Honolulu Must Toughen Its Lax Lobbying Rules
Two years ago, then-Honolulu City Councilman and former state legislator Nestor Garcia was fined $8,100 by the Honolulu Ethics Commission for accepting free meals and golf from lobbyists regarding rail...
View ArticleInmate Deaths Leave Families, Advocates Searching For Answers
One morning in late November, Henrietta Napolis was finishing breakfast at her home on Kauai’s North Shore when the phone rang. When she answered it, a somber voice greeted her on the other end of the...
View ArticleTad Bartimus: Maui Hopes New Rescue Tubes Will Reduce Drownings
WAILUKU — To sit in Colin Yamamoto’s office a visitor has to remove a 7-pound scrapbook from the spare chair next to the Maui County ocean safety chief’s desk. “Sorry,” Yamamoto said, putting the album...
View ArticleHawaii Lawmakers Revive Push To Provide Medicaid for Micronesians
Hawaii’s congressional delegation on Wednesday introduced federal legislation to reinstate Medicaid coverage for eligible Micronesians living and working in the United States. The Covering Our FAS...
View ArticleAnother Delay In Nationwide Search For Honolulu Police Chief
Summer might be over before Honolulu has a new police chief. And in case you needed a reminder: The official last day of the season is Sept. 22. On Wednesday, Honolulu Police Commission officials...
View ArticleEx-Honolulu Police Chief’s Fight For Legal Fees Turns Nasty
Former Police Chief Louis Kealoha, who is under federal investigation for public corruption, has spent months fighting with the Honolulu Police Commission to get taxpayers to pay his legal bills in a...
View ArticleHow HECO Is Trying To Modernize Its Electric Grid
Stem Inc. in many ways illustrates the challenges facing Hawaiian Electric Co. as it tries to modernize the grid that brings electricity to some 450,000 customers statewide. Stem has set up massive...
View ArticleBig Island Eliminates Produce Delivery For Seniors
Big Island low-income senior citizens will no longer receive fresh weekly produce deliveries. Food Basket Hawaii, a nonprofit food pantry, chose not to continue facilitating the federal Senior Farmer’s...
View ArticleNeal Milner: It’ll Take Hard Political Work To Stop Trump
So now Donald Trump is being investigated for obstruction of justice. Not such a big deal. That investigation is not, nor is any other the ongoing inquiry, going to give Trump opponents what they want...
View ArticleTad Bartimus: Life-Saving Rescue Tubes Date Back 100 Years
“Simplicity is the essence of ingenuity, despite the intricacy of much of the equipment with which modern life is surrounded,” an unknown author wrote in the March 1921 issue of Popular Mechanics...
View ArticleHonolulu Residents Get Raw Deal With Bikeshare
Biki is the name of brand that the nonprofit Bikeshare Hawaii decided on for its launch of a Honolulu bike-sharing system. They want it to connote “wiki,” which is Hawaiian for quick. As they expand to...
View ArticleInterceptor Fails To Hit Target During Missile Defense Test Off Kauai
HONOLULU — The U.S. Missile Defense Agency said it failed to intercept a ballistic missile during a test off Hawaii. The failure came during a test conducted with Japan’s Defense Ministry late...
View ArticleHonolulu Rail Project’s Budget Increased By 11.5 Percent
The Honolulu rail’s operating budget will increase 11.5 percent to $34.9 million from $31.3 million for the next year, according to a budget approved Thursday by the board that oversees the troubled...
View ArticleGovernor Approves Loans For Energy Savings In Schools
Gov. David Ige on Thursday signed into law a bill authorizing the Department of Education to borrow up to $46.4 million through a “green energy” loan to reduce energy usage in its schools. Part of a...
View ArticleAlan McNarie: A Big Island Juggler With Leukemia Faces Deportation
Editor’s note: Today Civil Beat introduces a second Big Island columnist, Alan McNarie, who joins Bret Yager in tracking developments for us in Hawaii County. WAIMEA, Hawaii Island — Graham Ellis...
View ArticleDLNR Urges Ige To Veto Bill Phasing Out Aquarium Fishing In Hawaii
Gov. David Ige is facing a political quandary as he nears Monday’s deadline for deciding the fate of a bill that would eventually end the catching of aquarium fish in Hawaii. Does he go against the...
View ArticleHonolulu Is Paying Back $1.45 Million In Federal Housing Funds
Honolulu is paying back $1.45 million in federal funds spent to upgrade a senior housing complex after an audit raised questions about how the money was spent. The city gave $100,000 back to HUD so far...
View ArticleIge Plans To Veto Bill To End Aquarium Fishing
Gov. David Ige plans to veto 15 bills, including a proposal backed by environmental groups seeking to phase out the catching of aquarium fish in Hawaii. The governor similarly intends to veto a bill...
View ArticleTom Yamachika: Anatomy Of The Epic Fail On Rail
In early May, on the day our Legislature adjourned, one of the newspapers summarized our Legislature’s work on the Honolulu transit surcharge extension as “Epic Fail on Rail.” With the Federal Highway...
View ArticlePod Squad: Meet Civil Beat’s New Education and Business Reporters
Business reporter Stewart Yerton and education reporter Suevon Lee join the Pod Squad to discuss their new roles at Civil Beat. Both reminisced about the most memorable stories they ever worked on...
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