Hawaii Daily News Read

Saturday, November 7, 2026

November 7, 2026 News Read

By Andrew Walden @ 7:27 AM :: 60 Views

Three ways to reduce budget strain from the Hawai‘i Convention Center

Army Closes Training Ranges at Makua Military Reservation, Seeks Lease Termination on islands of O`ahu and Hawai`i

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Visits Hawaii on Returning Education to the States Tour

Federal Jury Convicts Maui Man of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Following Internet Child-Sex Sting Operation

Lawyer Randall Harakal Disciplined

Montana Copies Hawaii's 'Corporate Personhood' Law, immediately gets sued

House Announces Leadership, but not Committee Assignments

Sen Brenton Awa to Quit Republican Party, run for Mayor

HNN: … Addressing family, friends, and supporters on election night, Awa acknowledged the wide margin following early counts that placed him far behind the incumbent.

“I’m no fool. We got crushed,” Awa said. “The struggle between Democrat and Republican was just too much to overcome.”

Awa attributed the outcome to deep partisan divisions across the state, recounting an encounter earlier in the day with a resident who praised his record but chose to vote along national party lines.

“When you look at these numbers, the difficult part is that Hawaiʻi is split between parties,” Awa said. “We can’t get over the hump of people sticking with their parties, whether they’re Ds or whether they’re Rs.”

Despite the loss, Awa framed the result as an opportunity to remain close to his family and continue serving his community, noting that he has two years remaining on his current state Senate term.

Awa also signaled a potential departure from party politics, teasing a run for local executive office.

“There’s going to be some big news starting with I’m probably going to leave the Republican Party and become independent, and we’re probably going to be looking at mayor,” Awa said….

(CLUE: An 'Awa mayorial candidacy will vacuum votes away from Andrea Tupola in 2028, thus helping the next Rail/PRP candidate against her.)

Read … U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda defeats Brenton Awa in 2nd District re-election | Hawaii News Now

Fraudster: Republican Lt Gov Candidate Fakes DLNR Website to Steal Data

HTH: … The website is owned by Aloha Organic, a company which sells soil and plant health products, some of which are marketed as ways to address invasive species, including the coconut rhinoceros beetle, which poses a threat to palm trees across the state.

(REALITY: ‘Aloha Organic’ sells fertilizer for marijuana grow-ops.)

In an email to the Tribune-Herald, Aloha Organic representative Brian Bardellini (a Maui quactivist, see below) said he was aware the website could cause confusion, but that the choice to model it after the official HISC site was deliberate.

(CLUE: Arrest him for data theft and fraud. He should have been arrested in 2018--see below.)

“To us, ‘Hawaii Invasive Species Council’ describes a responsibility: preventing and reducing the spread of invasive species, protecting the land, and bringing together the knowledge and practical tools needed to do that work,” he wrote. “We do not believe the state-supported response has adequately fulfilled that responsibility.”…

The HISC website is not the first time Bardellini has had conflict with government entities and officials. He previously worked as an executive assistant for former Maui County Council Member Alika Atay and, according to an article from the Maui Times, was banned from a portion of the county building in 2018 for violating a workplace violence policy. It said he was also prohibited from interacting with state Department of Agriculture workers “due to abusive language, inappropriate behavior and attempts to provoke physical confrontations with staff members.”

In addition to Bardellini, former lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Daniel Anthony is also involved with both Aloha Organic and the website. …

Bardellini said he and Anthony created the alternative HISC website in part because they felt potential ~~CRB mitigation and prevention methods were not being given sufficient consideration by the coalition of state agencies that make up the official HISC, including~~ (to steal your data and use it to boost sales and profits on) the types of products Aloha Organic sells….

The reporting feature on the Aloha Organic HISC website, she added, could be especially problematic. The state’s HISC website has a hotline and online form where people can report invasive species sightings. From there, Brewer said, the reports are directed to the appropriate agencies and organizations to respond.

(TWO WORDS: ID theft.)

“I do have concerns that if people are going to report this to a new agency, do they have the infrastructure set up on the back end to actually respond?,” she asked.

Bardellini said that reports made through their website are stored for internal review and are mapped on their private ArcGIS system and used to “help identify areas needing attention, and inform decisions about ~~fieldwork and community response~~ (where to send our salesmen)” ….

Alika Atay / Brian Bardelini Background:

Anthony/Aloha Organics background:

October 2026: Conspiracy in Common: How Cordery Campaign Brings Sovereignty Activists into Hawaii Republican Party
Aloha Organic: Aloha-Organic-Application-Chart-Cannabis.jpg (2000×2588)
ECOURTKOKUA: Daniel Anthony, Divorce, Deadbeat, Scofflaw Driver, OVUII (drugs), etc, etc going back to 1997

Read … DLNR: Website impersonating invasive species council | Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Maui police chief on paid leave plans to ask commission to reinstate him

HNN: … On Oct. 7, the Maui Police Commission voted to place Pelletier on paid leave pending an independent investigation into his oversight of the Criminal Intelligence Unit. The unit’s commander is accused of accepting bribes.

Pelletier’s attorney, Eric Seitz, said Pelletier wants to go back to work.

“He’s very upset and his family is very upset because none of this was warranted,” said Seitz.

Seitz said that rather than filing a lawsuit, Pelletier will go to the next Maui Police Commission meeting to ask to be reinstated.

“We were prepared to sue them, but we’ve withheld any further action pending an opportunity to meet with the police commission,” Seitz said. “Our position is, why do you take an action without at least meeting with a person and presenting to that person some grounds? We’re not aware of any legal or factual basis for why any action was taken against him.”

Pelletier believes Maui Mayor Richard Bissen pressured the commission….

Read … Maui police chief on paid leave plans to ask commission to reinstate him | Hawaii News Now

High rates put squeeze on Oahu housing market

SA: … High mortgage rates crimped the Oahu housing market in October as median prices and sales for both single-family homes and condominiums fell during the month from a year ago.

Condos took the biggest hit as the median resale price slipped below $500,000 for the first time in nearly a year while sales plummeted 23.5% from October 2025, according to data released Friday from the Honolulu Board of Realtors. Condo sales below $500,000 accounted for half of the condo transactions, with 171 units sold.

The median condo price — the point at which half the sales were at a higher price and half were at a lower price — slipped 6.7% to $499,000 from $535,000 a year ago. The last time that condo prices fell below $500,000 was in November 2025 when it dropped to $487,450. Sales fell to 339 in October from 443 a year earlier.

Meanwhile, the median resale price for single-family homes dipped 1.1% to $1,150,000 from 1,162,500 a year ago while sales fell 8.4% to 239 from 261….

Read … High rates put squeeze on Oahu housing market | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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