Veterans honored, Katherine Kealoha released from prison, Green Party state House win confirmed in final ballot count, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Ceremonies statewide honor veterans past and present. Across Hawaii, service members were honored in solemn Veterans Day ceremonies on Wednesday. Hawaii News Now.

Computer Science Is In More Hawaiʻi Schools. Not All Kids Are Taking It. Students are more likely to take a computer science class in elementary school compared to middle or high school, a new report shows.  Civil Beat.

Hawaii election tally is finalized. Tuesday’s final tally didn’t alter any race outcomes. In fact, winners in four out of the five closest races added to their winning margins by two to 20 votes after voters cured envelope signature deficiencies. Star-Advertiser.

 Hawaiʻi’s Green Party Finally Lodges Big Win After Decade. The third political party has only seen a handful of its own win county offices. But Pāʻele Kiakona’s victory for a state House seat has members excited about a “green” future. Civil Beat. Maui Now. 

 Money To Fight Opioids Poured Into Hawaiʻi. The Real Problem Was Meth. Hawaiʻi launched an anti-opioid initiative in 2017 when the federal government started making grants to the states. But no such initiative has ever addressed methamphetamine.  Civil Beat.

Oahu

Gathering honors service, sacrifice on Veterans Day. Veterans, military leaders and community members gathered Wednesday at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl to honor those who served in the U.S. military and remember those who never returned home. Star-Advertiser. KHON2. KITV4. 

Katherine Kealoha to leave prison after serving fraction of 13-year sentence. Katherine Kealoha, the former high-ranking deputy city prosecutor convicted of fraud, conspiracy and obstruction, will be moved this month from a federal prison to a halfway house years before her 13-year sentence is up. Hawaii News Now. KITV4. 

Honolulu Marathon surveillance plan raises concerns. The city’s plan to use overt video surveillance during the 2026 Honolulu Marathon has drawn criticism from civil rights advocates, who warn expanded government monitoring could infringe on individual privacy rights. Star-Advertiser.

Artificial reef project has support, but some question its proposed location. The REEFrame project wants to put 150 modules — each six-by-six feet — in about 40 to 60 feet of water to establish a new coral nursery over 11 underwater acres near the mouth of the ‘Apuakehau Channel, just outside the breaks known as Threes, Paradise and Populars. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

‘We are a breed apart’: Veterans Day commemorated in moving Hilo ceremony. About 100 or so gathered at the appointed date and time for the ceremony at East Hawaii Veterans Cemetery No. 1 in Hilo hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3830 and its auxiliary. Tribune-Herald.

‘They answered the call’: Honoring those who served during a ceremony at West Hawai‘i Veterans Cemetery. At least 200 veterans, public officials and community members gathered at the cemetery to celebrate Veterans Day with a ceremony hosted by the Kona American Legion Post 20. Big Island Now.

Native Hawaiians ‘Take The Torch’ Of Big Island Council Majority. Native Hawaiians will hold a majority of the Hawaiʻi County Council seats when newly elected members take office next month — the first time in at least three decades.  Civil Beat.

Maui

Outgoing Council to vote on mayor’s picks for corporation counsel, prosecutor for next term. The outgoing Maui County Council will vote this week on Mayor Richard Bissen’s picks for corporation counsel and prosecuting attorney, two positions that begin under the new Council elected Nov. 3. Bissen is asking the Council to approve Mimi Desjardins as corporation counsel and Andrew Martin as prosecuting attorney.  Maui Now.

Red Cross honors veterans and military families on Veterans Day. On this Veterans Day, the American Red Cross Pacific Islands Region honors Jasmine Ricks, Mara Eck and Rodney Boucher. Maui Now.

Kauai

Many hearts and hands remember 250 years of veterans. Retired USAF Gen. Mary Kay Hertog, commander of the host Kauai Veterans Council, said the annual service received unexpected guests, including newly elected Lt. Gov. Derek S.K. Kawakami and his security detail, and Speaker of the House Nadine Nakamura. Garden Island.