Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Hawaii Daily News Read

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, August 12, 2025
August 12, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:25 PM :: 659 Views

How special interests keep bad laws on the books: The case of the Jones Act.

Two Years After Wildfire, Maui Homeowners Face A New Threat: Foreclosure

CB: ... A local nonprofit, Hawaiʻi Community Lending, surveyed 257 Lahaina homeowners with mortgages affected by the fire and found their average balance was $696,983, more than twice the national average. That disparity reflects the sky-high real estate prices on Maui, where the median home price was $1.3 million in July. After the fire, the homeowners were able to delay paying their mortgage payments for months or years, but Gilbreath said those forbearance periods are now ending, and for many, tens of thousands of dollars in back payments and interest are now coming due. As of early August, 78 of those 257 homeowners had missed mortgage payments and were at risk of foreclosure, largely because they are trying to pay rent while waiting to reconstruct their homes. …

“Ninety-eight percent of the homeowners who are enrolled in our program have lost income in the fire,” said Jeff Gilbreath, the nonprofit’s executive director. “Now their existing mortgage is greater than 31 percent of their income. They can’t afford the existing mortgage. They need help with the rebuild and the gaps they’re facing.” ….

CB: Guide To Keeping And Rebuilding Homes In The Wake Of 2023 Maui Wildfires - Honolulu Civil Beat

read … Two Years After Wildfire, Maui Homeowners Face A New Threat: Foreclosure - Honolulu Civil Beat

Consumer Advocate -- HECO`s Wildfire Mitigation Plan has Significant Deficiencies

IM: … the plan remains in an early stage of maturity and falls short in key technical areas, including the lack of fire behavior modeling, incomplete asset and vegetation data, and limited integration of equity and reliability impacts into risk-based decision-making….

While the model quantifies the risk reduction from Public Safety Power Shutoffs and Enhanced Fast Trip, it does not assign cost values to customer reliability impacts, such as frequency and duration of outages, and effects on medically vulnerable or underserved populations. 

This omission can artificially inflate the Risk Spend-Efficiency  for operational mitigations like Public Safety Power Shutoffs, which reduce fire risk but impose significant burdens on customers .…

read … Consumer Advocate -- HECO`s Wildfire Mitigation Plan has Significant Deficiencies | Ililani Media

Goal-line fumble on new stadium decision?

SA: … If all goes as expected during a Stadium Authority meeting on Wednesday, a contract could be finalized that will initiate the razing of Aloha Stadium and eventual construction of a new facility, according to published reports.

The long-awaited project is complicated because of the involvement of structural and foundation reports; public and private policies; and the future development of affordable housing and a business/entertainment district.

But debate over four key elements is expected to have a favorable outcome or else a vote probably would not be called. An athlete does not attend the ESPYs without assurances of winning an award.

While all parties appear to be optimistic that the stadium project is proceeding as planned, with a target opening of August 2028, there is always one possible glitch.

Hawaii has a history as a goal-line fumbler, a dropper….

LINK: Aloha Stadium | AUGUST 2025 STADIUM AUTHORITY SPECIAL BOARD MEETING AGENDA

read … Stephen Tsai: Let’s hope there’s no goal-line fumble on new stadium decision | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

HART to receive $112M state funding; the review before the reimbursement

KITV: … The Audit Division said it doesn’t just rubber stamp it. Regan gave one example. "We received an invoice for about $1.7 million and as our auditors were going through all the associated documentation, they recognized this expense was not appropriate. In fact, it should have gone to the state Department of Transportation and not for reimbursement through the Mass Transit Special Fund, and so they kicked that back to HART."

Since January 2018, DAGS has verified about $2.7 billion in invoices and withheld about $23.3 million….

read … HART to receive $112M state funding; the review before the reimbursement

Phase 3 of Skyline Rail project breaks ground

KHON: … Phase 3 of the $1.4 billion project will add six new stations and about three miles of elevated guideway from Middle Street to Civic Center.  The site was blessed on Monday, Aug. 11, at the future site of the Civic Center Station in Kakaako….

HNN: Rail construction enters final phase while enduring more criticism

KHON: Businesses prepare for construction barriers with Skyline expansion | KHON2

read … Phase 3 of Skyline Rail project breaks ground

Hawaii County planning commissions to consider household hennery bill

HTH: … Bill 52 would permit residents in certain residential and mixed-use zones to raise hens and other female poultry for household egg production under specific regulations….

Jonathan Helton, policy analyst at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, praised the bill in written testimony: “Grassroot believes this measure would enhance Hawaii Island’s self-sufficiency efforts. Raising birds for egg production would also reduce the need for egg imports.”….

read … Hawaii County planning commissions to consider household hennery bill - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Paradise Story 1: Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and agent accused of sabotaging $240M Hawaii real estate project

AP: … The suit said Balelo “quickly became a disruptive force,” threatening to pull Ohtani from the deal if concessions weren't made.

“Kingsbarn began capitulating to Balelo’s every whim,” the suit said. “Over time, it became increasingly obvious that Kingsbarn was more concerned about preserving its relationship with (Ohtani) than honoring its obligations to its business partners.”

Last month, in what the suit called “a coordinated ambush,” Kingsbarn fired Hayes and Matsumoto.

“Kingsbarn openly admitted during the call that Balelo had demanded the terminations and that they were being done solely to placate him,” the suit said. “Plaintiffs stand to lose millions of dollars in compensation tied to projected homebuilding profit, construction management fees, and broker commissions.” ….

SA: Shohei Ohtani, agent sued over $240M Big Island resort deal | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

read … Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and agent accused of sabotaging $240M Hawaii real estate project

Paradise Story 2: Hawaii County seeks dismissal of claims against officers

HTH: … The county also stated that Johnson’s suit — which alleges the county was negligent in conducting a welfare check on Kristen Frostad the day she died — “admits Mrs. Frostad had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and she died of an overdose.”

“These facts better support a finding Mrs. Frostad’s drug and alcohol abuse caused her death (rather) than a police officer conducting a welfare check,” the motion asserts. “… The complaint does not allege any facts indicating the officers made Mrs. Frostad’s situation worse, prevented someone else from assisting Mrs. Frostad, or Mrs. Frostad would have lived but for the officers’ actions.”

Meanwhile, a trial regarding a probate petition filed by Erik Frostad — who is challenging a homemade will naming Johnson the sole heir and personal representative of Kristen Frostad’s estate — has been pushed back from today to June 26, 2026.

In his probate petition, Erik Frostad alleges the will, made on the website DoYourOwnWill.com, is “ineffective, fraudulent, forged, unlawful, illegal and/or void” and that Kristin Frostad wasn’t competent to execute a will “due to mental illness and impairment from alcohol abuse.”

He claims his estranged wife was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and severe alcohol use disorder, had been “in six separate clinics for dual diagnosis treatments,” and had stayed at Hawaii Island Sober Living and “multiple sober living homes in California.”

According to court minutes from a July 16 hearing in the probate case, attorneys for both parties agreed to delay the trial date.

During that hearing, Frederick Arensmeyer, Erik Frostad’s attorney, said reasons for a postponement include an alleged federal investigation into Johnson’s coffee business in which Frostad claims to be a witness, as well as Johnson’s civil lawsuit naming Frostad as a defendant.

Johnson’s suit claims Erik Frostad provided Kristen Frostad with alcohol and controlled substances on multiple occasions despite knowing of her alcohol and drug dependency.

Erik Frostad claims that Johnson convinced Kristen Frostad to stop taking prescribed psychiatric medications that alleviated her alcohol dependency.

In addition, Erik Frostad alleges Johnson convinced him in early February 2023, prior to his divorce filing, to transfer $500,000 from his personal savings account into his and Kristin Frostad’s joint savings account to “show trust in Kristin’s effort and progress.” He further alleges that “within hours,” the entire balance of that account, about $550,000, was transferred to Johnson….

read … Hawaii County seeks dismissal of claims against officers

Hawaii court hands lenders decades-long foreclosure power

MP: … The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court says lenders have twenty years to start a foreclosure – ending years of uncertainty for mortgage professionals statewide …

MP: Hawaii Supreme Court clarifies foreclosure timeline for lenders | Mortgage Professional

read … Hawaii court hands BNY Mellon, lenders, decades-long foreclosure power | Mortgage Professional

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA:

QUICK HITS:


Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

Whole Life Hawaii