February 10, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

February 10, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:15 PM :: 389 Views

Rail: HART Alleges ‘Core Systems Contractor’ is Criminal Organization

$35K Bribe: Sylvia Luke changes her story—finally admits taking money in FBI Sting Operation--bribester flees country

SA: … Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke acknowledges that she may be the lawmaker at the heart of a months-long mystery regarding a legislator who allegedly accepted $35,000 in a paper bag in 2022, but she insists that she did nothing wrong.…

(FLASHBACK 2025: “I was never in a meeting with Cullen where somebody gave me $35,000,” she said. …Luke said there is a “zero percent chance” that the money referred to in the court filing is the same as her campaign contributions. “For me, this is pure coincidence….”)

Luke told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in an interview Monday amid the ongoing furor that she did not take $35,000 in a paper bag in front of state House colleague turned FBI informant Ty J.K. Cullen during a January 2022 dinner, but did accept $10,000 in checks for her campaign from two people whom Cullen introduced her to that night.

(REALLY OBVIOUS QUESTION: Who has Luke been recording to reduce her sentence?)

In 2022, Luke was the state representative for Makiki and chair of the powerful House Finance Committee. (And Ty Cullen was her Vice-Chair.)

After Cullen and ex-Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English pleaded guilty in February 2022 to taking bribes from 2014 to 2021 from the late Honolulu businessman Milton J. Choy, Luke said she and her campaign team identified donations from Choy and his orbit received between 2014 and 2019….

Luke was invited to dinner by businessman Tobi Solidum, who asked her to invite Cullen. Luke said her campaign had not initially reported receiving the $10,000 because of a “clerical oversight.“

(IQ Test: Are you laughing?)

When Luke arrived at the dinner, she said, Solidum’s daughter Kristen Pae was also there.

(CLUE: After Cullen was busted, Solidum fled to the Philippines.)

The dinner was four years ago and Luke said she does not remember what they talked about. … (CLUE: ‘COVID money’.)

Luke received a $5,000 check from Solidum, a business owner, and his daughter, Kristen Pae, that was (allegedly) deposited on Jan. 21, 2022, to support her campaign for lieutenant governor.

(FASCINATING FACTOID: Nobody has yet pulled papers to run for LG.)

“Ty Cullen was charged with a crime. The way I knew Tobi was through Ty … I knew them to be close.…”

“For me, because I met with Ty, and then another person (Solidum) who gave me a contribution, for me I’m thinking … the circumstances are that it could be me (the lawmaker that the FBI videotaped allegedly taking $35,000 in a bag). The fact is I didn’t get $35,000 at that meeting or at that dinner,” she told the Star-Advertiser.

The facts are “very confusing” and “don’t line up,” she said. “But at the same time you still got to wonder”

(IQ Test: Are you laughing?)

Luke said she has not discussed the situation with Gov. Josh Green nor directly with Hawaii Attorney General Anne E. Lopez.

(It’s not much of an ‘investigation’ if the prime suspect isn’t interviewed.)

Luke said she has not been interviewed by the FBI as part of their ongoing public corruption probe. The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined comment….

CB: Sylvia Luke Quietly Took Thousands From This Lobbyist Linked To Cullen - Honolulu Civil Beat--"Solidum left the country and is now living in the Philippines. He hasn’t given a political donation in Hawaiʻi since July 2022, campaign finance data shows."

HNN: Lieutenant governor says she may be the ‘influential state legislator’ referred to in federal case

2025: “An analysis of campaign finance records shows that Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke was the only state lawmaker who reported campaign contributions the week of Jan. 20, 2022, that came anywhere near $35,000.” -- As a state representative, Sylvia Luke chaired the House finance committee with Ty Cullen, right, as her No. 2….She reported the deposit of $36,350 from 16 individuals and organizations from Jan. 20 through Jan. 27, 2022, campaign finance data shows. By law, donations must be deposited and reported within seven days of receipt. …But in an interview with Civil Beat, Luke denied involvement and said federal law enforcement had never contacted her. “I was never in a meeting with Cullen where somebody gave me $35,000,” she said. …Luke said there is a “zero percent chance” that the money referred to in the court filing is the same as her campaign contributions. “For me, this is pure coincidence,” she said.

Meanwhile: Election 2026: 94 Candidates Pull Papers to Run (no candidates for LG yet)
Link: Tobi Solidum - Director for Nanoharmonics, Inc.
Link: GeneHarmonics (CLUE: ‘COVID money’)
LINK: NanoHarmonics – Future Technologies (CLUE: ‘COVID money’)
LINK: Geopolicy Dev Group | BREG DCCA (Kristen Pae co-manager)

read … Sylvia Luke says she didn’t take $35k but may be lawmaker behind months-long mystery | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Green’s Tax Hike: ‘Classic Bait-and-Switch’

SA: … a classic case of bait and switch, the governor has proposed a pause of the highly praised tax relief passed in 2024 as Act 46. At the time, it was hailed as “the largest income tax cut for working families in the state’s history.” …

read … Letter: Hawaii residents counting on promised tax breaks | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

CNHA productions anchor $10M push at Ko Olina

SA: … “Kaula Lu‘au,” opening Feb. 27 at Ocean’s Edge, is the first major project in a Hawaiian Council–Ko Olina partnership to build a culture‑driven entertainment district in West Oahu, and is creating 166 jobs. The Council’s second production, “Hawaiian Goddess: The Epic Tale of Hi‘iaka,” slated to open at Ko Olina in December, will add another 176 West Side positions. Together, the two shows are generating 342 jobs and anchoring a growing slate of locally rooted, high‑impact cultural investments.

“Kaula Lu‘au” features the familiar mix of Hawaiian hula, Tahitian otea, and Samoan fire knife dancing, but its economic model marks a shift in how visitor entertainment is produced and who benefits from it. Hawaiian Council CEO Kuhio Lewis said the production is Native Hawaiian led “from concept to casting to catering,” with local creatives, designers, and vendors driving every component.

“All aspects are driven by Native Hawaiians,” Lewis said. “The vision, the development, the creation, who’s being hired, what the story line is — every part of it is Native Hawaiian led. We built this venue, and it tells our stories in the way we want to tell them. An important part of this narrative is elevating the talent and capacity of our West Side community.”

The production is led by Native Hawaiian creatives Kipe Ebana, Mehana Hind, Moses Goods and Tiana Nonosina, with costume design by Native Hawaiian designers Manaola Yap and Kini Zamora.

Backed by more than $5 million in construction funding — including financial and in‑kind support from Ko Olina — the project creates economic opportunities for Native Hawaiian and other local businesses.

“Kaula Lu‘au,” and Hi‘iaka are part of a larger partnership between the Hawaiian Council and Ko Olina and its partners — Aulani, Four Seasons and Marriott — that is developing a culture- centered resort that will welcome residents as well as providing entertainment and shopping opportunities for visitors. The plans include workforce development programs that will prepare local residents for careers in hospitality, the arts, and entertainment, and also creating opportunities for small local businesses and more then 40 cultural practitioners….

FLASHBACK: Can touri$m be re$pectful? CNHA used $27M HTA Money to promote its own luaus

read … Native Hawaiian-led productions anchor $10M push at Ko Olina | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Legislators to Revoke Corporate personhood, and give Personhood to Nature?

IM: … Tomorrow, the Hawaii Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection will have decision making on two bills (SB2471, SB2829) authored by Senator Rhoads that seek to limit the powers of people who aren’t real people, i.e., organizations.

“Revokes all prior grants of corporate and entity powers and regrants only those powers that the State determines to be necessary or convenient to conduct lawful business under the constitution and laws of this State.”

The next day, the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment and the Senate Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts will hear SB3323 by Senator Ihara on giving personhood to nature.

“Recognizes watersheds and coral reef ecosystems as legal persons with inherent and inalienable rights to exist, flourish, and naturally evolve. Establishes enforceable ecosystem rights grounded in public trust doctrine and Native Hawaiian customary stewardship. …

REALITY: Federal-Court-Ruling-Sen-Karl-Rhoads-participated-in-Honolulu-County-Council-Kickback-scheme

MORE REALITY: HCR29-Legislators-Vote-to-Abolish-ERS-End-Free-Speech-for-Star-Advertiser

Feb 7 2026: Sen Rhoads Still Trying to ‘Abolish Corporate Personhood’ (sort of)

read … Hawaii Legislature Considering Rights of Nature & Artificial Persons | Ililani Media

Disgraced attorney could face trial on fraud, theft charges next month if plea deal not reached

ILind: … Readers may recall that Chapman, the former managing partner in a major downtown law firm, surrendered his license in December 2022 to avoid the likelihood he would be disbarred by the Hawaii Supreme Court stemming from his alleged theft of assets belonging to clients or their estates.

He was then indicted last year on multiple counts of identity theft, forgery, and theft for allegedly plotting to steal an estimated $750,000 from the estate of a deceased Honolulu resident.

Chapman had been licensed to practice law in Hawaii since 1980. He has been free since his arrest last June after posting a $1 million bail bond via A-1 Bail Bonds, court records show.

Active plea negotiations were underway last year, but their current status is unknown.

However, court records show prosecutors advised the court Chapman might be named in a potential new criminal case. No further details were provided, but prosecutors are expected to update the court at a trial call hearing on February 23, with the trial on the current charges set to begin two weeks later….

read … Disgraced attorney could face trial on fraud, theft charges next month if plea deal not reached | i L i n d

Bill 92: National Hysteria Over Immigration Enforcement Animates Maui Council

CB: … The focus is Bill 92, a long-standing agreement between the Maui Police Department and the FBI that came up for renewal last year, which has suddenly prompted ~~deep soul searching~~ (animated preening and posturing) among County Council members. …

SN: Bills target immigration enforcement concerns

read … National Fight Over Immigration Enforcement Roils Maui County - Honolulu Civil Beat

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA:

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