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Hawai'i Free Press

Weekly News Read

July 26 2026

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Five Indicted in Luke Bribery Case--will this be enough to keep Feds Away?

... indictments designed to forestall federal prosecutors ....

Designed to Fail: Sylvia Luke bribery case could be a hard one to prove, legal observers say

… but with former Rep Brian Yamane, “They’ve got recordings and text messages where he’s accepting money and envelopes and directly depositing it into his personal bank account.” ….

The Councilman, the Crime Boss, and the “Hostage” Trees

… Now that Trevor Ozawa is again a candidate running to take back his former seat on the Honolulu City Council, voters should examine his past misuse of his political position to benefit the late racketeering boss Mike Miske ….

Case says shipping interests ‘out to get me’

… shippers and maritime unions are bankrolling his challenger to protect the Jones Act ….

Army soldier from Ewa Beach killed in Jordan, Pentagon says

… two soldiers were killed in an Iranian missile barrage in Jordan that left another soldier missing ….

The island without childcare for babies

... she’s been trying to add an additional building to run an infant-toddler center for seven or eight years, but on the island, the process is lengthy ....

Feds: Hawaii Homeownership 18.9% Lower Than Believed

"...Hawaii’s homeowners-to-population ratio (HPOP) is 18.9 percentage points lower than its owner-occupancy rate, the largest difference of any state...."

What It Takes to Retire in Hawaii at 62 on $1.5 Million Without Touching Your Principal

... the tax code treats different retirement dollars very differently ....

Hawai ʻ i population decline: How managed growth policies shaped today’s crisis

… Today, Hawaiʻi has nearly twice the population it had in 1972, yet has fewer children enrolled in school ….

DPP: ‘We Process Affordable Housing Projects in 592 Days’

… “excluding prescreening” ….

A studio can be rented for up to $3,773 a month and be considered ‘affordable’

… Don’t blame the feds. Local authorities could have adopted a different system if they wanted to ….

‘Just holding on for the settlement money’--FEMA rent increase to hit 600 Maui fire survivors still in temporary housing

… rent will double starting Sept. 1 ….

Ranked Choice Voting Scam on the November Ballot – Honolulu Charter Amendment

… Ranked Choice Voting: Who Gets Disenfranchised? ….

Another Filipino National Charged with Unlawfully Voting as an Alien

... said her uncle pressured her to cast ballot ....

Maui can't delegate environmental assessment to property owners

... the rules governing what can be built near the shore have been debated among developers, environmental advocates and fire survivors trying to rebuild their homes in Lahaina ....

Empty homes tax just empty promises

... the Commission ultimately rejected putting the issue on the ballot ....

How rigid land-use rules are holding back wildfire recovery in Lahaina

... More than 2,200 structures were destroyed. So far, only 220 houses have been rebuilt ....

When safety becomes exclusion: The hidden cost of building codes

... the ICC has become one of the most powerful and least transparent institutions in housing policy ....

After 18 Years of Green Energy, Oil still supplies 68% of electricity on Oahu

"Perhaps electrical grids are more complicated than the mandates."

BWS Agrees to Waste $6M on Useless Kalaeloa Desal Plant

... The company recently received a Limited Notice to Proceed from its client, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, authorizing the procurement ....

Upgraded HECO Waiau Plant 'can run on LNG'

"...can operate on a variety of liquid fuels...and can be converted to run on liquefied natural gas if it becomes available...."

AG Sues to Force Shutdown of HECO's oldest Oil Burners on Maui, Big Island

... Kanoelehua Hill, Kahului, Māʻalaea and Puna generating stations were identified as the top contributors of human-caused, haze-causing pollution ....

The One Dollar Solution

... the line-itemed bill, SB 2600 ....

How politicians manipulate data to take credit

... How do we honestly measure the American dream? ....

Hawaii Tries and Fails to make Second Amendment a 'Property Rights' Issue

...“Property Rights” Critique of Wolford Misleads on Facts and Law....

DLNR: 80 Meth Addicts Removed from Waianae Boat Harbor, 30 Still Waiting

... Globalization Personified: 30 American drug addicts are sitting around waiting for Chinese workers to finish building them homes ....