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Wednesday, June 3, 2026

June 3, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 8:35 AM :: 134 Views

Election 2026: 310 Candidates File by Deadline

Hawaii: 2nd Poorest Rich People in USA

Targeting High Earners is Misguided and Will Worsen States’ Fiscal Positions

Filipino National Charged with Unlawfully Voting as an Alien

Kailua Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Conspiracy

Simplifying Permitting for Enhanced Economic Development Task Force

Lawsuit Challenges DHHL as 'Race-Based'

Green vs Cordery for Governor tops list of 100 contests on November Ballot

CB: … More than 100 seats are on the ballot this August, including the state’s top elected post.

Gov. Josh Green will face three opponents in the Democratic primary, but they are not well-known. They are Duke Bourgoin, Lauren Kapoliahi’iaka Shim and George (Teva) Lucas-Tadeo.

(Antivaxxer) Gary Cordery, a builder and contractor on Oʻahu who has advocated for conservative positions at public forums, is the best-known candidate in the Republican primary. Four members of the GOP are running for LG….

The marquee races involve the 1st Congressional District covering urban Oʻahu and the mayors races in Kauaʻi and Maui counties….

The battle for Maui mayor features incumbent Richard ‘Missen’ Bissen, Maui County Council member Yuki Lei Sugimura and several others. (After not noticing that Lahaina burned to the ground, Bissen) has been in (slow-walking) recovery since the devastating wildfires of August 2023 and (has formed a political alliance with 20-lbs-a-month meth dealer Moses Kiakona) in debate over converting short-term rentals to address a severe affordable housing shortage….

READ: Meet the Meth Gang Behind ‘Lahaina Strong’

U.S. Rep. Ed Case, who has held the CD1 seat since 2019 (and represented the 2nd Congressional District from 2002 to 2007), faces state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole in the Democratic primary….

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda has drawn three challengers in the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District, including a longshot contender who was arrested late last month for terroristic threatening.

State Sen. Brenton Awa is unopposed in the Republican primary for CD2, which represents the parts of Oʻahu outside of urban Honolulu and all the neighbor islands….

Retirements, government appointments and the desire to gain higher office have left many seats in the Legislature wide open. They include the Senate District 13 seat on Oʻahu held by Karl Rhoads and the House District 26 seat held by Belatti….

Read … Hot Races For Congress, Lieutenant Governor Top Hawaiʻi Primary - Honolulu Civil Beat

Ozawa back -- Tommy Waters 3^rd Term Trickery Exposed

HNN: … Former Honolulu City Council member and attorney Trevor Ozawa announced Tuesday he’s running to reclaim the District 4 East Honolulu council seat….

Ozawa beat Waters in 2014 by 41 votes, then won again in 2018 by 22 votes. But the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court later invalidated those results, triggering a special election “do-over” that Waters won in 2019.

Now, Ozawa says he’s ready for another run, arguing his campaign is focused on “making government work for local families again” and bringing “urgency” and “common sense” back to the district.

He also questions City Council raises and whether Waters should seek a third term….

The race also comes as questions have surfaced about the letter that led to the city clerk clearing Waters to run again.

HNN has learned the objection that prompted the clerk’s determination came from Chris Butt, a longtime Waters supporter and past campaign donor.

“It sounds unbelievable, but, you know, I guess I would say, it kind of makes you question what the intent is, whether it was to really educate people, whether it was to help people, whether it was to trick people, I’m not sure,” said Ozawa.

Waters said Butt wrote the letter himself after Waters explained the process and said he did not engineer it.

“I pointed out what that process was and Chris took that and did the letter himself, so we got a determination and it feels good,” said Waters.….

Read … Former council member challenges chair in East Honolulu rematch | Hawaii News Now

23 Unopposed races on Hawaii election ballot

HNN: … Hawaii News Now reviewed more than 100 candidates running for state legislative and county council seats and found about 23 are running unopposed in the upcoming primary election.

That means they will advance automatically and win their races without opposition.

Among them are some of the state’s most powerful political figures, including Senate President Ron Kouchi and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura.

(With no challenger, they will have plenty of time to help boost allies in their legislative races.)

Political analyst Colin Moore said the lack of competition for high-ranking incumbents raises concerns about accountability.

Other incumbents also advancing without opposition include Honolulu City Council members Matt Weyer and Val Okimoto….

Just two of the 23 unopposed candidates are Republicans: state Reps. Lauren Matsumoto Cheape and David Alcos III….

Read … 23 Unopposed races scattered across Hawaii’s primary election ballot

For 14 Years, Worthless Maui Prosecutors protect Alleged Killer of 4-year-old boy

HNN: … A Maui man faces trial once again for the 2012 alleged murder of his 4-year-old son.

This is the third time Kyle McKeown, 46, has been charged in this case.

Court documents say the boy died from injuries that most likely stemmed from someone stomping on him while he was lying on the ground.

McKeown was arrested on May 8 for the alleged murder of his son, Zion, 14 years ago.

McKeown has been released on his own recognizance, which means the judge gave him permission to leave jail before trial without having to post bail. Instead, he promised he would return to court.

When McKeown was first arrested in 2012, Maui police spoke of the allegations.

“This is very tragic,” said then Lt. Wayne Ibarra of the Maui Police Department. “A 4-year-old child — his life has been taken away, and everyone here at the police department want to do our best to make sure justice is served."

A month later, the case was dismissed.

In a 2012 interview with Hawaii News Now, Zion’s maternal grandmother Maryann Rooney said she was furious.

“I am so, so very angry. I am seeing red. I cannot believe they let him go. I truly believe he murdered my grandson and there’s a special place in hell for this person I know it,” said Rooney.

Prosecutors re-indicted McKeown in 2018 for Zion’s murder, but a year later, the case was dropped again.

Seven years later, they are trying once more with Honolulu prosecutors now handling the case because a Maui prosecutor once represented McKeown as a defense attorney….

On Tuesday, Honolulu prosecutors filed a notice for an extended prison term. That means if McKeown is convicted, he could face a longer sentence than the maximum life in prison with parole because his son was less than 8 years old.

Records show McKeown has seven prior convictions for assault, abuse of a family/household member, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and assault against a law enforcement officer….

Read ... Maui man faces trial for third time in 2012 death of 4-year-old son | Hawaii News Now

HSEO: LNG Even More Beneficial Than Reported

SA: … The Hawaii State Energy Office revised its alternative fuel analysis last month after it found a spreadsheet error in one of its scenarios that inflated benefits of using liquefied natural gas by hundreds of millions of dollars.

In the revised report, the state scrapped the flawed scenario altogether, instead recalculating the benefits in two other scenarios it presented by correcting two additional errors.

After recalculating, the agency says it actually found added savings where it previously showed marginal cost benefits….

The agency noted the revised study results are conservative because it did not consider Hawaiian Electric’s proposed $1.15 billion Waiau Power Plant upgrade or the fiscal impacts of the the Public Utilities Commission’s conditional approval. Incorporating those expenses could increase costs for non-gas alternatives, the agency said….

BACKGROUND:

March 23, 2026: Rate Hike Coming: PUC Approves Dirty Expensive System for Waiau HECO Plant
April 21, 2026: Hawaii Electric Bills to Jump 30% -- because ‘Solar’ is just another name for ‘Diesel’
May 1, 2026: Solar is Diesel: HECO Lied About Urgent Need for Maui (Diesel) Power Plants
May 23, 2026: Solar/Diesel Industry Activists go crazy over plan to import liquefied natural gas to Oahu

Read ... State fixes flawed LNG forecast | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Biki Bikes: Another Failed Pipe Dream

CB: … “the Biki system is the poorest-working system that I’ve used.” ….

Paying is another issue, he said. The station kiosks don’t have tap-to-pay, and swiping your credit card so the system recognizes it sometimes takes a special touch that he had to practice. Another option is to use the app – which is called PBSC, not Biki – though Ryan said he struggled to find it in the app store the last time he tried.

“That’s another reason that they’re losing revenue,” he said. “They don’t even know how to take money from people.” …

“They’ve got to be like the only big system in the world in a big city that doesn’t have electric bikes now,” Ryan said.

The city announced in late June 2024 it would take on oversight of Biki from Bikeshare Hawaii, leaving Secure Bike Share LLC in charge of operations and maintenance.

The takeover was via a one-year concessions contract that was supposed to last until the end of June 2025, and a city press release at the time said “riders will not notice any changes in system availability, operations, Biki accounts or customer support.”

In August 2025, council members approved a $1 million transfer from the new Climate Resiliency Fund to the Department of Transportation Services to boost Biki….

Officials at the Department of Transportation Services declined an interview, saying they are working on pending contracts and therefore limited in what they can say. In a written statement, Director of Transit Jon Nouchi said the city’s goal is to eventually restore Biki’s fleet to its former heights….

time has not been kind to Biki. Vandalism along with normal wear and tear has depleted the fleet to less than half its original size. Only 478 bikes remained by the end of April, according to city spokesperson Travis Ota, a 60% drop….

Read … Where, Oh Where, Have The Bikis Gone? Oʻahu Is Missing 800 Bikes - Honolulu Civil Beat

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