Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm continues to put the weight of his office behind stopping cannabis legalization bills at the Hawaiʻi State Legislature instead of focusing on things that are actually dangerous.

Three former public officials will plead guilty to corruption charges, bringing an end to the 11-year Kealoha Scandal that rocked Honolulu—so says former Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, under whose administration the scandal first unfolded.

A reaction to news that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is on track to be confirmed as the Trump Administration’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, despite his utter lack of qualifications and dangerous, conspiratorial thinking around health and healthcare.

A state commission policing what journalists write about the state? What could go wrong?

A reaction to the inauguration of Donald Trump as 47th president of the United States, ushering in the official age of American Demagoguecracy, a government ruled through fear.

To celebrate the relaunched Honolulu Civil Beat “Sunshine Sunday” accountability section, this cartoon riffs on the Hardy Boys to talk about efforts by the two legislative judiciary chairs, Sen. Rhoads and Rep. Tarnas, to reform the opaque legislature (square building).

The Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle is on Kaua‘i now, and the state isn’t doing enough to combat this and other devastating invasive pests. Our fragile ecology and our economy are both at stake.

Built backwards, started 30 years too late and handled by the most bumbling assortment of public and private officials imaginable, and now—with yet another lawsuit to slow it down and expand its cost to the taxpayer—it’s no wonder the Honolulu Rail project is making everyone a little crazy.

There are always winners and losers in every proposed budget, but some of the guests at this year’s budget banquet might be consuming more than makes sense, while others could use more than breadcrumbs.

The Honolulu City Council is slated to vote on a new tax on homes that stand empty, a measure supporters say will force owners to rent the properties and help provide badly needed housing for local residents. Critics complain it’s unfair to the property owner.

Under pressure from condo owners and boards, the Honolulu City Council may weaken proposed long-delayed legislation to mandate sprinklers in all residential high-rises.

The candidates with the most cash have an overwhelming likelihood to end up the winner in our current election system. That held true in 2024 as the Carpenter’s Union PAC “For a Better Tomorrow” spent more than $500,000 to ensure Tom Cook and Tasha Kama were re-elected to the Maui County Council over Kelly King and Carol Lee Kamekona.

The Honolulu Police Commission is supposed to hold the police accountable, but the commission meets inside police headquarters, which creates an immediate hostile environment for anyone who wishes to come before the commission to testify about police misconduct.

The University of Hawaiʻi wants to renew its contract to do research for the military industrial complex at a time when it has never been more clear how destructive the effects of that system are on people around the world, and on the environment itself.

Rep. David Alcos claims he didn't know what he was doing when he failed to disclose millions in debt as required by state law. Perhaps, but either way lawmakers in debt have a lot to potentially offer to anyone willing to bail them out, with the right strings attached.

Defeated Speaker of the Hawaiʻi State House, Scott Saiki, might get a bailout from his buddy, Governor Josh Green, who is rumored to be considering appointing Saiki to be the new state insurance commissioner. Must be nice to have that insurance policy!

The knee-jerk reaction of government officials to an outbreak of violence on the underserved, neglected West Side communities of Oʻahu is to prescribe more police. A better solution would be to create a society in which folks can prosper in happiness.

A reaction to August 2024 Hawaiʻi primary election in which challenger Kim Coco Iwamoto defeated the sitting Speaker of the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives—the only time in U.S. history that's happened during a primary election.

On the recently-passed, governor-backed income tax cut bill the Hawaiʻi State Legislature approved. The benefits of the tax cut will mostly flow to the wealthiest households in the state, while working families will see only meager savings.

On former Honolulu city prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro’s “not guilty” verdict in his public corruption case.