Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we've been following today:
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Today's Big Stories
1. City reminds vehicle owners to renew their registrations on time
Of the more than 880,000 registered vehicles in the City and County of Honolulu, 39,452 of them have expired registrations. The city’s Division of Motor Vehicles reports that 71% of those expired registrations have remained un-renewed for at least five years.
DMV reminds vehicle owners to pay attention to their tags’ expiration date and renew them on time.
Courtesy renewal notices sent out to registered owners by DMV 45 days before a registration expires include four ways to renew a vehicle registration and provides a way to determine the cost of a registration renewal online.
“It’s important for vehicle owners to know that driving with an overdue registration is illegal and could result in a penalty,” said Kim Hashiro, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services, which administers DMV services in the City and County of Honolulu.
2. Police arrest man who allegedly tried to kill his wife while hiking near the Pali
The Honolulu Police Department has arrested Gerhardt Konig, who allegedly tried to kill his wife near the Pali Lookout. HPD posted on X (formerly Twitter) that officers located the 46-year-old Maui resident near Pali Highway Monday evening and apprehended him after a brief foot pursuit. Charges are pending.
Eariler Monday, the HPD asked the public for help in looking for Gerhardt Konig after he allegedly tried to kill his wife near the Pali Lookout.
Police said the 46-year-old man was hiking with his wife on Monday morning when he allegedly tried to push her off the trail and struck her in the head with a rock.
The 36-year-old wife, who was not identified, was transported to a hospital in serious condition around 10:30 a.m. after she suffered head and facial injuries and said she was assaulted with closed fists and an object, according to the Honolulu Emergency Services Department.
3. Kailua Beach Boat Ramp work suspended due to weather
The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Design and Construction announced that geotechnical work at the Kailua Beach Boat Ramp has been temporarily suspended this week because of bad weather and surf conditions. DDC expects the work to resume the week of March 31, with the project’s completion date pushed back from April 11 to April 25.
The work will take place on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for holidays and weekends. The schedule remains subject to changes based on weather and tide conditions, according to a news release from the DDC.
Hawaii residents and visitors should be aware that access to the boat ramp may be restricted for safety reasons. Additionally, parking on the east side of the adjacent parking lot will be limited while work is ongoing. The DDC is advising people to avoid the area.
4. Hawaii baseball team sweeps UC Davis series on walk-off balk in 13th inning
That was a new one for Rich Hill.
In a wild sequence with two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning, Jared Quandt took a big lead from third on a 0-2 count, then sprung for home plate. UC Davis’ Carter Delaney fired a rushed pitch that was fouled off by UH’s David Vergel de Dios just as Quandt dove down to the plate.
There was a moment of uncertainty of what happened, but then home plate umpire Dax Upton emphatically pointed toward Delaney and down at the plate.
Walk-off balk. Final, 2-1 UH.
As delirious UH players sprinted from the dugout and chased Vergel de Dios into the outfield, UC Davis coach Tommy Nicholson came out for an explanation from the officials. He did not argue for long, though, and the stunned Aggies emerged from the dugout to shake hands.
“I'm not sure that I've had that in the books in my life, but all the credit goes to Jared Quandt,” Hill said. “He just walked down there deep, and took off before (Delaney) had a chance to really start his windup. I think that's where the balk was.”
Those who stuck around among a Monday night crowd of 1,566 (3,255 tickets issued) witnessed UH (17-5, 6-3 Big West) achieve the three-game series sweep and fifth straight win overall for its best 22-game start since 1998.
5. Trump intel officials testify on threat from drug cartels as Dems press them on leak of attack plans
The Trump administration's top intelligence officials stressed to Congress the threat they said was posed by international criminal gangs, drug cartels and human smuggling, testifying in a hearing Tuesday that unfolded against the backdrop of a security breach involving the mistaken leak of attack plans to a journalist.
The annual hearing on worldwide threats before the Senate Intelligence Committee offered a glimpse of the new administration's reorienting of priorities.
"Criminal groups drive much of the unrest and lawlessness in the Western Hemisphere," said Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence. Atop a long list of national security challenges, she cited the need to combat cartels that she said were "engaging in a wide array of illicit activity, from narcotics trafficking to money laundering to smuggling of illegal immigrants and human trafficking."
In the committee room, it unfolded in split-screen fashion: Republican senators hewed to the pre-scheduled topic by drilling down on China and the fentanyl scourge, while Democrat after Democrat offered sharp criticism over a security breach they called reckless and dangerous.
"If this information had gotten out, American lives could have been lost," Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee said of the exposed Signal messages. Added Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon: "I am of the view that there ought to be resignations." "An embarrassment," said Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, who shouted down CIA Director John Ratcliffe as he demanded answers.
Tuesday's hearing took taking place one day after news broke that several top national security officials in the Republican administration, including Ratcliffe, Gabbard and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, texted attack plans for military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic.
The National Security Council said it was looking into how Jeffrey Goldberg's number was added to the chain in the Signal group chat.
Your Notes for Tomorrow
Wednesday, March 26
- 1st anniversary of cargo ship crashing into Baltimore bridge causing it to collapse
- 5th anniversary of U.S. announcing record 3.3 million weekly jobless claims
- Pamela Anderson honored at NYWIFT Muse Awards
- U.S. Supreme Court considers nondelegation doctrine case
In Case You Missed It
(Getty Imags/recep-bg)
Vendor needed to operate Hilo's community-based reusable food container program
Hawaii County has issued a Request for Proposals in its search for a vendor to oversee the launch and operation of Hilo’s Reusable Foodware Program.
The applicant selected through the RFP will oversee a community-scale system to collect, wash and reuse takeout containers with the overall goal of eliminating waste and supporting the local economy.
“This program serves as a city-scale demonstration that aims to cut waste and save money for local businesses,” said Mayor Kimo Alameda in a release. “By creating a voluntary system for reusing foodware, we are implementing important sustainable practices that can serve both our environment and economy.”
The deadline to submit a proposal is April 16. Those interested can access the full RFP online under RFP #4598 - Hilo Reusable Foodware System (scroll down). Registration is required to view and submit proposals.
