September 1, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

September 1, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 9:16 AM :: 128 Views

Audit: $132M City COVID Funds Cover Retiree Benefits

Hawaii lawsuit over fuel contamination continues

Hawaii's age-21 gun ban survives Second Amendment challenge

DLIR: Hawaii has Entered Decade-Long Economic Depression

CB: … The Hawaiʻi Department of Labor and Industrial Relations employment projections for industries and occupations 2034 … suggest that most future projected job openings will arise from replacement demand rather than job growth. Most of the jobs Hawaiʻi will need to fill over the coming decade are not new positions created through economic expansion. They are positions opened by retirements, career changes and normal workforce turnover. The report’s central story is about demographic churn rather than large-scale job creation….

(TRANSLATION: Hawaii has entered a decade of economic depression like the Hawaii of the 1990s.)

Read … Is Hawaiʻi Creating Enough Opportunity For Locals To Live Here? - Honolulu Civil Beat

Getting Hawaii to 100% by 2045: The Fakery

IM: … Hawaii law requires 100% renewable electricity generation by 2045. That mandate covers the electric grid — the power Hawaiian Electric's utilities and Kauai's KIUC sell to homes and businesses. It does not, by itself, touch the biggest single energy user in the state: jet fuel. …

(TRANSLATION: 100% Phony.)

Read … Getting Hawaii to 100% by 2045: The Questions Nobody Has Fully Answered Yet | Ililani Media

Hawaiʻi has the second-highest homeowners' association fees in the nation

ASD: … New data from the U.S. Census Bureau, collected for the first time in 2024, confirms what many Hawaiʻi condo owners already know from experience. Hawaiʻi has the second-highest homeowners' association fees in the nation, with a median of $470 per month. Only New York ranks higher. Nationally, the median is $200….

In Honolulu County, the median HOA fee is $526 per month. Hawaiʻi County is the outlier at $135…

Read … Community Voices: What nobody tells you before you buy a condo in Hawaiʻi

Studies Showed Neglected Streams Could Wreak Havoc For 60 Years – (so more studies are being funded)

CB: … Over the decades, officials have approved funding for studies only to allow them to languish so long they become out-of-date or toss aside the conclusions, deeming them too expensive to implement.

Flooding has proved expensive to control. In the last 20 years, the Legislature allocated about $92 million to flood control studies and projects across the state, a Civil Beat review of budget records found. Lawmakers separately put $22 million during that same time period toward rockfall and flood mitigation….

Seventy homes in Lāʻie reported at least some storm damage, according to city data. Some homes required upwards of $100,000 in repairs, according to residents…. The City Council has now funded a new flood study in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers….

More than a decade ago, a study commissioned by the Legislature recommended spending at least $38 million to shore up flooding in Mākaha. The study called for drainage improvements on Noholio Road, a levee around the Mākaha Stream, detention basins to reduce flood risks, and channel improvements to Eku Stream on the Waiʻanae-side of the valley.

While the Mākaha stream mouth was widened and lined with concrete, most other projects were not funded.

In March, the entrance to Kili Drive became a pond and its upper elevations, a river. Residences near Lahaina Street had about 6 inches of water in their yards and under their homes….

Read … Hawaiʻi Knew Neglected Streams Could Wreak Havoc For 60 Years - Honolulu Civil Beat

Rumored Lala ‘Dam Burst’ Was Likely Invasive Trees, Officials Say

CB: … In the two weeks since Hurricane Lala brushed against Hawaiʻi island, social media has been filled with rumors of a burst dam, reservoir or other water containment structure in the hillside above Nāʻālehu. Thousands of people have shared social media posts with differing theories that come to the same general conclusion: the sudden surge of water that rolled down the mountain on the evening of Aug. 15 couldn’t have come from rain alone.

However, multiple official sources say that it was in fact an unprecedented quantity of rain — alongside invasive vegetation that could have acted like a dam bursting in one or more places — that caused an astounding level of damage in Nāʻālehu and the surrounding communities that night. ….

Read … Rumored Lala ‘Dam Burst’ Was Likely Invasive Trees, Officials Say - Honolulu Civil Beat

2022 report found Coconut Island bridge faulty

HTH: … Four years before the bridge connecting Hilo to Coconut Island collapsed under the weight of a maintenance vehicle, Hawaii County received an inspection report that detailed extensive structural issues and recommended the span be replaced.

The 2022 report, prepared for the county by Consor Engineers, found the bridge to be in “serious condition.” ….

“At numerous locations the prestressing strands and mild steel reinforcements are severed or have section loss due to corrosion,” it stated. “Due to the extensive deterioration and environmental conditions, the bridge is recommended for replacement.”

It warned that the issues would continue to get worse over time, stating: “Due to the condition of the structure and the exposure to salt water over its lifetime, the bridge is expected to degrade and worsen unless repairs are conducted.” ….

Read … 2022 report found bridge faulty - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Hawaii Supreme Court to rule on tied House District 43 race

KITV: … The Hawaii Supreme Court will hear arguments this week on whether a coin-draw tie-breaker that decided a state House race — and the election itself — should stand….

Read … Hawaii Supreme Court to rule on tied House District 43 race | News | kitv.com

Honolulu Police Chief Lazar names permanent HPD deputy chiefs

SA: … Lazar selected Brandon Nakasato, a nearly 27-year HPD veteran, to oversee the department’s field operations and serve as the second-in-command acting chief, when warranted. Maj. Parker Bode, who has 16 years with the department, was also chosen to lead HPD’s administrative operations….

ASD: Lazar names HPD's new deputy chiefs

Read … Honolulu Police Chief Lazar names permanent HPD deputy chiefs | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney arrest at DUI checkpoint in Kapolei

HNN: … A deputy prosecuting attorney for the City and County of Honolulu faces her own legal battle after she was arrested during a DUI checkpoint in Kapolei early Sunday.

Police records show Miki Nishizawa, 28, was arrested on Kualakai Parkway at 1:07 a.m. and was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, a petty misdemeanor.

The Honolulu Police Department partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving staff and volunteers for the enforcement effort…

Nishizawa is one of three people arrested during the checkpoint, arrest logs show.

She posted $500 bail about an hour and a half after her arrest.

In a statement to HNN, the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney said it is aware of Nishizawa’s reported arrest….

Nishizawa is assigned to the Felony Trial Division. She’s been employed with the department since September 2024….

HPD: HPD Continues Impaired Driving Enforcement Through October 2026 - Honolulu Police Department

Read … Deputy Prosecuting Attorney arrest at DUI checkpoint in Kapolei | Hawaii News Now

Maui police veteran arrested on sexual assault charges

HNN: … A 12-year veteran of the Maui Police Department was arrested Monday on multiple sexual assault charges.

Police said the 49-year-old Kahului man was arrested on a $150,000 warrant and charged with four counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of third-degree sexual assault.

The officer had been placed on administrative leave in May 2025 after an earlier arrest on a charge of first-degree sexual assault.

MPD said his department-issued credentials and firearm were taken at that time pending the outcome of the investigation…

KHON: Maui police veteran arrested for sexual assault

Read … Maui police veteran arrested on sexual assault charges | Hawaii News Now

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