June 11, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Thursday, June 11, 2026

June 11, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 8:55 AM :: 170 Views

OIP: Kali Watson Violated Sunshine Law Pushing HHC to Acquire Waipouli

Sunshine Law: OIP Issues Eight Opinions

Montana Man Charged with Sending Antisemitic Threats to Kill Governor of Hawaii

Hawaii considers gasoline tax suspension as pump prices soar

R: … "Right now, gas prices are skyrocketing. I'm contemplating a pause on state and county taxes on gas for part of the summer, just to give people maybe 30 cents a gallon relief," Green said in a statement to Reuters.

The governor is reviewing various options, including executive actions, his office said….

Read … Hawaii considers gasoline tax suspension as pump prices soar | Reuters

Fundraising Huis Provide Chart of Legislative Factions

CB: … With Hawaiʻi’s primary just two months away, dozens of sitting lawmakers are passing the hat, often at the same time and place to pool their resources and save on rental costs. That’s another advantage for incumbents over challengers.

Such was the case recently for Democratic Reps. Darius Kila, Kirstin Kahaloa, Tyson Miyake, Daisy Hartsfield, Mahina Poepoe, Jenna Takenouchi, Andrew Garrett, Luke Evslin and Cory Chun, who posted notices for fundraisers at BSIDE Lounge + Venue in Ward Centre in May. Also scheduled to raise money at the same time was Micah Aiu, who hopes to wrest his seat back from Republican Garner Shimizu this year.

Another hui of House Dems was identified by the Campaign Spending Commission as raising money the day before at the Old Spaghetti Factory downtown: David Tarnas, Lisa Kitagawa, Adrian Tam, Shirley Ann Templo, Dee Morikawa, Scot Matayoshi, Mike Lee and Lisa Marten.

And yet another hui of the same were reported to be at the Old Spaghetti Factory May 27: Gregg Takayama, Kyle Yamashita, Sam Kong, Greggor Ilagan, Linda Ichiyama and Mark Hashem. Another House member, Jackson Sayama, posted a fundraiser notice for the same date, location and time, but he’s jumping ship to run for state Senate….

Mayor Derek Kawakami, who wants to be Green’s No. 2, was scheduled to raise money at Umi Sushi in Wailuku June 3 and to raise even more kālā at developer Stanford Carr’s residence June 10. Kawakami also held two other fundraisers earlier in May….

Read … The Sunshine Blog: Montana Man Charged With Threatening Hawaiʻi Governor - Honolulu Civil Beat

Honolulu Council: Three ‘Progressives’ Isolated

CB: … Weyer generally votes in line with Radiant Cordero and Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, the chamber’s two other younger and more progressive lawmakers. Waters booted the three of them from his leadership team after a contentious vote on sewer fee increases a year ago, resulting in Dos Santos-Tam’s removal from budget chair and Weyer’s removal from council vice chair. As a result, Weyer’s allies are now out of power. …

Read … Honolulu Council Member Is Shoo-In, But Can He Get More Done? - Honolulu Civil Beat

Royal Complex: Plans Unfold for Big New Tourist Attraction around Lahaina Boat Harbor

MN: … Following the 2023 fires, the Maui County Department of ‘Ōiwi Resources is charting a course for the Royal Complex Master Plan …

Several parcels extending north of Shaw Street in Lahaina and the former sites of King Kamehameha III Elementary School and the Lahaina Library have been identified as significant parcels associated with the Lahaina Royal Complex that are under state or county ownership.

Responding to a resident’s question about what the department planned to do at the school, library and Lahaina Courthouse, Molitau said the plan has not been finalized….

Read … County seeks input on plans to restore Lahaina Royal Complex | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News

The PUC Intervention Barrier -- A Structural Three-Punch Knockout

IM: … There are three distinct actors and three distinct acts — and the structure matters because each punch is designed to be invisible on its own. Only together do they function as a knockdown.

Punch 1 is the Consumer Advocate filing a standardized letter stating it takes "No Position" on the motion to intervene — stripping the community group of its only natural ally in the proceeding.

Punch 2 is the Consumer Advocate's opening-statement practice of declaring it is "Unable to State a Position" on the merits of the application itself — ensuring that no substantive public-interest guidance reaches the Commission at the most consequential early stage of the proceeding.

Punch 3 is the utility's boilerplate argument that the Consumer Advocate's broad statutory authority makes the community group's participation unnecessary — a claim that deliberately confuses what the Consumer Advocate can do with what it has done or will do in this proceeding.

Punches 1 and 2 create the void. Punch 3 exploits it. Without all three operating together, none of them would be sufficient to exclude a well-organized community group. Together, they function as a procedural gatekeeping system that the Commission has accepted — often without requiring any of the actors to explain themselves….

Read … The PUC Intervention Barrier -- A Structural Three-Punch Knockout | Ililani Media

New legal task force looks into Hawaiʻi’s ‘lawyer shortage’

HPR: … With fewer and fewer attorneys practicing in Hawaiʻi, a new task force established by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court aims to address worrying trends in legal representation in the state.

The task force convened for the first time in May. Its leaders say the profession is experiencing ‘brain drain,’ an aging workforce, and key gaps in practice areas ….

Read … New legal task force looks into Hawaiʻi’s lawyer shortage | Hawai'i Public Radio

Why Do Police In Hawaii Drive Their Own Cars?

SG: … reduced budget costs, supply chain woes, greater variety of law enforcement vehicles (such as pickups), and it's considered a recruitment perk with subsidized vehicles exempt from certain taxes, such as the weight tax…

Read … Why Do Police In Hawaii Drive Their Own Cars?

Pre-Eviction Mediation Program shows 85% success rate

KITV: … New data from the state's Pre-Eviction Mediation Program, or PEMP, show that 85 percent of households that reach mediated agreements remain in their homes.

The program launched in February and gives tenants facing eviction for unpaid rent a chance to sit down with landlords and work toward a solution….

Read … Pre-Eviction Mediation Program shows early success with 85% success rate | News | kitv.com

Feces, Tons of Rubbish left Behind as Bums Kicked out of Keehi Lagoon Mangroves

SA: … The mangroves reached as far as 40 feet to 100 feet into the waters around Kahauiki Village and stretched across a distance of two to three football fields along the banks of the community located off the town-bound lanes of Nimitz Highway in Kalihi, said Roy Miyahira, the city’s director of homeless solutions.

The water had become polluted with human feces, tons of rubbish, broken and discarded household items and possibly fuel and oil that likely floated into nearby streams and out to sea.

Some of the occupants would wander through Kahauiki Village, which has its own early learning and preschool center, as parents warned their children to stay away from the shoreline encampments and the people and animals who lived aboard the structures….

Of all the people who have left as of last month, nine of them went into various homeless shelters or transitional housing, including nearby Hale Mauliola, which was erected out of converted shipping containers off Sand Island Access Road. It takes in homeless individuals, couples and their animals and prepares them to move into more permanent housing.

But the majority of the occupants living along the shoreline of Kahauiki Village just disappeared, with some likely paddling upstream, Miyahira said.

While the mangroves and floating structures are gone, Sandridge said a single mother who has at least five children all live under a nearby bridge near her home.

She believes the oldest is 12 or 13 and the children come to her house unsupervised every day in search of food ….

Read … Floating homeless encampments, tons of debris cleared from Kalihi waters | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Governor’s VIP Airport Lounge: See Inside The Guest Book

CB: … For 60 years, the Governor’s Airport Lounge next to the cultural gardens in Terminal 2 of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport has been the primary venue for greeting and saying farewell to VIPs, including presidents, queens like Elizabeth II, and kings like Elvis.

The facility funded by the state is meant to be an extension of aloha, a buffer from the activity of the airport and a perk that’s available at the discretion of the governor’s office, including for use by family members.

Access to the secure lounge is approved via request of the governor or a visiting official, but other than the guest book which is maintained by the Department of Transportation, no record of the visitors who use it is readily available….

Read … Governor’s VIP Airport Lounge: See Inside The Guest Book - Honolulu Civil Beat

Ranching Could Soon Come To An End On Moloka‘i. Paniolos Blame TB Testing

CB: … The cattlemen’s council, which represents the industry at the Legislature, supported a 2022 bill that allocated $500,000 to Molokaʻi for a veterinarian to help with the issue. No one has taken the job despite being advertised, and ranchers haven’t seen a difference. …

Kamakana and other ranchers want this testing process to stop as part of their list of requests to the state. The testing method is already dated, so many believe Molokaʻi should be subject to post-mortem testing, like the rest of the islands. They also find it hard to believe there’s not a better way.

Indeed, there have been prototypes for vaccinations. One is currently in trials in in Michigan, England and Wales, with encouraging results….

When the most recent response to bovine tuberculosis occurred in 2021 it followed a year in which six herds on Molokaʻi were found infected – the most since the late 1970s. The state implemented a quarantine the next year that remains in effect today….

The state later signed an 11-page memorandum with the U.S Department of Agriculture further formalizing the quarantine in 2024, which helped the state maintain its tuberculosis-free status. Molokaʻi’s paniolo were not consulted in that process, which allowed non-Moloka’i ranchers to send their cattle to any ranches or feed lots on the mainland….

Read … Ranching Could Soon Come To An End On Moloka‘i. Paniolo Blame TB Testing - Honolulu Civil Beat

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