Free Republic

Seattle Times, April 22, 1947. On this date in 1947, U.S. Army Private Garlon Mickles was hanged at a place called “execution gulch” in Honolulu’s Schofield Barracks. Mickles had enlisted three years before, the 16-year-old son of a St. Louis laundress. (“Tell my mother I died like a man,” were his reported words to the chaplain.) According to Associated Press reports, army engineers frustrated peeping eyes by “put[ting] up a smoke screen to shield the gallows from the view of the curious.” He was convicted of raping and robbing a female War Department employee on Guam, where he was stationed...

The 75 largest cities in America were collectively $288 billion in debt at the end of fiscal year 2022... 53 major cities that do not have enough money to pay their bills. Yet all of them claimed their budgets were balanced, as is required by law. That means lawmakers understated each city’s debt by not including future costs like employee pensions and healthcare ... New York City has a taxpayer burden of $61,800, the largest by far despite being the most populous. The city has only six cents saved up for every dollar it will need to spend on retiree...

A Democrat-sponsored bill in Hawaii that could ban former President Trump from the ballot for allegedly inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol advanced in the state legislature Monday. Hawaii state Sen. Karl Rhoads, a Democrat representing Honolulu who frequently criticizes Trump and Republicans over the Jan. 6 riot online, first introduced SB 2392 last week, which aims to "specify that election ballots issued by the chief election officer or county clerk shall exclude any candidate who is disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; article XVI, section 3 of...

Gun sales have been blocked for much of December in Hawaii’s largest city.That’s what the Hawaii Firearms Coalition, a local gun-rights group, claimed in a statement on Wednesday. It said the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) has advised gun purchase or carry permit applicants they won’t process them without a currently-unattainable training certification. And it’s unclear when those permits might become available again.“It has been brought to our attention from multiple sources that the Honolulu Police Department, under the guidance of Police Chief Logan, is no longer processing ANY firearms permit applications or concealed carry applications until after the new year,...

Bomb threats targeting synagogues and symbols of hate along Hawaii’s busiest roadway — the messages appear to be connected to a war 9,000 miles away. HONOLULU (Hawaii 7News Now) -- Bomb threats targeting synagogues and symbols of hate along Hawaii’s busiest roadway — the messages appear to be connected to a war 9,000 miles away. Along the H-1 highway by the Barber’s Point exit, one of the many places that have a swastika along with the star of David graffitied onto signs. Those symbols can be seen for about 10 miles along the H-1 heading into town. “We think of...

A Honolulu Fire Department emblem. Updated: Aug 21, 2023 / 01:42 PM HST HONOLULU (KHON2) -- The Honolulu Fire Department responded to a brush fire in the Yokohama area around 12:22 p.m. Police are responding and clearing Keawaula Beach Park as well as the radar station. Federal fire assets are also responding. Approximately 20 acres are involved, according to an HFD spokesperson.

There was a time not more than a decade ago when we could expect disasters and potential disasters in America to be televised. In 2023, the most reliable sources for information are from our peers through social media and other channels. That’s why it’s unfortunate that the best coverage I could get on the fire that’s currently raging in Wahiawa near Honolulu in Hawaii is on Twitter: 🚨BREAKING – Another fire has started in Wahiawa, Honolulu, Hawaii 🔥😨

A 21-year-old soldier was found dead in a burning car in Honolulu, Hawaii. The boyfriend of the victim has been charged with murder. Police say he stabbed Spc. Laau Jordan Laulusa, a member of the Hawaii National Guard, in the neck before lighting a car on fire with her inside the vehicle. Witnesses called police to report a car fire near Mililani High School in Honolulu at around 6:40 a.m. on Monday, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Witnesses informed police that they saw a man "opening and closing doors" of the car during the fire. They said he "then fled...

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Police are searching for two armed suspects following a shooting near a busy Waikiki intersection on Friday night that left a man critically injured. Honolulu EMS said the victim, in his 20s, suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The shooting happened about 10 p.m. near the intersection of Kalakaua Avenue and Lewers Street. Video: The Honolulu Police Department confirmed they are looking for two armed suspects. Sources said the two are believed to have fled in a vehicle. Paramedics treated the victim on scene before transporting him to a hospital in critical condition. The road was closed in the...

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- The ongoing fight against the effects of climate change took centerstage at the Honolulu City Council on Thursday. In the past, the council’s Zoning and Planning Committee has drafted bills surrounding coastal erosion and climate change. But lawmakers are now looking at creating comprehensive legislation focused on shoreline development. In an informational briefing, climate experts offered a presentation showcasing the long-term impact of global warming on coastlines throughout Oahu. In Ewa Beach, for example, models show wave inundation of 4 feet in the next 70 years. Dr. Chip Fletcher, interim dean of the University of Hawaii-Manoa School...

Honolulu police have opened a first-degree robbery investigation after three male suspects allegedly robbed a visitor in Waikiki. Police said the suspects approached the victim, 23, in the 400 block of Ena Road brandishing knives and a handgun and demanded money at about 2 p.m. Wednesday. The suspects fled on foot with money taken from the victim. No injuriies were reported.

The city confirms nine of the 10 staff members at the shooting complex have lead levels above the normal range. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- The city has no timeline for when Oahu’s only public shooting range will reopen as an investigation into elevated lead levels in the majority of workers at the facility begins. The city confirmed nine of 10 staff members at the shooting complex who were tested have lead levels above the normal range. Two additional staff members declined to get tested. A timeline of exactly when the city first became aware current employees had been exposed to lead...

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- An Oahu grand jury has indicted the Hawaii Marine accused of fatally stabbing his estranged wife on the H-3 Freeway with second-degree murder. Sgt. Bryant Tejada-Castillo, 29, remains behind bars on $1 million. Court documents say 27-year-old Dana Alotaibi had stab wounds to her neck, chest, and left temple. She also lacerations to her wrist, hands, and thigh. Related Coverage:Mother of woman fatally stabbed on H-3 Freeway arrives in Hawaii amid search for answersMother: Military spouse fatally stabbed on H-3 Freeway sought help for repeated abuseFriends: Victim in deadly H-3 stabbing was pregnant, tried to leave relationship...

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A man accused of using a sword to chop off a man’s hand at a Waikiki convenience store has been charged with attempted murder.

<p>HONOLULU (KHON2) — An F-16 fighter jet’s landing gear did not deploy upon landing on the 4R runway at the Daniel K. International Airport in Honolulu, according to the Hawaii Department of Transportation.</p><p>As of 8:45 p.m. the runway was still closed from the incident which happened around 2:45 p.m. Monday, June 6.</p>

It's an incendiary message that first caught drivers' attention almost a year ago: a vanity license plate with an expletive-laced message "FCK BLM", or Black Lives Matter.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blackgirdi this week hinted that a mask mandate could be returning to the city, over two years after the start of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight” program, the mayor made it clear that he is more than open to reimplementing mask mandates, particularly in light of rising cases of the virus.

The Hawaii Department of Health is urging all eligible to get vaccinations and boosters as the number of new COVID-19 infections in Hawaii continues to surge. Read more [Pay wall]

Honolulu (HawaiiNewsNow) -- A Hawaii lab has detected a petroleum product in a water sample collected from the Pearl Harbor-Hickam system -- a worrisome finding that comes as the investigation into the source of the fuel-like odor and oily sheen from the water continues. It’s the first confirmation of what military households and other impacted residents have been reporting for days: That their water smells like fuel and has made them sick. But the results also raise more questions, including how much petroleum is present and what kind it is. Environmental Health Deputy Director Kathleen Ho stressed the results are...

The New York Times had an unusual red pill moment and actually threw cold water on the hype behind President Joe Biden’s huge $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill signed into law earlier this month. Independent journalist Ralph Vartabedian wrote an eye-opening analysis for The Times critiquing the bill as extremely risky. He cited the major cost escalation problems that plagued one of Honolulu, Hawaii’s infrastructure projects as a case study for how the dilemma with “big infrastructure” is exacerbated when applied nationally. Vartabedian said the “national spending spree fueled” by Biden’s $1.2 trillion bill “carries enormous risks that the projects will...