Bogus Diddy Suit Dismissed after making complete fool of Maui Mayor

Purchasing Power: In Honolulu $100 worth only $90.71

HGEA Demands Action by DOE After Brutal Assault on Moanalua HS Employee

Hawaii AG Sues to Hide Data on College DEI Admissions

Booking.com fights to revive challenge to Hawaii tax rule

Bissen appoints Batangan to Maui County Council

How HART Artificially Inflates Rail Ridership Numbers

SA: … “Looking at the month of November, the weekday average for the entire month — not including holidays — was 10,552 rides,” DTS spokesperson Travis Ota said.

For the first half of the current month of December — tallied from Dec. 1 to Dec. 14 — Skyline averaged 9,783 daily rides, Monday to Friday, DTS data indicates.

Ota said Skyline calculates the average weekday numbers, not the entire week, for rides.

“Ridership is counted based on the number of HOLO card tap-ins at each station entrance,” he added. “Also note, we use the term ‘rides,’ as in the number of rides taken on TheBus and Skyline,” rather than passengers….

… ride data for Skyline in post-Segment 2 operations — which now runs 365 days a year from 4 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. — indicates downturns on major holidays.

That included Veterans Day on Nov. 11 — which saw 7,966 rides — versus nearly 10,000 rides the day before. And Thanksgiving, on Nov. 27, where 4,623 Skyline rides occurred, versus 10,738 rides the day prior. A day later on Nov. 28’s Black Friday — the popular annual shopping event that’s not an actual holiday — Skyline ridership increased to 8,745 passengers, city data indicates.

And since Nov. 1, weekend ridership on the Skyline has also been lower, as people rode the city-run trains approximately 5,000 to 7,500 times on Saturdays and Sundays, city data shows….

As far as Segment 2 is concerned, Mayor Rick Blangiardi has set a goal of increasing rail ridership to 25,000 rides a day within a year….

REALITY: Remember 313,000?  A look at HART's shifty ridership projections

read … New segment boosts Skyline’s ridership | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Jail Guard Charged in assault of Maunalua HS sports official

HNN: …  New video allegedly showing angry parents upset at referees before Moanalua High School’s assistant athletic director got knocked out.

After this assault incident caught on camera, Aukusitino Noga Jr., a 13-year adult corrections officer, faces a February trial after pleading not guilty to class C felony assault and battery.

The woman who got knocked out, Moanalua’s associate athletics director Natalie Iwamoto, also filed temporary restraining orders against Noga and his wife, Jamilee Noga.

As part of the legal complaint, video of that basketball game on Dec. 4 when Moanalua High School lost to Mililani allegedly shows the couple shouting at referees, including expletives and a racial reference….

Mr. Noga’s TRO hearing is Wednesday in District Court and the head of the Department of Law Enforcement says security will be beefed up.

The Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement:

“Aukusitino I. Noga Jr. started as an Adult Corrections Officer (ACO) with the Department of Public Safety (now Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) on Jan. 20, 2012.  Noga is currently employed with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR)….”

KITV: Assault on Moanalua High School athletic director draws anger from community | News | kitv.com

read … Video during game allegedly shows angry parents before school official assaulted

Hawaii Officials Strategize Gun Control in Secret

CB: … Data on gun violence in Hawaiʻi is often scattered, incomplete and difficult to analyze. It’s held by a variety of agencies who don’t always count things the same way or share information with each other. 

(TRANSLATION: They want to re-package the data to make it more useful to gun control efforts.)

The group that brought public health officials, law enforcement and researchers together to talk about how to prevent gun violence hasn’t met in over a year, and efforts to restart it have failed….

read … Hawai‘i Gun Deaths: Amid Uptick, Leaders Take Debate Underground - Honolulu Civil Beat

Maui Land & Pineapple fined for inadequate stream flows

HNN: … The state Commission on Water Resource Management voted to fine Maui Land & Pineapple $140,000 for failing to deliver enough water to west Maui streams, but will allow the company to use the money for system improvements with community input.

The company blamed an historic drought for the violations, but critics said Maui Land and Pine is responsible for a wasteful water system.

The alleged mismanagement of the Honokohau water system brought together a Japanese billionaire and local taro farmers at Tuesday’s commission meeting.

Kenji Yui, general manager of TY Management, a company owned by Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai, testified about the water problems affecting Kapalua golf courses….

The commission will face more conflicts over water in west Maui as they still need to approve more than 100 requested permits that were applied for the same week as the Maui wildfires in August 2023….

MN: Maui Land & Pineapple fined $140K for streamflow violations, but can offset penalty with improvements : Maui Now

read … Maui Land & Pineapple fined for inadequate stream flows

Hawaiʻi loses 10 senior wildlife scientists amid federal staffing cuts

MN: … Many departing staff members were senior-level employees, with some likely accepting early retirement offers….

read … Hawaiʻi loses 10 senior wildlife scientists amid federal staffing cuts : Maui Now

Hawaiian, Alaska airlines to (pretend to) use locally made biofuel

SA: … Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines expect to begin running some of their planes partly on biofuel produced in Hawaii early next year.

(REALITY:  They won’t get enough fuel for even one flight.)

The sister airlines owned by Alaska Air Group also plan to invest in a joint venture between several companies including fuel refinery operator Par Hawaii trying to establish Camelina sativa, also known as false flax, as a major crop in the state for producing sustainable aviation fuel and feed for cattle and chickens.

Hawaiian and Alaska, which are publicly announcing the plans today, say the related ventures will expand their use of sustainable aviation fuel that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps the state meet a goal to have 100% of energy generation from renewable sources by 2045….

NR: Hawaiian and Alaska airlines, Par Hawaii and Pono Energy partner to advance the Hawai'i-based market, supply chain for sustainable aviation fuel production

KHON: From aviation to shipping, how Hawaii’s transportation sector is greenwashing | KHON2

read … Hawaiian, Alaska airlines to use locally made biofuel | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Says Current Rules Are Enough To Prevent AI Abuses

CB: … Despite lawyers citing fake, AI-generated citations in court documents, a new report finds existing rules provide adequate safeguards….

read … Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Says Current Rules Are Enough To Prevent AI Abuses - Honolulu Civil Beat

2 pleading guilty to fraud for false claims in wildfires

SA: … Harris is charged with lying about “lost income, lost property, lost housing, medical expenses, and other losses as a result of the Maui wildfires federal disaster, when in fact, the defendant did not reside at the damaged address and did not suffer the stated losses,” according to an affidavit authored by a special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General.

The owner of the property in Lahaina was not Johnson or Harris, according to Maui County records.

The actual owners later made FEMA claims themselves for the same property and denied renting it to Harris, Johnson or anyone else….

July 2025: District of Hawaii | Two Indicted for Fraudulent FEMA Claims for Lahaina Fire and California Fire Federal Disasters | United States Department of Justice

read .. 2 pleading guilty to fraud for false claims in wildfires | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

QUICK HITS:

1. Big Q: Do you approve of Maui’s Bill 9, to convert short-term rentals into longer-term housing? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

2. A Hawaiʻi research organization reexamines the state constitution | Hawai'i Public Radio

3. Celebrate the season with Friends of Honolulu City Lights - YouTube

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5. Hawaii sees increase in hospital visits because of the flu | Local | kitv.com

6. Nevada sued by U.S. government for voter data | Nevada | thecentersquare.com

7. CitizenPortal.ai - Commission authorizes chair to negotiate with OHA on Kaka'ako Makai Lot I

8. Islandwide Kauaʻi Middle School Makahiki Championship celebrates culture, competition – Hawaiʻi State Department of Education

9. SteelGenix and Hawaiian Council Deliver 34 Sustainable Homes, Renewing Hope in Post-Fire Lahaina - EIN Presswire

10. DVIDS - News - Guam and Hawaii Guards strengthen ties at historic Philippine reservist convention

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12. DNC passes resolution condemning lawsuit against Kamehameha Schools : Maui Now

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14. Waiakea subdivision bill to go to full council - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

15. The Supreme Court Should Not Shield Monsanto From Lawsuits - Honolulu Civil Beat

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17. Column: Green fee must be conservation catalyst | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

18. Editorial: SNAP soft drink ban not hard call | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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