Why Honolulu’s Water Pipes Keep Rupturing
When a 2-foot-wide, cast iron water main broke beneath the H-1 freeway in Kahala in January, workers had to dig a gaping hole nearly 20 feet deep, and repairs took several days. A nightmarish traffic...
View ArticleCouncil Takes Step To Allow Use Of Property Tax For Rail Construction
State lawmakers are still considering allowing Honolulu to extend its General Excise Tax surcharge for rail, but have said they won’t do it without a commitment from the city to come up with other...
View ArticlePolice Misconduct Cases: A Settlement, A Sentence And An Acquittal
A handful of police misconduct cases came to a close this week with a $30,000 legal settlement, a not guilty verdict and a 10-year prison sentence. On Thursday, a Kauai police officer was cleared of...
View ArticleWhy Oahu’s Neighborhood Boards Are ‘The Pulse Of The Community’
Every month, Michael Eli stands up to address military officials at the Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board meeting. When will the United States end its illegal occupation of the Hawaiian Islands? he...
View ArticleNew Rail Plan Renews Commitment To Building To Ala Moana
It’s back to Plan A for Honolulu rail. The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation on Monday released its new plan, submitted to the Federal Transit Administration late last week, for completing...
View ArticleWhy The Stakes Are So High In Hawaii Police Union Negotiations
The Legislature’s struggle to agree on a rail tax plan isn’t the only fiscal uncertainty facing Honolulu Hale, where officials also await word on negotiations for a new police contract. After all, the...
View ArticleMayors Urge Governor To Extend Legislative Session For Rail Bill
The mayors of all four Hawaii counties are urging Gov. David Ige to extend the legislative session to ensure that a bill to help fund the Honolulu rail project doesn’t die. During testimony before the...
View ArticleDog The Bounty Hunter’s Wife Might Help Select HPD’s Next Chief
Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California. Donald Trump is leader of the free world. And now Beth Chapman, a reality TV star, could help select the next police chief of one of the largest...
View ArticleKealoha Threatens Police Commissioner With Ethics Complaint
Former Police Chief Louis Kealoha is threatening to complain to the Honolulu Ethics Commission about Police Commissioner Loretta Sheehan if she doesn’t disqualify herself from an upcoming vote....
View ArticleCommittee Proposes Fee, But Balks At Total Ban On Plastic Bags
A bill that would require stores to charge 10 cents for bags, while allowing businesses to continue offering thick plastic bags, passed out of a Honolulu City Council committee Wednesday. The original...
View ArticleImmigrant Investor Project Gets Rocky Reception From City Council
It’s prime Honolulu real estate. Anchored by bustling big box discount retailers and bordered by the luxe Ala Moana Center, the parcel lies in the shadow of gleaming luxury condo towers not far from...
View ArticlePolice Commissioner Cites Another ‘Failed Investigation’ Of Possible Abuse
Darren Cachola is once again at the center of controversy at the Honolulu Police Department. Cachola was fired from HPD after grainy surveillance video was leaked to the press in 2014 showing him...
View ArticleIt Looks Like Political Insiders Will Help Pick The Next Honolulu Police Chief
When Max Sword first announced the Honolulu Police Commission would form a citizen panel to help select the city’s next police chief he told the press he wanted it be made up of “regular people”...
View ArticleCity Searches For A Way To Encourage Affordable Housing Near Rail Stops
The Honolulu City Council on Wednesday will consider a measure that aims to increase the number of lower-priced homes built near the rail line. Honolulu’s land-use ordinance already encourages...
View ArticleHonolulu Won’t Authorize Use Of Property Taxes For Rail — Yet
The Honolulu City Council voted Wednesday to temporarily shelve a bill allowing the use of property tax revenue for construction of the $10 billion rail line. Budget Committee Chairman Joey Manahan...
View ArticleDeaf Japanese Tourist Detained In Honolulu Alleges Discrimination
(AP) — A deaf Japanese tourist was illegally denied a sign-language interpreter while she was detained and interrogated after landing at the Honolulu International Airport, the American Civil Liberties...
View ArticleOpposition To Foreign Condo Sales Raises Legal Questions
When Jay Fang appeared before a Honolulu City Council committee, one aspect of his proposed luxury condominium tower near Ala Moana Center drew particularly sharp questions: Fang’s supposed plan to...
View ArticleACLU: 10 Questions For The Next Honolulu Police Chief
The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii wants to make sure Honolulu takes seriously its duty of selecting its next police chief. On Tuesday, the ACLU sent a four-page letter to the Honolulu Police...
View ArticleFee Increases For Parking Meters, Bus Fares Clear Another Hurdle
Proposed increases in parking meter fees, bus fares and the vehicle weight tax were moved ahead Tuesday by the Honolulu City Council Budget Committee. The committee postponed action until Wednesday...
View ArticleHART Sues State Blood Bank To Take Land For Rail
The agency in charge of the Honolulu rail project has filed a lawsuit to take property where the state’s non-profit blood bank manufactures, stores and distributes Hawaii’s blood supply. The Honolulu...
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