Conspiracy in Common: How Cordery Campaign Brings Sovereignty Activists into Hawaii Republican Party
ACLU supports Grassroot in court
RISE Bonds
Maui County: 100% of voters are very aware of Mayor’s Corruption
MN: … Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen’s former chief of staff filed a whistleblower lawsuit against him in April…
Now Bissen is facing a fresh round of allegations, this time from Maui Police Chief John Pelletier….
The chief has accused Bissen of being the target of two criminal investigations ….
they were the reason that Bissen had pressured the Police Commission to put him on paid leave while the commission digs into Pelletier’s oversight of a now-disbanded unit in which the lead lieutenant was arrested by federal authorities….
Although Sugimura is battling from behind after finishing second in the primary by 13 percentage points, she isn’t using the allegations to attack frontrunner Bissen.
She declined to comment on the chief’s claims and instead is focusing on what she sees as lagging progress in the Lahaina fire recovery, one of the key issues in the race, and dissatisfaction with the direction of the county.
“I believe that the most important thing … is really looking at the people of Maui County and understanding that there’s hurt out there,” she said. “Cost of living is a challenge, housing is a challenge, and our economy is challenging families. … We see people leaving, and it’s all tied to just the instability of our community.”
Moore said. “Among people who paid even passing attention to politics in the county, I bet 100% of them are very aware of this.”
(TRANSLATION: Some will vote against Bissen because of the corruption, others will vote FOR Bissen because of the corruption. We will see who the majority is.)
Moore says the scenario this time around is different from when Bissen was heading into the primary following the lawsuit by his former chief of staff Leo Caires, who claimed he was fired for reporting fraudulent activity by a high-ranking official in Bissen’s administration. The lawsuit was filed more than three months before the Aug. 8 primary, and based on the election results, it didn’t appear to have derailed Bissen’s campaign.
But Pelletier is a higher profile figure, and his allegations came shortly before voters received their ballots….
Over the last three years, Lahaina has morphed from (into) a flattened landscape of smoking gray ash and rubble….Bissen said that doesn’t mean businesses weren’t allowed to apply for permits. He pointed out that several factors have prevented businesses from moving forward, and that many people “do not understand the complexity of the commercial rebuild in Lahaina.” It’s not as simple as putting up a structure, he said. There were roads to repave, damaged infrastructure to replace and access issues to resolve.
Sugimura thinks the efforts to expedite commercial rebuilding should have happened sooner. Three years in, no commercial buildings have been rebuilt, and less than half of people affected by the wildfires were employed full time as of May, according to an ongoing University of Hawai‘i survey.
Rather than rebuilding businesses, Sugimura said the administration has been emphasizing things like new railings and a new playground. She said “we can pretend that Lahaina looks good,” but walking down Front Street where the sidewalk is brand new and the properties are completely empty shows there is still a lot of work to do.
“There are many frustrated commercial businesses,” Sugimura said. “It should have come back simultaneously, right? Because you need a place for these working families to work. And all these businesses, they’re standing by, waiting patiently.”
Sugimura said the county needs to just let people build back what they had before instead of trying to recreate the town. For example, the county is offering 10 makai property owners, some with multiple lots, the option of a buyout in hopes of building a connected greenway…..
“You can look at the donut or you can look at the hole,” Bissen said, summing up his flailing campaign message….
FLASHBACK:
August, 2026: Maui Police Department Lieutenant Charged with Taking Bribes from Criminals to Protect Chicken Fighting and Drug Operations on Maui
April, 2026: Lawsuit : Bissen insiders Stole $45K from County days after Lahaina Fire
December, 2025: "I am the mayor. I apologize to no one."
March, 2025: Crackpot Lawsuit is all it takes--Maui Mayor and SHOPO make Complete Fools of Themselves Trying to get rid of Chief Pelletier
August, 2024: In just one year, A Maui County Appointee Oversaw $1.4M Grants To Profitable Nonprofits Tied To Her Family Members
August, 2024: Meet the Meth Gang Behind ‘Lahaina Strong’
Read … ‘October surprise’ allegations could tighten Maui County’s mayoral showdown : Maui Now
Will Mercado Kim Snatch Senate Gavel from Ron Kouchi?
CB: … Kouchi has been Senate president since May 2015, when he led a faction to remove Kim as president. Described as a “bloodless coup,” it came two days before the legislative session ended. That’s the time of year when “re-orgs” often happen.
“I’ve been asked to lead in a different way and we’ll see if that works better than the one that has,” Kouchi said at the time.
“I did not want to take on a presidency where I would just be in the background and be a rubber stamp,” Kim said at the time.
Kim herself became president in December 2012, taking it over from Shan Tsutsui who left when he was appointed lieutenant governor.
Still up in the air is whether Kim, if she doesn’t take back the gavel as Senate president, would continue to chair a combined higher and lower education committee or whether it will be split into two separate committees, as the House does and as the Senate used to do until very recently.
And last but certainly not least (not by a long shot) is where Donovan Dela Cruz fits into all this. Word around the Capitol a few months ago was that Dela Cruz lobbied hard against Bass getting the nod to replace Kidani when the longtime senator stepped down (some think purposely too late for the seat to be on the primary ballot).
Capitol denizens said at the time he was worried about keeping his very powerful position as chair of Ways and Means, a job he has had since May 2017, when Jill Tokuda was ousted from that high post.
As anyone follows legislative politics knows, DDC and Donna Kim have been thick as thieves for years….
Whether Kim has the 13 votes needed to oust Kouchi is unclear. It’s also dependent on what happens with a couple of Senate races on Oʻahu yet to be decided.
One is whether Democrat Danielle Bass, the incumbent being challenged by Republican Kelly Kitashima and nonpartisan Max Hanna, will hang on to the seat being vacated by Michelle Kidani.
Republican Bob McDermott, who unseated Sen. Kurt Fevella in the primary, is up against Democrat Markus Owens on the Westside. Also out west GOP Rep. Elijah Pierick is taking on Democratic Sen. Rachele Lamosao, who’s only held that seat a short time. And Democrat Tricia Nakamatsu faces Republican Wallyn Kanoelani Christian for the downtown Honolulu seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Karl Rhoads.
The retirement of Rhoads and Kidani along with the ouster of another veteran senator, Les Ihara, in the Democratic primary (he lost to Rep. Jackson Sayama) is complicating the usual math….
Fun Read: The Secret History of the Mercado Kim Crime Family
Read … The Sunshine Blog: Will Ron Kouchi Still Wield The Senate Gavel? - Honolulu Civil Beat
Lowell: HTA seeks tourism emergency declaration after bookings drop 59%
CB: … Across Kauai, the immediate damage from Lowell has been largely repaired, but a 59% plunge in visitor bookings threatens businesses, jobs and airline service, prompting the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority to seek Gov. Josh Green’s approval for an emergency declaration and a $2.5 million marketing campaign.
The decline alarmed tourism officials not only because of its severity on Kauai but because Expedia data showed weakened demand statewide, suggesting some travelers may mistakenly perceive that all of Hawaii was affected. Statewide booking demand was down 23%, according to HTA advisory board member Danny Ojiri, including declines of 25% on Oahu, 7% on Maui and 6% on Hawaii island….
Read … HTA seeks tourism emergency declaration after Lowell takes a toll | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
TMT: “Every delay is a lost opportunity to do science”
HTH: … after rejecting a proposal from the Spanish government last month, TIO has signaled that Maunakea is the only site it is considering for the construction of the TMT.
In an recent interview with the Tribune-Herald, TMT Project Manager Fengchuan Liu discussed the status of the TMT project and its future, or lack thereof, on the island — which, he said, is dependent on buy-in from the community….
How exactly that decision will be determined is unclear, but Liu said he would be looking to the Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Authority – the state agency created in 2022 to take over management of the summit region from the University of Hawaii – for advisement.
“It is not a clear definition,” he said. “But we know, for sure, the state created the Maunakea authority, eight of the 11 voting members are Hawaiians or Native Hawaiians, and they have, in different ways, a deep connection to the Hawaiian community, and they bring a broad perspective. That’s one aspect. Obviously, we look for their guidance and directions.”
The MKSOA is in the process of developing its management plan for the mauna, which is set to go into effect in 2029. Liu said there is not currently a set timeline for when TIO could decide to throw in the towel on TMT, but the more time that passes, the more difficult it becomes to justify….
“Every delay is a lost opportunity to do science,” he said. “Other science projects, our competitors, are not waiting. They’re doing things in Chile, on the mainland and elsewhere, in Europe. At some point, if you’re too far behind, that’s your last opportunity. … The timeline depends on how much resources we can raise to keep us waiting for the opportunity.”
Liu said TIO members had invested several hundred million dollars in TMT so far. He said that the project is essentially ready to go, but that the anticipated cost to complete it has ballooned to over $3 billion due to the construction being put on hold.
“The design is very mature,” he said. “We were ready to build 10 years ago. We’re much more ready to build now.”…
In order to realize the project, Liu said TIO will need support from the National Science Foundation, which has become less reliable in recent years.
Budget cuts by the Trump administration have resulted in less funding for the US Extremely Large Telescope program, an NSF initiative of which TMT is a part. The money that is available has recently been directed towards advancing the Giant Magellan Telescope, another large telescope set to be located in Chile’s Atacama Desert, instead of TMT. Liu said this was despite previous recommendations to move both projects forward to be reviewed for funding.
“We were put in a severe kind of disadvantage,” Liu said. “This was in May of 2025, and they went ahead with the final design phase. We didn’t.”
Around that time is when Spain offered to invest up to $460 million in the project and provide the Canary Islands as a potential alternative site for TMT. The proposal was later increased to up to $1 billion.
“That was a very generous gesture, and our board directors exercised their fiduciary duty, evaluated that offer. Eventually, it became a financial loan package, and they evaluated thoroughly, extensively and very carefully,” he said. “Last month, they came to the conclusion we could not accept that offer.”
Liu said the decision came down to financial considerations, and had nothing to do with the site itself….
In response to community feedback he said TIO is actively exploring the possibility of relocating TMT from its initial project site on the mauna to the former site of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, which was decommissioned in 2024….
Read … TMT’s project manager reflects on lessons learned since protests stopped construction | Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Corporate Campaigners march through Waikiki for Honolulu LGBTQ Pride Parade 2026
HNN: … check out all the corporations behind gay pride ….
HNN: HNN's general manager on why its important to participate in pride events
HNN: First Hawaiian Bank Celebrates Big at Honolulu Pride Parade
HNN: Outrigger's Matt Dufale on Supporting Honolulu Pride
HNN: Highgate Hawaii on Pride, Culture and Welcoming Visitors
HNN: Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines on decade of Honolulu Pride support
HNN: Hula's Brings Rainbow Balloons to Honolulu Pride Parade
HNN: HNN's 2026 pride parade float!
HNN: Inside Honolulu Pride Parade With This Year's Grand Marshals
HNN: 2026 Honolulu Pride Parade kicks off
MEANWHILE: “Gender Affirming Care” -- What would George Orwell Say?
Read … Thousands march through Waikiki for Honolulu Pride Parade 2026 | Hawaii News Now
Tech Troubles: Hawaiʻi's Child Welfare System still running on 1988 computer system
CB: … Child Welfare Services now uses an obsolete system known as the Child Protective Services System, which launched in 1988 and is housed on an aging mainframe computer. The new information system is also supposed to replace the State of Hawaiʻi Automated Keiki Assistance system, which came online in about 2009….
The state, however, is delaying launch of an ambitious overhaul of its Child Welfare System case management system after a contractor for the project was blamed for shoddy work and missed deadlines, according to reports from consultants that oversee the project for the state.
The $18.48 million project will replace two aging or obsolete computer systems and was originally supposed to go live in August, but has now been delayed three times. Independent monitors overseeing the work have flagged a variety of problems, including a data leak during testing of the new system that raised “data and privacy concerns.”
The most recent plan was to launch the Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System on Nov. 2, but that has now been delayed until April “as the project team continues to ensure a responsible and secure implementation,” according to a statement from state Department of Human Services Director Joseph Campos II.
The project has been in the planning stages for years, and the contract to develop it for Child Welfare Services was awarded in early 2024 to Elixir Lab USA Inc., doing business as Cardinality.ai. The company is a data technology company founded in 2017, and 11 states now use its “pre-built solutions,” according to its web site....
Read … Tech Troubles Trip Up Hawaiʻi's Child Welfare System - Honolulu Civil Beat
Kaua‘i County Department of Water announces upcoming rate increases
KN: … The county’s Board of Water Supply on Sept. 24 formally adopted amendments to the rules and regulations for fixing water service rates. Rates were last adjusted in 2014….
(CLUE: They don’t say how much. So, the rate hike must be huge.)
Read … Kaua‘i County Department of Water announces upcoming rate increases : Kauai Now
ELECTION NEWS:
- Political revolution in Hawaiʻi? History says it’s not that simple – Politics Hawaii
- No Dictators rally in Honolulu draws crowd ahead of midterm elections | Hawaii News Now
- Thousands gather in Honolulu for election awareness rally
- How Keiki Are Rewriting The Rules Of Civic Engagement And Voting - Honolulu Civil Beat
- Should City Boards Allow Non-Citizens And Loosen Quorum Rules? - Honolulu Civil Beat
- Will Caron: Zip Pact - Honolulu Civil Beat
- Volcanic Ash: First they came for Somalis; are Hawaii immigrants next? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Column: LGBTQ equity and inclusion on ballot | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Editorial: RISE bonds are tool to boost affordable homes | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Column: City must work toward housing solution | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
QUICK HITS:
- Big Q: How well are you coping with inflation? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Veterans Day ceremony, picnic set for Nov. 11 - Maui News
- Beth Fukumoto: Hawaiʻi's Pat Saiki Broke All The Rules - Honolulu Civil Beat
- Pipikaula Corner: What Oregon should teach Hawai‘i
- Changes to immigration court hearings; DOJ switches from virtual to in-person | News | kitv.com
- HPD clarifies future of JPO, PAL programs after 100 officers shifted to patrol
- Former surfing standout back in jail after domestic incident | Hawaii Tribune-Herald
- Community celebrates county’s acquisition of Honolulu Landing | Hawaii Tribune-Herald
- Hawaii’s plantation legacy leaves lasting risks of flooding and fires | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Kokua Line: Will torched playground ever be replaced? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- National Park Service designates Honolulu as World War II Heritage City | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Centene exiting Hawaii’s Med-QUEST program at end of year | Honolulu Star-Advertiser