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November 7, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 1:39 PM :: 198 Views

Lawsuit: OHA Budget Process Rooted in Illegal Power Grab

Just the beginning: Six HNL Flights Cut for Friday

Rep Lowen Too Busy to Respond to Constituents

OHA Approves Emergency Relief Payments for Native Hawaiians

Hilo, 1881: Gaming for Control of the World's Largest Church

$360M: HDoT Launches 113 Bicycle, Pedestrian Projects

Ridiculous Asks: Fake ‘Geothermal’ Scheme Wants OHA to ‘Invest’ $5 Million (again)

CB: … A (pretend) geothermal consulting firm that came under fire earlier this year during taxpayer-funded outreach efforts on the Big Island is asking the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for a(nother) $5 million investment in exchange for a stake in a ~~future~~ (non-existent) $275 million geothermal plant.

Principals and contractors for Waikā Consulting (convicted Unity House scammer Roberta Cabral) made their case to the OHA Board of Trustees on Thursday. The presentation indicated that the company would also seek (but will not actually obtain) $20 million from the Legislature next session.

(CLUE: Even Hawaii Legislators are not that gullible.)

The last (time a) geothermal ‘investment’ by (was vacuumed out of) OHA in 2013, which also involved people related to Waikā, was a flop after Hawaiian Electric Co. rejected the project’s bid….

(CLUE: HECO never had any interest in Waika’s BS in 2013 or now. This is and always has been a scam to take money.)

In response to questions from an audience member, Board Chair Kai Kahele said trustees would not yet take a position on Waikā’s request. The agenda for the meeting only listed the presentation, and any action on funding would legally have to be announced in advance to give time for public comment.

(CLUE: Waika schemer Mililani Trask made way for Kahele by not running for reelection to the OHA BOT Hawaii Island seat and then endorsed him. Will he reward her with $5M?)

The exact location of a future plant wasn’t specified during the brief presentation, although project proponents have acknowledged that more testing must be done to narrow down potential sites….

(TRANSLATION: They have nothing but a money ask.)

Sky Kauinoa, who originally came to testify on the military’s use of land, also pushed back against the funding request. “I’m pissed,” she said. “And I’m even more pissed now after that geothermal presentation and those ridiculous asks.”…

LINK: Screenshot-2025-11-06-at-10.57.51-AM.png (1134×635)

IDG BACKGROUND:

read … Controversial Geothermal Firm Wants OHA To Invest $5 Million In A New Plant

Should HART Be Allowed To Manage City Projects Beyond Honolulu Rail?

CB: … Honolulu rail authority CEO Lori Kahikina has proposed a change to the city charter to allow the authority to manage city construction jobs in addition to the $10 billion rail project, but Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi opposes that idea….

read … Should HART Be Allowed To Manage City Projects Beyond Honolulu Rail? - Honolulu Civil Beat

State offers to pay TSA, FAA workers to spare Hawaii from air travel cuts

SA: … The state Department of Transportation has offered to advance the full salaries and benefits of Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration airport screeners assigned to Hawaii during the federal funding lapse in a bid to avoid a 10% cut to air traffic that could severely impact the state’s economy and public safety.

In a letter sent Thursday to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, state DOT Director Ed Sniffen requested a waiver from the FAA’s planned reductions, which include Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu among 40 high-traffic airports facing cuts.

The FAA’s phased mandate begins today with a 4% reduction in operations, increasing to 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Thursday and 10% by Nov. 14. International flights are exempt, and airlines may choose which domestic flights to cancel to meet the targets….

read … State offers to pay TSA, FAA workers to spare Hawaii from air travel cuts | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Government shutdown leads to cancellation of two Veterans Day ceremonies on Oahu

HNN: … This year, there will be no missing man formation flying above the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, as well as no 21-gun salutes and no military bands to honor our troops past and present for their call to duty.

“As most people know, we generally host our Veterans Day Ceremony up at Punchbowl and this year, the facility is going to inaccessible to us,” said Hollie Thomas, executive director at the Oahu Veterans Center….

The center will host an alternative ceremony this year at Sullivan Hall in Foster Village. It’s going to be crowded so if you are planning to come, you are asked to come early.

The Oahu Veterans Center event was coordinated after large-scale ceremonies at Punchbowl and the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe were canceled since there is a lack of funding, staff and other resources due to the government shutdown….

read … Government shutdown leads to cancellation of two Veterans Day ceremonies on Oahu

Kunia Loa Ridge 15 Years in Legal Limbo

SA: … The permit backlog is truly a disaster and an extension of the department’s failures, given that the Kunia Loa Ridge Farmlands subdivision project is still in legal limbo after nearly 15 years. My question is, what can the state and the city do about the poor farmers who are trapped waiting for the 854 acres to be properly divided and regulated? ….

read … Letter: New DPP system a bust, hurts Kunia Loa Ridge | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Supreme Court Decides not to let Child Molester Get Away With It

HTH: … The Hawaii Supreme Court has reinstated the previously overturned conviction of a 48-year-old Kailua-Kona man for sexually assaulting a minor girl.

The high court’s decision invalidates an October 2024 conviction reversal by the Intermediate Court of Appeals in the case of Joshua Masuda-Mercado. It also affirms both the conviction of Masuda-Mercado and the 20-year prison sentence handed down to him by Third Circuit Chief Judge Wendy De Weese in December 2022….

read … Supreme Court affirms conviction, overturns appeal in sex assault of minor - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Criminal fights Maui police, loses

KITV: … The video of the incident was posted on Facebook, which took place at 11 p.m. on Oct. 31, where a suspect was getting taken into custody. While officers ran beat checks, they found a man who had three active no-bail warrants.

The suspect resisted arrest by refusing officers’ commands then intentionally used his car to hit their police cars twice.

In the post of the video, the caption said that a female officer was "punching a person already handcuffed and tased." …

read … Maui police investigates officer’s ‘unjustified force’ on a suspect | Crime & Courts | kitv.com

Tren de Aragua? Immigration raid targets cleaning company employees months after wage settlement

HNN: … The federal immigration raid conducted Wednesday on Kauai targeted employees of Hawaii Care and Cleaning, the same company that agreed to pay $3.8 million in January to settle a wage and hour lawsuit with the federal Labor Department.

Multiple sources confirmed that many of the people arrested during the operation were employed by the Kauai-based cleaning company owned by entrepreneur William “Bill” Allen.

Immigration experts said the timing suggests a connection between the labor settlement and the enforcement action.….

HNN: ICE arrests expose Hawaii’s first suspected link to Venezuelan gang

read … Immigration raid targets cleaning company employees months after wage settlement

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