John Pritchett

Hundreds of government workers in Hawaii still get their salaries as misconduct investigations progress slowly.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has completed its origin and cause report on the Maui wildfires, but the public can’t see it until county officials release it.

President Joe Biden was pretty much a disaster in his debate against Donald Trump. Can he recover by November? Or will Democrats find a new nominee?

Defendants in a federal corruption case including former Honolulu prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro and businessman Dennis Mitsunaga were acquitted on bribery charges after defense attorneys argued that pay-to-play is a common practice when giving campaign donations, not bribery.

A bill that could have dramatically cut state spending on public arts programs — even King Kamehameha Day celebrations — was killed this week after testifiers overwhelming rejected Maui Rep. Kyle Yamashita’s proposal.

John Pritchett: Grumpy Old Man

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and Prosecutor Steve Alm oppose a bill that would allow recreational use of marijuana for adults over 21 and establish a regulatory authority.

Honolulu rail hit a peak of 18,108 riders on July 4, shortly after it launched and the last day fares were free. But daily ridership today hovers around 3,000 — a long way off from the daily goal of 10,000 passengers by the train’s one-year anniversary in late June.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez had to issue subpoenas to several Maui County agencies that have resisted turning over records related to the state’s investigation into the Aug. 8 wildfires.

Hawaii has halted a $1.86 million modernization of its business registration system due to defects, the second scrapped computer upgrade this year.