kind of stuff to happen A country whose leader has shown no respect for my country whatsoever including veiled (and not-so-veiled) threats of annexation I’d love to see Hawaii someday; I’ve never been But things are going to have to change quite a bit before I consider crossing that border again One of many reasons why tourist numbers are down across the US Never travel to this paranoid authoritarian police state What kind of dark minds think young girls like this were some sort of dire threat The US needs to take a long hard look at itself and what it has become Who on Earth goes to a foreign country that doesn’t speak your native language without booking hotels I always prebook everything and have been asked in Europe and the Cook Islands to show proof of accomodations Seems like a pretty standard thing to check for if you ask me There are quite some people with a rather spontaneous travelling style In my opinion that should be considered acceptable as long as the travellers can show proof of a pre booked flight back home and sufficient funds for the time until then Who on Earth assumes young backpacking Germans don’t speak English fluently And if you happen to slip up once do you expect to be arrested It’s difficult to imagine what national security threat was perceived by CBP from these two young women or why they were subjected to such indignities and refused entry Many nations on every continent require some sort of itinerary for foreign visitors Lodging info is often required whether you are staying with friends do many nations also handcuff and jail foreign visitors for their lack of careful planning As a Canadian who has obviously travelled to at least 30 more countries than you have the USA is unique in its Trumpian-fascist treatment of visitors I never book more than one or two hotel nights in advance even though I stay in a country for 3-5 weeks at a time I travel based on the people I meet travelling and where we decide to go I don’t want to pay for un-used accommodation – so I don’t book in advance Your defense of USA border protocols indicates that you need to get out more These women could and should have been given the opportunity to book lodging for a few days and provide documentation of financial resources and this kind of cruel behavior is going to backfire in ways he cannot begin to fathom I suppose that locking up backpacking Americans who travel through Europe when they do not have a clear itinerary is the logical response People travel like this all the time in the free world Other countries don’t arrest and detain tourists If you don’t want tourists just let them take the next flight The last 3 times I went to Denmark I had a stopover in Iceland then flew in to Denmark and went through no immigration and Denmark had no idea I was in their country Then I drove through the tunnel / bridge to Sweden 3 times and Sweden had no idea I was in their country I have told immigration people more than once that I didn’t have a hotel and was going to find one and was never stripped searched and deported If everyone arriving at airports had hotel reservations there wouldn’t be a hotel desk The US will soon have no friends in the world anymore In Germany students learn what happened from 1933 to 1945 and that nationalism and racism ruined their country Maybe That made them dangerous illegal aliens for the MAGA border guard Stay abreast of the latest island travel news Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and let Hawaii come to you HART rail board members hope to convince lawmakers to kill the bill A little-publicized Senate bill to boost cash flow for the Honolulu rail project has been sucked into a mysterious gambit by Ways and Means Committee Chair Donovan Dela Cruz At the center of Dela Cruz’s curious maneuver is Senate Bill 934 which in February briefly featured language to help the city get access more quickly to millions of dollars in construction funding for the unfinished $10 billion Honolulu rail line 26 when Dela Cruz announced he was inserting new requirements into the bill that rail officials say are impossible for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to fulfill The bill as Dela Cruz amended it says HART must build a park-and-ride facility in Pearl Highlands and must also complete the entire rail line before it can get access to hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked for the transit project the bill now says HART won’t get access to the money it needs to finish building the rail line until construction is done The perplexed HART board debated that language at length at its March 21 meeting a board member who is also director of the city Department of Transportation Services told his colleagues “there’s no way to meet these conditions.” “There’s no chance you could make these two commitments for fiscal year ’25-’26,” agreed HART board member Robert Yu said the requirements WAM inserted into the bill are a sign something has gone sour between HART and the Legislature this is so out of nowhere that this hit.” When Morton learned the alarming language in the bill was inserted by WAM he remarked: “That would explain the Pearl Highlands portion of this.” Dela Cruz did not respond to a request for comment on the bill this week but he represents Central Oʻahu neighborhoods where some residents likely would have used the park-and-ride facility to link up with rail HART indefinitely deferred plans for the Pearl Highlands 1,600-stall park-and-ride facility years ago because it was expected to cost about $330 million and HART was under extreme pressure to cut costs Deferring the park-and-ride was a component of the painful 2022 rail recovery plan, which also required the city to truncate the rail line by stopping the project in Kakaʻako instead of continuing on as originally planned to Ala Moana Center Yu said the park-and-ride may never be built and the rail line won’t be finished until 2031 That is included in the recovery plan,” he said at the March meeting Hanabusa told the other board members the bill is probably not a high priority for lawmakers and suggested HART do nothing and let the bill die “What if it doesn’t die?” HART CEO Lori Kahikina asked “If it doesn’t die then you have conference to try and do something about it,” Hanabusa replied Dela Cruz did not publicly explain his thinking on the issue during the two brief WAM hearings on the bill 26 the city would need to complete the park-and-ride facility and the entire rail line “in order to access the funding.” who is a rail supporter and enthusiastic advocate for transit-oriented development along the Honolulu rail line would advance a bill that appears to threaten the project a Democrat who served in the Senate for eight years said the bill may be an example of Dela Cruz “flexing his muscles and showing somebody who’s the boss regarding some other issue where he’s trying to get his way.” Ruderman noted that lawmakers often push legislation they don’t really want as a way to get horse-trading material for other bills they really do want That often happens in conference committee Senate Bill 934 with the language from WAM has now been approved by both the House and Senate in floor votes, and is pending further action in conference committee. No hearing has yet been scheduled but both the House and Senate have named conferees Kahikina declined a request for an interview to discuss the bill this week but last month she submitted written testimony to the House Finance Committee explaining HART’s concerns The rail project is not scheduled for completion until 2031, she wrote “it may adversely affect the cash flows of the project and may jeopardize the completion of the approved project scope.” HART officials are “unable to discuss the bill at this time,” Kevin Whitton Whitton said the rail board will likely discuss the measure at its April 25 meeting Dela Cruz has substantial leverage over HART because the rail authority needs lawmakers to authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in spending on the rail project Lawmakers in 2017 approved a multibillion-dollar financial bailout of the city’s rail project but the Legislature retained control over the flow of the rail funding they provided that year The bailout bill known as Act 1 created the state’s mass transit special fund and billions of dollars in general excise tax surcharge and hotel room taxes earmarked for rail flow into that fund In the past lawmakers have included language in the state budget or in another bill authorizing HART to tap that money to pay for rail construction HART is going through that process again this year by asking the Legislature to authorize the rail authority to draw money from that funding stream Josh Green’s proposed state budget includes provisions that would authorize release of more than $572 million in each of the next two fiscal years for the rail project and the House has agreed to include that language in the final state budget for the next two years has so far disagreed with that budget item 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 Dan Nakaso and Andrew Gomes / Editors' PicksPolitics House Speaker Nadine Nakamura listened Friday during the final day of the 2025 Hawaii legislative session at the state Capitol and Jeanne Kapela talked during the final day of the 2025 legislative session The last day of the legislative session ended Friday just like it did in 2023: with House Republicans snapping at one another on the House floor shortly after senators walked across the state Capitol held hands with House members and sang “Hawai‘i Aloha.” Republicans began squabbling openly among themselves over the latest version of Senate Bill 1434 which provides state funding for “universal” immunization Ocean Pointe-Barbers Point) and Garner Shimizu (R Moanalua-Aliamanu-Foster Village) to speak about other immunization bills that already died this session twice rose to say that their comments had nothing to do with SB 1434 which she voted for and the House ultimately passed The second time Souza spoke in support of SB 1434 “Is this referring to the bill?” prompting Souza to say You’re out of order,” prompting laughter House Speaker Nadine Naka­mura then struck her gavel and called for another recess to bring the House to order Waialua-Haleiwa-Punaluu) strode across the House floor in an unusual move to talk to some of the eight members of the Republican caucus Hilo-Keaau-Ainaloa) then rose to make one of the last comments of the legislative session and said that his speech “was not intended to be funny “Recess,” leading Nakamura and Quinlan to speak quietly to Todd as people laughed Mililani-Waipio Acres-­Mililani Mauka) said “One of the beautiful things about the floor is we can have debate and you can have different ideas … Maybe you can see it as refreshing that we do have a lot of dialogue happening.” Asked to explain what was said between him and House Republicans “It was a robust discussion about the House rules … but ultimately we ended with a smile and handshakes.” The last day of the 2023 legislative session also ended with Souza in a public dispute with her fellow Republicans when she interrupted Matsumoto for saying in her floor speech that “this is the most cohesive the caucus has been.” Souza later told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser “I found that to be a blatant lie.” Ewa-Kapolei) then interrupted Souza on the House floor and so I had to call it out,” he later told the Star-Advertiser Throughout this year’s legislative session Matsumoto repeatedly praised the “unprecedented” cooperation between majority Democrats and the Republican minority So the outbursts Friday among her own Republican members particularly stood out among a day of picture taking presentations of lei and speeches thanking supporters and House staff and the singing of “Hawai‘i Aloha.” The House and Senate did finalize other important bills Friday that now head to Gov impassioned speeches on both the House and Senate floors It would increase penalties for drivers convicted of excessive speeding three or more times within five years impose a mandatory minimum jail sentence of 30 days and allow judges to order vehicles used in the offenses to be surrendered Puna) voted against SB 97 because of the forfeiture provision which she said could result in the loss of the only vehicle shared by a multigenerational household “When that vehicle is forfeited because of the reckless actions of one — I agree with punishing that one person,” she said “But when you start punishing a family by removing their ability to go to work or go to school Kailua-­Waimanalo-Hawaii Kai) noted that vehicle forfeiture would be at the discretion of a judge The bill passed the Senate by an 18-7 vote Both chambers’ approval of SB 1396 represented the most significant progress yet in Green’s efforts over the past three legislative sessions to have tourists generate millions of dollars in new revenue to help the state adapt to climate change and reduce the risk of future wildfires through a so-called climate impact fee or “green fee,” that Green said he will sign Green called it “the first of its kind in the nation” and said it “represents a generational commitment to protect our ‘aina Hawai‘i is truly setting a new standard to address the climate crisis and I want to thank lawmakers for their unrelenting work these past two years in bringing this to fruition.” It will increase Hawaii’s transient accommodation tax to 11% from 10.25% on top of the 3% county tax that each county already charges The state Department of Taxation told the Star-­Advertiser that revenue has been projected to raise $90 million to $100 million annually “Given the devastation we saw on Maui in August of 2023 this measure is crucial because it will help us to deal with wildfire risk resulting from the climate change crisis,” Green said in his statement “It is foundational to our ability to provide a safe and secure Hawai‘i for our children Senate President Ron Kouchi cited the importance of tourism to Hawaii’s economy and the need to protect the islands’ natural beauty “The greatest thing that we have to sell is the people of Hawaii and the aloha spirit,” he said “But what makes our people so special is the beautiful landscape with which we stand And it’s challenging in finding the ways to protect our natural resource But without the quality of the natural resource then the beauty of our people will not shine as brightly as it has and it is imperative that we find ways to ensure that we take care of our natural resources We’ll see going forward if that (bill) works.” including greater enforcement against illegal fireworks which would have a pair of state entities sell property loss insurance to condominium associations in an effort to stabilize insurance premium spikes the final day of this year’s regular legislative session was more congenial than in the 51-member House while a first-term member who is one of three Republican senators expressed appreciation to all her colleagues Nanakuli-Waianae-Makaha) told all of her Senate colleagues that she absorbed something good from every one of them “As I conclude my very first session here in the Senate I just wanted to really take the time to thank all of my colleagues,” she said on the Senate floor “Everybody that is sitting here on the floor has been responsible of some kind of lesson learned.” The state watchdog could get behind a more modest increase if public utility regulators investigate the interisland shipper’s relationship with its parent company The state Division of Consumer Advocacy says it could support a temporary rate increase for Young Brothers to pay off outstanding debts while maintaining the vital interisland shipping service it provides But that’s only if the Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission opens an investigation into how the freight company manages its finances and its broader relationship with Seattle-based parent company Saltchuk Resources Young Brothers has asked the PUC to approve a temporary rate increase of up to 25% to stave off $18 million in anticipated losses for 2025 which would be on top of last year’s losses of just over $23 million The temporary rate increase is intended as a stopgap measure to keep the company afloat while the PUC considers Young Brothers’ request to permanently increase rates by 27% — a move that some small business owners and others have largely opposed because it would increase costs waded in last week after considering the arguments Angelo points at Young Brothers’ “unsustainable pattern” of asking the state to approve huge rate increases several times while under financial distress That includes the 47% emergency hike regulators approved during the Covid-19 pandemic whose rates are regulated by the commission provides a crucial link within the state’s supply chains for everything from food to construction materials and vehicles The shipper is especially critical to the neighbor islands which depend on Young Brothers for the vast majority of inbound and outbound shipping any increases will hurt residents and businesses’ bottom lines “These businesses have to forecast ahead for what their costs are going to be,” he said is a critical component of their business.” That is especially true within Hawai‘i’s food system, as farmers, ranchers, food banks and other organizations rely upon the shipper’s services. Farmers and other agricultural producers, who receive discounted shipping rates, have been among the most vocal opponents to the increases The Public Utilities Commission is still deliberating on the temporary increase of up to 25% for the rest of 2025 and it has been holding public hearings for the request to permanently increase rates by 27% The Maui County Council on Friday will vote on a resolution in opposition to the Young Brothers’ proposal it would make Maui the second county to voice its opposition after Kauaʻi formalized its position last week it’s about ready to snap,” Kauaʻi County Council member Mel Rapozo said at the council meeting The stakes are even higher for some within Maui County as the islands of Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi already face higher rates to have goods shipped to the islands since most items must go through Maui first Maui County Council member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez said The cost of living will “be much more inflated in our already-costly communities,” said Rawlins-Fernandez Young Brothers asked the state to allow immediate and temporary rates increases hoping an additional $18.5 million would ensure the company can service its debts cover operating costs and make necessary investments into its operations “It’s intended to address a sudden and unexpected financial crisis,” Kris Nakagawa Young Brothers vice president of external and legal affairs But the Consumer Advocate isn’t sold Angelo sees this plea as part of a longstanding trend of making positive financial projections then claiming a crisis and asking the state to allow emergency relief While the Consumer Advocate agrees Young Brothers needs to up its rates to make ends meet this year it has calculated just $3.2 million is required and only if certain conditions are met The public watchdog says two conditions should be applied to the temporary increase: a pre-approval for any dividend payments from Young Brothers to its parent company Saltchuk Resources; and an investigation into the companies’ relationship to ensure their dealings are in the public’s interest Saltchuk Resources acquired Young Brothers in 1999 Young Brothers’ managerial and financial decisions have “strongly implied that Saltchuk has not treated Young Brothers like a public utility and vital service for the state of Hawaiʻi but rather purely like a financial asset from which resources can be extracted in good times but for which no support is maintained during hard times.” Young Brothers has largely rejected the advocate’s claims and conditions calling them unlawful and outside the commission’s regulatory scope Neither Saltchuk or Young Brothers executives were available for an interview But Nakagawa of Young Brothers said in an email that the current financial strains “threaten our current and future viability.” The business last year lost $23 million on its interisland routes Young Brothers has invested $120 million into its fleet and infrastructure money the company says will not be recouped if the state doesn’t approve a rate increase Saltchuk’s involvement with Young Brothers has never been investigated by the state but Young Brothers was audited following its request to impose a 47% rate increase during the pandemic Young Brothers blamed the pandemic for its financial woes at the time though the 217-page audit found the company failed to account for rising labor costs “We keep coming into this recurring situation where Young Brothers comes in urgently needing some sort of rate increase request They get the rate increase and then they’re back again,” Angelo said Where in the operations and management side of the company can we see improvements so that customers are not facing these ongoing and recurring large rate increases?” Young Brothers has also asked the commission to consider implementing a system that will see its annual rates increase automatically based on inflation The utilities commission has two more public hearings on the proposed permanent rate increase, one on Lānaʻi and one on Molokaʻi The commission is expected to make a decision on the temporary rate increase by June A final decision on the permanent rate increase is expected in August “Hawai‘i Grown” is funded in part by grants from the Stupski Foundation Ulupono Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation Thomas Heaton is a reporter for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at theaton@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at @thomasheaton__ The East-West Center is offering buyouts to 80% of its 137 employees as federal funding concerns continue under Donald Trump’s efforts to slash the State Department’s budget by half next fiscal year The center has 127 employees in Honolulu and 10 in Washington Scott let employees know Wednesday that they have until May 9 to decide whether to accept a voluntary separation/early retirement incentives offer Employees who have been at the center less than a year and positions funded entirely by grants are not eligible for the voluntary separation incentives In a statement to the Hono­lulu Star-Advertiser officials said the continued delays in delivery of the East-West Center’s federal funding that was approved by Congress for the current fiscal year as well as lack of certainty surrounding the center’s appropriation level for the coming federal fiscal year starting in October prompted the buyout offers “as a means to further reduce expenses.” A hiring freeze and cuts to nonessential expenditures were implemented in mid-February Several programs are postponed or called off because of the funding issues “While we deeply regret the current circumstances requiring a reduction in staff we do at least want to give the Center’s dedicated workforce as much choice as possible rather than imposing an immediate mandatory reduction in force,” Scott said The necessity for further cuts would depend on funding developments over the next several months noting that the Center’s Board of Governors is exercising due diligence in conserving the institution’s fiscal reserve to the extent possible until the future of the Center’s federal funding is clearer An internal memo from the White House suggests that the U.S Department of State will request a $28.4 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts Oct 1 — $26 billion less than what was on the books for fiscal year 2025 EWC received a federal budget appropriation of $22 million came from competitive federal grants and contracts many of which also have been “impacted by new federal policies.” The remainder came from institutions and private donors In response to the cuts threatened by the Trump administration the East-West Center’s alumni and donors committed over $530,000 for student and participant scholarships in the month spanning February and March Jerry and Tsue Ostermann met 60 years ago as graduate students living at the center and have been “actively involved in the EWC alumni community ever since.” our experiences at the East-West Center opened up a whole new world unknown to us until then and we very much want the young students today to have the same opportunities we had,” said the couple in a statement “When we were asked to consider providing additional financial help at this time said in a statement that he supports the center because it is a world-class organization with “top-notched programs that have cultivated many leaders around the world.” “We are fortunate to have an organization like this based in Hawaii,” Flores said The East-West Center opened as a University of Hawaii at Manoa faculty initiative in 1959 Congress set it up in 1960 to strengthen American academic cultural and political ties with nations throughout Asia and the Pacific through exchanges and research The center will mark its 65th anniversary May 14 It had been without federal funds for weeks after Trump took office and had to rely on its reserves to stay open although a $5 million funding allotment was released to it March 13 It has received the last of its expected federal funds under a previous short-term spending agreement By George F. Lee Hawaii Photos By Kevin Knodell EDWARD BUNGUBUNG / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER Members of the Hawaii-based 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment boarded a plane Saturday at Lalo Airport in the Philippines bound for the Batanes Islands in the Luzon Strait during Exercise Balikatan Marines manned a control tower at Lalo Airport in the Philippines during Exercise Balikatan Members of the Hawaii-based 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment set up shop in the Batanes Islands of the Philippines with the new NMESIS anti-ship missile system on Saturday The Hawaii- based Marines conducted a live firing of their new MADIS anti-­drone system as the sun set in the western coastal Philippine province of Zambales This is the first time Marines have brought the new weapon system overseas PHILIPPINES >> A unit of Hawaii Marines is in the Philippines fielding new weapons for the first time amid simmering tensions with China The Kaneohe-based 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment which is in the country for the annual Exercise Balikatan sent its new Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System — better known as the NMESIS — on Saturday to the northern Batanes Islands in the Luzon Strait the unit officially re-­designated as the 3rd MLR in 2022 and is the Marine Corps’s first littoral regiment part of the service’s Force Design 2030 It’s an effort to bring the Marines back to their roots as a naval fighting force focused on island and coastal fighting The 3rd MLR is serving as the model for the Corps’ facelift then you control the commerce that goes through them And so any place where you find key maritime terrain like that that’s a suitable place to put a weapon system like that So it’s great rehearsal for us and great to help us integrate with what the Filipinos want to do for their archipelagic coastal defense concept.” The unit has deployed to the Philippines for each iteration of Balikatan since 2022 but this is the first time it actually brought NMESIS — which it received in Hawaii in late 2024 — along with other new weapon systems and equipment as the regiment takes shape and puts the concepts behind its creation into practice “One thing I’ve been telling folks we’re not an experimental unit,” said Lehane “We are an initially operational capable element of the fleet Marine force who happens to do some experimentation but my first and only focus is making these Marines as lethal and as survivable as possible if they’re called upon to do something in crisis or conflict for the nation.” with multiple weapons system in the hands of the Hawaii Marines seeing their overseas debut when you see the MLR … it will have NMESIS with it and it will have all of the parts and pieces that are exciting because they’re new but to us they’re just becoming normal,” said Lehane “These are not experimental systems; they are fielded and ready to go.” the Chinese military is conducting its own operations around the Philippines in close proximity Last week the Chinese navy’s aircraft carrier Shandong sailed into waters claimed by the Philippines and carried out flight deck operations about 123 nautical miles off the coast of Ilocos Norte province April 25 and Philippine militaries conducted live-fire air defense drills together in the western coastal province of Zambales where the 3rd MLR used its new Marine Air Defense Integrated System — better known as MADIS — which it first used in February to down drones in an exercise on Hawaii island Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that the Chinese coast guard had “implemented maritime control” over Sandy Cay a small sandbank in the disputed Spratly Islands which both Beijing and Manila claim as their own which has a Philippine military air field and naval station Chinese media released photos of Chinese coast guardsmen standing on the small formation holding a Chinese flag coast guardsmen and police went from Thitu Island to Sandy Cay on Sunday and took photos of themselves holding a Philippine flag On Tuesday the Chinese military began a new naval patrol in the South China Sea and released a statement asserting that “the Philippines has been frequently carrying out maritime infringement provocations creating disturbances and pulling in countries from outside the region to organise so-called ‘joint patrols.’” Marine Corps leaders envision a return to the “island hopping” operations the service conducted in the Pacific during World War II — but with a 21st-century twist They envision Marines using high-tech sensors as they spread out across island chains operating in small groups that would have the potential to wreak havoc on their opponents The service has gotten rid of all of its tanks and has phased out traditional cannon-based artillery on Oahu to replace them with NMESIS which commanders hope to use to sink enemy ships from missile batteries that Marines would set up on islands and coastlines as they support Navy operations and allied forces military put a prototype through the paces at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai in 2021 when it was used to fire on a decommissioned vessel an artilleryman who spent his career operating traditional cannon artillery is one of the Hawaii Marines now operating NMESIS in the Philippines He said that compared with howitzers he originally used NMESIS has “way more advanced capabilities compared to that.” But he said it’s been a relatively easy transition for him and his fellow Marines as they work with the new missile launcher “The way the system is built is to be very user-friendly towards the operator.” which had to be towed by a truck or slung under a helicopter to move to different locations NMESIS is mounted on a remote-controlled vehicle chassis allowing Marines to quickly drive it from place to place quickly moving to new firing positions and using “shoot and scoot” tactics to avoid return fire from enemy forces Chonperez said that “a lot of what we’re doing right now is very logistical just so this proves that we can take it wherever we want and put it in any environment So moving is a lot of what we’re doing.” Force Design 2030 is in many ways tailor-made with the Western Pacific in mind with a particular focus on the South China Sea — a busy waterway that nearly one-third of all global trade travels through Beijing claims nearly the entire sea as its exclusive territory over the objections of neighboring countries and tensions have been mounting over territorial and navigation rights In 2016 an international court ruled in favor of the Philippines and found that China’s claims have “no legal” basis Beijing rejected the ruling and has doubled down by building bases on disputed islands and reefs The Chinese military has also harassed and sometimes attacked fishermen and other marine workers from neighboring countries — especially the Philippines Tensions have also been ramping up as China has also stepped up military operations around Taiwan a self-ruled island democracy that Beijing regards as a rogue province Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vowed to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control On April 1 the Philippine military’s top commander raised eyebrows when he told troops in the northern tip of the country to “start planning for actions in case there is an invasion of Taiwan.” Inouye Asia-­Pacific Center for Security Studies in Waikiki asserted in his remarks to his troops that “if something happens to Taiwan There are 250,000 (overseas Filipino workers working in Taiwan And it will be the task of Northern Luzon Command to be at the front line of that operation.” Down in Zambales the MLR’s anti-aircraft battalion teamed up with the Philippine air force and U.S Army as they shot down drones in coastal defense drills where they put their new MADIS system to the test The system consists of pairs of armored vehicles equipped with a host of advanced cameras and sensors to detect small drone threats and using a mixture of weapons and jamming devices to take them down The system was originally inspired by the U.S military’s experiences fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria where the militants began using low-cost commercial drones to spy on and in some cases attack local and coalition forces Drones have only become more ubiquitous on battlefields around the world with both sides of the conflict in Ukraine in particular using drones to deadly effect On April 15 the Philippine navy announced that it had concluded that mysterious underwater drones that had been found by Filipino fishermen likely came from China and were being used to spy in Philippine waters and map the area for submarine operations “It’s not just adversaries; it’s fishermen I fly a drone on my own,” said Lehane “They are just becoming part and parcel to everyday life And so all the more important that we’re able to determine whether or not there’s (hostile) intent; and then four The MADIS was tested in Arizona before making its way to Marines in Hawaii The armored trucks operating the system are still painted desert tan for Middle Eastern operations rather than the tropical Pacific environments the Corps largely envisions the MLR operating in It’s a visible reminder of the long legacy of two decades of costly bloody warfare in the Middle East that still casts a long shadow over U.S commander of 3rd MLR’s anti-aircraft battalion said the military’s equipment-testing organizations’ focus “has all been desert because that’s where we’ve fought for the last 20 years.” He explained that the MADIS trucks the Marines are using in Balikatan “are the first ones out the door these trucks will actually make their way back to Charleston and then we’ll get replaced with full rate production trucks One of the major tests is how new systems actually fare in the humid tropical coasts and islands in the South China Sea Sladek said that while the weapons themselves have been fine moist air poses challenges for advanced sensors and computer systems and that “there’s some things we got to work through.” The dramatic transformation of the Marine Corps has been controversial with many retired Marine officers expressing skepticism and in some cases dismay at the radical changes They charge that getting rid of tanks and other equipment to focus on unproven high-tech systems is wrong and that Chinese forces would obliterate them in a real confrontation Lehane said several critics have come to Marine Corps Base Hawaii to question him and see for themselves and that many have softened their criticism He told the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser “When you get a look at it from the outside maybe you don’t understand all the facts or the arrangements or what intel is driving us to do the things that we’re doing Among the concerns is that the focus on missile batteries drone and high-tech gadgets takes away the focus on infantrymen and will erode their fighting skills But Lehane says the infantry remains central and that “the focus on the regiment the focus of the battalion and company commanders can you strike the target the first time and every time Lehane added that “no matter how amazing all of this equipment is — newest radar best anti-ship missile — all of that is mildly interesting if you can’t do the basics.” Crime in Hawaii Two men were shot and injured during an argument at a Hawaii Kai residence Sunday night and Honolulu police said the suspected gunman remained at large according to a short Honolulu Police Department summary of the incident Police said an “unknown male discharged a firearm” during the altercation striking a 28-year-old man and a 19-year-old man Both victims were treated for their injuries but police did not release information about their conditions Responding officers were unable to locate the suspect No details or description of the suspect was released HPD did not release the specific location but a media alert said that officers responded to Nawiliwili and Kalalau streets at about 8:30 p.m HPD closed Nawiliwili between Kalanianaole Highway and Kalalau as they responded Honolulu Emergency Medical Services officials said today that paramedics responded to Nawiliwili Street at about 9 p.m and treated a 19-year-old man for “an apparent gun shot wound to his lower body” and took him to an emergency room They also treated an 18-year-old man who “suffered abrasions from a jump/fall” and declined to be taken to a hospital EMS had no information on the 28-year-old shooting victim The incident is being investigated as first-degree attempted murder HPD asked anyone with information about the shooting to call 911 or CrimeStoppers at 808-955-8300 By Raphael Satter and AJ Vincens / Reuters National newsPolitics National Security Advisor Mike Waltz walks to board Marine One at the White House in Washington WASHINGTON >> The unofficial version of Signal used by Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has been hacked raising further concern over the security of the communications exchanged at the highest levels of the U.S 404 Media said the hacker exploited a vulnerability in TeleMessage a Signal-like application which a Reuters photograph appeared to show Waltz using at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday several weeks after the eruption of a scandal over his creation of a Signal group to share realtime updates on U.S The chat drew particular attention because Waltz accidentally added a prominent journalist to the group The revelation that Waltz was using TeleMessage which appears to have a similar interface and functionality as Signal has only heightened the concerns over the security of his communications 404 Media quoted the hacker — who didn’t identify themself — as saying that they had broken into TeleMessage’s backend infrastructure and been able to intercept some of its users’ messages 404 Media said the hacker provided them with material some of which the news site was able to independently verify The publication said that the hacker did not intercept messages from Waltz or other Trump cabinet officials Reuters could not independently verify the report Messages seeking comment from TeleMessage and its corporate owner Messages seeking comment from Waltz and the White House also weren’t immediately returned Signal is an end-to-end encrypted messaging platform whose technology is meant to frustrate hostile surveillance which the company is in the process of rebranding as Capture Mobile is designed to capture the messages once they’ve been decrypted so they can be preserved and stored That kind of additional functionality can be useful for complying with government rules on document retention but if poorly implemented it can introduce security risks A Signal spokesperson told Reuters earlier this week that the company “cannot guarantee the privacy or security properties of unofficial versions of Signal.” Traffic Hawaii island police identified the male pedestrian who died Thursday night following a traffic collision in Hilo as James R Police said in a news release that officers responding to Hilo Benioff Medical Center for a separate incident around 8:23 p.m came upon a traffic collision between a pedestrian and motor vehicle in the area of the Waianuenue Avenue and Rainbow Drive intersection police said that a 2015 Subaru four-door sedan was traveling west on Waianuenue Avenue and struck Lawrence who was on the roadway but not in a marked crosswalk Lawrence was conscious at the scene and an ambulance transported him to Hilo Benioff Medical Center in critical condition He was scheduled to be transported to Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu but succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 10:49 p.m was not injured as a result of the collision Officials said an autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death A negligent homicide investigation has been initiated but police do not believe that speed or alcohol and drugs were factors in the crash This is Hawaii island’s 12th traffic fatality of 2025 as compared to 15 traffic fatalities this time last year By John Berger and Hawaii’s Thunderstorm Artis has survived another cut in the field to become a Top 8 contestant on “American Idol.” and closed at the final commercial break less than two hours later with the results announced in the final moments of the show The shorter voting window has changed the pace of the show for viewers and Artis says it has changed the experience for contestants too performing and knowing we get to find out the results at the end of the show It’s definitely really stressful and really different to know (that) but then at the same time it’s been really great that there are people that are voting in Hawaii and all over (the country) that are just keeping me in this competition It’s great to see that I’m receiving as much love that I am Another challenge has been the song choices Artis passed the audition with an original he’d written for his wife but in recents weeks the contestants have been given lists of songs of other writers’ hits to choose from Artis’ choices have included songs by John Lennon Artis sang Taylor’s “Fire And Rain” the week that Taylor was guest mentor on the show “When you’re flipping someone else’s song you want to do in a way that also honors them and respects the original that it doesn’t take it such a drastic left field (turn) that they don’t even recognize the song anymore,” Artis said “It was really important for me to keep notes and things in there from the original that James created like ‘Thunderfy’ it a little bit and add my own personal touch on it He said he really loved the way that I did it and that was really special to hear I can’t think of a greater honor.” Artis switched instruments from guitar to grand piano Artis says that being on “American Idol” is like taking a master class in muscial performance “Every day we’re learning new songs and we’re preparing for weeks ahead that we hope to see We’re learning songs now for some of the same weeks that are coming up We’re trying to find the (key) moments in the songs because each round has a theme,” Artis said “There’s some days that we’re doing two songs and there’s some days that we’re doing a song and maybe a collaboration And every day you’re learning.” it’s been really fun for me to take on each challenge that they kind of present me with to dig deeper and to show a part of Thunder that maybe the world hasn’t seen before To show what makes me tick as an artist and as a person.” “American Idol” competition continues Monday Hawaii fans age 16 and older can vote from at 2 p.m. Hawaii time until the last commercial break, shortly before 4 p.m., at Americanidol.com via the “American Idol” app and by text message Voters must create an ABC account to vote via the website or app text the number of your favorite contestant to “21523” (To vote for Thunderstorm text 23 to “21523”; message and data rates may apply Voters may cast up to 10 votes in each of the three voting methods for a total of up to 30 votes per show Find performance videos and more at ABC.com/Shows/American-Idol There’s still hope for much-needed reforms but face it: There’ll be no help from legislative leaders Richard Wiens is the Deputy Ideas Editor for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at rwiens@civilbeat.org Patti Epler is the Ideas Editor for Civil Beat. She’s been a reporter and editor for more than 40 years, primarily in Hawaii, Alaska, Washington and Arizona. You can email her at patti@civilbeat.org or call her at 808-377-0561 The regular session of the 2025 Hawaiʻi Legislature is over Overcoming the dysfunction that plagues the Legislature and the wider tarpit of corruption that mars Hawaiʻi politics can be accomplished only by going around the current legislative leaders who block genuine reform efforts at every turn That became devastatingly clear when they killed House Bill 371 in the same manner they kill so many others: Allowing it to gain unanimous approval in both chambers, then suffocating it with no “release” — and no explanation — from money committee chairs in the final days In this case they stuck a brazen blow to defend the influence of special interests The target was a well-thought-out measure to close a gaping loophole in campaign finance law that allows people connected to government contractors and grantees to donate huge sums to politicians: pay-to-play.  and they probably hope to have broken the spirit of reformers But there are opportunities ahead — the next session the next election and beyond — to loosen their stranglehold on the Legislature itʻs a question of who will answer the call and become new candidates for the Legislature the opportunity for a better state government will be in the hands of voters The first opportunity requires nothing less than mutiny against the Senate president the money committee chairs and their cabal of disciples because the majority of senators and representatives currently endure their public lives as powerless pawns Rank-and-file legislators and even most of the committee chairs toil for months to create and then shepherd all manner of significant bills only to see them die in the dark hours of conference committee with no explanation The only reason for these lawmakers not to rebel is the culture of fear within the Legislature the rank-and-file worry their own bills will be killed by legislative leaders if they don’t go along and so much to gain — for their constituents and for themselves Majorities rule in the Hawaiʻi Legislature Majorities elect the leaders who dole out the committee chairmanships And majorities adopt the rules of operation Before you contend that a revolution canʻt happen, think back to exactly a decade ago when the Senate president was ousted just before adjournment the gavel merely passed from one faction of powerbrokers to another Whatʻs needed now is not another secretly orchestrated power grab but rather a grass-roots uprising of disenfranchised legislators They could start the session with wide-open elections for speaker and president instead of voting in closed-door party caucuses If there arenʻt enough votes to topple the current leaders theyʻd at least be put on notice that times are changing the rebels could push for new rules of engagement: rank-and-file legislators have more power than they ever use such as the ability to challenge their committee chairs’ recommendations and the power to pull measures out of committees and back to the floor if the chairs are ignoring them the pay-to-play bill must be reintroduced next session and it should become a litmus test for whether legislators deserve to remain in office Incumbent legislators can either run for reelection as tacit enablers of the status quo or as battle-scarred crusaders for change The proof will lie in what they did in the 2026 session it needs to become more politically perilous to support leadership than to challenge it Senate President Ron Kouchi, by the way, has strongly indicated he won’t seek reelection next year so senators should move to replace him next session with someone who can loosen the grip of entrenched powerbrokers like Ways and Means Committee chair Donovan Dela Cruz there’s an urgent need for strong new candidates to challenge incumbents and seek open seats because after the next election legislators will be paid $97,896 annually The pay increase — up from the current annual salary of $74,160 — should attract civic-minded people to seek the job especially those with professional and technical backgrounds and even younger adults who are raising families and might bring a perspective the Legislature could use more of A couple of measures passed by the Legislature this session might provide further encouragement but the Legislature needs to do more in 2026 to make it easier to run for office House Bill 134 allows people to file their candidate paperwork online, while Senate Bill 1202 makes official the current state policy of allowing candidates to use campaign contributions for child care and other caregiver expenses But a much stronger incentive for potential new candidates was lost when House Bill 370 to even the electoral playing field by expanding the state’s public campaign finance program died when it couldnʻt get “release” during conference committee We need to be take a close look at the political parties and explore what barriers they put up that make it hard for people to get on the ballot The fact that it is almost impossible to win election as an independent or nonpartisan candidate in Hawaiʻi needs to change The bottom line on motivating more registered voters to take the time to fill out their ballots should be the dire need to reform state government Efforts to increase Hawaiʻi’s traditionally low voter turnout got mixed results this session. House Bill 408 passed extending the deadline to register to vote by mail from 30 to 10 days prior to an election but several measures to increase the number of voting centers open on Election Day failed to even get committee hearings the bottom line on motivating more registered voters to take the time to fill out their ballots should be the dire need to reform state government Can incumbents point to a record of pushing for change If itʻs hard to tell where they stand (for instance if they donʻt respond to Q&A surveys by Civil Beat and others) While the 2026 election could prove pivotal if they want to hold a constitutional convention where citizen delegates would convene with the opportunity to go over the heads of the Legislature and propose constitutional amendments directly to voters Some possibilities that should be on the table for discussion: There hasnʻt been a ConCon since 1978 when 34 constitutional amendments were proposed to voters Last time around in 2018, voters rejected holding a ConCon after being barraged by scare tactics employed by the well-monied entrenched powerbrokers who benefit from the status quo including the public employee labor unions who warned that elected ConCon delegates might trash the constitution we already have outspent supporters by more than $665,000 to high-profile bribery convictions have roiled state and local governments and the resulting calls for reform have been repeatedly shot down by legislative leaders There will be three more legislative sessions before the ConCon vote but if the rejections of meaningful reforms continue voters might just be frustrated enough to ignore those scare tactics this time fear of the unknown will be dwarfed by fear of the known results and features of University of Hawaii football men’s and Wahine basketball and prep sports Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here 11at4Hawai'i Thanks for visiting Broadway Off-Broadway Off-Off Broadway Cabaret Dance Opera Classical Music Nashville Minneapolis / St. Paul Connecticut Atlanta Chicago Los Angeles WEST END UK Regional Canada Australia / New Zealand Europe Asia Latin America Africa / Middle East TV/Movies Music The event will run from May 19 to June 1, 2025. The Asia Pacific Dance Festival (APDF) is set to return to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa from May 19 to June 1, 2025. This immersive two-week event offers attendees a unique opportunity to experience the rich dance traditions of Asia and the Pacific. The festival features performances, workshops, and cultural exchanges that delve into movement, music, history, language, and cultural traditions. Hālau Pua Aliʻi ʻIlima (Hawaiʻi), led by Kumu Hula Vicky Holt Takamine Arzoo Dance Theatre (India/Canada), directed by Deepti Gupta Rako Pasefika (Rotuma, Fiji), led by Letila Mitchell Special Tribute: A Filipino dance performance honoring the legacy of the late H. Wayne Mendoza. Evening Concert: A full-length performance by Hālau Kilipohe Nā Lei Lehua. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has recognized APDF's role in preserving and sharing dynamic traditions by awarding a $25,000 grant to support the festival's artists. The curtain rises on Tina Turner (Jayna Elise) in her iconic red leather minidress and lioness mane about to ascend a set of stairs to a stadium of eager fans. She panics, steps back down the stairs, sits cross-legged on the floor, and begins chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, a Buddhist chant invoking inner strength and transformation of suffering. Television icon Pat Sajak, known for his long-standing role as the host of 'Wheel of Fortune,' will return to the stage in a special theatrical performance this summer in Hawaii. Honolulu Theatre for Youth has announced its 71st season with nine (9) productions slated for the 2025-2026 season. Learn more about the upcoming lineup here! Kumu Kahua Theatre is offering newcomers to the craft of playwriting the opportunity to attend a free limited-space workshop, held at the Kualoa-Heʻeia Ecumenical Youth (KEY) Project creative spaces in Kaneohe. function closestickysocial(){document.getElementById("foxsocial").style.display="none";}@media(max-width:1024px){.most-popular,.video-row{display:block;margin-top:25px}}Videos and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows © 2025 - Copyright Wisdom Digital Media, all rights reserved. Privacy Policy Opinion and analysis by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Editorial Board. Get informed with columns and commentary, and submit a letter to the editor The Republican caucuses have grown in the Legislature thanks to the 2024 election The 2025 legislative session ended just as Donald Trump marked his first 100 days back in the White House His second-term agenda is pretty much what he and the Republican Party told voters it would be: aggressive immigration enforcement new tariffs and deep cuts to federal agencies  While Hawaiʻi ‘s voters still overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates last November they sent more Republicans to the Legislature than they have in recent years and Trump earned 37.5% of the state’s vote — the highest share any Republican presidential candidate has won here in the last two decades That doesn’t mean Hawaiʻi has given the GOP a mandate But it does mean more voters are open to Republican ideas than they were a few years ago With the national party’s ideology clearer than ever the question here at home is whether Hawaiʻi’s newly expanded Republican legislative caucuses are amplifying moderating or moving away from the administration’s positions These proposals reflect the broader Republican messaging both locally and nationally — less taxation more deregulation and economic stimulus through supply-side strategies It’s a familiar trickle-down framework consistent with the Trump administration’s 2017 tax cuts that disproportionately benefited higher-income earners However, when it came time to determine the state budget, Hawaiʻi Republicans were less in line with their national counterparts. Most supported the state budget which included funding to blunt the impact of federal budget cuts Christopher Muraoka and Elijah Pierick voted against it in the House Brenton Awa was the sole Republican to oppose it in the Senate In his floor speech who is most consistently aligned with the national Republican talking points explained his vote with a quintessentially conservative argument He said the budget would be unsuccessful because it was built on a faulty framework that encourages big government instead of private sector growth revealed stronger associations with the national GOP Six of seven House Republicans voted against the Due Process in Immigration Proceedings Program which would have provided legal representation to individuals in immigration proceedings GOP members also opposed measures that would have limited collaboration with federal immigration authorities and blocked immigration detention facilities on public lands These bills were also included in the party’s regular “Controversial Bills” email blasts. Hawaiʻi’s Republicans offered no public explanation for their opposition. However, their votes were cast against the backdrop of the Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia case in which a Maryland man with no criminal record was deported without due process and sent to an El Salvadorian prison against a judge’s order On culture war issues, Hawaiʻi Republicans remain aligned with the national party. All House Republicans, with the exception of Souza, signed the caucus’ “stand your ground” legislation and opposed a ban on ghost guns Awa and Kurt Fevella also voted against the bill And, in a rare example of unified Republican opposition, every House Republican voted against a bill to remove religious exemptions for school immunizations Garcia called the bill “a direct assault on the First Amendment,” which would “prohibit the free exercise of religion by families who hold sincere convictions regarding vaccinations.” saying her opposition “is not just about religious freedom” but bodily and parental autonomy a few of the House’s most progressive Democratic members also raised concerns But there are areas where Hawaiʻi Republicans break from the national party. The most notable is Native Hawaiian policy. While the national GOP platform is largely silent on Indigenous issues, the Hawaiʻi GOP platform calls for accelerating homestead awards and building on Hawaiian homelands House Republicans introduced bills to transfer more public land trust revenue to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and to make Department of Hawaiian Home Lands leases eligible for federal lending but their inclusion in the caucus package underscores a divergence from the mainland GOP Most are latching onto the popular ideas — like eliminating income taxes — while avoiding the unpopular ones how are Hawaiʻi’s Republicans responding to the Trump administration’s lead on major issues cultural flashpoints and education mandates they’re voting like their mainland counterparts voted against the budget and key spending bills most of their colleagues chose not to champion budget cuts and supported new expenditures This election may have shown a bit more openness to Republican ideas but voters are not necessarily asking for the full national GOP package And Hawaiʻi Republicans aren’t unanimously embracing it either By Andrew Gomes BusinessEditors' PicksPolitics the largest amount from the $30 million allocated to nonprofits Donated food items are seen on a pallet during Hawaii Foodbank’s annual food drive as volunteers wave signs along Ala Moana Boulevard Hawaii Foodbank will receive the largest grant from the $30 million approved for local nonprofits Hawaii nonprofits stand to receive a lot more grant funding from the Legislature this year due to expectations of federal aid cuts by President Donald Trump State lawmakers gave final approval to two bills Wednesday through which up to $80 million is being directed to is to be distributed to 121 nonprofits through the Legislature’s annual grants-in-aid program which is the same sum distributed in 2024 but down from about $40 million in 2023 and $49 million in 2022 But because legislators and nonprofit operators fear cutbacks in federal grants to charitable organizations this year an additional state grant fund was approved in Senate Bill 933 with $50 million to be distributed to nonprofits that are adversely affected by federal grant decisions and may apply for funding later this year if the bill becomes law “We are responding to a very special need,” Rep chair of the Legislature’s Subcommittee on Grants-in-Aid Prior to Trump administration moves to reduce or cut off funding for a wide variety of nonprofit endeavors Hawaii charitable organizations were already seeking more state funding support with applications mostly submitted in January This year the Legislature received 402 grant-in-aid applications Applicants this year sought $192 million to help fund operations or for capital improvement projects or both ”It just shows the need that the community has out there,” said Holt (D Of the $30 million approved for this year’s grants-in-aid program the biggest grant is $800,000 for a Hawaii Foodbank solar power project The smallest grant is $10,000 for Hilo-based Hua o Lahui which teaches how to make stone adzes and carve Hawaiian canoes which also teaches filmmaking as part of its canoe production work primarily tries to serve Native Hawaiians but also veterans Grant-in-aid awardees are typically nonprofits but also can be for-profit businesses if the funding is for a public purpose Most organizations are involved in health care Applicants often receive less than they seek because lawmakers generally want to help as many applicants as they can with a limited pool of money It is not uncommon for nonprofits that seek grants-in-aid awards to also rely on federal funding Aloha Harvest applied for a $200,000 grant to help it carry out its mission to feed the hungry with food that businesses including grocery stores distributors and restaurants do not plan to sell The organization was approved for $140,000 but noted on its Jan 16 application that a $195,010 federal grant was pending Hawaii Foodbank said March 27 in written testimony on SB 933 that critical federal funding represents about 20% of its revenue and comes primarily through U.S Department of Agriculture program contracts administered by the state “We are working hard to understand the implications of changes that are happening with federal funding and federal programs for our families and neighbors facing hunger — as well as our network of hunger-relief partners,” wrote Amy Miller the organization’s president and CEO if all federal funding were to stop (excluding food) we could face a potential loss of $3.8-5 million in revenue.” Close to 80 nonprofit organizations expressed thanks and encouragement for an early draft of SB 933 before any amount of money was proposed for use “This critical financial bridge comes at a time when the federal administration is putting millions of dollars at risk with on-again off-again federal funding freezes in grants and contracts to Hawaii’s nonprofit organizations,” Melissa Miya­shiro president and CEO of the Hawai‘i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations 26 Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing shortly after lawmakers converted a blank bill to provide grants after this year’s legislative session ended Friday in written testimony cited USAspending.gov estimates stating that as many as 250 nonprofits in Hawaii received as much as $300 million to $400 million in federal grant and contract funding in the 2023 fiscal year HANO also said the nonprofit sector makes up nearly 12% of the state’s workforce which if significantly displaced could cause major negative economic impacts Kauai-Niihau) said at a Wednesday news conference that the number of Hawaii nonprofits that have great missions and do great work unfortunately have financial needs that outstrip what the state can provide Kouchi said it will be hard to prioritize “because $50 million will still be far short of what they need but that’s what we could set aside.” Several members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday objected to or raised concerns about the final version of SB 933 which was produced Friday by a conference committee of three House members and three senators The conference committee determined the $50 million appropriation sum and decided that two House members selected by House Speaker Nadine Nakamura (D Hanalei-Princeville-­Kapaa) and two senators selected by Kouchi as Senate president would make all award decisions not subject to public meetings Ala Moana-Kakaako-­Downtown) voted to pass the bill but took issue with four legislators having total discretion for awarding $50 million “Although I’m really excited about the end use I want to make sure that we’re providing more transparency and more accountability for the selection process and I just think that taxpayers may want more input more accountability when it comes to allocating the $50 million,” Iwamoto said before voting Makiki-Punchbowl) also voted for the bill with support for the appropriation but raised the same concerns as Iwamoto while going further to say the bill does not comply with House rules or the Hawaii Constitution requiring that decisions on matters referred to a legislative committee shall be open to the public “This is constitutionally deficient,” Belatti said of the bill The no votes were from five of eight Republicans in the House: Reps with two of three Republican members voting no: Sens At a Wednesday news conference after the bill passed Nakamura said the Department of the Attorney General was involved in producing the final draft of the bill Holt said Thursday that the setup for grant decisions under SB 933 is similar to a scaled-down version of the grant-in-aid program and he’s confident that whoever is appointed to the evaluation and selection committee will make virtuous decisions containing the grant-in-aid program appropriations are still subject to consideration by Gov let them become law without his signature or nix the appropriations with vetoes Thirteen nonprofits were selected this year for legislative grant-in-aid awards of $500,000 or more: >> West Hawaii Community Health Center Inc Liam O’Brien and Isaiah Magdaleno combined on three-hit shutout in the Hawaii baseball team’s 5-0 victory over seventh-ranked Oregon State on Sunday at Les Murakami Stadium By Jamm Aquino