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Friday, May 8, 2026

May 8, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 7:27 AM :: 151 Views

Hawaii Housing Costs 'Stabilize' at Extremely Unaffordable Level

SB3001: Legislators Trying to Regulate AI

Feds Bust Meth Gang Centered on Puuwai Momi Housing complex

Feds Extend Native Hawaiian Education Funding One More Year

Council Grabs for Control of $41M ‘Emergency Slush Fund’

CB: … Council Chair Tommy Waters and Budget Chair Val Okimoto are proposing the formation of a new fund through which the city administration would have to ask the council’s permission to spend money.

The proposed Provision for Operations and Emergency Recovery could be used for emergency purposes like responding to the recent Kona low storms, they said, but also regular operating expenses as departments brace for a tight upcoming fiscal year.

Waters and Okimoto say the fund would promote transparency by making these council-controlled expenditures the subject of public hearings. But Mike Formby, the city’s managing director, told council members last week the new structure would gum up city operations, which he called “unacceptable.”

“You have put us in a position where we will be coming back to council for essential, existing government operations,” he said at a council meeting last Friday. …

read … ‘Slush Fund’? Honolulu Council Wants Control Of $41 Million - Honolulu Civil Beat

UH Athletics funding plan heads to final vote

KHON: … The NIL era has changed college sports.

Top athletes can now make money through sponsorships, appearances and endorsements.

Senate Bill 3263 would create a special endowment fund to help the University of Hawaii Athletics compete for talent.

Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, who introduced the bill, said the original UH request asked lawmakers for $5 million every year. But she said the final version is a compromise that requires UH to tap into its Tuition and Fees Special Fund….

read … UH Athletics funding plan heads to final vote

Skyline park-n-ride full at West Oahu rail station

HNN: … Many riders agree parking on the grass isn’t too much of a hassle, and there were dozens of cars doing just that Thursday morning, after the more than 300 stalls in the park-and-ride were taken….

The city clarified that parking is not allowed in the grass area, but would not comment if the rule is being enforced….

The park-and-ride is only a temporary facility until HART can build a permanent one that is expected to have 1,000 stalls on the opposite side of Kualakai Parkway.

The deadline for the permanent park-and-ride is 2031, before the opening of Skyline’s third segment….

read … Skyline popularity spurs parking problems at West Oahu rail station | Hawaii News Now

Power Has Been Out In These Oʻahu Classrooms For Months

CB: … For eight months, students at Kalāheo High School have gone without power – including air conditioning and overhead lighting – in a building housing athletic facilities and classrooms. An electrical outage in September plunged the building into darkness….

Rep. Michael Lee, who represents the area, said the education department needed time to source specialized contractors and materials to fix the electrical problems. The building requires more than 300 feet of underground electrical wiring and a new circuit breaker, he said, but the repairs should start on Saturday. …

read … Power Has Been Out In These Oʻahu Classrooms For Months - Honolulu Civil Beat

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