Young Brothers owes state $26M in past-due wharfage fees, state may sock $50M into rainy day fund, 'Peter Boy' lawsuit drags on, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Young Brothers Held On To $26M In State Money To Cover Its Costs. Hawaiʻi allowed the shipping company to keep the money while awaiting a rate increase but now wants millions more in penalties and interest. Interisland shipper Young Brothers diverted more than $26 million in wharfage fees it was supposed to remit to the state in 2024 and 2025 and instead used the money to help cover its own operating expenses, according to the company and state officials. Civil Beat.

$50M deposit proposed for Hawaii’s state ‘rainy day’ fund. Representatives of House and Senate committees overseeing state finances recently agreed to deposit $50 million into the state’s Emergency and Budget Reserve Fund, also known as the “rainy day” fund. Star-Advertiser.

Bill goes to vote to release $55M in overdue Public Land Trust funds for Native Hawaiians. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is supporting a measure approved by a state legislative conference committee that would release $55 million in Public Land Trust funds currently withheld under an annual payment cap. Kauai Now. KHON2. 

DHHL to hold public meetings on statewide geothermal energy exploration. Agency plans to explore 12 potential sites statewide. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands will hold a series of public meetings this summer on plans to explore geothermal energy statewide. Hawaii News Now.

Here's the few culture and arts measures that made it through the Legislature. As Hawaiʻi lawmakers wrap up the legislative session, few measures related to culture and arts have made it through. Hawaii Public Radio.

Chief Justice Devens succeeds Recktenwald, vows to uphold rule of law. Associate Justice Vladimir P. Devens was sworn in as Chief Justice on Tuesday, May 5, officially becoming Hawaii’s administrative head of the State Judiciary, succeeding former Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald. KHON2.

Cost of travel between Hawaiian islands is rising with surging fuel prices. Fuel costs have nearly doubled over the past few months forcing Mokulele Airlines to raise ticket prices for all Hawaii routes. Prices are going up by $10 across the board, but that's on top of already high airfare, averaging about $250 roundtrip. KITV4. Hawaii News Now.

One Of Hawaiʻi’s Most Lucrative Crops Might Surprise You. Millions of pounds of Hawaiʻi-grown basil are exported to Canada and the U.S. mainland. The herb is now more profitable than some of the state’s most iconic crops. Hawaiʻi’s basil industry is bigger than it has ever been, three times larger than the local banana and papaya industries combined. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Honolulu proposal to allow mayor to choose police chief tabled temporarily. The Honolulu Charter Commission wants to work out the kinks in a proposal to give the mayor more ability to hire and fire the City and County of Honolulu’s chief of police. Hawaii Public Radio.

City’s Economic Revitalization Office faces defunding. A city agency tasked with leading Oahu’s economic development appears to be closer to having its funding cut and a majority of its positions slashed by the Honolulu City Council. Star-Advertiser.

Children Play At Their Own Risk In This Mililani Park. Sharp rusted holes and a broken railing aren’t typical playground features. But they’re the norm at the playground in Mililani’s Makaʻunulau Community Park, also known as 16 Acres, where for an unknown period of time keiki have played over the rusted holes and around a gap in the railing. Civil Beat.

Former Hawaiian Properties manager indicted for allegedly embezzling nearly $650K. On March 27, an Oahu Grand Jury indicted Russell Doane, 66, for allegedly using his position as a property manager at Hawaiian Properties to embezzle $647,061.09 from several homeowner associations. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

‘Peter Boy’ lawsuit drags on: ‘What the state did was terrible. The liability is obvious’. Eight years after filing a wrongful-death lawsuit, the siblings of Peter Kema Jr., also known as “Peter Boy,” are still trying to hold the state accountable for its role in the death of their brother, who was tortured and killed by their father in 1997. Tribune-Herald.

Agitated testifier disrupts County Council vote on Kapoho land. An irate testifier interrupted a Hawaii County Council meeting Tuesday while its members were preparing to vote on a resolution calling for the acquisition of nearly 2,000 acres of coastal land in Kapoho. Tribune-Herald.

Episode 46 lava fountains end after 9 hours in Halemaumau crater. Lava fountains in Halemaumau crater ended at 5:22 p.m. Tuesday, bringing Episode 46 of the on-again, off-again Kilauea volcano eruption to a close. Star-Advertiser. Tribune-Herald.  Big Island Video News. Big Island Now. 

Richard Henderson, businessman, GOP senator, dies. Richard “Scotchy” Henderson, a longtime business leader and former Republican state senator from Hilo, died April 25. He was 97. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Hawaiʻi Balks At Funding Maui Fire Victim Health Study. University of Hawai‘i researchers are scrambling to plug a $1.5 million gap to continue studying the long-term health and social effects of the 2023 Maui fires after state lawmakers quietly dropped a bill to fund it last week. Civil Beat.

Workshop set for May 7 on historic district hurdles for Lahaina commercial properties. A free workshop focused on the unique challenges of rebuilding within Lahaina’s historic districts is set for 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Morgado Hall. Maui Now.

DPW revises hours for nighttime closure on section of County roadway in Kaupō. To accommodate area motorists, County of Maui Department of Public Works is revising the closure on a section of Piʻilani Highway in Kaupō to instead be from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. May 5 through May 8, 2026, for repairs project roadwork. Maui Now.

Kelly King to run for Maui County Council. Kelly King has announced her candidacy for Maui County Council, hoping to represent the South Maui seat she previously held for six years. Maui News.

Kauai

Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s new mobile truck offers lifeline on Kauaʻi’s remote North Shore. On the far North Shore of Kauaʻi — where winding roads, distance and even a passing storm can cut off access to basic necessities — a refrigerated box truck filled with fresh food is quietly becoming a lifeline. Kauai Now.

Todd Ozaki files papers for County Council. Todd R. Ozaki filed his nomination papers for the Kauai County Council on May 1. Working in the Mayor’s Office, Ozaki serves on the Finance and Budget team and oversees the county’s Capital Improvements Program, assisting in moving projects from planning through completion. Garden Island.

Board of Regents defends Hensel hire despite discrimination complaints, Maui Council candidate asks Supreme Court to void election, nursing home deficiencies among highest in the nation, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

New UH President Was Accused Of Discrimination At Two Posts Before Hiring. At the time of the Gaza protests on New York City campuses earlier this year, the incoming president of the University of Hawaii was facing accusations of discrimination by a Jewish faculty member — concerns that followed similar allegations by a Black law professor in Georgia. The chair of the University of Hawaii's Board of Regents is staunchly defending the vetting of incoming president Wendy Hensel, saying it aligned with national best practices. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Nursing Home Deficiencies Among Highest In The Nation. The number of average deficiencies in Hawaii nursing homes almost doubled between 2015 and 2023.  Civil Beat.

Other than Hone and Gilma, 2024 hurricane season blows through with little more than stiff breeze. Hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30 each year, featured just two tropical cyclones — Hurricanes Hone and Gilma. Big Island Now.

Oahu

UHERO offers ‘uncertainties’ over Council’s proposed empty-homes tax. An empty-homes tax meant to penalize real-­property owners who leave their Oahu residences vacant for extended periods of time continues to receive wider public scrutiny. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio.

The Unnamed Dead Of Honolulu May Be Revealed Through DNA Testing. DNA from five unidentified sets of juvenile remains have been sent for testing thanks to a $50,000 grant from a Texas-based lab. Civil Beat.

Dole’s Wahiawa Dam Is A Hazard. Now The State Is A Step Closer To Buying It. Upgrading aging infrastructure is key to agriculture's future in Hawaii, but there are also safety concerns. Civil Beat.

State confirms avian flu in wild duck on Oahu’s North Shore. The National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed Monday highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a wild duck on Oahu’s North  KHON2. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Hawaii Island

Affordable housing project in Waimea gains support. A 43-lot affordable housing subdivision in Waimea got a thumbs-up from the Leeward Planning Commission last week. Tribune-Herald.

Visiting Hawaiian Monk Seal Prompts Warning To Kona Harbor Users. Boaters and fishermen are being asked to be careful not to hook the female seal, who likes to feed on the fish at Honokōhau Harbor. Big Island Video News. KHON2.

Maui

Maui Council Candidate Wants State Supreme Court To Void Election. Kelly King, who lost to Tom Cook by 97 votes, seeks a new election, arguing that not every vote was counted in the Nov. 5 contest. Civil Beat.

Community outraged over changes to long-awaited South Maui development. A long-planned housing project in South Maui is facing opposition from people who say the developer owes the community hundreds of affordable homes. Critics say the developer is breaking a promise and the council is rushing toward approval. Hawaii News Now.
 
First FEMA modular homes ready for Maui fire survivors. An initial increment of new rent-free temporary homes developed in Lahaina by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for survivors of the 2023 Maui wildfires has opened for use. Star-Advertiser.

Legislation to study designating Lahaina as National Heritage Area passes out of Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to advance the Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act, legislation jointly introduced by US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and US Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI02).  Maui Now.

Kauai

Zuckerberg, Chan donate to affordable housing program. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have gifted Permanently Affordable Living Hawaii (PAL) $626,000 to support Kauhale O Kilauea’s project to further maintain affordable housing on Kauai. Garden Island. Kauai Now.