Isaac Choy awarded $500K in whistleblower lawsuit, chronic absences plague schools, Maui vacation rental zoning battle drags on, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Jury awards former HTA executive Isaac Choy $500K. A First Circuit Court jury on Tuesday found that former Hawai‘i Tourism Authority executive Isaac Choy was subjected to whistleblower retaliation and wrongfully placed on unpaid leave and later terminated from his job, awarding him more than $500,000 in damages, including punitive damages against Gov. Josh Green’s Chief of Staff Brooke Wilson. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiian Electric customers weigh in on rate hike request. The state Public Utilities Commission is gathering public input on an application by Hawaiian Electric to raise base rates over the next two years, and comments including opposition from ratepayers are piling up. Hawaiian Electric made an initial request to the PUC in March followed by a detailed application in July to boost annual revenue by $170 million, or 5.3%, over most of the next five years largely to cover high inflation, more expensive insurance premiums and accelerated value depreciation for fossil fuel power generation units anticipated for retirement sooner than previously planned. Star-Advertiser.

HECO Knows What’s Behind Outages. It Just Won’t Tell You. The state’s consumer advocate wants the utility to provide more information about storm outages. Civil Beat.

Half Of Keiki Are Chronically Absent At Some Schools. See How Yours Compares. At some Hawaiʻi public schools, more than 50% of students regularly skip school, state data shows. Civil Beat.

Oahu

HPD chief details plans to address staffing, modernization. Honolulu Police Chief David Lazar says he wants to boost officer pay and recruitment, expand the use of technology and develop a new strategic plan for the Honolulu Police Department’s future. Star-Advertiser.

Happier Days Coming For Neighbors Of Collapsed ‘So Stink’ Dim Sum Restaurant. Health officials address spoiled food issues at closed Happy Days. The state Health Department says spoiled food has been removed from the kitchen area of the shuttered Happy Days Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Kaimuki following an Aug. 18 partial roof collapse. Professional cleaning at the restaurant’s kitchen began Tuesday. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. KHON2. KITV4.

Police arrest woman, 24, in fatal shooting of man in Kailua. The Honolulu Police Department said detectives from the Homicide and Strategic Enforcement Detail, with help from the CID Forensic Video Unit, identified a 24-year-old female suspect, Hilinaikailimakualopali I. Keeno, in the fatal shooting of Thomas Craig Piiliouka Malone, 30. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Aloha State Daily.

Oahu public schools begin serving locally grown pineapples in cafeterias. More than 2,000 pounds of Hawaii-grown pineapple is heading into public school cafeterias across Oahu, giving students a fresh taste of island produce at breakfast and lunch. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

County seeks dismissal of ‘Sammy’ lawsuit alleging officer was negligent in death of teen. A Hawaii County attorney argued Tuesday in court that a Hawaii Police Department officer who hit and killed a pedestrian with a police car almost three years ago is immune from liability, but an attorney for the family of Samuel “Sammy” Mwarey, a 16-year-old boy, argued the officer was negligent and liable. Tribune-Herald.

Thirty Meter Telescope Doubles Down On Mauna Kea, Declines Spain’s $1B Proposal. TMT’s preferred site for the telescope is still on Mauna Kea on the Big Island, after its board could not agree on Spain’s effort to build it in La Palma. Civil Beat.

Council District 5 Candidates Want to Build A More Resilient Puna. What is taken for granted in other communities is needed in Puna: paved roads, public gathering spaces and alternative evacuation routes. Civil Beat.

Maui

Hotel or housing? Battle drags on over which Maui properties should have short-term rentals banned. Properties hope to switch to hotel zoning to avoid a ban on short-term rentals in apartment districts. The Maui County Council is proposing that 3,402 of these units across 48 properties, including timeshares, leasehold properties and apartment complexes that function like hotels, be rezoned as hotel districts. But on Tuesday, the Maui Planning Commission largely disagreed, recommending denial for most of the units and approval for a handful of properties that are entirely timeshares or have variances in place that allow vacation rental use.  Maui Now.

Prosecutors: Revenge motive in fatal shooting of Maui officer. Video footage shows Maui police officers arriving at Clembert Kaneholani’s home in Makawao on the night of Aug. 13, 2025, two days before Officer Suzanne O was fatally shot, to serve him with a temporary restraining order. Hawaii News Now.

A federal judge has eased travel restrictions for a Washington man accused of throwing a rock at a Hawaiian monk seal in Lahaina. Igor Lytvynchuk made headlines in May after he was caught on camera during the incident. Hawaii News Now.

Maui County Fair announces admission and ticket presales, details on E.K. Fernandez rides, safety reminders. The 99th Maui County Fair is just a few days away, and fairgoers can get ready for four days of food, entertainment, exhibits, community activities and carnival rides at the War Memorial Special Events Complex in Wailuku from Thursday, Oct. 1, through Sunday, Oct. 4. Maui Now.

Kauai

Kauai community is still waiting for federal disaster relief funding. As Kauai moves into long-term recovery from Hurricane Lowell, community organizers are asking for more outside help as the island continues to wait and see whether President Donald Trump will release federal funding for disaster relief. Star-Advertiser.