September 15, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

September 15, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 11:02 AM :: 194 Views

HD43 Tie Vote: Three ‘Nago ballots’ sent to voters registered in Florida

Yes on Question 2: Hawaii constitutional amendment to lower housing costs with ‘RISE’ bonds

HNN: … Constitutional amendment question 2 is mostly about paying for new roads, bridges and water systems, which until now housing developers had to pay for themselves upfront. One example is the widening of Farrington Highway, which is being paid for by the developer of Hoopili and folded into the cost of the homes….

The tax-free ‘RISE’ bonds, already used across the country, are paid back from future property taxes generated by new homes and businesses in an improvement district. That represents a front-end savings to housing developments, and lawmakers agreed to put the amendment on the ballot for voter approval.

“By having the infrastructure put in place by government through these types of creative financing you can lower the cost of housing by about 30 percent and that directly benefits our people,” said Andrew Perreira, representing Pacific Resource Partnership at a hearing in March….

Read … Hawaii construction industry pushes constitutional amendment to lower housing costs | Hawaii News Now

Bill 48: Your property can be secretly condemned by HART

SA: … The Honolulu City Council has approved legislation exempting the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation from a city law requirement to notify property owners and lessees when seeking Council authorization to condemn their property for construction of the over $10 billion Skyline project.

The Council voted unanimously last week to adopt a floor draft of Bill 48, which specifies that the notice requirement applies to executive agencies, but not to condemnation proceedings proposed by HART.

The legislation was sent to the mayor for his approval or rejection. The deadline to return the bill is Sept. 24, city records indicate….

BILL 48: Text, Status

Read … Honolulu City Council exempts HART from eminent domain notice rule | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

BOSS Survey: From Bad to Even Worse

HB: … Hawaiʻi is often ranked as one of the worst states in the nation to operate a company. In fact, in July, CNBC dropped the state from 49th in the nation last year to dead last this year in its annual ranking of America’s Top States for Business.

In the latest version of the BOSS Survey of local business owners and executives, we asked: Compared to five years ago, is Hawaiʻi a better or worse place to run a business?

The results suggest many business leaders believe the state’s business climate has deteriorated. A clear majority of business leaders (57%) said Hawaiʻi is now a worse place to do business than five years ago….

Respondents in both surveys were asked: What is the single biggest issue facing the state? The cost of living was cited by more than half of the people in each survey. Housing costs ranked second in both surveys….

Tourism, the main driver of the local economy, was cited by many people in both surveys, especially on the Neighbor Islands, where its economic importance is proportionally even greater than on Oʻahu. On Oʻahu, tourism was a concern of 21% of business leaders and 16% of the general public. On the Neighbor Islands, those numbers rose to 30% and 22%....

Read … BOSS Survey: From Bad to Even Worse - Hawaii Business Magazine

Travelers heed calls to avoid Kauai amid Hurricane Lowell recovery

HNN: … “We cannot have tourists coming over right now because we, if you do come over, you need to be part of helping us rebuild,” community organizer Meghann Kealoha Matsuda said….

As Kauai recovers from Hurricane Lowell, many residents are repeating their calls to visitors to avoid traveling to the island, and it appears some are listening.

After seeing torn roofs, downed trees and utility poles, and other widespread damage on the Garden Isle from the storm, Christina Danner of California decided to cancel her trip there.

“We were in tears. Just like, we know what it’s like to go through something,” Danner said, adding that she lived in Sonoma County during the 2017 firestorm, which she was reminded of after seeing Lowell’s destruction on Kauai.

“It just kind of brought us back to that time, and we would not have wanted a bunch of people coming for vacation at that time. It wouldn’t have been right,” Danner shared….

BH: Kauai Visitor Return: What Travelers Face Now

Read … Travelers heed calls to avoid Kauai amid Hurricane Lowell recovery | Hawaii News Now

Gov. Green Feigns Neutrality while backing HMSA-HPH notamerger

HB: … Gov. Josh Green held to a neutral stance on the proposed combination of Hawaiʻi’s largest medical insurer and the second-largest hospital system, but he urged local leaders and medical professionals to proactively reform the state’s healthcare landscape before outside forces dictate its future.

(TRANSLATION: I support the notamerger.)

Addressing a crowd of medical professionals and medical students at the 2026 Hawaiʻi Health Workforce Summit on Saturday at the University of Hawaiʻi’s John A. Burns School of Medicine, Green said Hawaiʻi remains vulnerable to major insurers pulling out of the market or being acquired by out-of-state entities.….

(TRANSLATION: I support the notamerger.)

“We are in a moment before any of that happens,” Green said. “We get to contribute to what the solution could be. Because if we just stood back and kind of let it roll over us, we could wake up one day where we hear that some outside force is going to take over that hunk of HMSA or AlohaCare or Kaiser, and we could be left in the lurch.”

(TRANSLATION: I support the notamerger.)

“I’m not going to opine whether it should or shouldn’t go forward. It’s not my role right now. It’s in front of the regulators,” Green said. “There’s a lot of very good ideas in there, and there’s a lot of open questions there for providers. If that is what happens in the coming years, then we as healthcare providers and students and faculty and health policy people, we have to make sure that we mold it and shape it in a way that meets our needs.”

(TRANSLATION: I support the notamerger. You should participate in the process of notamerging.)

Streamlining authorizations and reducing paperwork could also directly address Hawaiʻi’s persistent health care workforce shortage, Green added. “If we could cut in half the administrative burden and not just the cost, but the time … we would have lower burnout,” Green explained. “Providers would stay on years longer, which solves your problem on shortage.”

(TRANSLATION: Argument #1 why I support the notamerger.)

Acknowledging past legislative and technological promises that fell short, Green cautioned that healthcare leaders must remain pragmatic about systemwide updates, such as Electronic Medical Records (EMRs). Still, he argued that consolidation might resolve long-standing fragmentation. “It argues, interestingly, for vertical integration because for years we had too many cooks in the kitchen on electronic medical record systems, too many cooks in the kitchen on prior authorization rules,” Green said. “That has to be fixed.”

(TRANSLATION: Argument #2 why I support the notamerger.)

Read … Gov. Green Neutral on One Health Hawaiʻi Plan But Says Reforms Needed - Hawaii Business Magazine

Not Even Close: 7-2 high court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions

AP: … The decision allows Hawaiʻi and other states to continue sending mail ballots under existing processes. Trump wanted restrictions before the November elections. …

R: Supreme Court won’t let Postal Service restrict mail ballots | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Read … Hawaiʻi voting groups cheer as high court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions - Honolulu Civil Beat

Appeals by Miske co-defendants facing strong headwinds

ILind: … Three co-defendants of the late racketeering boss Michael J. Miske Jr. are learning just how hard it is to challenge a federal sentence after signing away their appeal rights in exchange for a plea deal.
To date, none of the three have had any success.

Appeals have been pursued by John Stancil, Miske’s half-brother; Norman Akau, a former executive board member of the union local representing stagehands and technical workers in Hawaii’s film and stage industries; and Lance Bermudez, whose reputation as a “shooter” brought him into Miske’s inner circle.

The three received the longest prison sentences handed down to Miske co-defendants. Miske himself died of a drug overdose while awaiting sentencing.

Bermudez, 35, received a 30-year sentence from U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson, who presided over the Miske trial, and has a projected release date in September 2047. Stancil, 39, received 20 years—the statutory maximum for racketeering conspiracy—with a release date in March 2037. Akau, 53, was sentenced to 14 years, putting his release at the end of July 2032….

Read … Appeals by Miske co-defendants facing strong headwinds | i L i n d

More Unlicensed Teachers Are Filling In Gaps In Hawaiʻi Classrooms

CB: … The Hawaiʻi Department of Education reported 142 teacher vacancies earlier this month, a jump from the 73 unfilled positions last school year. That number is still significantly lower than when vacancies peaked at roughly 1,000 positions in fall 2022.

On the other hand, the number of unlicensed teachers– also known as emergency hires – has continued to climb. Schools are employing roughly 1,200 emergency hires this year, a 20% increase from last year. Emergency hires must hold a bachelor’s degree and actively work toward their teacher licenses. Legislation passed this spring gives these hires up to five years to earn their credentials.

Of these educators, just over 40% have a teacher’s license in another state or country but still need to receive their Hawaiʻi credentials, education department spokesperson Kimberly Yuen said in an emailed statement. Even with the recent increase in emergency hires, these teachers make up less than 10% of the educator workforce, she said.

“HIDOE’s longer-term focus is on supporting these teachers in obtaining Hawaiʻi licensure and building careers in our public schools,” Yuen wrote….

MS: PH education officials tour Hawaiian schools - Manila Standard

Read … More Unlicensed Teachers Are Filling In Gaps In Hawaiʻi Classrooms - Honolulu Civil Beat

He Was Banned From Police Work In California But Hired In Honolulu

CB: … Bandy joined the department in January 2015, according to employment records obtained by nonprofit newsroom Invisible Institute.

Then in 2017, Bandy received the department’s highest award for bravery — the Gold Medal of Valor — for foiling an armed robbery in Oakland while he was off-duty and unarmed. He ran after an armed suspect who pointed an air rifle at him several times. Bandy later tackled the suspect and helped Oakland police arrest them.

Among those who recommended Bandy for the medal was his then-commander at SFPD’s Central Station, Captain David Lazar — now Honolulu’s police chief.

Lazar had no idea that Bandy was under investigation or had left San Francisco and ended up at the Prosecuting Attorney’s office, HPD’s communication director Claudette Springer said. Lazar was not asked for a professional reference when Bandy applied for the job with the prosecutor’s office, Springer said.

But at some point after receiving his award, Bandy’s career at the department started going off the rails. …

A family had complained about how Bandy had handled a missing persons case. But for over four years, Bandy dodged the internal investigation, and he resigned rather than cooperate — surrendering his police certification in November 2024.

He can never work as a cop in California again.

But that wasn’t a problem for Bandy. A few months before, he had started a new job in Honolulu as an investigator for Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm.

Alm’s special counsel Christine Denton said the office didn’t know about Bandy’s alleged misconduct or the finding that he had failed to cooperate with the internal investigation until contacted by Civil Beat. …

PDF: Read the full final determination.

Read … He Was Banned From Police Work In California But Hired In Honolulu - Honolulu Civil Beat

Fire at Kauai's Kapule Building shuts down major county services

KHON: … A fire that tore through the Kapule Building at the Lihue Civic Center has shut down every walk-in county service on the campus, right when Kauai residents need them most after Lowell.

“The DMV is gone. The finance department has been impacted. Real property tax, tax assessment, real property assessment, planning department,” said Kauai County mayor Derek Kawakami.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but the blaze also destroyed critical computer systems that handle everything from property records to phone lines — even basic transactions are stalled.

“I had one aunty told me that, you know, she mailed in her check for her motor vehicle registration, and I can’t tell her whether it was in the office and went up in flames or if it has been processed,” Kawakami said….

Read … Fire at Kauai's Kapule Building shuts down major county services

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