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Tuesday, July 8, 2025
July 8, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:59 PM :: 217 Views

79.1% of Homeowners in Hawaii Will Face a Hidden Home Equity Tax If They Sell

Green Signs Condo Insurance Stabilization Law

OHA-Connected DTL Selected to Handle Iwilei Master Planning

Feds seek forfeiture of luxury Kahala home tied to fraud conviction of former defense contractor

ILind: … The government’s complaint filed in Honolulu’s Federal District Court on July 2 seeks authority to seize the property at 4902 Kahala Avenue, located at the intersection of Kahala Avenue and Kealaolu Avenue. Kao and his wife purchased the property in June 2020.

Kao, 52, was the Chief Executive Officer and 99% owner of Martin Defense Group, LLC, formerly Navatek LLC. …

He is currently serving an 87-month sentence at the medium security federal correctional facility in Sheridan, Oregon after pleading guilty to defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program in a scheme that netted over $12 million; channeling total of $52,000 of illegal campaign contributions to the 2020 reelection campaign of Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, with another $150,000 going to a super pac supporting her campaign, using relatives or employees and a shell company as straw donors; and forging financial documents submitted to Bank of America in order to qualify for a mortgage loan used to buy the Kahala property.

According to the forfeiture complaint, Kao applied to Bank of America for a $3 million mortgage on March 12, 2020. To support the application, he “digitally altered” several E*Trade account statements to “falsely inflate the value of his stock portfolio.”…

Read … Feds seek forfeiture of luxury Kahala home tied to fraud conviction of former defense contractor | i L i n d

HELCO will File New Hu Honua Power Purchase Agreement

IM: … On June 3, 2025, Hu Honua and HELCO informed the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission that they have reached an agreement in principle and will file a new and revised power purchase agreement with the PUC. 

"The Parties are now working on completing all of the components to implement the agreement under which Hu Honua will sell energy and capacity to the Company, including executing a proposed power purchase agreement (`PPA`) that will be submitted to the Commission. In view of this meaningful progress, the Parties will continue negotiation of all parts of the Proposal with the intent of submitting an application to the Commission for approval of a PPA upon completion of such efforts." 

HECO "will also be seeking a waiver from the Competitive Bidding Framework as part of the application for PPA approval." 

HECO and Hu Honua proposed filing a partial application that would be supplemented to get the "Hu Honua facility into operation as quickly as possible."

The Public Utilities Commission said no dice. Complete your application and then file it….

Read … HELCO will File New Hu Honua Power Purchase Agreement | Ililani Media

94-year-old woman, critically injured in Maili wildfire, dies

SA: … A 94-year-old woman critically injured in the 95-acre Maili wildfire Sunday has died, city officials confirmed.

The woman’s identity, and the cause and manner of her death are pending with the city Department of the Medical Examiner.

The Maili wildfire was declared fully contained early this morning, according to a bulletin sent out by HFD shortly after 7 a.m. The fire led to a mass evacuation of Leeward Coast residents Sunday afternoon.

It burned two Maili homes, about 95 acres, and led to the evacuation of about 600 homes in Maili. National Weather Service forecasters said breezy winds are expected through Tuesday, but winds should peak below advisory level today with no significant rain in the immediate forecast….

Read … 94-year-old woman, critically injured in Maili wildfire, dies | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Island of Retaliation: Kauaʻi Police Chief Job Posting Gets 42 Applicants

CB: … The Kauaʻi Police Department has for years struggled to find promising men and women to fill its ranks, a problem that appears to be complicating the hiring push for Kauaʻi County’s next police chief. 

As the application deadline closed Monday, 42 people had applied for the chief position. That’s down considerably from the 133 applications that the job vacancy garnered in 2018 when the Kauaʻi Police Commission hired former chief Todd Raybuck, who retired last month after a six-year tenure clouded by controversy (hounded out by SHOPO). The 2007 chief search attracted 66 contenders.

For the first time, Kauaʻi’s next chief will be required to have a four-year college degree and 15 years of police experience. The new requirements kicked in after 72% of county voters passed a charter amendment in 2020 to add these minimum job requirements in a county governing document that offered few hiring specifics….

Read … Kauaʻi Police Chief Job Posting Gets Tepid Response - Honolulu Civil Beat

DMV promises end to registration delays in 'next few weeks'

ASD: … Weeks-long wait times for registrations to shorten as DMV works through thousands of backlogged registrations…

Last month, Nedd said via email, processing rates were about five weeks long. And as of July 1, the DMV had a backlog of about 6,200 pending transactions to be processed, a 40% increase from March.

Nedd said that the delays have been caused by a surge in activity at auto dealers, which has “exceeded the capacity” of DMV staff. However, Nedd emphasized that the issue is not the result of city staffing shortages.

On the other hand, licensed auto dealers are only allowed to schedule one registration appointment with the DMV per location per day, and only make two transactions per appointment.

But, Nedd told ASD that the Department of Customer Services intends to resolve the situation “within the next few weeks,” when, he hopes, the DMV can return to the 10-day processing standard….

Read … DMV promises end to registration delays in 'next few weeks'

ICE agents stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii

FOX: … The U.S. Marine Corps, in cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has quietly launched a pilot program to station ICE agents at three major military installations: Camp Pendleton in California, Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia and Marine Corps Base Hawaii. …

A Pentagon official issued a statement to Fox News Digital, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the effort.

"Our cooperative effort with ICE at MCB Camp Pendleton, MCB Quantico and MCB Hawaii is a pilot program that aligns with the enhanced security measures we are implementing at all our installations worldwide to deter unauthorized installation access by foreign nationals."…

June 2025: ICE Arrests Russian National at Marine Corps Installation in Hawaii | Military.com

M: ICE Agents Will Be Posted at Gates of 3 Marine Corps Bases as Part of Pilot Program

BIN: ACLU of Hawai‘i wants to know what agreements county police departments have with feds for immigration enforcement : Big Island Now

SA: ICE agents partner with Kaneohe Marines | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Read … ICE agents stationed at Marine bases to boost installation security | Fox News

Green Signs Electric ‘Wheeling’ Law

CB: … Hawaiian Electric Co.’s century-long hold on Hawaiʻi’s electricity market soon will change in a major way, creating a potential path to lower rates for businesses and residents.

Starting in 2027, HECO will be required to let independent electricity producers use its grid to deliver electricity directly to customers for a fee, potentially ending the utility’s standing as the sole choice for most electric consumers in the state. Under the current system, producers must sell electricity at a wholesale price to HECO, which pools it to sell to customers at a higher rate.

Gov. Josh Green signed the groundbreaking bill on Thursday, despite having previously signaled his intent to veto the measure.

It remains to be seen to what extent the new system will lead to significant savings for residential customers. A previously passed law allowing renters to buy power from community solar farms, for instance, has gone nowhere, hampered by what critics say are untenable rules. But even critics of the new law have said it could generate savings for some customers….

much will depend on how the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission implements the law, Mikulina said. 

“If the PUC does it right, it can really open up our grid to some innovative renewable solutions,” Mikulina said. …

Read … Is HECO's Monopoly Over? New Law Could Change Power Market - Honolulu Civil Beat

The 25 best high schools for athletes in Hawaii

USAT: …  Hawaii stands out as one of America's best states for producing elite student-athletes at the high school level.

Which Hawaii high schools are currently the best for athletes?

According to one study, which accounts for survey feedback from students and parents—accounting for "reviews of athletics, number of state championships, student participation in athletics, and the number of sports offered at the school"—and data from the U.S. Department of Education, these are the top 25….

Read … The 25 best high schools for athletes in Hawaii

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