February 3, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

February 3, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 10:23 AM :: 97 Views

Police Commission appoints Rudy Tai as Kaua‘i Police Chief

Green Appoints Char Kauai Circuit Judge

“Potential criminality” of Rail Contractor

SA: … Board member Anthony Aalto also queried about HART’s counterclaim, which makes “allegations that could point to potential criminality.”

“Those are not issues that could be resolved by mediation, correct?” Aalto asked ….

The third-party process to negotiate a mutually agreeable settlement to avoid costly litigation between HART and Hitachi Rail Honolulu JV has occurred before, but with little success.

The prior mediation, in October 2024, and subsequent settlement efforts, failed, according to HART….

PDF: HART Countersuit vs Hitachi (Counterclaims begin on pg 28)

read … Judge orders mediation for HART, Hitachi litigation | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Senator Kidani Still in Office, claims she is not senile

CB: … The biggest open secret at the State Capitol is that Senate Vice President Michelle Kidani is ill and could soon be leaving the Senate.

Privately, those who have been in meetings with her say she often loses her train of thought. Last session, she became confused while presiding over a Senate floor session in President Ron Kouchi’s absence. She now has a helper who guides her around the Capitol and accompanies her to hearings.

Civil Beat talked to more than a dozen lawmakers, staff and past and current top officials who have frequent interaction with Kidani. Several told Civil Beat the 77-year-old lawmaker is suffering from dementia and has been under a doctor’s care….

If Kidani retired by May 8, the last day of session, Gov. Josh Green likely would make an interim appointment. A special election to fill the District 18 seat — which represents Mililani Town, Waipi‘o Gentry, Crestview, Waikele parts of Waipahu, Village Park and Royal Kunia — might then coincide with the August primary election….

Several people at the Capitol say Kidani had wanted to stay in office until her term ends in 2028. Late last year, she even scheduled a reelection fundraiser.

But all that appears to have changed and a decision on her political future could come later this week….

HNN: State senators defend colleague after article questions her health

CB: Hawaiʻi Sen. Michelle Kidani Says She's Capable Of Handling Her Job - Honolulu Civil Beat

KHON: Sen. Kidani asserts ability to serve amid health rumors

read … The State Capitol Is Buzzing About This Prominent Hawaiʻi Lawmaker - Honolulu Civil Beat

Ed Case Has Substantial Lead In Money Race For U.S. House Seat

CB: … Case raised just over $204,000 in the last quarter of 2025, according to his latest filings with the Federal Election Commission, which was more than either of his opponents. That left him with nearly $743,000 in cash on hand as the 2026 campaign season gets underway, an amount far outpacing his competition.

Two state lawmakers, Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole and Rep. Della Au Belatti, have mounted campaigns against Case, who has represented urban Oʻahu since returning to Congress after winning the 2018 election….

Keohokalole’s campaign reported raising nearly $150,000 in the final quarter of 2025 while Au Belatti brought in about $28,000. They reported having around $204,000 and $50,000, respectively, in the bank at the end of the year….

read … Ed Case Has Substantial Lead In Money Race For U.S. House Seat - Honolulu Civil Beat

Oceanfront Lahaina Property Owners May Get $50M Buyout In Updated Disaster Plan

CB: … Maui officials are planning to use a relatively small portion ($50M) of federal disaster aid to (for purely aesthetic reasons) offer voluntary buyouts to certain oceanfront property owners who lost their home or business in the Lahaina wildfire.

It’s one of the most significant changes that Mayor Richard Bissen’s administration has proposed making to the broader action plan that outlines how the county must spend the $1.6 billion grant awarded by the federal government in the aftermath of the 2023 blaze.

The so-called strategic voluntary mitigation buyout program would be funded by reallocating $50 million from other hazard mitigation projects, according to a revised version of the plan….

read … Oceanfront Lahaina Property Owners May Get Buyout In Updated Disaster Plan

Star-Adv: Put ban-LNG bill on back burner

SA: … House Bill 1568 (DSA-sponsored) aims to enact an outright ban on using LNG to generate power, effective after June 30. The ban would preclude the importation or storage of the fuel, as well as the construction, expansion or operation of LNG infrastructure….

(CLUE: Because the ‘green’ energy industry wants to compete against dirty, expensive oil.)

HB1568: Text, Status

IM: Honolulu Star-Advertiser Opposes a Public Discussion on LNG | Ililani Media

read … Editorial: Put ban-LNG bill on back burner | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Expanded work requirements for SNAP are kicking in for Hawaii

HNN: … Several states started the three-month clock in November, opening the possibility of people losing benefits in coming days. Among them are Alaska, Colorado, Georgia and Hawaii….

Starting in October, states will be required to cover three-fourths of the administrative costs. Currently, state and federal governments divide the states’ cost of running the program roughly equally. In late 2027, states with higher error rates in payments will be required to cover some of the benefit costs….

The work requirements previously applied to adults ages 18 through 54 who are physically and mentally able to work and don’t have dependents under age 18. The new law applies those requirements to those ages 55 through 64 and to parents without children younger than 14. It repeals work exemptions for homeless individuals, veterans and young adults aging out of foster care. And it limits the ability of states to waive work requirements in areas lacking jobs.

The new requirements are expected to reduce the average monthly number of SNAP recipients by about 2.4 million people over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office….

read … Expanded work requirements for SNAP are kicking in for more states

Hawaii Bill To Ban Prediction Markets Amid $448K Bets on Gov. Green's Speech

GA: … Lawmakers in Hawaii have introduced new legislation that could ban prediction markets in The Aloha State. The move comes after $448,667 in bets were placed on whether Gov. Josh Green would say certain words like during his annual State of the State address.

House Bill 2198, introduced by state Rep. Scot Matayoshi, would prohibit online prediction markets, making Hawaii the only state besides Utah that bans all forms of legal gambling.

For operators such as Kalshi and Polymarket, the Hawaii debate signals a new front: states are no longer viewing event contracts as abstract financial products, but as gambling activity that may require the same restrictions as sportsbooks and casinos….

read … Hawaii Bill To Ban Prediction Markets Amid $448K Bets on Gov. Green's Speech

State, county settle lawsuits over psychiatric detention

HNN: ... Court records show there is taxpayer-funded settlement for a mistaken identity case that led to a wrongful detention and state hospital commitment.

When finalized, the deal will end the state and federal civil lawsuits filed by Joshua Spriestersbach, who was 46 years old in 2017 when he was arrested for someone else’s crimes outside a shelter in Chinatown.

REALITY: As a result of this error, a homeless schizophrenic finally got the mental health treatment he desperately needed. Now he lives on a farm in Vermont with his sister.

When Spriestersbach insisted he was not Thomas Castleberry, he was deemed delusional and sent to the state psychiatric facility. He spent more than two years there, forced to take powerful anti-psychotic medication that he did ~~not~~ need.

(REALITY: Drug addicts and mentally ill must be forced into mental institutions and treated against their will. The real travesty is that this guy only got treatment because of a series of errors. Now he is getting a ‘settlement’ for this non-injustice. Demented!)

read … State, county settle lawsuits over wrongful psychiatric detention

State Agrees To Settle Case Over Prison Drug Withdrawal Death

CB: … The settlement calls for a $600,000 payment to the estate of Brian Kimo O’Gorman after he suffered heart failure while withdrawing from methadone….

read … State Agrees To Settle Case Over Prison Drug Withdrawal Death - Honolulu Civil Beat

DOE Made Little Progress Last Year On Local Food Goals

CB: … Last year, 6.5% of the department’s food budget — roughly $5 million out of a $77 million budget — was spent on local ingredients, according to a recent report to the Legislature. The department spent 5.4% of its school meals budget on local ingredients in the 2023-24 academic year, and just over 6% the year before.

Local meat made up the largest portion of DOE’s local food purchases last year, followed by fruit and vegetables. …

read … DOE Made Little Progress Last Year On Local Food Goals - Honolulu Civil Beat

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