BBC: Harbors Division Rejected Two Offers to Save Falls of Clyde
Former Maui resident pleads guilty in fentanyl trafficking case
75% of Employees are Thinking About Leaving Hawaii
KITV: … The high cost of living in Hawaiʻi is pushing younger residents to consider leaving the island. A recent Holomua Collective survey revealed that 75% of over 3,000 local workers are contemplating leaving Hawaiʻi within the next five years.
This concern led more than 150 young professionals, business leaders, and policymakers to gather for the Young Professionals Cost of Living Summit….
Jordan Odo, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi's Young Professionals Program said "Our young people, the people that are working, the people that have jobs, the people that are powering the economy, are often left out of the conversation."
As of 2023, nearly half of Hawaiʻi households lived paycheck to paycheck or in poverty, according to the Asset Limited, Income, Constrained, Employed (ALICE) report, a project by United Way that tracks the federal poverty level.
Last year, Governor Josh Green signed a law doubling the state's standard tax deduction, but many here say it's just a start.
"We need to build more housing. We need to create more opportunities, which means having economic projects, build businesses that needs to be done… And having young people at the table is a big part of it, because it's going to be their future that they're going to inherit," said Seth Colby, Chief State Economist.
Organizers said this summit isn't just about the cost of living — it's about the cost of leaving.
Matt Prellberg, Policy and communications director of Holomua Collective says "No one's coming to save us. We have to save ourselves. And if we work together, if we collaborate, we're going to find a way to make it that affordable, that families can afford to live here."…
LINK: Affordability Survey 2025 – Holomua Collective
read … Fight to make Hawaii affordable | News | kitv.com
26,000 SNAP Recipients to Get a Job
HNN: … starting Nov. 1, the work requirement will be expanded to include those aged 55 to 64, along with households with a dependent children aged 14 and older.
Those who are homeless, veterans, or youths 18 to 24 who are transitioning out of foster care will also have to work.
“You’re required to do at least 20 hours of work activity per week, or an average of 80 hours per month,” Morishige said.
“They’re looking at around an estimated 16,000 individuals, ages 55 to 64, who will now have that work requirement added in order for them to receive SNAP,” said Mariel Terbio, the Hawaii Foodbank’s vice president of strategy and programs.
The state said there are an estimated 10,000 households with dependent children who’ll be added to the work requirement list….
read … Agencies preparing as new work requirements for SNAP benefits set to take effect
Millions of evidence items, some classified, delay Red Hill criminal trial
HNN: … John Floyd and Nelson Wu face charges of conspiracy and making false statements about the fuel leak that sickened about 6,000 people and left nearly 100,000 without clean water for months.
The defense team was granted an extension to prepare their case against what prosecutors described as “voluminous.”
According to the court order, the government indicated there were more than 3.4 million emails, documents, and other items. The government also anticipates calling 50 or more witnesses at trial.
Some of the information is classified, prompting the court to issue a protective order to ease the production of the materials.
“It requires the defense to get security clearance to view top secret material and to go to SCIF rooms,” said Alexander Silvert, a retired federal public defender ….
read … Millions of evidence items, some classified, delay Red Hill criminal trial
Bill 62: Vacation rental re-registrations could cost owners thousands
ASD: … O‘ahu vacation rental owners are pushing back against a bill that could require them to re-register their properties with the City and County of Honolulu.
Bill 62 makes changes to the county’s policies regarding bed-and-breakfasts and vacation rental properties, altering requirements for owners to have their properties registered as such….
But one single clause in the measure has many vacation rental owners unhappy: under the bill, any change in ownership or operator of a vacation rental unit will require a new initial registration of the property.
An initial registration costs a fee of $1,000; a renewal only costs $500. Consequently, the bill could leave owners paying double their registration fees, depending on the circumstances.
For many property managers, this change is unacceptable. Since the bill’s introduction in September, several people submitted testimony to the council ridiculing the idea that what should be a minor update to registration information could cost $1,000.
Kelly Lee, president of the O‘ahu Short Term Rental Alliance, wrote that the law would require a re-registration — complete with $1,000 fee — whenever a property’s operator changes, or even when their point of contact changes….
read … Vacation rental re-registrations could cost owners thousands
Chinatown Security Guards Keeping Drug Addicts in Check
HNN: … With new safety measures in place, community members are inviting all those families who’ve stayed away to give the area another try.
“We want them to come and see for themselves and shock and be brave,” Shubert-Kwock said. “So far, we haven’t had any incidents on North Hotel. None of our merchants are below the rise or rock don’t have any windows broken in the last few weeks.” …
read … Chinatown residents, businesses say safety improvements are working, but problems persist
Trump: Hirono wanted Train to Hawaii
TNR: … Apparently speaking about Senator Mazie Hirono, Trump said Friday, “She wanted a tunnel from the mainland to Hawaii. Then she said, ‘Well, we can’t do that, so we’re gonna build a railroad to Hawaii.’ Do you remember? She’s a current, sitting senator, a Democrat. She wants a railroad to go to Hawaii. You know who that is, right?”
“She’s another b—” the president started, before stopping himself. “She’s another beauty.”
The president’s statement is a nesting doll of inaccuracies, stemming back to a 2019 joke Hirono made regarding misinformation about the content of the Green New Deal.
At the time, conservative media outlets and politicians were spreading the false claim (pointing out) that the Green New Deal (mandate for ‘net zero by 2050’) would eliminate (jet exhaust spewing) air travel and replace it with high-speed (electric) rail. A Fox News reporter asked Hirono, who supported the progressive climate plan, about the nonexistent provision. The senator laughingly replied, “That would be pretty hard for Hawaii.” …
TODAY: Teens Who Successfully Sued Hawaiʻi Over Climate Change Lose On ‘Electric Airplanes’ (See?)
MEANWHILE -- Teenagers Demand Electric Airplanes for Hawaii: Hold on to Your Wallet: HDOT releases transportation GHG plan
read … Cognitive Decline? Trump Whines About “Train to Hawaii” in Wild Rant | The New Republic
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