Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we've been following today:
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High pressure remains in control of the forecast through Saturday keeping dry and stable conditions in place. Brief shower activity will be limited to east to southeast slopes. Rain chance may increase Sunday into next week, especially for the western islands, as tropical moisture and unstable conditions move in.
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Today's Big Stories
1. Bissen proposes $1.5B budget for 2026
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed $1.5 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026 places special emphasis on kamaaina housing, continued wildfire recovery and natural and cultural resources.
“Over the past year, our community has faced immense challenges and through strong partnerships with the county council and our community, we’ve stood united in our shared commitment to serving the people of Maui County,” Bissen said during his presentation of the budget proposal. “This year’s budget is guided by the theme of kahua, a Hawaiian concept meaning ‘foundation’ and it is our reminder to care for our people, protect our aina, respect our culture and honor our history.”
Bissen said his proposed budget takes into account input gathered during eight community meetings held on Maui, Molokai and Lanai starting last September.
The budget will not rely on increases in real property tax. No increases are proposed for any category and owner-occupied properties will actually see a reduction. The minimum tax remains unchanged, and existing exemptions for long-term rentals, kuleana lands and properties destroyed in the August 2023 fires will remain in place.
Bissen said Maui’s overall fiscal health remains strong, and the county enjoys an “excellent” bond rating. Debt service is projected at $76.5 million, representing just 6.2% of operating expenditures (well below the county’s self-imposed cap of 10%).
Funding requests for recovery and community well-being include $1 million for a new shade structure at One Alii Park on Molokai and $1.1 million for park and ADA improvements in East Maui, as well as funding for the Safe Parking Program and houseless outreach and medical services.
2. Maui doctor tried to use syringes on his wife while assaulting her on hiking trail, police say
A Maui doctor tried to use two syringes on his wife after pushing her off a hiking trail and hitting her head with a rock about 10 times, police said in court documents released Thursday.
On Thursday, an Oahu Grand Jury indicted Gerhardt Konig, 46, for the attempted murder of his wife, 36-year-old Arielle Konig. He is being without bail at the Oahu Community Correctional Center. An attorney listed for him in court documents didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.
The alleged assault stemmed from Konig's desire to take a selfie while the couple was on Pali Puka Trail in Honolulu on Monday, according to a probable cause document filed in court. The trailhead is a short drive from downtown Honolulu and traverses a ridge with dramatic ocean and mountain views.
“She mentioned that while on the trail, Gerhardt was standing close to the edge and asked her to take a selfie with him," said a Honolulu police declaration. Konig's wife said she told him she didn't feel comfortable taking a picture with him that close to the edge and began to walk back.
He yelled at her to come back and when she refused, he pushed her into bushes where they began to struggle, according to the document. The wife managed to get away.
Konig then picked up a rock and hit her on the head about 10 times “while also grabbing the back of her hair and smashing her face into the ground,” the document said. She crawled over to two hikers who heard her yelling for help, and the hikers called 911.
The wife also told police she saw “Gerhardt take out two syringes from his bag and attempt to use them on her, but she was able to get them away from him,” the police declaration said.
She sustained multiple large lacerations to her face and head and was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition.
3. Green fills water commission, circuit court vacancies
Gov. Josh Green filled a pair of key vacancies on Thursday, appointing former Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Hannah Springer to the Commission on Water Resource Management and nominating Kauanoe Jackson for Third Circuit Court (Hawaii Island) judge.
Pending state Senate confirmation, Springer will assume the Loea seat on the commission, which is reserved for a member with substantial experience or expertise in traditional water resource management techniques and riparian usage. The commission is charged with administering the state Water Code.
A native of North Kona, Springer has served on numerous advisory councils, nonprofit boards and state commissions focused on environmental protection, cultural heritage and community-based resource management. She previously served as a member of the Hawaii County Planning Commission and the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission, as well as the Board of Trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. She has also led the Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests, Kuaaina Ulu Auamo and the Kaupulehu Marine Life Advisory Committee.
Green’s pick for circuit court judge is a prominent figure in the Hawaii Island legal communication.
Jackson currently serves as supervising deputy prosecuting attorney in the Hawaii County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney-West Hawaii Office, where she oversees felony prosecutions. In 18 years with the department, she has served as circuit court co-supervising deputy and as a lead prosecutor in several high-profile felony trials. She has also taken on specialized assignments in narcotics and traffic safety.
4. DLNR urges witnesses to report information on shell-less turtle in Ewa Beach
A post of a dead turtle with its shell missing that was shared in a Facebook group received more than 700 comments and 3,000 reactions. The anonymous poster, who has lived in Ewa Beach for 42 years and walks along Hau Bush Beach daily, wrote that they had "never seen anything like this until tonight."
Despite the attention on the heartbreaking post in the Stolen Stuff Hawaii Facebook group, the Department of Land and Natural Resources said they can’t verify the image and are unable to investigate further because of insufficient details. DLNR emphasized the importance of direct reporting for investigations to move forward.
“We have the DLNR TipApp which allows people who see suspected violations to report them when they see them. Witness information and photographs can help us investigate a case and potentially bring charges,” said Chief Jason Redulla of the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement in the news release.
The only notification that DLNRTipApp received about the incident was a copy of the original social media post. DLNR encouraged the person who witnessed the dead, shell-less turtle to follow-up by contacting either DLNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or NOAA law enforcement to provide more information.
5. Spirit of Blue Foundation gifts Hawaii Police Department with life-saving tourniquets
Tourniquets donated by the Portland, Oregon-based Spirit of Blue Foundation have saved the lives of 20 Hawaii Island residents since the Hawaii Police Department began officially incorporating the life-saving tools in 2020.
On Thursday, Executive Director Ryan Smith of the national organization visited police headquarters in Hilo to present an oversized check in the amount of $38,188.16 representing the value of 492 tourniquets and their holsters to police, in addition to a new defensive tactics training suit that the foundation has provided to HPD since 2020.
“We are extremely grateful to Spirit of Blue for providing this critical life-saving equipment to Hawaii Police Department,” said Police Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz in a release. “I’m proud to say that thanks to Spirit of Blue’s life-saving gift, a tourniquet is now standard equipment on the duty belt of each and every officer in Hawaii Police Department.”
Volunteer Hawaii Police Chaplain Renee Godoy saw the need for the life-saving tool following incidents in 2018 and 2019 in which officers used their own personal tourniquets. Godoy applied on behalf of HPD for a Spirit of Blue Foundation grant in 2020 to obtain 442 tourniquets and holsters for the department.
Medics applied a tourniquet in one incident involving an officer wounded in a shootout, and in another, they saved a juvenile female’s life after a fatal head-on collision.
In July 2020, HPD was one of only 35 agencies nationwide to receive a Spirit of Blue grant. The foundation also replaces any supplied tourniquet with a new one if it was used to save a life.
Your Notes for the Weekend
Saturday, March 29
- National Vietnam Veterans Day, held on the anniversary of the last U.S. combat troops leaving South Vietnam, ending America's direct military involvement in the Vietnam War
- 'Supermoon' visible, taking place when the moon is near its closest approach, or perigee, to Earth
- NCAA Men's Basketball West Regional 'Elite Eight' game; (1) Florida vs. (3) Texas Tech
- NCAA Men's Basketball East Regional 'Elite Eight' game; (1) Duke vs. (2) Alabama
- NCAA Women's Basketball Regional Sweet 16 Round games; (1) Southern California vs. (5) Kansas State; (2) UConn vs. (3) Oklahoma
- NCAA Women's Basketball Regional Sweet 16 Round games; (2) TCU vs. (3) Notre Dame; (1) Texas vs. (5) Tennessee
Sunday, March 30
- NCAA Men's Basketball South Regional 'Elite Eight' game; (1) Auburn/(5) Michigan vs. (2) Michigan State/(6) Ole Miss
- NCAA Men's Basketball Midwest Regional 'Elite Eight' game; (1) Houston/(4) Purdue vs. (2) Tennessee/(3) Kentucky
- Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan
- New Jersey Lottery hosts its first Rock Paper Scissors competition, offering a total of $25,000 in prizes
- European Daylight-Saving Time and British Summer Time end
- International Day of Zero Waste
Monday, March 31
- 20th anniversary of Terri Schiavo dying in Tampa, FL, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed by court order. She was kept alive for 15 years after a heart attack left her brain damaged. Her husband Michael Schiavo fought her parents in court for seven years to exercise his legal right to withdraw the tubes
- Jury trial for 'Doomsday Mom' charged with ordering brother to kill her ex-husband and niece's ex-husband.
- U.S. Supreme Court hears Catholic Charities religious tax exemption case
- 30th anniversary of singer Selena murdered by president of fan club
- U.S. Supreme Court releases an order list
- Senate votes on U.S. NATO representative
- Oprah Winfrey hosts menopause special on ABC
In Case You Missed It
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green lofted a pass to Moanalua receiver Julisiana Alualu-Iosefa before Na Menehune took on Roosevelt in the first official Oahu Interscholastic Association girls flag football game at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
State officials pledge lasting support for girls flag football as OIA debuts sport
A few minutes after Gov. Josh Green loosened up his shoulder and tossed footballs to Moanalua receivers to celebrate the first Oahu Interscholastic Association girls flag football game, the real show took place.
Na Menehune junior Zaira Sugui put passes on point, short and long, and compiled 305 yards and seven touchdown throws in a 44-0 win over Roosevelt — an emphatic demonstration of what some think is possible for the sport in Hawaii.
Flag football got significant backing from Hawaii's highest levels as it became the 12th state to make it a sanctioned high school sport. Many teams statewide played unofficial preseason games over the last few weeks, but Tuesday's event at Roosevelt's Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium received the greatest fanfare as the OIA's official launch.
“I'm out of breath after throwing passes to them,” Green, a former youth soccer goalkeeper, said as he greeted the media.
The governor flipped a special Patsy T. Mink coin before kickoff. He was accompanied at by Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi, Keith Amemiya, head of the governor’s sports task force, state Legislators and other officials.
Amemiya told Spectrum News that the 7-on-7 sport had gained steam as an idea over the last five years.
“Flag football participation in community leagues across the state has been strong for a while now, so it was only a matter of time until it became an official high school sport,” Amemiya said.
Green said it gained real momentum over the last two years in particular. The DOE has 46 schools participating this year in addition to seven from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and a handful of private schools on the neighbor islands.
“We want men and women to have equal opportunity,” Green said. “And so that's when it started. We just want to keep giving young people something special to do, because it enhances their lives. It's good health, keeps young people out of trouble. But women love football, just like men do, and so that's why we're here.”
