Democrats seek unity after bruising primary, some races head to recounts, joblessness continues to rise, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaiʻi Democrats Flock To Traditional Post-Primary Get-Together. The morning after the primary Democrats say they are focused on taking down Trump and the GOP in November. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser.  KHON2. Hawaii News Now. 

Primary election: Tight races head to recounts, mayoral matchups set. The recounts will involve the Republican primary for State Senate District 20 and the Republican primary for House District 43. KHON2. Hawaii News Now.

Green appoints Danielle Bass to represent Senate District 18. Danielle Bass was appointed following the retirement of state Sen. Michelle Kidani and will represent the district until a successor elected in the Nov. 3 general election takes office.  Kauai Now. KHON2. Hawaii News Now. 

State jobless rate rises for third straight month. The state’s seasonally adjusted number was 2.6% — up from 2.4% and 2.5% the previous two months — according to recent data from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Major Landlord Accused Of Discriminating Against Section 8 Renters In Hawaiʻi. Testers sent by a nonprofit were told by agents for Greystar, the largest owner of apartment complexes in the United States, that their vouchers would not work. Civil Beat.

Chinatown nightclub to return to court in fight with Honolulu Liquor Commission. A Chinatown nightclub plans to return to federal court to press its claims of discrimination and violation of its First Amendment rights against the Honolulu Liquor Commission, saying a 2025 settlement with the city on the matter has fallen apart. Star-Advertiser.

Kakaako warehouse draws contention over tenant use. A state agency has pulled back a divisive plan for interim use of a World War II-era warehouse it owns in Kakaako after pushing for a nonprofit craftsman workshop to use the space at the expense of a fitness club. Star-Advertiser.

Police seize 15 gambling machines, $2,700 in Ewa Beach raid. Honolulu police seized 15 gaming machines and more than $2,700 in cash after executing a search warrant Thursday at an illegal gambling room on Old Fort Weaver Road in Ewa Beach. Star-Advertiser.

Another Hawaiʻi Prison Death Has Family Seeking Answers.  A 55-year-old transgender inmate at  Hālawa Correctional Facility was beaten and strangled in her cell, according to her family, and a maximum security prisoner who is a twice-convicted murderer is being blamed for the killing. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Council members split on bed and breakfast bill. Amid ongoing efforts to regulate short-term vacation rentals on Hawaii Island, the Hawaii County Council Committee on Finance considered a proposal last week to create a new tax class for certain hosted short-term rentals. Tribune-Herald.

DLNR hires nonprofit for help on best practices for maintenance, improvements. Trails across Hawaii Island will soon get an upgrade as the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is partnering with nonprofit Kupu to start work this fall to make improvements at several sites. Tribune-Herald.

Community group hopes efforts to install signs designating ahupua‘a will catch on. Typically stretching from the mountains to the sea, Native Hawaiians designed ahupua‘a to organize the land in a way that ensured communities living within each one had access to all the land- and water-based resources needed to live sustainably. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Applications open for 2026 Investigative Elections Reporting Fellowship. A new $10,000 fellowship is available for a Maui County-based journalist to dig deeper into the 2026 Maui County Council and mayoral elections. The inaugural Maui Nui Media and Creativity Collaborative Investigative Elections Reporting Fellowship will fund seven weeks of original, investigative, print-first reporting focused on the candidates, issues, and decisions shaping Maui County's future. Maui News.

Court finds probable cause in terroristic threatening case against congressional candidate on Maui. Probable cause was found Thursday during a preliminary hearing for 40-year-old Congressional candidate Kirill Basin of Kīhei, who is accused of two counts of first degree terroristic threatening for an incident reported Saturday at Keawakapu Beach in South Maui.  Maui Now.

Maui man, 71, feeding feral cats, dies after Kahului attack; 2 men charged with murder. Two Maui men were charged with murder after a 71-year-old man died Friday from injuries he suffered when he was beaten and kicked during an attack in Kahului, according to the Maui Police Department. Star-Advertiser.

Kauai

Rapozo and Carvalho heading for mayoral face off. Mel Rapozo, getting the most votes at 40.6 percent, and Bernard Carvalho Jr., getting 30.6 percent of the Primary Election votes, will face each other for the mayor seat in the General Election on Nov. 3.  KHON2.

Kaua‘i’s Only Emergency Homeless Shelter To Get Major Overhaul. Part of the facility is expected to remain open during renovations, which are expected to cost $18 million.  Civil Beat.