Hawaii Becomes The 50th State – This Day In History
Green Unveils 2025 Policy Priorities
Cost of Living: Hawaii 82% Higher Than US Average
Hawaii average annual tax cuts under 'Big Beautiful' Bill
Emotions run high as police officer recounts shooting that killed fellow officer
HNN: … Kawas remembered trying to find Kaneholani, and said he asked Officer O to check around the corner of a concrete block because he couldn’t see behind it.
That’s when Kaneholani allegedly opened fire.
“I hear a pop to my left, and I hear Officer O scream, and I turn to face her and she turns around, faces us, and grabs her chest and falls to the ground,” he said, choking back tears.
Kawas shot back, injuring him and allowing officers to take him into custody.
“I shot multiple times until I heard him scream. He screamed and then I saw him put his hands up. Well, one hand up,” he said. “I engaged directly to him. Ran right up to him, put my gun to his head and asked to see his other hand.”
Timujin Willems, caretaker of Paia Sugar Mill, said Kaneholani was trespassing. In his testimony Wednesday, Willems said Kaneholani shot at him six times as he tried to get him off the property.
“He’s looking right at me, telling me to turn off the light with his right hand, turns me to turn off the effing light, turn off the effing light, fires right at me looking directly at the light,” Willems said.
Kaneholani’s girlfriend filed a restraining order against him, alleging he abused her, two days before the shooting….
HNN: Donations for Officer O’s family can be made to the SHOPO Benevolent Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All contributions are tax-deductible, and 100% of the funds will go directly to her family. Checks can be made payable to SHOPO Benevolent Fund, and mailed to SHOPO, Attn: Officer Suzanne O, 1717 Hoe St., Honolulu, HI 96819.
MPD: News Flash • Candlelight Vigil Aug 22
KHON: Is violent crime on Maui rising? Chief Pelletier responds
CB: Maui Police Officer Was Killed By Bullet That Hit Above Her Protective Vest - Honolulu Civil Beat
MN: Emotional testimony offered in preliminary hearing for man accused of killing Maui police officer : Maui Now
KHON: Emotional testimony heard for death of Maui police officer
KITV: Witnesses recount tragic night of Maui officer's death in court | News | kitv.com
read… Emotions run high as police officer recounts shooting that killed fellow officer
Honolulu Police Chief search could stretch into 2026
KHON: … The search for Honolulu’s next police chief could take up to nine months from the time former Chief Joe Logan stepped down, with a final selection projected for March 2026.
According to the Honolulu Police Commission, national search firms will begin submitting proposals in September.
A selection committee will review the applications and begin negotiations, with the goal of hiring a firm by November. Once the contract is finalized, the consultant will lead the recruitment process….
KHON: Police officers want voice when it comes to new police chief
read … Honolulu Police Chief search could stretch into 2026 | KHON2
No Charges Against Officers In 2024 Waiʻanae Police Shooting
CB: … Body camera footage from the scene shows the man holding a gun and turning toward officers before he is fatally shot….
SA: HPD officer’s fatal shooting of Waianae suspect was justified, prosecutor says | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
KHON: 2024 Waianae officer-involved shooting 'justified'
read … No Charges Against Officers In 2024 Waiʻanae Police Shooting - Honolulu Civil Beat
Acid victim lost his vision in 1 eye, needs surgery on arm and shoulder
SA: … Lathson Robert, a 30-year-old cook at both Lucky Belly and Livestock Tavern, was named as the victim in the charging document filed Wednesday in Oahu Circuit Court against Marquis Ahmund Johnson.
Robert’s sister and oldest sibling, Tancher Robert, 38, of Portland, Ore., spoke by phone with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, saying her only brother “can’t really see from one eye.” ….
The acid also caused injury to one side of his body from the shoulder and arm down.
Doctors were going to perform the surgery to repair his shoulder and arm last week by taking skin from his thigh, but Lathson Robert told his sister “he was scared” to undergo the surgery.
However, she said she managed to persuade her brother and he agreed to have the surgery.
“He told me he’s in a lot of pain,” but he is getting medication “to keep him calm,” Tancher Robert said.
She also has been in touch with their father, who told her their uncle, who also works at the restaurants, was working that night and rushed to help his injured nephew, and in the process received burns on his leg from the acid….
Police said Robert had encountered a man he did not know on the sidewalk, who asked him a few questions, before throwing sulfuric acid at his face.
Tancher Robert said her brother told her he did not know the assailant….
read … Acid victim lost his vision in 1 eye, needs surgery on arm and shoulder | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Murder trial begins in Samoa over death of Gabbard Aunt and Cult Critic
HNN: … Papalii Sia Figiel, 57, allegedly attacked her mentor, Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, with a hammer and knife last May in Samoa.
Samoan Police said after the attack, Papalii drove to a relative’s home in Gabbard’s car and exhibited strange behavior, sleeping on rocks and covering herself in leaves on a beach.
Gabbard, who was 76 years old, was the older sister of state Sen. Mike Gabbard and the aunt of former congresswoman, current director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard….
read … Murder trial begins in Samoa over death of former Hawaii professor
As Step towards abolishing prisons, Hawaiʻi Expands Effort To Keep Women Out Of Jail
CB: … this is another step towards abolishing the police and prisons ….
2022: AOC Praises Hawaii for Having Zero Girls in Prison for First Time - Newsweek
read … Hawaiʻi Expands Effort To Keep Women Out Of Jail - Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawaii attorney general’s budget increased by $4M to cover 27 Trump lawsuits
SA: … Hawaii needs to join other states’ attorneys general challenging Trump in court “to make sure that we are enforcing the rule of law,” Lopez told the state Senate Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee during a briefing last week….
REALITY: Hawaii Sues Trump admin over juvenile sex-change
read … Hawaii attorney general’s budget increased by $4M to cover 27 Trump lawsuits | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
How does city count rail ridership?
SA: … Getting back to July, Skyline’s busiest day was July 9, a Wednesday, when 3,871 rides were recorded. The least busy was July 20, a Sunday, when there were 1,901 rides. Skyline usage generally is higher on weekdays than weekends, and generally rises during the school year….
In July, Oahu’s elevated rail-transit system clocked an average of 3,090 rides a day, according to the city. We say rides, not riders, as the city had listed them on the Skyline website until we asked about it on Tuesday, because the city counts swipes on transit-fare cards.
Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services posts monthly summaries of Skyline ridership on its website, with columns labeled for the day, date, riders (now rides, for 2025) and monthly total. The daily tally of riders wasn’t of individuals, but of the number of rides they took. A reader wondered whether to halve the number of riders to estimate the number of individuals aboard any given day, assuming all took round trips…
read … Kokua Line: How does city count rail ridership? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Hawaii State Energy Office Sees LNG as Bridge Fuel to … Green Hydrogen Storage
IM: … The Hawaii State Energy Office (HSEO) asserts that the continued rapid development of intermittent renewable energy resources such as wind and solar requires long-term storage that can be delivered in the form of green hydrogen. Natural Gas can be compressed and shipped in its liquid state at -260°F. …
(CLUE: ‘Green Hydrogen’ is a worthless pie-in-the-sky scam, but LNG is a fuel which can produce cleaner electricity al lower cost via several ‘combined cycle’ power plants which already exist at Kalaeloa and are busy burning dirtier, more expensive fuels.)
The Hawaii State Energy Office asserts that the solution is spending a billion dollars to build a vast offshore system consisting of a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) that receives transoceanic supply of LNG, transfer the gas via pipes or barges that bring the fuel ashore, and building new land-based pipes that deliver the fuel to the Kalaeloa Generation Station and the HECO Kahe Generation Station.
The Hawaii State Energy Office asserts that the LNG-Hydrogen pathway will lead to lower costs and decreased greenhouse gas emissions.
The Hawaiʻi State Energy Office released Its Alternative Fuels, Repowering And Energy Transition Study in February 2025. The study indicates that there is a narrow but beneficial path to the LNG-Hydrogen future. The narrow window requires that the first steps occur quickly….
(CLUE: The solar industry is against LNG because solar benefits from dirtier, more expensive competition as a comparison.)
read … Hawaii State Energy Office Sees LNG as Bridge Fuel to Green Hydrogen Storage | Ililani Media
Vacasa Bought Out-- Largest Hawaii Vacation Rental Company Faces Major Shake Up
BH: … When travelers booked with Hawaii’s largest vacation rental operator, many expected paradise. Instead, they were met with last-minute cancellations that left them scrambling, properties that had not been cleaned since the prior guest, or bills padded with fees that doubled the nightly rate. Complaints like these accumulated for years, leaving Vacasa with some of the lowest ratings in the industry and a damaged reputation in Hawaii.
Now that failed model is being dismantled. Vacasa has been acquired by Arizona-based Casago, which is transitioning to a new franchise system that empowers local operators rather than relying on distant mainland call centers….
read … Largest Hawaii Vacation Rental Company Faces Major Shake Up - Beat of Hawaii
Work paused on sewer pump station repairs in Lahaina
MN: … County of Maui spokesperson Laksmi Abraham responded to Maui Nowʻs request for comment saying, “The County has temporarily paused work on emergency sewer repairs at Pump Station 5 in Lahaina out of extreme caution and concern following cultural issues raised during trenching activity by a contractor.”
“According to the contractor, both an archaeologist and a cultural monitor were present during the initial work in April. However, the County later learned that only a cultural monitor was onsite when construction resumed on Aug. 6,” she said. “Out of respect for these concerns, all work was stopped Aug. 6, and protective measures have been put in place.”
In addition to the immediate stop-work order for all ground-disturbing activities within a half mile of Mokuʻula, ʻĀina Momona is calling for:
- A formal investigation into violations of HRS 6E by the County and its contractors.
- A condition assessment of the damage to be conducted by SHPD or an archaeology firm selected in consultation with Native Hawaiian organizations and community stakeholders.
- Public release of all contracts and correspondence between the County of Maui, Mocon Corp., and Scientific Consultant Services, Inc. (SCS) related to the project, pursuant to the Uniform Information Practices Act.
read … Work paused on pump station repairs in Lahaina amid demands by ʻĀina Momona to protect sacred Mokuʻula site : Maui Now
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