October 31, 2025 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Friday, October 31, 2025

October 31, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:49 PM :: 221 Views

Study: Illinois, Connecticut, Alaska, Hawaii, New Jersey and Mississippi have the most per capita pension debt

$250 per person: State Opens up Welfare Spigots to Make up for Loss of SNAP

Tourist Count Drops 2.5%

Fight Set up for Control of Maui Council: ‘Progressive’ Carol Lee Kamekona announces intent to run

MN: … On Thursday, Carol Lee Kamekona announced she intends to run for Maui County Council’s Kahului seat in 2026.

The seat was held by Councilmember Tasha Kama, who passed away Sunday at age 73. According to those close to Kama, before she passed, she expressed her wishes that Kauanoe Batangan, executive director of the Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization, be appointed to fill the remainder of her term, which expires in 2026.

Per the county charter, Maui County Council has 30 days to appoint someone into the role before that responsibility falls to the mayor.

In the 2024 election, Kamekona lost to Tasha Kama while running for the Kahului seat on Maui County Council. Kama received 43.3% of the vote while Kamekona received 34.8%....

In announcing her intent to run for the seat in 2026, Kamekona cited the importance of passing Bill 9, a proposal that would roll back thousands of transient-vacation rentals operating in Maui’s apartment districts….

(CLUE: Batagan-Kamekona 4-4 tie. In 30 days, Bissen picks Kamekona.)

read … Carol Lee Kamekona announces intent to run for Maui County Council in 2026 | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News

Judges Order Trump Administration To Pay SNAP Benefits During Shutdown

CB: … Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown.

The judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November.

The rulings came a day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown.

The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net — and it costs about $8 billion per month nationally….

read … Judges Order Trump Administration To Pay SNAP Benefits During Shutdown - Honolulu Civil Beat

Profitable: Shutdown a $50M Pinata for ‘Non’ Profits

KHON: … emergency assistance extends further than families in need — they are also looking to support local businesses that have been affected.

“Fifty million dollars has been set aside for nonprofits that have been impacted by the loss of federal funds. We received 213 applications, which is equal to 143 million dollars of requests,” said Speaker of the House Nadine Nakamura….

(TRADUCCION: ‘Pinata’)

HNN: Hawaii nonprofits seek $150M to blunt Trump spending cuts

read … Gov. Green unveils 'Hawaii Relief Program' details

More Money Than Workers: Construction Labor Shortage as Pork Barrel Projects Swamp State

PBN: … Hawaii's construction industry is grappling with a workforce shortage, but industry leaders are implementing creative solutions to attract the next generation of skilled workers.…

read … Gen Z key to solving Hawaii's construction labor crunch - Pacific Business News

Legislators Question Revolving Door For Mentally Ill

CB: … Lawmakers are expressing concern that a law meant to keep people with mental illness accused of minor crimes from languishing in jail is instead trapping some people in a revolving door at the Hawaiʻi State Hospital without meaningful treatment.

In a letter sent earlier this month to state Department of Health Director Kenneth Fink, 11 senators cited Civil Beat’s reporting on the law and asked the department for detailed information on how Act 26 has been implemented and whether it is actually helping people get lasting help. They also ask the department to consider whether changes to the law are needed to prevent people from being readmitted over and over again.

The senators, who include Health and Human Services Chair Joy San Buenaventura and Judiciary Chair Karl Rhoads, expressed support for programs meant to improve outcomes for people with mental illness in the criminal justice system, but questioned whether this five-year-old law has been effective.

“One example from the article is a 61-year old man described as homeless who had been sent to the state hospital for a determination of his mental fitness a staggering twenty-two times in a five-year period,” the letter says….

(SOLUTION: Place the Honu program inside the State Hospital fence line in order to provide the bed space necessary to keep the lunatics inside the asylum.)

read … A Revolving Door For Mentally Ill? Lawmakers Question Diversion Program - Honolulu Civil Beat

Suspect in deadly Hilo crash allegedly appeared intoxicated, resisted officers

HNN: … According to court documents, when responding officers arrived at the scene, they said Medeiros allegedly had “red, watery glassy eyes, and the distinct odor of alcoholic beverage emanating” from his face and body.

Police said Medeiros also allegedly tried to conceal a black, rolled-up sock in his pocket.

When police tried to recover the sock, Medeiros allegedly “became actively resistant, screaming profanities and yelling” and “appeared passively resistant kicking toward officers and thrashing about.” …

The black sock Medeiros allegedly carried contained more than 1.5 grams of methamphetamine, said police.

When police executed a search warrant on Medeiros’ truck, they found two glass pipes, one with residue matching methamphetamine.

Police said they also found more than four grams of marijuana in the truck….

Woodward argued that Medeiros is a four-time prior felon, was previously convicted of assault against family members, and has five prior revocations for bail or pretrial release.

Medeiros was also cited for driving under the influence in 2017 and for driving without a license three days before the crash.

Woodward told the court Medeiros had also attempted to leave the hospital and made statements about flying off-island.

“At the end of the day, Your Honor, he’s a danger to the community, and he is an absolute risk of flight,” said Woodward….

According to court documents, a witness’s dashcam footage allegedly captured Medeiros’ truck speeding, tailgating, and crossing into oncoming traffic moments before he struck the victims….

KHON: Man accused of causing crash that killed infant charged

read … Suspect in deadly Hilo crash allegedly appeared intoxicated, resisted officers

Federal judge in Hawaii rules FDA violated the law by restricting access to abortion medication

AP: … The U.S. Food and Drug Administration violated the law by imposing restrictions on accessing mifepristone, a medication for abortions and miscarriage management, a federal judge in Hawaii ruled Thursday.

A lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union argues the FDA continues to overly restrict access to a safe medication without scientific justification. ACLU lawyers asked the judge to find that the FDA violated the law but didn’t seek an immediate elimination of the restrictions, which currently include special certification for prescribers and pharmacies and requiring patients to review a counseling form.

The FDA’s 2023 decision to maintain the restrictions was unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act, “by failing to provide a reasoned explanation for its restrictive treatment of the drug,” U.S. District Judge Jill Otake’s ruling says….

read … Federal judge in Hawaii rules FDA violated the law by restricting access to abortion medication

New modular homes set for delivery to Lāhainā

KHON: … Modular homes will soon be making their way to Lāhainā to help house teachers displaced by the 2023 wildfire.

HDOT announced that the deliveries are planned to begin Monday, Nov. 3, and will continue through Jan. 19, 2026.

Trucks will haul the modular homes from Kahului Harbor between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. every Monday through January….

reads … New modular homes set for delivery to Lāhainā

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