AG: Hawaii Crime Data Shows Sharp Drop in 2025
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Imported from Asia by Larry Mehau: How Smokable Meth Made Its 1984 U.S. Landfall In Hawaiʻi
CB: … In 1983, police in Hawaiʻi warned that the Hells Angels might be trying to get a toehold in the islands.
(TRANSLATION: The Hawaiian Mafia and police join hands to keep outside gangs out.)
No one was sure why the notorious biker gang wanted to come here – but one possibility was summarily rejected by a California expert quoted in a story in the Honolulu Advertiser.
“There doesn’t seem to be a big Hawaiʻi market for the methamphetamines the Angels are said to manufacture.”
The Angels didn’t appear.
(Because the ‘Hells Angels’ boogeyman was just Hawaiian Mafia propaganda designed to justify what they were about to do next.)
But a new kind of meth pioneered by organized crime rings in Asia soon did….
(And Civil Beat writes this entire story without mentioning Larry Mehau. So, you better read this instead: Mehau in Majuro – How the US Meth Epidemic Began > Hawaii Free Press)
“At one point, I believe, every hostage situation in Hawaiʻi, where people would lock themselves in their apartments threatening to kill everybody – all methamphetamine,” Giannasio said.
Soon the entire U.S. was riveted by what was happening in Hawaiʻi, bracing for this pernicious new drug to hop the Pacific Ocean to the continent. The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, the San Francisco Chronicle and the influential investigative columnist Jack Anderson all wrote about it.
About two years into Hawaiʻi’s epidemic, the National Institute on Drug Abuse did what it called an “outbreak investigation.”
While meth in pill and powder form had been around for decades on the continent, “at this time the widespread smoking of methamphetamine appears to be unique to Hawaiʻi,” the drug institute concluded in 1989….
Four decades later, the consequences are piling up.
Meth users are dying at unprecedented rates, often from the way years of use have ravaged their hearts. In 2024, 275 people died here as a result of using meth, more than twice as many as seven years earlier. Many more likely died from the ill effects of the drug even though they had not used it in the days before they succumbed and it did not show up in their blood.
A Civil Beat analysis of 100 autopsies of deaths caused wholly or partially by meth found that the victims had interacted with emergency rooms, hospitals, courts and drug treatment programs in the weeks and months leading up to their deaths. Their families sought help — including restraining orders when the drug turned their behavior intolerable — but nothing altered the course of lives careening out of control….
REALITY: Mehau in Majuro – How the US Meth Epidemic Began > Hawaii Free Press
Read … 'We Were The Guinea Pigs': How Smokable Meth Made Its U.S. Landfall In Hawaiʻi - Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawaii Supreme Court denies Fevella’s appeal in contested West Oahu Senate race
HNN: … In an opinion issued Wednesday, the high court said Fevella “failed to take timely steps to do so,” and did not satisfy the standard for an extraordinary writ — an order permitting a higher court to review lower court decisions.
During the Aug. 8 primary election, the Senate District 20 Republican primary between former state lawmaker Bob McDermott and Fevella ended in a tie, with each candidate receiving exactly 1,212 votes. McDermott was declared the winner following a drawing conducted under Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 11-157 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.
Fevella filed his appeal on Friday, Sept. 4, nearly two weeks after the Aug. 24 election contest deadline....
The high court noted Fevella could have requested election data proactively before the Aug. 24 deadline, as Souza did. Court records show Souza requested voting data on Aug. 17 and received an overage and underage report on Aug. 20….
SA: State Sen. Kurt Fevella loses appeal of court’s ruling in election tie | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
CB: High Court Rejects Plea For Hawaiʻi State Senate Rematch - Honolulu Civil Beat
KHON: Hawaii Supreme Court denies primary election tie challenges
PDF: Supreme Court Ruling SCPW-26-0000628.pdf
Read … Hawaii Supreme Court denies Fevella’s appeal in contested West Oahu Senate race | Hawaii News Now
HD43: ‘Republicans-only’ label on Special Primary election Medeiros v Souza during general election
HNN: … The state Supreme Court … ordered the ballot for that race to be labeled “Republican Party voters only.” … (As it should be. This is a Republican Primary do-over.)
ASD: Hawaiʻi Supreme Court affirms decision to re-do House District 43 primary
PDF: Supreme Court Ruling SCEC-26-0000598recond2.pdf
Read … Republicans-only label on general election ballot raises concerns | Hawaii News Now
Former Lahainaluna principal wanted on felony charges
HNN: … A former Lahainaluna High School principal is wanted on a $200,000 bench warrant for multiple felony offenses, including theft, fraud and official misconduct, according to public court records.
Jeri Dean started with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) in 1995 as an elementary teacher. She became principal at Lahainaluna in 2021, and HIDOE officials said she “separated” with the department in 2024.
Public court records show Dean was charged by the state attorney general with first-degree theft, fraud and official misconduct for allegedly submitting false information in her official capacity as a public servant from 2022 to 2024.
The attorney general alleges she intentionally obtained unauthorized control over Hawaiʻi Department of Education money valued over tens of thousands of dollars by deception.
The attorney general also alleges Dean intentionally obtained a salary from the HIDOE while on Department Directed Leave, despite not complying with conditions set by the department.
Dean’s attorney, Brandon Segal, says she adamantly denies the charges, is in the process of turning herself in and they will fight the case in court.
In 2021, then-Lahainaluna High School senior Benjamin Lolesio and his family called for HIDOE to investigate Dean after Lolesio said he was wrongfully disciplined for posting his opinion about her on social media.
Days after Lolesio’s punishment, community members protested outside Lahainaluna High School in support of him, and a petition was made to remove Dean as principal….
Read … Former Lahainaluna principal wanted on felony charges | Hawaii News Now
New position for former DLE director Mike Lambert
KHON: … Mike Lambert, who was a finalist for the Honolulu police chief position, is still at the Department of Law Enforcement — but in a new position.
As of September, Lambert is now the department’s Chief Special Investigator.
“I’m just grateful that there was still value for me at the DLE, so I just decided to stay on,” he said ….
DLE’s new director is former deputy director Jared Redulla. He was appointed by Gov. Josh Green.
Redulla’s appointment must still be confirmed by the legislature next session….
Read … New position for former DLE director Mike Lambert
‘Active disaster zone’: Kauai’s mayor urges visitors to stay away from North Shore amid storm recovery
HNN: … Kauaʻi officials are urging visitors to steer clear of the island’s North Shore as emergency crews work to restore power and clean up debris following recent storm damage from Lowell.
Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami warned that the area remains unstable and poses significant safety hazards for tourists.
“The North Shore is just, it’s dangerous to be at,” Kawakami said. “I would say the North Shore is someplace that visitors should not go down because it’s an active disaster zone.”
Utility trucks, emergency personnel, and residents hauling green waste and trash have clogged local corridors….
… Kouchi noted that while areas such as Līhuʻe and Kapaʻa may eventually be better equipped to handle visitors, the coastline remains compromised.
“When we say we’re going to reopen, we need to be clear that maybe if you’re planning to come and you’re able to go to Līhuʻe and Kapaʻa, would be able to better accommodate you as guests,” Kouchi said. “But right now, along the ocean in Poʻipū, you know, roads washed out. We’re still not ready.”…
Kouchi estimates that full recovery could take five to 10 years.
P: Princess Cruise Ship Forced to Cancel a Hawaii Stop After Hurricane Damage - Parade
HNN: Kauai businesses feel tourism slowdown as island recovers from Hurricane Lowell | Hawaii News Now
KITV: Kauai tourists scramble to change wedding plans after Hurricane Lowell | News | kitv.com
Read … ‘Active disaster zone’: Kauai’s mayor urges visitors to stay away from North Shore amid storm recovery | Hawaii News Now
Kauaʻi Vacation Rental Owners Urged To Take In Displaced Families
CB: … Heavy rains from the category 2 storm Sept. 7 caused fast-moving floodwaters to submerge homes near Wainiha River. Around the island, Kaua‘i County says at least 10 homes have been completely destroyed by Hurricane Lowell and that 67 suffered major damage.
On the rural North Shore, community members estimate 50 to 75 people need somewhere to go because the storm rendered their homes unlivable. Some Wainiha residents have opted to remain in their homes so they can focus on cleaning and getting them livable again.
“They want to stay somewhere in their communities,” said Wainiha resident Mahealani Chandler …
One of the beautiful things, though, is that when all the tourists are gone, neighbors show up for one another, Wong said.
Wong is running a community hub out of a vacation rental in Hā‘ena. The home sits atop 30- to 40-foot-tall stilts, making the shaded underside a good spot to organize and distribute supplies and meals to residents in need….
Read … Kauaʻi Vacation Rental Owners Urged To Take In Displaced Families - Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawaii launches first permanent drone docking system for law enforcement – 30 seconds to put a drone over incident
KITV: … The Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) unveiled the state’s first permanent drone “hive” Wednesday at the Kekuanaoa Building on Punchbowl Street.
The docking system can launch, land and recharge drones without a pilot needing to be physically at the launch site.
During a demonstration, DLE showed how a drone can be launched remotely with just a few clicks. Officials said it took about 30 seconds from the request to launch to getting a live view over the Ala Moana Beach Park area….
“This is history, which you guys are watching right now,” said Mike Lambert, chief specialist investigator with DLE.
Three drones are housed inside the first hive, allowing DLE to send another aircraft into the air when one needs to return and recharge.
Officials said the drones can be used for emergency calls, suspect tracking and even water rescues.
In a water rescue, a drone can be equipped to carry and drop a personal flotation device to someone in distress….
The system costs $800,000 per year under a five-year agreement, for a total cost of about $4 million….
KHON: Hawaiʻi deploys drones as first responders
Read … Hawaii launches first permanent drone docking system for law enforcement | News | kitv.com
HURRICANE NEWS:
- DLNR lands on Kauai closed for ‘foreseeable future’ due to storm damage
- Power restored to majority of Kauai's North Shore, bringing the island to 91% restored | News | kitv.com
- Kauai Humane Society gets lifeline days after no power
- Kauai mayor says he would mandate future evacuations
- Isolated Kauai residents remain resilient despite hazards left by Lowell | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- U.S. Department of War - Hawaii National Guard Speeds Relief After Hurricanes | U.S. Department of War
- Interagency Effort Enables Airlift Support to Kauai Following Hurricane > U.S. Department of War > Defense Department News | U.S. Department of War
- Kauai lifts water conservation notice for Hanalei; several other systems remain restricted| Hawaii News Now
- Some Kauai homeowners with damage and insurance will not file hurricane claims | Local | kitv.com
- T-Mobile restores Hawaii network, sees 29,000 satellite texts post-Lala
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