July 8, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Wednesday, July 8, 2026

July 8, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 9:23 AM :: 158 Views

'That Study was Baloney': UHERO Withdraws Report co-written by Paid Solar Activist

A career of serving America and Hawaii

Green Signs Act 189 and Act 190: Most Vapes to be Outlawed

'No Firearms Allowed?' Think before you post

Before We Re-Elect OHA Trustees, We Should Examine Their Record

CB: … The ongoing litigation involving former OHA CEO Stacy Ferreira has brought unprecedented governance questions into public view. Those questions involve the management and oversight of OHA’s more than $130 million biennium budget, allegations of harassment and intimidation, Sunshine Law compliance, whistleblower retaliation, and the governance of a constitutional public trust.

The courts — not voters — will determine whether the legal claims asserted in the lawsuit are ultimately proven. Every party deserves due process, and no one should be judged solely on allegations.

But elections ask a different question.

They ask whether those seeking another term have demonstrated the judgment, stewardship, and leadership worthy of continued public trust….

That is why I believe beneficiaries and the public should carefully review two public court filings: Docket 131, Stacy Ferreira’s First Amended Complaint, and Docket 162, the Answer filed by Trustees Carmen Hulu Lindsey, Kalei Akaka, Keliʻi Akina, and Luana Alapa. (The dockets are below.)

Together, these public filings present an extraordinary circumstance.

Rather than simply denying every allegation, Docket 162 admits numerous factual allegations contained in Docket 131 while denying others and providing additional factual context….

Three incumbent at-large trustees and two incumbent island trustees are asking beneficiaries and the public to renew their trust for another term. Every incumbent deserves the opportunity to explain and defend the decisions made during this board term. Likewise, every beneficiary and the public deserves the opportunity to evaluate those decisions using publicly available records….

PDF: Dkt 131 Stacy Ferreira Amended Complaint | DocumentCloud

PDF: Dkt 162 Answers of 4 OHA Trustees | DocumentCloud

July 2026: Flip-Flop: KITV Buy Back on OHA Agenda

Nov 2025: Bishop Street Lawyer Behind OHA Power Grab?

Sept 2025: More Kai Kahele Chaos: OHA Trustees Remove CEO

July 2025: After Much Gnashing of Teeth, OHA Trustees Approve Amended Budget

Read … Before We Re-Elect OHA Trustees, We Should Examine Their Record - Honolulu Civil Beat

Honolulu City Council poised to override mayor’s vetoes

SA: … The Honolulu City Council plans today to consider overriding Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s line-item vetoes restoring funding and positions to the city’s Office of Economic Revitalization after the Council eliminated them from the city’s $3.193 billion fiscal year 2027 operating budget, which took effect July 1.

The mayor’s June 23 veto action escalated a months-long dispute between the Blangiardi administration and the Council over OER, an agency within the city Managing Director’s Office that came under scrutiny after a scathing January audit by the Office of the City Auditor found deficiencies in its performance, budgeting, transparency and reporting practices.

Created in 2020 to promote economic development and improve quality of life for residents and businesses on Oahu, OER saw its annual budget drastically reduced in the Council’s June 3 vote. The mayor’s office had proposed a roughly $2.6 million fiscal year 2027 budget for OER, up from about $2.2 million in fiscal 2026.

The Council’s 6-3 decision, which included adoption of the city’s total $4.96 billion budget package next year, eliminated many of the more than 20 positions in a city office staffed largely by contract employees rather than permanent civil service workers, while restoring funding for several posts tied to the Honolulu Film Office.

Those Council-led cuts to OER prompted Blangiardi to threaten a veto….

Read … Honolulu City Council poised to override mayor’s vetoes | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

State ‘millionaire tax’ might backfire

SA: … If Hawaii’s wealthiest residents pick up and move, the state will not be able to collect any taxes from them to help cover the cost of the state’s social programs. And from a business perspective, outmigration can affect how likely someone is to invest in Hawaii startups and small business ventures.

Hawaii’s wealthiest residents are already the source of a large portion of the state’s income tax revenue. Taxpayers making $400,000 or more a year in income make up less than 2% of all tax returns but pay 32.9% of all income taxes….

Read … Column: State ‘millionaire tax’ might backfire | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

HECO warned the Iran war would raise costs. Here’s how much bills rose

HPR: … spikes mean more costly electric bills for Hawaiian Electric customers, which relies mainly on oil to power its grid. In April, the utility told customers to expect up to a 30% increase in their electricity bills in the coming months.

According to HECO’s monthly energy cost filings, Oʻahu residents using 500 kilowatt hours of electricity — enough to power a small home or apartment — paid about $27 more on their energy bills in April compared to March. Electricity prices rose by another $32 for those customers in May. In total, costs did indeed rise by about 30%.

Costs then started to come down, decreasing by about $19 in June and July.

Neighbor islands saw price spikes as well. Bills rose by about $60 for the average Maui resident and $30 for the average Hawaiʻi Island resident between March and June. Costs on those islands have also started to come down as of July….

Read … HECO warned the Iran war would raise costs. Here’s how much bills rose | Hawai'i Public Radio

Chinese Communist Party member arrested in Hawaii on visa fraud charge

SA: … CBP searched Lin’s iPhone 17 Pro and found his PLA discharge certificate, listing him as having joined in 1994 and left service in 2011, leaving the PLA as a lieutenant colonel and having been last assigned as an officer with the Chemical Defense Command Engineering College.

During the interview with CBP, Lin allegedly admitted that he had been employed by China’s army and had basic firearms training as a part of his military service. Lin also allegedly admitted to being a current member of the Chinese Communist Party who holds a “leadership role in his local branch,” according to federal court records….

He was arrested July 1 at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport trying to enter the country.

Lin was issued a 10 year B-1/B-2 visa on June 27, 2017, based on his visa interview “that he described his purpose of travel as a cultural visit to Hawaii,” according to federal court records.

The B1/B2 visa is a U.S. nonimmigrant visa for temporary business (B-1) and tourism or medical treatment (B-2) visits, often combined into a single visa, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In 2017, Lin listed current employment in 2017 as a general manager for Beijing Moze International Cultural Development Co. He listed prior employment as a deputy director of the Chinese Foreign Language Bureau Education Training Center and his prior education as having studied physical education at the Beijing Sports University.

Lin responded “No” to the questions: “Have you belonged to, contributed to, or worked for any professional, social, or charitable organization?”; “Do you have any specialized skills or training, including firearms, explosives, nuclear, biological, or chemical experience?” and “Have you ever served in the military?”…

Read … Chinese communist party member arrested in Hawaii on visa fraud charge | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Reality of Crime in Hawaii Breaks Thru Media Blackout

CB: … Brazen crimes reported in the media, whether through traditional news outlets or social media, can contribute to people’s sense of unease, he said. Some of Hawaiʻi’s most popular Facebook and Instagram accounts, like Stolen Stuff Hawaii and the Hungry Hungry Hawaiian, frequently publish crime content, from posts about shoplifters to videos of violent fights on the beach. Both are popular: Stolen Stuff Hawaii has more than 200,000 members on Facebook and the Hungry Hungry Hawaiian, whose handle is @hhhnews, has 335,000 followers on Instagram.

Politicians also often campaign on messages about rising crime because it can resonate more viscerally with people than talking about other issues, like inflation, Hatten said. ….

In testimony at the Hawaiʻi Legislature this year and in social media posts, dozens of people are expressing concern that crime in the islands is rising. Multiple candidates for office are campaigning on rising crime and say public safety is a top concern of community members. Gun control advocates, too, are concerned that recent changes to gun laws, including last month’s Supreme Court decision allowing guns to be carried in more public establishments, could lead to an uptick in gun violence.

But there appears to be a gap between public sentiment and what local statistics show: Violent crime and property crime have been going down since the pandemic.

In 2024, violent crimes were down 3% from 2021 and property crimes were down 20% in Hawaiʻi, according to the most recently available numbers on the state Attorney General’s data dashboard. More recent data from the Honolulu Police Department shows a similar downward trend….

(CLUE: “Lies, damned lies, and statistics.”)

HNN: ‘Learned a lot’: New HPD Chief David Lazar walks the streets with officers in Waikiki | Hawaii News Now

HNN: Kauai residents question police response to murder case, manhunt | Hawaii News Now

SA: Boy, 14, arrested after carjacking of kupuna in Waianae | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Read … Crime Is Down. Why Do So Many In Hawaiʻi Feel Unsafe? - Honolulu Civil Beat

Honolulu street psychiatrist nationally recognized for his care, compassion

HPR: … "Going back 26 years, when I first started doing this work, there were people around downtown who, at first glance, were quite severely mentally ill, quite impaired, chronically homeless," Koyanagi said. "Now, driving around town, you see these unfortunate people everywhere. Like every neighborhood, almost every street has unsheltered folks who are struggling with mental illness and unable or unwilling to get the help they need. So by working in more traditional settings, that has allowed my primary passion of working in the streets to kind of coordinate a lot of the resources that are available."

He told HPR that he has developed a "tool belt" of resources to help his patients, but added that trust is a huge factor that he and his team work to build and maintain with the people they meet.

"I spend all my energy to try to get to know them, build trust. Sometimes it takes weeks, sometimes months, sometimes years, and then eventually some miracles happen, like they're willing to go to a shelter with you, or work with you to try to find permanent housing, or better yet, if they're willing to start a long-acting injectable medication, that's going to be a game changer for them," Koyanagi said….

HNN: South Carolina mental health facility cited after suicide of Hawaii killer | Hawaii News Now

Read … Honolulu street psychiatrist nationally recognized for his care, compassion | Hawai'i Public Radio

Oahu's homeless deaths double in the past decade

KITV: … The average age of death for Oahu's homeless residents has risen slightly over the past five years, to nearly 56 years old.

(TRANSLATION: Lifelong meth heads who started in their teens.)

But the number of deaths has increased dramatically.

"In the first quarter of this year, I think we had something like 14 deaths, and that's a little bit higher than we normally have seen," said Connie Mitchell, the Institute for Human Services Executive Director.

That trend has gone up over the past decade. The number of homeless deaths reported to the Honolulu Medical Examiner increased from 87 in 2016, to more than doubled at 180 deaths in 2025. Those number account for many but not all of the deaths that take place each year….

(TRANSLATION: Lifelong meth heads who started in their teens are dying out, with fewer young meth heads starting in on the addiction behind them.)

Read … Oahu's homeless deaths double in the past decade | Local | kitv.com

Trump Administration Sends Threatening Letter To Hawaiʻi Elections Chief

CB: … The U.S. Justice Department is telling elections officials nationwide they could be criminally liable if they make it possible for non-citizens to vote ….

PDF: DOJ-letter-and-memo-voter-eligibility

NBC: DOJ threatens criminal charges for state election officials over noncitizen voting

SA: DOJ threatens top election officials over noncitizen voting | Honolulu Star-Advertiser -- “the election officials I’ve spoken with aren’t intimidated, and are seeing these empty threats for what they are.”

June 2, 2026: Filipino National Charged with Unlawfully Voting as an Alien (CLUE: ‘Exception that proves the rule.’)

Read … Trump Administration Sends Threatening Letter To Hawaiʻi Elections Chief - Honolulu Civil Beat

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