Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we've been following today:
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Today's Big Stories
1. Travelers departing Honolulu Airport advised to allow extra time for ag inspections
Due to a staffing shortage, the Hawaii Department of Transportation advises all travelers departing from the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to arrive early to give themselves extra time for U.S. Department of Agriculture pre-flight baggage inspections.
Starting April 6, only two agricultural inspection stations will be open after 8 a.m., one in Lobby 7 and another in Lobby 8.
The inspection station in front of the American Airlines check-in counters in Lobby 7 will open from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. only.
In Lobby 8, the inspection station in front of the ANA counters will be closed until further notice.
The inspection station in Lobby 5 will open at 8:55 a.m., at the same time Alaska Airlines opens its check-in counters.
All other USDA inspection stations will open at 5 a.m.
2. Honolulu Civil Beat: Hawaiʻi cops said they don’t have agreements with ICE. They do
The Honolulu, Maui and Kauaʻi police departments told Civil Beat late last year that they did not have partnership agreements with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, best known as ICE — the spearhead of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
That turns out not to be true. All three counties have agreements with Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI — which is in fact a unit of ICE — as does the Big Island.
In trying to defend previous statements, a Maui spokesperson again misspoke, saying that ICE is a component of Homeland Security Investigations, “which is a federal executive department.”
“The Maui Police Department does not have any MOUs with ICE,” said spokesperson Alana Pico, referring to memorandums of understanding. “We do have an MOU with HSI.”
In Kauaʻi, police department spokesperson Tiana Victorino doublechecked, then said the previous statement had been a mistake.
Honolulu Police Department spokesperson Michelle Yu responded in an email: “While the two belong to the same department, their focuses are different. ICE focuses on immigration enforcement and border security, and HSI’s focus is on transnational crime, including drug and human trafficking, gang violence and financial crimes. HPD has MOUs with HSI, but not with ICE.”
Immigrants and their advocates have raised alarms about agreements with Homeland Security Investigations along with other federal law enforcement agencies as Trump’s crackdown on immigrants rolls on, saying any of them could be a path toward local police joining in federal immigration enforcement actions.
It’s not clear yet whether that’s taking place more often since the White House changed hands, said Jack Chin, a law professor at the University of California, Davis. But, he said, the law allows local police departments to voluntarily join such operations if the U.S. Department of Justice asks them to, which, he said, is likely to happen.
“I think we’re going to see more and more requests, and more voluntary, on-their-own-initiative cooperation,” Chin said, “unless there’s some prohibition.”
3. Maui doctor accused of trying to kill his wife on hiking trail pleads not guilty
This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the national domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233 in the U.S.
A doctor accused of trying to kill his wife on a Hawaii hiking trail pleaded not guilty in court Monday on an attempted murder charge.
Gerhardt Konig's wife says they were hiking in Honolulu last month when he grabbed her, pushed her toward the edge of a cliff, attempted to inject her with a syringe and then bashed her head with a rock, the woman wrote in a petition for a temporary restraining order against him.
The Associated Press does not name people who are victims of domestic violence unless they consent to be identified or decide to tell their stories publicly.
Since his indictment March 28, Konig has been held without bail.
Defense attorney Thomas Otake told the judge he plans to file a motion requesting bail. There should be some bail because Konig has no prior criminal record, Otake said.
Konig appeared for the brief hearing via video from the Oahu Community Correctional Center.
“Dr. Konig's not guilty plea this morning was not just a formality, but a substantive response to the allegation that he tried to kill his wife,” Otake said in a prepared statement he distributed to reporters before the hearing.
“There are two sides to every story, and thus far only one side has been shared,” Otake said. “The other side to this story will be shared within the court process at the appropriate time.”
If convicted, Konig could face life in prison.
4. Waimea Bay comfort station to close for renovations through September
Beginning April 14, the comfort station at Waimea Bay Beach Park will undergo a complete roof reconstruction and bathroom repairs, according to the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation.
As a result, the entire bathroom facility will be closed throughout the project, but a dozen portable toilets will be available to the public, including two ADA-accessible bathrooms. The showers will also remain available.
The project is not expected to affect public parking, but an area adjacent to the comfort station will be used to stage equipment. DPR staff is also working with Ocean Safety Department lifeguards to relocate their equipment on site and ensure no disruptions to emergency services.
The comfort station is expected to reopen to the public by the end of September 2025.
5. Keiki invited to cook for the camera featuring local fruits, vegetables, proteins
The 2025 GET Local 4-H Video Cooking Contest invites keiki in grades 5 to 12 to share their skills in the kitchen. The University of Hawaii at Manoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, the GET Local Healthy Food Systems and 4-H Youth Development programs are sponsoring the youth competition.
Budding keiki chefs are tasked with creating a five- to seven-minute video showing the preparation of a healthy recipe featuring a locally sourced fruit, vegetable or protein. They’re encouraged to explore Hawaii’s many locally grown plants and livestock agricultural offerings in their meal preparations.
Winners will be treated to an exclusive educational farm and food adventure on Oahu in May to learn more about Hawaii’s food systems and culinary arts.
Dates to remember:
- Register by April 11
- Submit your video by April 22
Your Notes for Tomorrow
Tuesday, April 8
- Roscosmos Soyuz 2.1a MS-27 rocket launches today at the earliest, carrying cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, alongside NASA astronaut Jonny Kim to the International Space Station
- UK's Duchess Meghan launches new podcast, 'Confessions of a Female Founder’
- Boeing announces Q1 deliveries across its commercial and defense operations, including its 787 Dreamliner and 737 Max passenger jets
- House and Senate small business committees joint hearing on tax
In Case You Missed It
Hawaii water polo team sends off seniors with OT win over rival UC Irvine
Bernadette Doyle spoke water polo senior night glory into existence.
When UC Irvine’s Sara Naulty netted a stunner goal in the final second of regulation to send Hawaii’s home finale into overtime, the UH team leader was not about to let it ruin the festivities.
“Bernie actually looks at me on the (sprint) lineup, and she said, ‘I don't want this to go into golden goal, so let's just score three goals in a row, and let's get out of here,’” said fellow senior Jordan Wedderburn. “So I said, ‘Okay, deal.’ And then we ended up scoring five. So (it) went according to plan, I guess.”
The Rainbow Wahine shut out the Anteaters in the two extra periods for a 16-11 win that gave UH (16-3, 5-0 Big West) the inside lane to the conference tournament’s top seed with two BWC matches left.
