June 5, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Friday, June 5, 2026

June 5, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 12:30 PM :: 253 Views

Lawsuit: Hawaiian Homelands Will Win Because OHA Lost

Medicaid Fraud: Green Orders DHS to Create 'Strike Force'

Hawaii Healthcare Directory: 69% Ghost Listings

Can refusing a sobriety test be used against you? Hawaii high court weighs in

Saddle Road: HDOT Declares 'Traffic Emergency Zone' After Latest Fatal Crash

After storm repairs, Ukumehame Firing Range Reopens

21 Hawaii incumbents already reelected with no opponents

SA: … Twenty one incumbent Council members and state legislators have a clear path to reelection with no political opposition, and will return to office following the Aug. 8 party primary elections.

(TRANSLATION: Even with massive legislative corruption scandals swirling around, neither Democrat challengers nor Hawaii Republicans even put up a candidate. Suggested Slogan: “Vote for me. I don’t take bribes.”)

Candidates who have no challengers include Senate President Ron Kouchi and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura.

Their positions as Senate president and House speaker place them in the line of succession to replace the governor — after the lieutenant governor — if the governor can no longer serve (or if he is appointed to HHS by the next US President)….

(Green faces only antivaxxer Cordery in the General. Useless.)

Two races — to represent urban Honolulu in Congress and to replace Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who abandoned her reelection bid and remains under investigation by the state Attorney General, are generating the most buzz. State Rep. Della Au Belatti left the Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Ed Case to run instead for lieutenant governor against Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami, who represented the early front-runner…

Neither U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz nor Mazie Hirono face reelection this year.

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, whose district includes rural Oahu and all of the neighbor islands, has no high-profile Democratic challenger in her primary.

She appears likely to face Republican state Sen. Brenton Awa (R, Kaneohe-Laie-Mokuleia) in the Nov. 3 general election….

Read. Hawaii incumbents with no challengers will cruise to victory | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Feds: Hawaii Has Until Sept 30 to Recertify Medicaid Fraud Control Unit

SA: … In a second letter sent to the state Thursday, Bell noted that if the Hawaii unit regains certification before the end of the fiscal year Sept. 30 and demonstrates it has “remediated the compliance concerns that formed the basis for this suspension” it could be lifted and Hawaii could “otherwise receive reimbursement consistent with relevant statute and regulations,” Bell wrote.

“To regain certification, the Hawaii MFCU must develop a robust corrective action plan, approved by OIG, and demonstrate that it has taken action consistent with the corrective action plan over the equivalent of at least a quarter of a fiscal year,” said Bell ….

PDF: FULL TEXT OF HHS OIG LETTER June 4, 2026

PDF: SECOND LETTER June 4, 2026

BACKGROUND

Read … Hawaii sets up Medicaid fraud task force after federal funding cut | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Florida men who allegedly bribed Hawaii Army official plead not guilty

SA: … Two Florida men accused of bribing a U.S. Army official with $1.25 million over five years to secure contracts from the military’s Hawaii-Pacific Innovation Campus pleaded not guilty in federal court in Honolulu this morning….

BACKGROUND: Feds Bust Two Defense Contractors in PACOM Bribery Scheme

Read … Florida men who allegedly bribed Hawaii Army official plead not guilty | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

OHA Hires Akin Gump for Defense Lobbying

L1: … The lobbying disclosure lists "Defense" as the sole issue area….

(CLUE: 8a corporations. Army lease renewals.)

Read … OHA Hires Akin Gump for Defense Lobbying | Legis1 | Legis1

Hawaii Supreme Court hears arguments on DUI field sobriety test refusals

HNN: … The Hawaii Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday on whether a driver’s refusal to take a voluntary roadside sobriety test can be used as evidence of guilt in civil, license revocation cases, and potentially the criminal case.

The ACLU of Hawaii joined defense attorney Kevin O’Grady in seeking clarification on whether refusing to take the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) should count against a driver….

Read … Hawaii Supreme Court hears arguments on DUI field sobriety test refusals | Hawaii News Now

Why 6 is the magic number of evacuation routes for wildfire survival

HPR: … The 2023 Maui wildfires not only devastated communities, they also exposed the dangers of those that lacked enough evacuation routes.

Neighborhoods that are only accessible by a single road, also known as “one way in, one way out” neighborhoods, were the focus of a special HPR series on fire vulnerability in 2024.

Now, new research has aimed to address the question: how many exit routes is enough to save lives during a fire? According to University of California Santa Barbara researcher Cat Fong, six seems to be the magic number. …

Read … Why 6 is the magic number of evacuation routes for wildfire survival | Hawai'i Public Radio

Self-Help: Families to build their own affordable housing in Nanakuli

HNN: … State and local leaders attended a groundbreaking on Thursday for a new “self-help” affordable housing subdivision in Nanakuli.

The Self-Help Housing Corporation of Hawaii, or SHHCH, launched the Nanaikeola Self-Help Housing Subdivision, with 87 residential lots on 12 acres of land.

Attendees included Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, and other City and State officials, as well as developers Fukunaga & Associates, Royal Contracting Company, and more.

This unusual program gives low income families the opportunity to build their own houses for $496,000 fee simple….

Read … Low income families to build their own affordable housing in Nanakuli

Maui County Begins Planning ‘Lahaina Royal Complex’ Tourist Attraction

HNN: … “We think about Mokuʻula, Mokuhinia, that is one of the most significant sites in Hawaii, and when we think about the sacredness of the space, we want to make sure that people can visit, the mannerisms in which they visit,” said Kaponoʻai Molitau, the county’s Director of ʻŌiwi Resources….

The county is asking Hawaii residents, especially Lahaina kupaʻāina (native-born), to participate in an online survey that will help shape the area.

Survey: https://arcg.is/0mbmDy.

NR: County update on Lahaina Royal Complex Master Plan provided, statewide survey launched • Maui County

Read … Lahaina moves forward with Royal Complex to honor Hawaiian history

Only the Little People Pay Conveyance Taxes

PBN: … Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison's $300 million purchase of 98% of the island of Lanai from a fellow billionaire, Castle & Cooke's David Murdock, skirted that tax using a loophole, often prompting discussions on whether Hawaii should change how the tax works.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' purchase of a remote estate near La Perouse Bay on Maui also avoided the tax. Ellison’s $300 million purchase of Lanai would have incurred a $3.75 million conveyance tax bill while Bezos’ $78 million Maui purchase would have incurred a $975,000 conveyance tax bill….

Read … Alexander & Baldwin pays $4.19M in Hawaii conveyance taxes - Pacific Business News

Longtime Hawaiʻi Immigration Judge Fired As Trump Purge Continues

CB: … Wagner is among more than 113 judges fired by the U.S. Department of Justice since President Donald Trump took office in 2025. The justice department houses the immigration courts, which have been deluged with cases as the White House presses its hardline anti-immigrant campaign.

Immigrant advocates and some of the judges fired across the country have speculated that the administration is cleaning house of judges whose rulings tended to favor immigrants’ claims for asylum and other relief from removal orders.

And Wagner granted asylum requests at a much higher rate than the California immigration judge who has taken his place, Jason Waterloo.

In the first 11 months of the 2025 fiscal year, Wagner granted asylum in 64% of the 334 cases he ruled on, according to Transactional Access Records Clearinghouse, or TRAC, a Syracuse University-based project that analyzes immigration court records.

During that timeframe, Waterloo granted asylum in just 27% of the 221 cases where he issued rulings, according to TRAC….

Read … Longtime Hawaiʻi Immigration Judge Fired As Trump Purge Continues - Honolulu Civil Beat

Honolulu Ethics Commission Has New Leader

CB: … The Honolulu Ethics Commission selected attorney Sandy Ma as its next executive director on Thursday at a public meeting that followed a closed-door interview process.

The job is the top staff position at a commission tasked with being the city’s ethics watchdog, responsible for upholding integrity in city government, investigating complaints about ethics violations and enforcing city ethics laws, including issuing fines.

Ma has extensive work experience in government policy and advocacy.

She previously served as a policy analyst for the Center for Progressive Reform and executive director of Common Cause Hawaii, a nonprofit group that advocates for government transparency and accountability….

Read … Honolulu Ethics Watchdog Has New Leader - Honolulu Civil Beat

No asset limit for no-interest loan

SA: … Honolulu’s Rehabilitation Loan Program provides interest-free loans of up to $300,000 to eligible households that earn 80% or less of the Area Median Income for Oahu and meet other requirements. …

“Eligibility for the Rehabilitation Loan Program is based on household income. Applicants must meet HUD’s low-to-moderate income requirement, which is currently set at 80% of the Area Median Income for Honolulu County.

“There is no asset limit or cutoff for eligibility under the Rehabilitation Loan Program. Applicants are not disqualified based solely on the amount or value of assets they own….

Read … Kokua Line: Is there asset limit for no-interest loan? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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