Free Republic

HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Drug cartels from Mexico are operating in Hawaii, making and pushing deadly drugs including methamphetamines and fentanyl. New tougher penalties akin to murder charges are aiming to take them down. Authorities told KHON2 that the big cartels are ramping up business not just south of the border but right here in our island state. The top federal law enforcement official in Hawaii warns of the dangers not just to drug users, but to drug pushers once caught. Authorities have seen a big shift in recent years to Hawaii’s most dangerous drugs methamphetamine and fentanyl especially coming mostly...

Listen -- 1:55 Petty Officer 2nd Class Courtney Strahan / DVIDS [Caption] Vice Adm. John Wade, Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet and Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 Combined Task Force (CTF) Commander, center, and task force leadership take questions during the opening press conference for RIMPAC 2024 held at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on June 27, 2024. Twenty-nine countries and over 25,000 military personnel are coming together for the world’s largest maritime military exercise. The Rim of the Pacific exercise, better known as RIMPAC, happens every two years in Hawaiʻi. This year, it will involve 40 ships, three submarines...

[Tulsi Gabbard podcast where she discusses her evolving and current stand on the Second Amendment] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FKPBrLOMxg

The Supreme Court seemed to signal interest this week in taking up a challenge launched by Hawaii against big oil companies to hold them liable for climate change, and some Democrats are suggesting the high court is "captured" for the fossil fuel industry. The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Justice Department to weigh in on a petition to hear a lawsuit brought by the City of Honolulu against major fuel companies including Sunoco, Exxon and Chevron, claiming the companies’ products cause greenhouse gas emissions and global warming without warning consumers about the risks. The city employed a series of...

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Samoan police have charged a prominent playwright with the murder of retired UH professor Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s aunt. Police say Samoan playwright Papalii Sia Figiel, 57, was charged with the murder at her home. She was initially arrested on manslaughter charges, but police upgraded the charge after finding “incriminating” evidence, including a small knife and hammer. A motive is still under investigation. Media outlets report the two women were colleagues and friends, and that Gabbard was Figiel’s mentor.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg attempted to justify the progress on electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, prompting a laugh from CBS’s “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brenna. After $7.5 billion of taxpayers’ money being plowed into the initiative, just a “handful” of charging stations have been built. The interview took a comedic turn when Brennan pointed out the discrepancy between the investment made back in 2021 and the reality of the results. Just seven or eight charging stations have been built despite billions being spent, according to the Federal Highway Administration, “Why isn’t that happening more quickly?” asked Brennan. Buttigieg responded...

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- A former CIA officer pleaded guilty in a federal courtroom in Honolulu on Friday to conspiring to gather and deliver national defense information for China. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, was arrested in 2020 https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/08/17/former-cia-operative-arrested-honolulu-charged-with-helping-china-spy-us/ on charges of spying and selling state secrets to China. Prosecutors say Ma admitted that he and a relative provided Chinese intelligence officers with a “large volume of classified U.S. national defense” matierals at a Hong Kong hotel room. In exchange, they were handed $50,000 in cash. Ma worked for the CIA from 1982 to 1989. He subsequently served as a linguist...

As of Monday, it is no longer illegal in Hawaii to carry a dangerous weapon in public, and switchblade and butterfly knives are no longer banned. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- As of Monday, it is no longer illegal in Hawaii to carry a dangerous weapon in public -- and switchblade and butterfly knives are no longer banned. That change led to an alarming sight in Waikiki at sunset Tuesday. The governor signed HB 2342 into law Monday without fanfare, making it immediately legal to openly carry weapons that were banned in public until now. Gun rights activist Andrew Namiki Roberts, leader...

Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Todd Eddins delivered a scathing critique of the U.S. Supreme Court, denouncing its conservative justices for what he views as an “incredibly dishonest” application of the legal philosophy of originalism

Annaleine “Anne” Reynolds snapped up some vacant land in Hawaii for about $22,500 at an auction back in 2018. Reynolds planned to create a picturesque oceanview home using sustainable materials on Puna's Hawaiian Paradise Park lot to host her meditative healing women’s retreats. “There’s a sacredness to it and the one that I chose to buy had all the right qualities,” Reynolds told Hawaii News Now. But while she waited out the COVID-19 pandemic in California before getting started on construction, a real estate broker mistakenly sold the property to a developer, who bulldozed the lot and built a three-bedroom,...

HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed Bill 7, declaring the City and County of Honolulu a “Purple Heart City” to honor recipients of the Purple Heart. The bill was passed on April 17 and was signed on Friday. According to the City and County of Honolulu, those who were injured, wounded, or died in the line of duty receive the Purple Heart for their bravery and sacrifice. “I’m just really grateful to all of you, not only for your service and what you represent but for having the opportunity to become a Purple Heart City and all that...

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- One of Hawaii’s most notorious serial rapists is set to be released Thursday, prompting concern about whether the so-called “Manoa rapist” is still a danger to the community. John Freudenberg was flown back to Oahu on a charter flight last week from Hilo’s minimum security prison. The transport was in preparation for his release on Thursday. [Image] Sheriff's deputies, corrections officers waiting for "Manoa rapist" to arrive in Honolulu (Kawano, Lynn) One of his victims told HNN Investigates that she believes he should remain behind bars. “John Freudenberg is still a threat to public safety,” said the...

The state has confirmed an additional case of pertussis — or whooping cough — on Hawaii Island amid an outbreak that has so far sickened 11 since March. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state has confirmed an additional case of pertussis — or whooping cough — on Hawaii Island amid an outbreak that has so far sickened 11 since March. Several of the recent cases have been in infants too young to be fully vaccinated. Officials said the cases indicate “community spread” of pertussis on Hawaii Island. Because of that, the state Health Department is strongly recommending that parents stay up...

Many of the Lahaina wildfire survivors who were placed in temporary housing at hotels are now living in tents on local parks, beaches, and parking lots, eight months after the deadly blaze .. Locals complained .. that little is being done to help displaced residents find rental homes, while 70% of the town's rental units are operating as Airbnbs for tourists.. Lahaina resident Benny Reinicke, 30, .. it's 'insulting' that FEMA is offering families cash to relocate elsewhere and says the agency should focus on rebuilding homes in the town itself.. It's an incongruous sight. On one side, there's glorious...

The 75 largest cities in America were collectively $288 billion in debt at the end of fiscal year 2022... 53 major cities that do not have enough money to pay their bills. Yet all of them claimed their budgets were balanced, as is required by law. That means lawmakers understated each city’s debt by not including future costs like employee pensions and healthcare ... New York City has a taxpayer burden of $61,800, the largest by far despite being the most populous. The city has only six cents saved up for every dollar it will need to spend on retiree...

Sweden became the newest member of NATO earlier this month, joining 31 nations in the security alliance, including the United States. Well, make that 49 of the 50 United States. Because in a quirk of geography and history, Hawaii is not technically covered by the NATO pact.

The sole living survivor from the sinking of the USS Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attack that brought the US into World War II has now died. Lou Conter, who lived in Grass Valley, was 20 years old at the time of the attack on Dec. 7, 1941. There were 2,403 Americans killed in the attack – including 1,177 of Arizona's crew. Conter was one of the only 335 officers and crewmen who survived. Over the years, Conter shared his experiences and visited Hawaii for remembrance ceremonies. "Minute it happened, we sounded general quarters and they were in there and...

Anne Reynolds bought a plot of land in Hawaii's Paradise Park to start a women's wellness retreat for $22,500 in 2018 While she was in California during the pandemic she got a call from a realtor saying that he had sold a $500k home that was mistakenly built on her land The brand new empty house is now attracting squatters while the developer and Reynolds are in a legal battle A woman who purchased a plot of land to set-up a dream business was shocked to discover a $500,000 house was mistakenly built on her lot. Annaleine 'Anne' Reynolds purchased...

Waimea is primarily an agricultural town with just three stoplights and around 10,000 residents. It has lush forests filled with guava trees and torch ginger, and it's known for being the birthplace of the Hawaiian cowboy, or paniolo. It sits thousands of feet above sea level, where misty winds often blow sideways and, on clear days, give way to expansive views of the island's three towering volcanoes. Over the last couple of years, a mystery has been brewing in this small mountain town. Someone has been quietly buying hundreds of acres of land... He's the CEO and co-founder of San...

[Video] The FBI is investigating an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting a federal judge and the special prosecutor involved in an upcoming public corruption trial. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- The attorney under federal investigation in a shocking contract killer case claimed in court on Friday that she was actually the victim of extortion. It’s yet another twist in a sprawling public corruption trial. Defendant Sheri Tanaka remains free on bail after a magistrate judge Friday declined to modify conditions of her pretrial release. She’s one of six people facing trial for bribery-related charges in the corruption case. Pretrial services filed a motion...