October 3, 2026 News Read

By Andrew Walden @ 10:29 AM :: 111 Views

Hawaii high court lets lawyers keep $222M from Maui fire settlement

“Economic Freedom: What It Means and Why It Matters to Hawaii”

Red Flags: Hawaii among most financially distressed states

Hawaii OIP Swarmed by AI Robot Requests

Maui Man Admits to Selling Methamphetamine and Cocaine

Hawaii sues Trump admin for loosening car fuel efficiency standards

Pearl City Junk Yard Ordered Closed After Fire

NYT: Hawaii housing shortage drives poverty

NYT: … The housing shortage in the United States not only drives up rents, it is also a significant driver of poverty, according to a new study released by the Pew Charitable Trust.

The study, released Tuesday, examined parts of the country where lowering home prices would lift a significant number of people out of poverty — similar in effect to a major anti-poverty program — at a moment when the national conversation around housing has gained urgency at every level of government.

LINK: PEW: Reforms Could Save Hawaii Renters $5,500 Per Year

The analysis found that in nine states and Washington, D.C., poverty rates are 16% to 34% higher than they would be if housing costs were the same as the national average. Most of those states are on the East Coast — New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, New York and New Hampshire. Hawaii, California and Colorado also made the list. The analysis was based on research by Zachary Parolin, a professor at the University of Oxford, who examined census data to determine the states where housing costs contributed to the greatest share of poverty….

“We’re seeing people who are working hourly jobs at 15, 20, 25 dollars an hour, which is well above minimum wage here in New Hampshire,” Taylor said. “But they still can’t even come close to paying median housing costs.”…

Alex Horowitz, project director for housing policy at Pew, said the core issue is supply. There just isn’t enough housing in any of these states, and it is difficult and expensive to build there. That means fewer homes are constructed and the ones that are cost more. The report estimates that the United States would need an additional 4 million to 7 million more homes to alleviate the housing crisis.

Horowitz said that whittling away at regulations would help create more housing, for example by allowing town houses to be built where only detached homes are permitted or by doing away with parking requirements, which mandate how many parking spots have to be included for each home….

LINK: PEW: Reforms Could Save Hawaii Renters $5,500 Per Year

Read … Hawaii among states where housing shortage drives poverty

Poll: Josh Green Approval 64%

SA: … Gov. Josh Green ranks third nationally in terms of popularity, according to a ranking of in-state approval ratings measured by Morning Consult, a market research company that tracks public opinion.

Green, who is seeking reelection in the Nov. 3 general election, has a 64% approval rating among registered Hawaii voters.

He ranks third in the country in voter popularity of the nation’s governors behind Wyoming’s Republican Gov. Mark Gordon, who has a 71% approval rating, and North Dakota’s Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong, with a 69% approval rating….

July, 2025: Poll shows Green’s approval rating at 63% (Translation: He’s managed to keep himself above the fray.)

read … Josh Green ranks as third most popular governor in the country | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Will Supreme Court Block Climate Suits By Hawaiʻi, Other States?

G: … New York’s “climate superfund” law has lost twice in court. A U.S. Supreme Court case could soon determine the fate of other efforts to make Big Oil pay (for our climate hallucinations) ….

Read … Will Courts Block Climate Suits By Hawaiʻi, Other States?

Oʻahu transit agency is paying record-high prices to fuel city buses

HPR: … Department of Transportation Services Director Roger Morton says diesel prices have been trending up since roughly the start of this fiscal year, which began in July.

Right now, the city Department of Transportation Services is paying an unprecedented $5.66 per gallon of diesel.

“I went 10 years back to check the prices, and we've never paid that much before,” Morton told HPR.

The city's Department of Budget and Fiscal Services allocated DTS about $18 million to spend on diesel for the city’s bus fleet over the course of the current fiscal year, which ends in June 2027. Given the amount of diesel the buses need, Morton said that total breaks down to about $3.79 per gallon — well below what the department is currently paying.

If prices stay at their current level, Morton expects that the department may have to pay up to $27 million for diesel this fiscal year.

“It puts a substantial pressure on our operating budget,” he said….

(IDEA: Stop using full size buses on routes with few riders. Use Sprinters and/or microtransit.)

GW: What is the True Price of Traveling a Mile?

read … Oʻahu transit agency is paying record-high prices to fuel city buses | Hawai'i Public Radio

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