July 2, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, July 2, 2026

July 2, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 9:04 AM :: 208 Views

14 Missing Children Recovered on Oahu

AG Amesty for Delinquent Charities

DPP Launches Priority Review to fast-track permits using CivCheck

State Senate District 18 Special Election Proclamation

Top Officials from HPH, HMSA, PUC, Matson charged in 39-page CSC complaint against Sylvia Luke

KITV: … A 39-page complaint from the Hawaiʻi Campaign Spending Commission accused Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, her campaign team and committee of violating state campaign finance laws during the 2022 election.

“The campaign spending commission, which is a separate entity from the AG, which is conducting a separate investigation, a criminal investigation, has come out with a complaint that has 12 allegations,” said Alexander Silvert, a retired federal public defender.

Those 12 allegations fall into two main categories: improper handling of campaign funds and inaccurate reporting over time.

“It certainly looks bad, and it certainly looks bad for someone, a politician like Sylvia Luke, who was head of the House Finance Committee and was a numbers cruncher herself her whole life,” said Silvert….

According to the complaint, investigators found more than $55,000 in campaign spending was not properly reported.

The commission is also seeking $28,300 in administrative fines and wants the campaign to correct its financial reports.

One allegation claims campaign checks were signed by people who were not legally authorized under state law.

(KITV didn’t deem it important to mention who those people are, but you are reading Hawai’i Free Press so here they are….)

CHARGED IN THE CSC COMPLAINT:

“Essentially that they didn't report who the treasurer was correctly or didn't account for things correctly. Then there are eight counts of making false reports,” said Silvert.

The complaint also said donations, expenses and cash balances were not always reported accurately.

Investigators said reports were amended multiple times over several years, with some transactions added long after initial filings….

Another allegation involves payments to a campaign staff member who investigators said approved checks made out to himself.

The commission now must decide whether to refer the case to the Attorney General or impose administrative penalties….

CHARGED ALONG WITH LUKE:

A Bigger Fish than Luke: AG Bribery Letter Reopens PUC Lahaina Fire Coverup (Leo Asuncion, PUC Chair)
HPH Leadership Matt Sasaki is Vice President of Hawaii Health Partners. Having spent his career in health care, Matt has developed a diverse background in care management, population health, operations, and strategy. Prior to joining Hawaii Pacific Health, Matt held leadership roles at Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) and ike, Inc. (fka DataHouse Holdings Corp.). During his time at HMSA, Matt served as Assistant Vice President for Government and External Relations, leading HMSA’s efforts with county, state and federal stakeholders, and in addition overseeing community engagement, corporate giving, and the HMSA Foundation. Matthew Sasaki — HMSA Foundation
Nelisa Asato - Pacific Business News (Matson gov’t relations)
Emmanuel Zibakalam | LinkedIn (lobbyist)
Kalowena Komeiji | LinkedIn

DOCUMENTS:

Read … Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission files 39-page complaint against Sylvia Luke | Politics | kitv.com

Young Brothers’ rate increase begins July 1, along with repayment of nearly $30M in back fees to state

MN: … Hawai‘i’s primary interisland shipping company Young Brothers began raising rates 3% Wednesday, the second increase in six months, despite pushback from local businesses and frustration over recent missed shipments to Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i.

In May, Gov. Josh Green signed into law Senate Bill 2694, now Act 16, that allows Young Brothers to increase rates automatically every year with a cap of 5%.

“It’s a bigger deal for us because we are most reliant on their service on the Neighbor Islands,” said Pam Tumpap, president of the Maui Chamber of Commerce that strongly opposed the bill. “We have smaller markets than other areas, and so smaller customer bases than other areas. So it’s a big challenge.”

The measure, which Tumpap described as a “sleeper bill” that flew under the radar during the legislative session, aims to help keep the struggling shipping company afloat while making rate increases more manageable, especially after Young Brothers imposed a 25.75% increase in January.

But it’s another blow for local businesses and farmers, especially those on Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i who recently missed out on multiple shipments to both islands, leaving grocery store shelves bare.

“What are we getting for the rate increase?” said Sen. Lynn DeCoite, who represents both islands as well as East and Upcountry Maui. “Are we getting reliability and dependability or just getting a lot of miscommunication?”…

Read … Young Brothers’ rate increase begins July 1, along with repayment of nearly $30M in back fees to state : Maui Now

Honolulu Rail Riders Face Persistent Station And Elevator Closures

CB: … Skyline stations went out of service over 100 times during the six months between November 2025 and May 2026, according to data Civil Beat obtained through a public records request. During that same time period, stations for the more than $10 billion system — double its original budget — saw almost 180 escalator outages and more than 160 elevator outages. …

Natalie Iwasa sits on the HART board and said the issue of station and elevator outages has not come up at board meetings. …

HART: Happy 3rd birthday Skyline | Department of Transportation Services

Read … Honolulu Rail Riders Face Persistent Station And Elevator Closures - Honolulu Civil Beat

DHHL opens applications for first-ever high-rise rental units in Honolulu

HNN: … Units are currently designated as affordable rentals, though rent-to-own options could eventually be offered….

The $155 million Ke Ola Hou project, often called Hale Moiliili, offers 278 units ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments. DHHL opened the application process Wednesday for waitlisters….

(DO THE MATH: $155M / 278 = $558K per unit)

Waitlisters can apply here.

Read … DHHL opens applications for first-ever high-rise rental units in Honolulu | Hawaii News Now

NIMBYs win ‘temporary’ pause to 148-unit Kōloa housing development until court hears appeal

KN: … The Fifth Circuit Court on Tuesday granted a request by Friends of Māhāʻulepū and Save Kōloa to put on hold the permits approved for the project in February by the Kauaʻi County Planning Commission until the appeal is heard.

Oral argument for the case now is set for Aug. 12 at 1:00 p.m. in Circuit Court Judge Stephanie Char’s courtroom in Līhuʻe.

The project includes 31 plantation-style, two-story buildings with two, four or eight units and 226 parking spots onsite. Another 25 parking stalls would be along Waikomo, Weliweli and Hapa roads.

Wastewater for the project would go along Waikomo Road through private sewer lines. This would connect to the wastewater treatment plant operated by Hawaiʻi Water Service Company.

The development near Waikomo and Hapa roads is planned for people who don’t make enough to buy market-rate homes on Kauaʻi but make too much to qualify for affordable housing subsidies.

One-bedroom units would start at $520,000, with two-bedroom units at $650,000 and the three-bedroom units in the high $600,000s, Mike Serpa, developer with SK Investors LLC, said in a public meeting in February.

The Planning Department unanimously approved the project with conditions that included at least 45% of the units go to existing county residents and that the units can never become vacation rentals….

Read … Community groups win temporary pause to 148-unit Kōloa housing development until court hears appeal : Kauai Now

Eco-Group Could Score Megabucks from Sewage Delays

CB: … Construction on an $85 million upgrade to the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant, which discharges about 1.7 million gallons of lightly treated wastewater daily into a pit in the lava fields on the West Side of Hawaiʻi island, is now four months overdue.

The delay could be costing taxpayers $1,000 a day.

That’s according to the settlement reached in 2025 between Hawaiʻi County and Hui Mālama Honokōhau, a group of (the usual suspects) ….

there are graduated fees associated with the settlement: $250 for the first 15 days, $500 a day for days 16-60, $1,000 a day for days 61 and beyond. As of Thursday, the total fees add up to $89,750.

However, the fees will be waived if the upgrade is completed by the original date named in the settlement: June 30, 2029. If it doesn’t wrap up by then, the total fees the county amasses will be paid to the Hawaiian Islands Environmental Finance Center, a group that helps community groups and government agencies secure federal funding for water conservation, recharge and reuse projects.

Meeting that deadline is definitely still feasible, said Rick Gaffney, a fisherman and wastewater expert who served two terms on the county’s Environmental Management Commission.

Tom Callis, communications director for Hawaiʻi County, said the new RFP process will be transparent and “open to all qualified contractors who meet the rigid technical and engineering specifications required for this advanced facility upgrade.” The process has been a challenging one, he added, because the contractors need to meet “highly specialized engineering required to upgrade a facility under the nation’s modernized, post-Maui groundwater regulatory standards.” ….

Read … Wastewater In Lava Fields: Delayed Fix Costs Big Island $1K Daily - Honolulu Civil Beat

Hawaii's Syringe ‘Exchange’ Program: Adapting to Changes as Junkies Switch to Smokables and Pills

KHON: … At its peak, the program exchanged between 1.1 million and 1.2 million syringes statewide each year. Today, those numbers are much lower. In 2025, HHHRC’s program exchanged approximately 600,000 syringes, a significant decrease.

The decline appears tied to changing patterns of substance use.

“We’re finding that people’s, substance usage has changed,” Ogata said. “People are smoking their substances more often than injecting; so, it’s just a change in trends.” …

A major change arrived in 2025 when Hawaiʻi updated its syringe exchange law.

For decades, Hawaiʻi’s syringe exchange program operated under a one-for-one model that required participants to turn in a used syringe before receiving a sterile replacement.

Act 106, signed into law in 2025, removed that restriction and shifted the program to a needs based approach. The change has given providers more flexibility to meet demand and expand access to clean supplies.

“We’re not required to do a one-for-one exchange anymore where people can come in, and they can get what they need, and we are able to supply that for them,” Ogata explained….

Read … Hawaii's Syringe Exchange Program: Adapting to Changes

Kauaʻi, Big Island Poised To Let Psychologists Prescribe

CB: … Across Hawaiʻi, particularly on the neighbor islands, many residents wait months for psychiatric care. For many families, that wait is not measured only in weeks or months. It is measured in sleepless nights, missed work, worsening depression, panic attacks, continued uncertainty, and the daily fear that a loved one may deteriorate before help becomes available.

Senate Bill 847 responds to that shortage by establishing a limited three-year program on Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island to evaluate how appropriately trained prescribing psychologists, under regulatory oversight and a well-defined scope of practice, can safely and effectively expand access to mental health treatment in underserved communities….

Read … Kauaʻi, Big Island Poised To Take Step Forward For Mental Healthcare - Honolulu Civil Beat

ELECTION NEWS:

QUICK HITS: