State Tax Competitiveness--Hawaii Ranks 41st

After 500,000 Warnings, Speed Cams Begin Issuing Real Tickets

Not Enough Workers for Pork Barrel Projects

HPR: … Hawaiʻi is facing a growing workforce shortage concern for the state’s construction industry. The solution lies in Generation Z.

Construction is one of Hawaiʻi’s largest economic engines. The need to build housing and a growing defense contracting space is creating more demand. And that creates more demand for workers.

...the median age of a construction worker in Hawaiʻi is 44, two years older than the national median of 42….

(IRONY ALERT:  Pork projects are created to reward unions with jobs in exchange for political support.   There are now so many pork projects that the unions cannot collect all the rewards because they don't have enough members.  The unions have more power than members because the political counterweight is effectively non-existent.  The 'worker shortage' is evidence of this extreme political imbalance in Hawaii.)

A recent UHERO report said ongoing construction of the Skyline rail project, the Aloha Stadium redevelopment, and rebuilding on Maui will sustain nearly 40,000 construction jobs through the end of this decade.

(IDEA:  Stop building Rail and cancel the Aloha Stadium project.  The freed up workers would then be available to build housing.  Then they won’t have to move to Las Vegas.)

read … Construction industry looks to younger generations to keep building Hawaiʻi | Hawai'i Public Radio

Fatal ʻEwa Beach Fire: Care Home Had History Of Not Documenting Fire Drills 

CB: … An ʻEwa Beach community care foster family home where a 93-year-old woman was killed in a fire Wednesday night had a history of failing to document whether it was conducting fire drills as required, state inspection reports show.

But when last inspected in July, it had been in compliance since December 2024, the records show.

The blaze sent a second resident of the care home, a 53-year-old woman, to the hospital in serious condition and killed a 32-year-old woman who lived behind the home.

Denise Yoshida, a certified nurse assistant who owned and operated the four-bedroom care facility on Fort Weaver Road, was not hurt in the fire. She did not respond to messages seeking comment Friday….

read … Fatal ʻEwa Beach Fire: Care Home Had History Of Not Documenting Fire Drills  - Honolulu Civil Beat

Hawaii gang leader known as 'Murder Inc.' sentenced in federal court

HNN: … A convicted Hawaii gang leader has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

Bronson Gouveia, 48, who went by the street name “Murder Inc.,” was sentenced Thursday….

read … Hawaii gang leader known as 'Murder Inc.' sentenced in federal court

QUICK HITS:

1. Big Q: Speed cameras start issuing tickets today at 10 Oahu intersections; do you support this? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

2. Court permanently blocks Trump voter citizenship proof rule | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

3. Public Alert | Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Alerts

4. Roof reconstruction beginning in January for Boettcher Estate at Kalama Beach Park | Department of Parks and Recreation

5. City to install sewer connection for new Ocean Safety facility in Kailua

6. Kapiolani Medical Center nurses stand in solidarity with fellow staff on strike

7. Man charged accused of stealing guns admits to break-in at Pearl City storage locker | Crime & Courts | kitv.com

8. Multiple dogs shot by homeless in Kapolei, police investigating

9. Kapiʻolani healthcare workers will strike 'as long as it takes'

10. Kamananui gondola and agribusiness project permit pushback

11. Hawaii Pacific University names David LeNoir Jr. new CFO - Pacific Business News

12. Why Hawaii Trusts You Coming In But Checks Everything Leaving

13. Hawaii Foodbank feeds hundreds of families at shutdown relief distribution in Waipahu - YouTube

14. Explainer: What happens to unclaimed bodies at Hawai‘i's morgues

15. Honolulu Zoo launches digital ticketing system

16. Florida firm awarded $97 million Army contract for facilities on Schofield Barracks in Hawaii | Stars and Stripes

17. 3 arrested, 10 cited in West Oahu e-bike operation

18. Hawaii Signs Law Requiring EPR Program Assessment

19. How a New-ish CIO Is Tackling 2025’s Massive Challenges

20. Thousands of Chamorro artifacts, including latte stones, returning to their homes | Hawai'i Public Radio

21. Clinics, enrollment remain open for Women, Infants and Children program during gov’t shutdown : Kauai Now

22. Health care initiative cultivates doctors to serve rural communities on Kauaʻi : Kauai Now

23. Coast Guard cutter arrives at new homeport in Honolulu after restorative maintenance : Maui Now

24. Committee to meet Nov. 5 on Pulelehua and Hoʻonani Village mixed-use projects : Maui Now

25. Maui United Way hosting community workshops to choose priority sites for Environmental Assessment : Maui Now

26. Hospice Maui focuses on care of the ‘mind, body and spirit’ : Maui Now

27. Large-scale, multinational military training kicks off Nov. 3 at Pōhakuloa base on Big Island : Big Island Now

28. County adopts framework to guide disaster recovery, redevelopment - The Garden Island

29. ISLAND HISTORY: ‘Moke’ Wilson and the Bell Stones - The Garden Island

30. Online survey seeks public input on urban forest management plan | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News

31. More than 400 Hawaii families line up at Foodbank pop-up | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

32. Advance reservations for Arizona Memorial boat tours resume | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

33. How Gas Prices Have Changed in Hawaii in the Last Week | Stacker

34. $1.1M to boost Native Hawaiian sea cucumber spawning - Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship

35. 2 males shot, security guard stabbed at Mayor Wright Homes | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

36. Public Alert | Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Alerts