U.S. Supreme Court Avoids Hawai‘i Legal Fight Over Gun Rights

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Hawai‘i man’s bid to throw out criminal charges for carrying a pistol while hiking, as the justices declined to review a ruling by the liberal-leaning state’s top court that denounced an expansion of gun rights by the nation’s highest judicial body.

Reuters. Hawaii News Now.

Luigi Mangione’s Hawaiʻi Friends Shocked by Arrest in United Healthcare CEO Shooting

Luigi Mangione lived at the Surfbreak co-living community near Ala Moana Park on Oʻahu and later at 801 South Street. Friends recall him as a natural leader who led a book club. They say he once suggested they read the manifesto of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski as a joke.

Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Senators Urged to Examine Gabbard’s ‘Deep and Intense’ Ties to Hawaiʻi Sect

For years, questions have swirled about Tulsi Gabbard’s ties to the Science of Identity Foundation, a Hawaiʻi religious sect that defectors have described as a cult. And now that Gabbard has been tapped by Donald Trump to serve as director of national intelligence, a former member of the group is warning members of Congress about why she worries that Gabbard’s involvement in the group could compromise national security.

Civil Beat.

Hawaiian to Take over Seattle-Based Routes, Add Airplanes and Crews

Alaska Air Group today plans to tell investors in New York that Hawaiian Airlines will take over West Coast routes from Alaska Airlines to Hawai‘i and fly new nonstop routes from Seattle to Japan and South Korea, as well as announce more Hawaiian Air planes, and flight and ground crews.

Star-Advertiser.

O‘ahu Headlines

Honolulu City Council to Vote on Standards for Office-To-Residence Conversions

The Honolulu City Council will have its final vote Wednesday on a bill that would lay out the standards to convert commercial buildings to residential. It’s in reaction to a state law that gives counties until 2025 to adopt ordinances allowing commercial-to-residential building conversions, also known as adaptive reuse. The new state law says conversion projects just need to follow the international building code, which does not require windows to open. But the city currently goes beyond the international building code, requiring openable windows in residential properties.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

City Council to Vote Wednesday on Empty Homes Tax Bill

More than 9% of Oʻahu homes are vacant. That’s 34,000 unoccupied units based on 2020 U.S. Census data. Bill 46 could add a 3-percent yearly tax on vacant homes rolled out over three years, so a million-dollar home could face a $30,000 tax bill.

Hawaii News Now.

Property Values Are Going Up Again, Here’s Why

Heads up to homeowners, real property assessments will be mailed out soon and valuations are up again. That means many will be paying higher property taxes. City officials say residential property values are up 2.6% on Oʻahu. This year, the Leeward side has the highest increase at 7.7%, according to Honolulu Budget and Fiscal Services Director Andy Kawano.

KHON2.

Hawaiʻi Has Money to Police Agriculture Crime, but No Timeline to Start

Hawaiʻi has more than $90,000 to hire investigators focused on agricultural crimes. The issue of ag crime is top of mind after the high-profile killing of an Oʻahu rancher earlier this year. Yet officials still don’t know when they’ll fill these positions, and local law enforcement don’t receive any specialized training in agricultural crime.

Civil Beat.

City and State Collaborate to Improve Kailua Beach Park

The city Department of Parks and Recreation, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands and the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program say they plan to work with community groups to smooth and flatten the dunes toward the makai side of the park.

Star-Advertiser. KITV4.

The Case Against Mike Miske Could Be About to Disappear as if It Never Happened

What happens if someone is convicted of a crime, but dies before they’re sentenced? That’s exactly what happened in the case of Mike Miske, found guilty of racketeering. He died a month before he would have been formally sentenced to life in prison. A judge would have determined what to do about the government’s push to seize more than $25 million of assets acquired as a result of his crime empire. A federal legal doctrine requires all actions be vacated if a defendant dies before being sentenced or if any appeals remain.

Civil Beat.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Military Exemption to Hawaiʻi Nuclear-Free Law Repealed

The military is no longer exempt from Hawaiʻi County’s Nuclear-Free Law, according to Big Island lawmakers. In 1981, Hawaiʻi County became the first municipality in the United States to pass a law prohibiting the transportation or storage of radioactive material on the island. However, the County enacted another ordinance in 1984, allowing United States military operations to be exempt from the law. This year, the Hawaiʻi County Council passed Bill 206 Draft 2 to repeal the military exemption.

Big Island Video News.

Agency Sees Uptick in Marine Debris

The Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund has removed about 350 tons of marine debris from Big Island shores between 2003 and 2023, the majority of which came in the form of net bundles, masses of tangled rope and nets that can weigh hundreds of pounds.

Tribune-Herald.

Maui Headlines

Maui County Council Considers Ban on Flavored Tobacco Sales

The council passed the measure through its first reading on Friday after a series of mostly supportive testimony. If passed, retailers would not be allowed to sell or market flavored tobacco, including menthol products.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

This Unsheltered Maui Community Is Stepping Up to Improve the Road They Call Home

It’s shower and laundry day at Holomua Road in Pāʻia, where nearly 30 Maui residents live unsheltered. Every two weeks, Maui Rescue Mission brings its mobile shower and laundry trailer to Holomua. Scott Hansen, the executive director of the organization, makes regular rounds of the island’s unsheltered communities. And through a partnership with Malama Maui Nui, a dumpster will now be available every other week for those living at Holomua to throw away their rubbish and keep the area clean.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Maui Coalition Departs to Washington D.C. To Demand Congress Release Disaster Recovery Funds for Lahaina

A Maui coalition of the Hawaiʻi Workers Center has departed to Washington D.C. where they will demand that Congress release disaster recovery funds for Lahaina and all other communities impacted by the 2023 and 2024 disaster seasons. HWC leads the Lahaina delegation, joining alongside Organizing Resilience’s coalition of community members of disaster affected areas from all over the country including North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Louisiana and more.

Maui Now.

Kaua‘i Headlines

University of Hawai‘i and the U.S. Navy Partner to Support Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands

The University of Hawaiʻi and the Department of the Navy signed a historic 10-year agreement to support the protection and management of natural and cultural resources on Navy and Marine Corps installations in Hawaiʻi.

Kauaʻi Now.