Honolulu Civil Beat

Managing civil litigation and negotiating settlements takes one set of skills. Successfully prosecuting a sweeping criminal corruption case takes another. In April, Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez did something unusual for a Hawaiʻi attorney general: She issued target letters. These weren’t subpoenas or requests for interviews. A target letter is one of the strongest signals prosecutors can send to a potential criminal defendant.

We need to rebuild the expectation that leadership includes succession. When I was a child, I was taught to take turns. It was one of the first civic lessons many of us learned: share space, make room for others, understand that leadership and opportunity belong to a community, not an individual. Somewhere along the way, too many of our political leaders forgot that lesson.

Even moderate Republicans tend to vote Democrat because GOP candidates are too extreme or non-existent. With all this political polarization, what’s a moderate  to do? Possibly nothing she can do. Though, oddly, a moderate may have more options when the candidates are extreme — in places where elections are actually competitive.

Here’s hoping the fireworks didn’t keep you up too late! Need help? Click on the three-bar menu at top left for instructions on how to play. And you can find previous puzzles and other games here. Sign up for our FREE morning newsletter and face each day more informed. Sorry. That's an invalid e-mail. Thanks! We'll send you a confirmation e-mail shortly.

Now in its 25th year, the nonprofit policy research organization wants to play a larger role in influencing state and county governance. What started a quarter century ago as one man’s mission to promote individual liberty and economic freedom in Hawaiʻi has become a substantial force in effecting public policy statewide.

Cartoon Politics, policy and public affairs as seen through the eyes of our political cartoonist. Politics, policy and public affairs as seen through the eyes of our political cartoonist. Click image to enlarge. (Will Caron/Civil Beat/2026) Sign up for our FREE morning newsletter and face each day more informed. Sorry. That's an invalid e-mail. Thanks! We'll send you a confirmation e-mail shortly. Local reporting when you need it most Support timely, accurate, independent journalism.

Short takes, outtakes, our takes and other stuff you should know about public information, government accountability and ethical leadership in Hawai‘i. If you can’t beat ’em: Honolulu City Council member Andria Tupola has long walked a tricky path when it comes to rail, or Skyline. She’s never condemned the transit project, which aims to give many of her Leeward Oʻahu constituents a smoother and more reliable ride into town. But she’s never exactly supported it, either.

We need people willing to testify publicly, to challenge injustice face-to-face, to stand behind their words in public forums. A sovereign state for all the people of Hawaiʻi is the only path away from military occupation, environmental destruction and corporate control from abroad.

There are between 60 and 80 known unprovoked bites worldwide each year. Lulu Gribbin was 15 when she survived a shark attack off the coast of Florida. She lost her left hand, part of her right leg and almost her life. What she didn’t know when she entered the water on that day in 2024 was that another woman had been bitten by a shark 90 minutes earlier and just 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) down the beach. Had she known about the earlier attack, there is no way she would have been swimming, she said.

An oldie but still a goodie. Need help? Click on the three-bar menu at top left for instructions on how to play. And you can find previous puzzles and other games here. Sign up for our FREE morning newsletter and face each day more informed. Sorry. That's an invalid e-mail. Thanks! We'll send you a confirmation e-mail shortly.