September 11, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Friday, September 11, 2026

September 11, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 12:23 PM :: 212 Views

City marks 25th anniversary on September 11 with Tribute of Light

UHERO: What if Honolulu upzoned everywhere?

Hawaii Obamacare Subscribers to get $500 Rebate

Feds Sue Hawaii over in-state tuition for immigrants

Honolulu Man Involved in Trans-Pacific Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 10 Years

How Two Hawaiʻi Civilian DoE Employees Exposed Historic Navy Scandal

CB: … The two civilians, Jim Maus and Ed Hanel Jr., both now retired, tracked and recorded overcharges and financial malfeasance in the face of overt hostility and active resistance by some of their coworkers. That included a ring of active-duty U.S. Navy officers who had become Francis’s collaborators and spies, secretly advancing his interests over those of the people they had sworn to serve.

Some of the naval officers even called Francis “Boss.”

Francis, whose firm supplied U.S. Navy ships when they were in port calls, a business called “husbanding,” fought back as his schemes were being exposed, trying to get one of the two civilians fired and prosecuted. He almost succeeded.

Maus, who lives in Kāneʻohe, had begun systematically instituting reforms in the federal contracting system for ships in port, finding ways to save millions of dollars on a single visit. It quickly emerged that Francis had become a master at overcharges.

Fleet counsel Hanel, a Kailua resident, had helped create the position that Maus landed. He shielded Maus from Francis’s efforts to undermine him, helped implement his reforms and ultimately arranged for the enactment of a new ethics code that clarified what kinds of behavior were crossing the line.

The two men’s work on the financial management side happened at the same time federal investigators were separately and secretly laying the groundwork for what became years of prosecutions for Francis and his collaborators. That led to more than three dozen convictions of service personnel. The prosecutors also found it difficult to determine who was, and who was not, on Francis’s payroll.….

read … Kirstin Downey: How 2 Hawaiʻi Civilians Exposed Historic Navy Scandal - Honolulu Civil Beat

Sunken boats, lost livelihoods at Kauaʻi's Port Allen

KHON: … Hurricane Lowell brought powerful surf, swell and tide into Kauaʻi’s Port Allen Harbor — a working harbor where boats, docks and businesses depend on the water — where it damaged boats, piers and the breakwater. Large boulders were even pushed by the force of the water.

For the people who make their living there, the damage has meant more than broken equipment. It has also raised a basic question: How soon can they get back on the water? …

SA: Lowell leaves Port Allen devastated as boat operators consider next move | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

read … Sunken boats, lost livelihoods: Kauaʻi's Port Allen recovery

Honolulu Says Its Tow Contractor Overbilled. Taxpayers Will Pay The Price

CB: … After Honolulu’s towing contractor was accused of overcharging hundreds of drivers in 2023, the county sought to hold the company accountable.

All Island Wreckers, Inc. had been charging drivers $900 for each 15-minute chunk of time spent hooking up a car — amounting to $3,600 every hour. The city said that was “an egregious breach” of its contract and the company would need to issue refunds.

But the company denied wrongdoing, and more than two years later, refunds never came. Now taxpayers will be charged $125,050 to compensate some of the customers who were allegedly overbilled, according to a payment plan approved by the Honolulu City Council on Wednesday.

“This would intend to make them whole,” deputy corporation counsel Duane Pang testified, “and they could not go seek further damages.”

The settlements with drivers draw to a close a dispute that has dragged on for years. But city officials at the council meeting did not offer an explanation for why taxpayers, rather than All Island Wreckers, are covering the cost. ….

BREG: All Island Wreckers, Inc

read … Honolulu Says Its Tow Contractor Overbilled. Taxpayers Will Pay The Price - Honolulu Civil Beat

Bill 32: Parks and Recreation to Set Park User Fees

PBN: … The Honolulu City Council on Wednesday passed two bills that would give the Department of Parks and Recreation greater flexibility in setting visitor and user fees at city parks and botanical gardens.

Bill 32 would shift authority over many park, botanical garden and recreational facility fees from the City Council to the Department of Parks and Recreation. The measure, which passed third reading and now goes to Mayor Rick Blangiardi for his signature, allows the department to establish and adjust fees through administrative rules rather than requiring a new ordinance each time a fee is changed….

“Bill 33 is about making sure revenue generated through our parks can be reinvested back into our parks. Instead of those dollars competing with every other city priority, this gives us a more sustainable way to care for our parks, gardens, and natural resources for the long term," Tupola said….

read … Honolulu creates Parks and Recreation Services Special Fund - Pacific Business News

Gays Plan Big Coming Out Party for Underage Kids

KHON: … Rainbow Prom Hawaiʻi returns to Honolulu on Oct 3 at Capitol Modern, providing a safe, free celebration for LGBTQIA+ youth aged 14-20 ....

read … Free Rainbow Prom returns to Honolulu for LGBTQIA+ youth this October - YouTube

Trumpster Election Conspiracy Fraudsters Leave Wreckage Behind at Elections Commission

ASD: … a rant by McKay and Cushnie ….

REALITY: Long Lines Suppress Votes on Election Day: Election Officials Plan to do it Again in 2026 (Because they are frauds, the Trumpsters have done NOTHING about this.)

read … Community Voices: Hawai‘i's elections watchdog has been locked out of its own room

One Hanalei flood victim says tourists are being bad

HNN: … the couple feels the portion of Kūhiō Highway leading to the north shore was reopened too soon, and they say they have had unpleasant encounters with tourists….

The couple also relies on the river to clean their belongings. (Really?)

“This is the only place we can do it, and there’s tourists flying through here splashing us, not even caring what we’re doing, and they’re going over here to the park, just having a regular vacation, while we’re over here trying to survive,” Balmores described.

Chandler added, “People are stopping on the side of the road to take videos of me, like, ʻOh yeah, let’s go sightsee’ after we just had a natural disaster and you’re taking videos of us having hard time.”

The couple also claims visitors have made insensitive comments.

“People are coming down here and asking us, ʻWhere’s the best beach I can go that’s least destroyed to finish our vacation?’” Chandler said. “I don’t even know why the roads were open for that, because it’s not the time. It’s not the time for a vacation.” …

(IQ TEST: Do you believe this?)

MEANWHILE: Power generator issues trigger hourslong screening delays at Lihue Airport | Hawaii News Now

read … ‘Not the time for a vacation’: Kauai flood victims say tourists are treating disaster as sightseeing | Hawaii News Now

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