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Hawai'i Free Press

Weekly News Read

June 14 2026

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June 14, 1900: The Abolition of Slavery in Hawaii

... Hawaii was the last place in the US to abolish indentured servitude ....

Poll: Sugimura 47% - Bissen 33% in mayoral primary race

… Sixty-three percent said they disapproved of the job Bissen had done to make Maui more affordable, and 50% said they disapproved of his work to reduce corruption. ….

Election 2026: Socialists Form Alliance with Meth Dealer’s Son

… 13 candidates for the state House and other races ….

Kids Count: Failing DoE, High Cost of Living Make Hawaii a Bad Place for Kids

...Hawaiʻi continues to lag behind much of the nation when it comes to children’s economic well-being and educational outcomes, according to the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book....

Hawaii Medicaid Fraud Control Problems Go Back 42 Years

... the story of a psychologist that was indicted on 32 counts of Medicaid fraud in 1984 ....

Medical Debt Is Not the Disease; It Is a Symptom

... SB3025: The Legislature's medical debt relief bill creates a timely opening to discuss deeper affordability failures ....

Mystery Money: How Much Settlement Money is left for Actual Fire Victims?

… administrators face the daunting task of determining how to fairly allocate roughly $4 billion to some 21,750 victims. That averages out to about $190,000 per victim, or about $47,000 per victim per year. ….

Green’s Medicaid Fixer: Wonder Blunder, Trump, Maui Fire Settlement

… Purpura was a key adviser to the governor when negotiating the Maui wildfire settlement ….

Election Commission Clown Show: Will Republicans Reappoint ‘Deniers’ June 30?

… if a new chair is not chosen by July 15, the chair selection may fall to the chief justice of the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court ….

Fundraising Huis Provide Chart of Legislative Factions

… dozens of sitting lawmakers are passing the hat at the same time and place ….

Defending the First Amendment

... I trust that the courts will agree with us and act quickly to quash this audacious bid to suppress our right to speak out on matters concerning the future of Hawaii ....

Free Expression in American Law Schools? Exhibit A: UH Richardson, Ken Lawson

... Free Expression in a Climate of Self-Censorship: A National Survey of American Law Faculty ....

UH Prof: Social Sciences have become Politicized

"...scholars standing up for scholarly rigor and not letting political goals corrupt the research...."

SBA Reforms 8(a) Program to End Racial Discrimination in Federal Contracting

"...Eligibility standards for businesses owned by Native Hawaiian Organizations remain unchanged...."

OIP: Kali Watson Violated Sunshine Law Pushing HHC to Acquire Waipouli

... how Watson pressured Hawaiian Homes Commissioners to approve purchase of Kauai condo complex ....

Sunshine Law: OIP Issues Eight Opinions

... The Office of Information Practices recently issued one formal opinion and seven informal opinions under the Sunshine Law ....

Uber’s $8B Hawaii Captive Insurance: Part of Scheme to Save Self-Driving Vehicles from Lawsuits

“...First thing we kill all the lawyers....”

Trump Restores American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific

...Onerous restrictions unnecessarily prohibited commercial fishing within areas of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, removing job opportunities for American workers....

Hawaii considers gasoline tax suspension as pump prices soar

… “I'm contemplating a pause on state and county taxes on gas … to give people maybe 30 cents a gallon relief" ….

Oahu condo fees hit $800+ monthly as Hawaii ranks second highest

… More than 60% of condominiums sold on Oahu this year have maintenance fees of $800 a month or more, up from 20% in 2019 ….

Soft on Crime: 18 Time Loser Gets ‘Released Pending Investigation’ after Hammer Attack

… Court records show Kaihewalu was charged with attempted murder in 2011 and 2021. Both cases dismissed….

Alleged Kauai Killer was Convicted Felon with Gun: In Soft-on-Crime Hawaii all he got was a TRO

… Why didn’t these TROs turn into multiple-felony police reports? ….

Mayor Will Not be able to Appoint Police Chief

… The Honolulu Charter Commission on Monday fell a couple votes short of advancing the proposal and so it’s dead ….

Oahu Woman Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Destroying Cellphone Evidence to Thwart Federal Firearms Investigation

... Tran shot pepper balls at numerous individuals before brandishing the 9mm firearm at a bystander outside of a nightclub ....

Honolulu Man Sentenced for Lahaina Fire Fraud

... Daylyn Harris, 34, and Chelsea Johnson, 32, of Honolulu, Hawaii, were arrested on July 15, 2025 ....

Montana Man Charged with Sending Antisemitic Threats to Kill Governor of Hawaii

...Eric Lee Boltz, 51, residing in Montana, was charged by criminal complaint on June 3, 2026....

Hawaii Mortgage Scammers Make FBI Most Wanted List

"...Multiple Oahu families lost their homes as a result of the Dimitrions’ crimes....”

NIL: Top UH Athletic Boosters Kick in $5M

...each committing $200,000 annually for five years, are Bank of Hawaiʻi, First Hawaiian Bank, Matson, and longtime UH supporters and community leaders Jack Tsui and Walter Dods....

Governor, LG, AG Flee State--Don't worry, Seth Colby is in Charge

... back in February, Green canceled out-of-state travel rather than leave Luke in charge ....

Union: Kaiser Patients Wait too long for Mental Health Care

... New survey of Kaiser therapists finds that at least three-quarters say their next available appointments are more than a month away ....

Hawai'i America250 Commemoration of US Army and US Flag Birthdays

...Event will start at 10 am, Sunday, June 14, 2025, at the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center....

Green Uses Executive Order to 'Interpret' Act 24 Solar Credits

“WHEREAS, the retroactivity of the RETITC annual cap presents a risk of litigation...."

HIEMA Administrator Resigns

...on July 1, 2026, Administrator James Barros steps down and David Lopez assumes responsibility as the new HIEMA administrator....

Honolulu Ethics Commission appoints Sandy Ma as new Executive Director

... Prior to her work with Common Cause Hawaiʻi, Ma served as a project analyst with the State of Hawaiʻi Office of Planning ....

DAGS Audits Probate Court

... Fiscal Year 2025 audit of the Estate and Probate Branch of the Small Estate Section of the First Circuit Court ....

Legislature approves bills that could help boost local food production

... three bills that could help ....

DLNR Director Dawn Chang Finally Retires

...Governor Green has appointed Ryan Kanakaʻole to serve as chairperson and director of the department. He has also appointed David Day to serve as first deputy....

City Launches Homeless 'Command Center'

... coordination hub designed to strengthen collaboration among City departments, State agencies, healthcare providers, outreach teams, shelter operators, housing providers, and community partners ....

Hawaii Congressional Delegation How they Voted June 12, 2026

... votes cast and bills introduced in Congress ....

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