July 31, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Friday, July 31, 2026

July 31, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 8:55 AM :: 240 Views

Hawai'i Community College: Political Activist Banned from Campus for Collecting Petition Signatures

Bribery: Gov. Josh Green calls for ending all investigations and shutting down any further inquiry after indictments

KHON: … Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke was relaxed and confident in court on Thursday, as she and her co-defendants pleaded not guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges. Gov. Josh Green said he wants this legal process to ~~play out~~ (be the end) so everyone can ‘move forward’ (in the spirit of Ryan Yamane, who really knew how to play the game) ….

ASD: Hawaiʻi officials accused of bribery plead not guilty

SA: Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, 3 alleged co-conspirators plead not guilty | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Read … Gov. Josh Green calls for moving forward after indictments

Hawaiʻi Bribery Scandal: Defendants Plead Not Guilty – Asuncion still employed by State

CB: … Appearing in court for the first time since an indictment last week were Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke; former state Rep. Ryan Yamane; Ford Fuchigami, airport administrator of the Department of Transportation and former budget staff member with the state Senate; and Leo Asuncion, a state planning official, former chair of the Public Utilities Commission and Luke’s former campaign treasurer.

(Leo Asuncion is currently employed by the state Office of Planning—Has he been put on leave or fired?)

The defendants all looked solemnly ahead as they stood beside their attorneys, who entered their pleas for them in a courtroom full of reporters, political observers and criminal defendants in other unrelated matters awaiting their arraignments. The bribery defendants did not speak. Judge Ronald Johnson accepted the not-guilty pleas and set a trial date for Sept. 28….

Attorneys did not comment outside the courtroom, except for Seitz, who said he believes the charges in this case are politically motivated.

“When I was involved in all the big conspiracy cases, or most of them, in the late ’60s and ’70s, the government never got convictions in any of those cases because they’re virtually impossible to prove,” he said. “Why this attorney general thinks that she can do something that many, many more experienced prosecutors have not been able to successfully do, I just don’t know.”

Last week, Seitz represented Cathy Ross, who appeared as a witness during Friday’s grand jury proceeding. Ross is a former deputy health director whose division oversaw an office that handled procurement and contracts.

Seitz said prosecutors in the bribery case are seeking to disqualify him from representing Fuchigami because he previously represented Ross but he said he doesn’t see a conflict and obtained waivers from both clients….

SA: Luke and others plead not guilty Green again calls on lieutenant governor to resign | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Read … Hawaiʻi Bribery Scandal: Defendants Plead Not Guilty - Honolulu Civil Beat

Convention Center: Legislators give HTA a perpetual spigot of TAT money to Keep Grift Alive

SA: … When the 2026 Hawaii Legislature held back on approving an additional $55 million to complete repairs to the Hawaii Convention Center’s (HCC) ‘leaking’ facade, fixes to ‘infrastructure’ — including the remake of an ‘inadequate’ kitchen — and upgrades such as a canopy to turn the rooftop into a ‘premium’ events venue, it cemented the impression that it saw the center as a “problem child” with more needs than its parent body prefers to fill.

(TRANSLATION: Legislators arranged for HTA to draw millions from the TAT without further politically problematic votes.)

The approach is ~~mis~~guided — ~~provoked~~ by ~~a familiar pique~~ (the knowledge) that ~~erupts~~ ~~when~~ major, taxpayer-funded projects jump in price, with little acknowledgment of local ~~or global conditions that affect all similar endeavors~~ (taxpayers). But it’s not irrational: Elected officials know a ~~core group of taxpayers~~ (other contractors) will object to ~~all but the most basic government spending~~ (bids they get shut out of).

Still, the fact remains that repeatedly delaying fixes and essential repairs leads to growing problems and often, an exponential rise in cost (after all, that IS the whole point of this phony exercise) …

The Legislature’s compromise to HCC this year was to lift spending restrictions so that the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) could use $21 million from the center’s own special enterprise fund. This fund is backed by the transient accommodations tax (TAT), essentially meaning hotel users are funding the immediate fixes….

(TRANSLATION: Legislators arranged for HTA to draw millions from the TAT without further politically problematic votes.)

Read … Editorial: Chip in to repair convention center | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

OHA Is Looking For A New CEO Amid Legal Battle

CB: … The Office of Hawaiian Affairs could have a new chief executive by the end of October. The office’s Board of Trustees approved the kickoff of a national search process on Thursday.

The recruitment comes amid a lawsuit from agency CEO Stacy Ferreira, who alleges that the trustees retaliated against her when they put her on paid leave last year. Ferreira’s contract was set to expire in October and has no automatic option to extend the contract.

The trustees voted 5-4 along factional lines to approve the search for a new CEO. The four trustees who voted against the process have aligned with Ferreira in the lawsuit.

OHA has hired Kumabe HR to handle the executive search, for which the board approved a $70,000 budget. Kumabe handled the search in 2023 that resulted in Ferreira’s hiring.

The recruiting period is expected to take five weeks, after which Kumabe will narrow the applicants down to the five most qualified candidates, according to the firm’s owner, Marie Kumabe ….

Summer Sylva has been the office’s interim CEO since last September. Some of the board members suggested she could stay in that role while the board deals with the ongoing lawsuit. But Board Chair Kai Kahele said he wants certainty in the CEO position.

“I have to prepare for that day I get the phone call and she says, ‘I’m getting a job somewhere else,’” Kahele said….

The search process lands in the middle of election season for five of the current OHA trustees. Three of the majority trustees who had sided with Kahele – Brickwood ‘Buzzy’ Galuteria, John Waiheʻe and Souza (campaign managed by Miske lawyer) – are in crowded primary races for six spots that advance to the general election.

Two trustees in the dissenting faction – Lindsey and Kalei Akaka – automatically advance to the general election but will face competitive races then….

Read … OHA Is Looking For A New CEO Amid Legal Battle - Honolulu Civil Beat

Federal SNAP Fraud Dragnet Snares These Hawaiʻi Markets

CB: … The letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture arrived in April.

It said Mālama Kauaʻi, a food hub that buys products from local farmers to sell to customers around the island, could no longer accept SNAP, the government food assistance program also known as food stamps.

The decision quickly rippled through the community as the nonprofit put on the brakes, hitting SNAP customers and food suppliers alike.

The reason the USDA gave for its decision: the nonprofit was registered as a farmers market, as it had been for at least six years. The agency said Mālama Kauaʻi was actually a delivery route because it distributes food around the Valley Isle twice a week.

… The action against Mālama Kauaʻi comes as the federal government scrutinizes organizations that accept SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — to uncover fraud that President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders claim is widespread.

At least three businesses on the Big Island — two markets and a convenience store — also were disqualified from the SNAP program in recent months.

Whether the local actions are part of the larger dynamic remains unclear but what’s known is that since Trump launched an anti-fraud task force in March, reports from disqualified retailers have escalated nationwide, particularly in Northeast states, according to the Food Research & Action Center, which advocates for anti-hunger policies….

Looking back, according to the USDA, there were 14,480 complete investigations of retailers and 1,654 temporary disqualifications in the 2025 fiscal year, which ended in September. That’s a 16% increase in completed investigations over 2024, and an 11% rise in temporary disqualifications.

However, the jump in temporary disqualifications from 2023 to 2024, during the Biden administration, was even bigger, rising from 1,058 to 1,496, a 41% increase.

Read … Federal Government Abruptly Cut These Hawaiʻi Markets From Food Stamps Program - Honolulu Civil Beat

FBI assisting investigation into alleged Maui hate crime

SA: … The FBI is working with the Maui Police Department to determine whether federal charges are warranted after a group of visitors from California alleged that a July 17 riot at the Kaanapali Alii vacation residences in Lahaina was racially motivated.

Six Maui teenagers, including four boys and two girls ranging in age from 14 to 17, and a 20-year-old Makawao man have been arrested by police in connection with the incident. No charges have been filed….

The FBI is working with the Maui Police Department to determine whether federal charges are warranted after a group of visitors from California alleged that a July 17 riot at the Kaanapali Alii vacation residences in Lahaina was racially motivated.

Six Maui teenagers Opens in a new tab, including four boys and two girls ranging in age from 14 to 17, and a 20-year-old Makawao man have been arrested by police in connection with the incident. No charges have been filed….

Read … FBI assisting investigation into alleged Maui hate crime | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Kauai: 70-time-loser ‘released pending investigation’

MN: … The motorcyclist was thrown onto the road upon impact and suffered serious injuries, according to a news release from Kaua‘i County. The 57-year-old was taken to Wilcox Medical Center and then medevaced to Queen’s Medical Center on O‘ahu, where he remains in critical condition.

The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet.

Say, who was uninjured, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of first-degree negligent injury, inattention to driving, and driving without a license, but was later released pending further investigation.

Police records show that Say has a prior criminal history of more than 70 misdemeanor arrests, including nine traffic citations for driving without a license, and five arrests for driving without a license.

Just last week on July 21, Say was stopped and charged with a traffic infraction for unlawful tint. Just over a year ago, she was charged with driving without a license, but the case was dismissed with prejudice….

Read … Motorcyclist in critical condition following collision with vehicle on Kaua‘i : Kauai Now

$65 Waikiki Capsule Hotel becomes Homeless Flop

PG: … As I settled into my top bunk for the evening, I noticed how incredibly noisy it was; I could hear many of my neighbors in nearby pods….

The small screen separating me from the rest of the room was ineffective at blocking the noise, and I didn't appreciate having to listen to a man's conversation coming from a neighboring pod.

Outside my private pod, there were shoes and pieces of luggage and clothing strewn everywhere, and unfortunately, there were also a lot of unpleasant smells.

Throughout the night, the noise of people coming and going, as well as some guests treating the shared spaces like their own home, was very off-putting. A nearby door opened and shut multiple times, and I saw one neighbor strip down to his underwear before climbing into his pod….

As I was trying to settle enough to sleep, the man who'd been loud while on the phone during my afternoon rest returned. He was loudly talking to himself before finally falling out of his pod.

That was the last straw for me….

MEANWHILE: Office of the Governor — News Release — Gov. Green Celebrates Completion of Hoʻokahi Leo Kauhale | Governor Josh Green, M.D.

Read … First Cabin International Hawaii hotel review - The Points Guy

The Maui News to be sold to Maui Nui Media and Creativity Collaborative

MN: … The Maui News soon will welcome new ownership, as the Maui Nui Media and Creativity Collaborative has reached an agreement to purchase the publication and Maui Publishing Co. from The Ogden Newspapers Inc.

Maui Nui Media and Creativity Collaborative is led by Maui residents Axel Beers, Alika Seki, Anuhea Yagi and Lance Collins, and also includes the newspaper's general manager, Jenni DeFouw. The ownership change is expected to take effect July 31.

Following the sale, The Maui News will transition to a nonprofit news organization. Beers said the move will allow the newspaper to focus exclusively on its public-service mission, emphasizing in-depth reporting and coverage of issues important to Maui residents while fostering greater civic engagement throughout the community.

Nonprofit news organizations typically rely on a combination of donations, foundation grants, memberships and other forms of community support to fund their operations….

Read … The Maui News to be sold to Maui Nui Media and Creativity Collaborative - Maui News

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