Good evening, Hawaii. On the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. pledged an additional $2 billion in aid for the country. Here in Hawaii, our reporter, Michelle Broder Van Dyke, checked in with Ukrainians living in Hawaii and asked them how this last year has been for them. At the state legislature, the House of Representatives continues to grapple with last year's corruption scandal. It advanced eight standards of conduct measures proposed by the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct. Here are the most important stories you need to know.
Your Weather Planner
A stronger trade pattern is ramping up, bringing windier conditions for the state's eastern half. We have a High Surf Advisory in effect for the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii Island. We could see strong breaking waves and currents, making swimming dangerous. We are also tracking a wetter trade pattern for the weekend. Showers could pop up on Saturday and Sunday, with more enhanced shower activity into early next week for the windward slopes of Hawaii Island and East Maui.
Today's Big Stories
Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago on Feb. 24. For the first anniversary of the war, Spectrum News Hawaii spoke to five Ukrainians who live in Hawaii to find out what it has been like for them to see their home country attacked.
Yuliya LaBrosse, who has lived on Maui for 18 years, became so deeply depressed hearing about all the lives lost in the war that she said she also wanted to die. Olga Sousa, who works in Hawaii as a background actor in shows like “Magnum P.I.,” sends money every month to volunteer groups in Ukraine who feed orphaned children. Mariia Babinska fled Ukraine with her two young children, starting a completely new life on Oahu. Elena Roud, a real estate agent who moved to Honolulu 30 years ago, helped her elderly parents relocate from Ukraine to Hawaii. Oksana Enriquez Klyuchnichenko, who moved to Oahu when she was 15, went to Ukraine for three months to volunteer with a humanitarian organization and now has post-traumatic stress disorder.
Click the link above to read their stories.
2. House moves on standards of conduct package
The state House of Representatives’ efforts to address corruption and win back public trust continued Wednesday with a committee hearing on 16 measures proposed by the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct and adopting changes to House rules.
The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs ultimately recommended eight of the standards of conduct measures for passage on the second reading.
“I am appreciative of the members’ extensive work in taking the commission seriously, and implementing the recommendations that were proposed,” said Speaker Scott K. Saiki. “The House remains dedicated to improving the effectiveness, efficiency and transparency of the legislative process.”
House Rules 29.1–29.3 and 62.5–62.6 incorporate committee recommendations relating to ethics reform, ethics disclosures, standards of conduct, and conflict of interest.
“This was a collaborative process and we appreciate the members’ input to ensure that the rule changes reflect the integrity of the House and represent our commitment to improving our standards of conduct,” Minority Leader Lauren Matsumoto said.
The CISC was established in the aftermath of last year’s legislative bribery scandal, which led to the convictions of former Senate Majority Leader Kalani English and former Rep. Ty Cullen for federal honest services wire fraud.
The amended House rules took effect upon approval.
3. Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Preschool plan plagued by Hawaii’s teacher shortage
Momentum is growing for Hawaii’s plan to create statewide access to preschool — but so are anxieties over how quality teachers for 465 new classrooms would be found amid a pervasive teacher shortage, as well as how private preschool providers would be able to attract more workers with higher salaries without pricing out tuition-paying families.
Already, some of the state’s largest private preschool providers report running at only around 65% capacity, keeping waitlists of student applicants and leaving some classrooms empty because they can’t hire enough qualified teachers at current pay and benefits.
“It is just not OK anymore that you can make more money at an ABC store as an employee than working at many of our preschools. It’s just not pono,” Terry George, president and CEO of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and co-chair of the education task force of the Hawaii Business Roundtable, said during a gathering of 14 education experts and community leaders Thursday at Kuhio Elementary School.
That salaries across all parts of the early-childhood industry urgently need improvement to help ease the teacher shortage was a prevailing theme during the roundtable discussion hosted by U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, who announced Tuesday that she is running for reelection, and Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who is spearheading the state’s Ready Keiki plan for universal preschool access.
The Ready Keiki plan is a “mixed delivery” system of private and public preschools that aims to make early education accessible to all Hawaii children ages 3 and 4 by 2032.
4. Japanese Americans won redress, fight for Black reparations
When Miya Iwataki and other Japanese Americans fought in the 1980s for the U.S. government to apologize to the families it imprisoned during World War II, Black politicians and civil rights leaders were integral to the movement.
Thirty-five years after they won that apology — and survivors of prison camps received $20,000 each — those advocates are now demanding atonement for Black Americans whose ancestors were enslaved. From California to Washington, D.C., activists are joining revived reparations movements and pushing for formal government compensation for the lasting harm of slavery’s legacy on subsequent generations, from access to housing and education to voting rights and employment.
Advocating for reparations is “the right thing to do,” said Iwataki, a resident of South Pasadena, California who is in her 70s. She cited cross-cultural solidarity that has built up over decades.
Black lawmakers such as the late California congressmen Mervyn Dymally and Ron Dellums played critical roles in winning the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which formalized the government’s apology and redress payments.
Last Sunday marked the 81st anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing an executive order that allowed the government to force an estimated 125,000 people — two-thirds of them U.S. citizens — from their homes and businesses, and incarcerate them in desolate, barbed-wire camps throughout the west.
“We want to help other communities win reparations, because it was so important to us,” Iwataki said.
5. U.S. commits $2 billion in drones, ammunition, aid to Ukraine
The Pentagon announced a new package of long-term security assistance for Ukraine on Friday, marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion with a $2 billion commitment to send more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight.
The announcement comes just days after President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv and pledged America's continuing commitment to Ukraine. Biden told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his people that "Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you."
In a statement Friday, the Pentagon said the aid includes weapons to counter Russia's unmanned systems and several types of drones, including the upgraded Switchblade 600 Kamikaze drone, as well as electronic warfare detection equipment.
It also includes money for additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery rounds and munitions for laser-guided rocket systems. But, in an unusual move, the Pentagon provided no details on how many rounds of any kind will be bought. Including this latest package, the U.S. has now committed more than $32 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion.
Your Notes for the Weekend
Saturday, Feb. 25
- Treasury Secretary Yellen attends G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting
- 54th NAACP Image Awards, celebrating the achievements of people of color in the arts and those who promote social justice.
- Jill Biden in Kenya
- Major League Soccer season begins
- Warren Buffett publishes his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders
- Floyd Mayweather exhibition fight in the UK
- Replacement Soyuz capsule arrives at the ISS
Sunday, Feb. 26
- Commemoration ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial for anniversary of 1993 WTC bombing
- Ukraine remembers 2014 Crimea invasion
- Screen Actors Guild Awards
- State memorial service for Dame Olivia Newton-John
- What: 98th Annual Ho‘olaule‘a
- Where: Kamehameha Schools Kapalama | Konia Field and Ka‘ahumanu parking lot
- Details: The public is invited to join an all-day lineup of fun for the family, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 25. Shop for bargains at the country store, indulge in edibles from Kauai and Molokai, find fresh lei, plus enjoy lots of local food options including KC famous brownies, poke bowls, veggie burgers and more. Bring a mat or chair and enjoy the musical sounds of young performers to multi-award winning artists and dancers. On-campus parking is limited, but free parking is available at Kapalama Elementary School on School St. with free shuttle service from the KS bus terminal from 7 a.m. Detailed event information is available here.
- What: Hānau Hou Ka Hula Ki‘i
- Where: Maui Arts & Cultural Center | One Cameron Way, Kahului | 808-242-7469
- Details: Enjoy a special performance by Kumu Hula Auli‘i Mitchell and Hālau ‘O Kahiwahiwa as they showcase hula ki‘i, a critically endangered Hawaiian practice of the ritual dance of carved puppetry images, 10 a.m. Feb. 26. Tickets.
- What: 8th Annual SOKO Studio Tour
- Where: Locations along Mamalahoa Hwy., South Kona
- Details: At this annual event, meet 21 South Kona artists at 12 tour stops with most artist studios located along Mamalahoa Hwy. between Holualoa and Honaunau, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 25-26. Follow the bright yellow signs and visit the South Kona Artists Collective website for a brochure and more details.
- What: Waimea Town Celebration 2023
- Where: Various venues
- Details: This 46th annual celebration is coming up on its last weekend but the fun continues with a music concert, paniolo showdown, a two-day ho‘olaule‘a, basketball tournament, fun run, long distance canoe race, a lei papale contest, ice cream eating contest, and ukulele contest. Visit the event website for a full list of events and activities. Bring canned foods for the Hawaii Food Bank!
For more on these and other events, see this week's HI Out & About.
Watch Live
- The HHSAA Wrestling Championships at 4 p.m., Saturday on OC16 or streaming on the Spectrum News app.
In Case You Missed It
UC Riverside guard Zyon Pullin, right, swatted the shot of UH guard JoVon McClanahan out of bounds on the Rainbow Warriors' last-gasp possession on Thursday night. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
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