Latest news with #HawaiiRevisedStatutes
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State bill would change oversight of Hawai'i Tourism Authority
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / REP. ADRIAN TAM'S OFFICE Hawaii Rep. Adrian Tam and Sen. Lynn DeCoite during intense negotiations Friday at the state Capitol before reaching agreement on Senate Bill 1571, which establishes major changes to the Hawai 'i Tourism Authority's governance model. CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / REP. ADRIAN TAM'S OFFICE Hawaii Rep. Adrian Tam and Sen. Lynn DeCoite during intense negotiations Friday at the state Capitol before reaching agreement on Senate Bill 1571, which establishes major changes to the Hawai 'i Tourism Authority's governance model. State lawmakers advanced a bill by the Legislature session deadline that will significantly change the governance model for the Hawai 'i Tourism Authority for the first time since it created the agency in 1998. A Senate and House conference committee delayed votes on Senate Bill 1571 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and met three times on Friday before finally approving a conference draft just before the 6 p.m. deadline. The bill heads to the full House and Senate for a final vote this week. At least four conference drafts emerged throughout last week, indicating that Senate and House conferees were engaged in robust discussion. HTA's overall governance structure had been discussed during previous legislative sessions. Various bills also have been introduced but not advanced in recent years to explore whether HTA's structure as outlined in Hawaii Revised Statutes is the best approach for managing tourism, a top economic driver. However, legislators showed that some lingering doubts about HTA's capabilities remained when they repealed HTA's exemption from the administrative supervision of boards and commissions, which went into effect July 1. The exemption was its last after the Legislature took away its procurement exemption in 2021, and in 2022 the agency lost its special fund status. Late last month, state lawmakers renewed efforts to tighten oversight of HTA after the agency underwent more leadership shake-ups while dealing with ethics allegations that procedural deficiencies allowed for inappropriate freebies at the Hawai 'i Convention Center and that Hawaii Tourism Conference partnerships were inconsistent. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. There also were allegations about potential procurement violations, and late payments to contractors. Sen. Lynn DeCoite (D, Hana-East and Upcountry Maui-Molokai-Lanai-Kahoolawe ), chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Economic Development and Tourism, and chair of the Senate conferees for SB 1571 said Friday that the HTA bill 'represents our efforts to improve and strengthen the organization.' DeCoite acknowledged the hard work of Rep. Adrian Tam (D, Waikiki ), chair of the House Committee on Tourism, who chaired the House conferees noting that 'it's been back and forth between the both of us.' The conference draft eventually approved by conferees includes the following key changes, which go into effect if the bill becomes law :—Downgrades the HTA board to an advisory board.—Amends eligibility requirements to serve on the HTA advisory board.—Removes the director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism from the board.—Requires a member of the board to represent a tourism-impacted entity.—Allows the House speaker and the Senate president to each appoint an HTA advisory board member.—Exempts all positions filled by HTA within DBEDT from the state civil service law.—Allows the HTA advisory board to appoint the HTA president and CEO, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.—Requires the HTA president and CEO to report to the governor.—Allows the HTA advisory board to set the term of the HTA president and CEO in the hiring contract. DeCoite said that tourism is the biggest economic engine for Hawaii, and that the HTA must increase leadership and accountability 'to rebuild public trust within our community.' She said the bill may not solve all of the problems that lawmakers heard that HTA was experiencing this session, but would provide 'a time out ' to 'get us on the right track.' Tam told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the bill represents the biggest governance changes to HTA since it was created, but said, 'It's been a long time coming. HTA was plagued with issues prior to me becoming chair of the House Committee on Tourism. I've leaned on people with past experience to help me reform it.' Tam said even so, he was hesitant at the beginning of the session to move SB 1571 forward but the idea gained traction during the session as he lost confidence in HTA. The HTA Budget, Finance, and Convention Center Standing Committee held a meeting this month and disclosed that the state Attorney Gen eral's Office is reviewing whether the HTA must pay $780, 000 in interest for millions of dollars in late payments to a major contractor. At the same time, DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka told the committee that another pending issue is a possible procurement violation in relation to a $1.5 million Los Angeles marketing contract executed with the Hawai 'i Visitors and Convention Bureau last fall as part of a Maui recovery plan. David Arakawa, a HTA board member and chair of the standing committee, also brought up the issue of sponsorships and questioned why premier conference partners for the HTA's fall Hawaii Tourism Conference did not pay sponsorship fees. Caroline Anderson, interim HTA president and CEO, told the Star-Advertiser that premier conference partners were different than sponsors without that designation. It's unclear where the discussion about semantics will land. But Tam said with the passage of SB 1571, lawmakers are 'hoping to gain a level of ethics on the advisory board and trying to prevent the actions of what has happened that transpired and lead us to this point in the past and is happening again.' 'There are actors out there who can find loopholes in anything and anything can be abused, but we're hoping that this makes it harder, ' he said. 'As Sen. DeCoite said, this won't solve all the problems, but it's a fresh start.' The board already has undergone leadership changes and had been vetting a new governance model on its own. Todd Apo was elected by the HTA board to serve as its chair in late March. Apo replaced former chair Mufi Hannemann, who stepped down from the role but remains on the board. 'I appreciate all the work on (SB 1571 ). The upside is that we now know … the foundational landscape that we need to work in, ' Apo said. 'Uncertainty is the biggest risk, so we, from an authority standpoint, a board standpoint, and an industry standpoint understand what we need to work within.' Apo said HTA will need to factor the changes that SB 1571 will bring into its ongoing review of a third-party governance study. 'I hope we can do that in relatively short order so that we can spend the bulk of 2025 getting HTA and the industry in the best position to serve Hawaii, ' he said. In 2023 with the looming threat of bills calling for HTA's repeal, the HTA decided to fund a third-party governance study. Through a competitive bidding process, Better Destination LLC, founded by Cathy Ritter, was selected for a $294, 400 contract, and the top recommendation released in the summer was for HTA to restructure into a destination stewardship organization with a new name. The recommendations were presented to the HTA board June 27 and have been under consideration by the HTA Governance Study Permitted Interaction Group. For the governance study recommendations to move forward, it also requires the support of state legislators, who may be resistant to giving up even partial control of the state's tourism industry—a cash cow that delivers some $1 billion annually in transient accommodations taxes. Apo said board members will need to take some time to understand what the new changes mean for HTA now and in the future. 'Working with both the department and DBEDT as well as the governor's office, we'll figure it out, ' he said. 'We'll look at the details of the language of the final bill, but our job is now to implement it and put our leading state industry in the best position that we can.'
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Hawaii lawmakers still working on torture bill
COURTESY INSTAGRAM Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You : The 11-year-old died in December 2023, and her adoptive parent was charged with manslaughter March 7 in her death 1 /2 COURTESY INSTAGRAM Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You : The 11-year-old died in December 2023, and her adoptive parent was charged with manslaughter March 7 in her death COURTESY PHOTO Geanna Bradley : The 10-year old was found dead at home in Wahiawa on Jan. 18, 2024 ; Honolulu police arrested her foster parents and grandmother on suspicion of murder and other offenses 2 /2 COURTESY PHOTO Geanna Bradley : The 10-year old was found dead at home in Wahiawa on Jan. 18, 2024 ; Honolulu police arrested her foster parents and grandmother on suspicion of murder and other offenses COURTESY INSTAGRAM Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You : The 11-year-old died in December 2023, and her adoptive parent was charged with manslaughter March 7 in her death COURTESY PHOTO Geanna Bradley : The 10-year old was found dead at home in Wahiawa on Jan. 18, 2024 ; Honolulu police arrested her foster parents and grandmother on suspicion of murder and other offenses Recent high-profile cases of child torture and neglect that led to the deaths of two children on Oahu have sharpened the focus for police officers and prosecuting attorneys pushing Hawaii lawmakers to pass a bill that would codify torture and outline punishment. Torture would become a Class A felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, under Senate Bill 281, which has drawn a great deal of support in testimony from advocates for tougher laws that distinguish between abuse and torture. The recent cases include starvation, prolonged physical restraint, broken bones and emaciation that led to the deaths of 11-year-old Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You and 10-year-old Geanna Bradley. Currently, there is no 'clear legal definition of torture in the state, even though it should be explicitly prohibited, ' said Honolulu Police Department Capt. Vince Legaspi of the Criminal investigation Division in testimony April 2 to the state House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs. 'It is essential to distinguish between abuse and torture, as they differ in severity, and the penalties should reflect that distinction. In 2024 there were several cases involving the torture of children ; however, existing laws provided no framework to charge and penalize the perpetrators appropriately, ' Legaspi said. 'Passing this bill would establish charges that accurately reflect the severity of such acts, ensuring that offenders are held accountable for the magnitude of their crimes.' Benjamin T. Moszkowicz, chief of the Hawaii County Police Department, told lawmakers that too many forms of 'cruel and degrading treatment ' are not adequately addressed by the Hawaii Revised Statutes. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. 'Acts such as starvation, deprivation of food, clothing and water can be challenging to prosecute under existing laws, ' Moszkowicz said. On April 6 the five children's justice centers in Hawaii released data from 2024 that tracked 1, 839 cases of child sex abuse, felony physical abuse, child sex trafficking, internet crimes against children, and children who witnessed a violent crime. While the total of these cases increased by only seven, there was an alarming increase in cases of severe physical abuse. The number of severe cases on Maui increased, more than doubled in West Hawaii and significantly increased on Oahu. Over the five-year period from 2000 to 2024, there were 9, 627 of these cases, reported Friends of the Children's Justice Center of Oahu. Gap in system Honolulu Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tiffany Kaeo, division chief of the Family Prosecution Division of the Honolulu Prosecutor's Office, told lawmakers she is 'acutely aware of the need for a torture statute in this state.' While the bill was submitted as part of the Honolulu prosecuting attorney's legislative package, there should be 'no misunderstanding that addressing child torture is not law enforcement-centric ' and involves the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working in the children's best interest. 'Thirty-six states and District of Columbia criminal codes reference child torture. However, under Hawaii's current statutory language, torture is punished as an aggravating circumstance for murder. Even application of that sentence has been substantially weakened because the prosecution must prove the torture was 'unnecessary, '' read Kaeo's testimony. The measure before lawmakers is 'critical to addressing a gap in the criminal justice system.' 'As prosecutors we need to be able to provide justice to victims who survive torture at the hands of caregivers. That justice must be commensurate with the suffering that those child victims have experienced, ' Kaeo said. 'Currently, when a child dies, a charge of murder or manslaughter is appropriately lodged against a perpetrator.' Child torturers are highly manipulative and extremely skilled at evading detection, testified Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Erika Candelario, team captain of the Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Felony Division. 'Such actions include forced exercise, restraint, forced holds in uncomfortable positions for long periods of times, imprisonment, deprivation of excretory functions, and burning or electrocution, ' Candelarios said. 'Food and water deprivation are increasingly common occurrences in torture-type cases. This is followed by isolation and deprivation of basic necessities which seek to cement a perpetrator's domination and control over the victim's every breath and every move. Because such actions by a perpetrator can be so varied, and injuries so wide-ranging (in a way that does not fit into current definitions ), our response in the law should reflect the appropriate additions to hold that type of offender accountable.' Honolulu Fire Chief Sheldon K. Hau told lawmakers that a torture bill is 'long overdue.' 'As first responders we are often the first to arrive at scenes involving child abuse or neglect, ' Hao said. 'Although we do not investigate or prosecute these crimes, we see them, we carry them and we often cannot forget them. Our role is to provide immediate medical care, rescue and protection. However, when we arrive to find children who have been intentionally harmed, deprived, restrained or threatened, we are left with the emotional and moral weight of what we witnessed. We are the ones who carry those children out of dangerous homes. We are the ones who try to stabilize their injuries. We are the ones who must return to our stations and our families and try to process what no one should ever have to see.' Abuse underreported Child & Family Service CEO Amanda Pump told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that parental struggles play a key role in Hawaii's child abuse cases, which she says are underreported. Those factors include Hawaii's high cost of living, a generational decline in face-to-face communications and interactions, generational abuse and other factors, she said. 'We learn to communicate less, we have less interactions face to face and we need those interactions. Babies need those interactions. … They need to be held, they need to hear their parents' voices. I do think technology limits parents' ability to do that.' Inflation and the high cost of living are 'really limiting the time we get to spend with our children, ' she said. 'What quality of time or energy do you have left (at the end of the day )? There is a lot that families are going through nowadays, ' Pump said. Pump said the state's most recent report on child abuse and neglect, from 2023, showed an increase in the volume of calls, notably on Oahu and in Hilo. Eighteen percent of those were confirmed for child abuse and neglect, and three-quarters of those cases involved parents who could not handle the parenting responsibility, she said. 'If we poured more attention and resources into prevention, we can help more parents not to abuse and neglect their children, ' said Pump, noting that potential prevention frameworks can be embedded in existing contracts with service providers. 'We need to be strengthening communities.' The highest number of calls the state is getting are from parents with children less than a year old, she said. Fifty-seven percent of the abusers are women, as women are the primary caregivers, and their ages range between 30 and 39. 2 recent cases The two cases in the headlines on Oahu this year involved deaths in Kahuku and Wahiawa. On March 7 a, Sina Pili, was arrested and charged with manslaughter for torturing and neglecting her 11-year-old adopted daughter, who died in December 2023. The victim, Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You, had extensive bruising, deep enough to penetrate skin. She had multiple abrasions to her face, head, neck, chest, back, arms, hands and legs. She was bitten and strangled, and had two broken ribs and a scalp hemorrhage. Pili-Ah You's body tested positive for COVID-19, pneumonia and the flu, according to HPD. She was adopted by Sina Pili and her husband two months before she died. Sina Pili is charged with manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a minor and persistent nonsupport. In the other case, was found dead in the Wahiawa home of her foster parents in January 2024, bound with duct tape, severely injured and starved. A medical examiner's report said Bradley died of 'multiple effects of prolonged child abuse and neglect ' and 'starvation, blunt force injuries due to multiple assaults, prolonged physical restraint and immobilization, pneumonia and medical neglect.' Police, firefighters and Honolulu Emergency Medical Services paramedics found Bradley's body Jan. 18, 2024, after they responded to a 911 call from the home. Her foster parents and grandmother were charged with murder in February 2024, nearly a month after the child's lifeless body was found emaciated and bruised, with broken teeth, open sores and missing part of her nose. Brandy Kanani Blas, 35 ; her husband, Thomas Adam Blas Sr., 40 ; and Debra D. Geron, 67, were arrested at their home at 33 Karsten Drive in Wahiawa. All three face charges of second-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of first-degree unlawful imprisonment. The Blases were charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a minor, and Brandy Blas and Geron were charged with one count of first-degree hindering prosecution.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Grand jury indicts Hilo man accused in fatal stabbing
COURTESY HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT Keoni Peter Tosie Brown 1 /2 COURTESY HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT Keoni Peter Tosie Brown JOHN BURNETT / HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD According to police, the driveway of this Olu Street home in Hilo was where the homeowner, 81-year-old Lola Loebl, was stabbed to death Saturday morning. 2 /2 JOHN BURNETT / HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD According to police, the driveway of this Olu Street home in Hilo was where the homeowner, 81-year-old Lola Loebl, was stabbed to death Saturday morning. COURTESY HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT Keoni Peter Tosie Brown JOHN BURNETT / HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD According to police, the driveway of this Olu Street home in Hilo was where the homeowner, 81-year-old Lola Loebl, was stabbed to death Saturday morning. A Hawaii County grand jury Wednesday indicted Keoni Peter Tosie Brown of Hilo on charges of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 81-year-old neighbor and first-degree terroristic threatening of a 38-year-old woman who confronted him. The 30-year-old man, if convicted, could be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Brown could be subject to an extended term of imprisonment in two different ways, the indictment shows. On Count 1, second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 81-year-old neighbor Lola Loebl, Brown could be sentenced as an offender against the elderly in that the victim is 60 years of age or older, according to Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 707. An extended term for second-degree murder, which has a term of life with the possibility of parole, could be extended to life without the possibility of parole. If convicted of murder and first-degree terroristic threatening, he also could be subject to an extended term for two or more felonies, according to HRS Sec. 706-662 (4 ). Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. Brown appeared, cuffed and shackled in orange prison garb, in Hilo District Court for a 2 p.m. preliminary hearing, but the hearing was not required due to the indictment. Brown, already in custody, was served with the grand jury bench warrant, which set bail at $2.02 million and ordered him to have no contact with the witness and remain more than 100 yards from the witness and Loebl's homes. Brown was arrested 7 :30 p.m. Saturday after the 38-year-old neighbor called 911. Samantha Iopa said she witnessed the stabbing of Loebl, who lived across the street from her at 257 Olu St., at about 7 :15 a.m. Saturday, court documents indicate. She said she saw Brown hold Loebl with one arm and stab her in the mouth, leaving the knife there. Iopa said she ran to confront Brown, who then fled to the garage on the property next door to Loebl's home. When the 38-year-old woman went back outside, Brown had removed the knife from Loebl's mouth and threatened her, she told police. She noted Brown had changed his clothes, which were later found on the property where he lives. Police also recovered a knife. Brown lives in a shipping container on the property at 261 Olu St.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kokua Line: What are rules on windshield tint, license plate covers?
Question : I nearly got hit by a car on Kapiolani Boulevard by the mall. I was in the crosswalk, with the signal to walk. I tried to make eye contact with the driver, but their windshield was so dark I could barely see them and obviously they didn't see me ! And I couldn't read the license plate. Does anybody check this stuff ? Q : The white paint on my Hawaii license plates, about 15 years old, is flaking off. How do I request a new set ? I'm willing to get a new license plate number if necessary. If I were driving a beater I wouldn't bother, but it's a well-maintained Mercedes. Q : Regarding license plates with the 'okina, when they do become available will anybody be able to get these or are they only for new cars ? Answer : Kokua Line has received a flurry of questions about the rules for registering and inspecting motor vehicles and replacing license plates, especially as the city's Division of Motor Vehicles awaits a replenished stock of standard and EV license plates that have an okina in the word 'Hawai 'i.' Harold Nedd, a spokesperson for Honolulu's Department of Customer Services, emailed responses that answered these readers' questions and more, which we supplemented with details from the department's website and Hawaii Revised Statutes. Nedd said CSD has urged motor vehicle inspection stations to pay particular attention to three areas of concern in order to aid law enforcement officers, 'as they can hinder identification of either the vehicle or occupants ':—Damaged or defaced license plates. 'A license plate that has its color fading or bleached out, has peeling reflective material, or is difficult to read is considered damaged or defaced and must be replaced.' Vehicles with damaged or defaced license plates are prohibited from passing inspection. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA.—License plate covers. State law prohibits the covering of a license plate, even with a transparent cover. Vehicles with any type of license plate cover should not pass inspection.—Tinting on windows. Vehicles must meet state law on window tinting or fail inspection. Rules on vehicle window tinting are found in Hawaii Revised Statutes 291-21.5, , which allows nonreflective tint on front windshields no lower than 4 inches from the top of the windshield. Tinting of a whole window is allowed on side and rear windows, but for sedans the visible light transmission, or VLT, must be at least 35 %, plus or minus 6 %. VLT refers to the percentage of light that can pass through the window tint. These factors are inspected annually. Besides the vehicle failing inspection, vehicle owners and tint installers who break the rules can be fined under the law. Based on your observations, it's possible the vehicle you saw did not have a valid safety check sticker. Getting back to the second and third questions, unless someone is replacing a personalized plate, the license plate number on the replacement will be different from their old plate. 'It's not possible to keep the same letter /number combination on a damaged license plate. That number would be retired and a new letter /number combination would be issued, ' Nedd said. Anyone who needs to replace their license plate can do so now, including the reader with the Mercedes, but because of a shortage of standard license plates they'll have to choose one of 15 organization decal license plates, or any of the specialty plates that provide monetary support to the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Haleakala National Park or Hawai 'i Volcanoes National Park, Nedd said. If their current license plates are still readable they may prefer to wait to replace them until the supply of standard and EV license plates is replenished, which should occur by May at the latest. Lastly, the okina plate won't be restricted to new vehicles. Owners of existing vehicles won't be required to change out their old plates once the okina plates are widely available, but they can choose to do so, according to the CSD website. They would follow the same process as replacing a lost, stolen or mutilated license plate, which is explained at ; the site includes a link to the necessary form, CSL (MVR )3. They would submit the completed form, which must be signed by the vehicle's registered owner ; the vehicle's certificate of registration ; and the old license plate (if available ) and pay $5.50 in fees. This is an express window service, no appointment required, at satellite city halls on Oahu, according to the CSD website. If you prefer, make an appointment at to avoid potentially long lines. Also, anyone replacing a stolen license plate should report the theft to Honolulu police.------------Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email.------------
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Kamehameha Schools Kapalama receives 3 threats
The Honolulu Police Department opened three felony investigations after a series of anonymous threats of violence at the Kameha meha Schools Kapalama campus prompted school officials to notify parents, faculty and staff. Kamehameha Schools officials did not immediately reply to a Honolulu Star-Advertiser request for comment. HPD detectives opened three first-degree terroristic threatening cases in connection with the threats. No arrests were made as of Wednesday afternoon. According to the Hawaii Revised Statutes, a person commits the offense of terroristic threatening if they threaten 'by word or conduct, to cause bodily injury to another person or serious damage or harm to property, including the pets or livestock, of another …' Neither police nor Ka meha meha Schools detailed exactly what the threats were or who they were made against. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. The two graffiti threats and one unspecified threat were reported to the Kamehameha Schools community on Thursday in the first of three separate emails. The first message, obtained by the Star-Advertiser and sent at 5 :51 p.m. Feb. 20, was sent to 'notify our KSK campus community of a situation that arose involving an anonymous, unverified graffiti threat of a violent act at the high school campus today.' 'Working with our Campus and Enterprise Security staff, an investigation was initiated and reported to the Honolulu Police Department, ' read the message to the Kamehameha Schools community of students, faculty and staff. 'With review of the current information at hand by Campus and Enterprise security staff, we have no reason to believe this threat is credible.' On Monday night at 8 p.m. the school emailed another notice to its community. The message cautioned of a 'situation that arose involving an anonymous, unverified threat of a violent act at the high school campus today.' On Tuesday night at 9 :15 p.m. the school sent out a third message about threats of violence on campus. School officials relayed that 'an anonymous, unverified graffiti threat of a violent act at the high school campus ' was found. All three of the threats were deemed not credible and no classes or events were canceled. 'We appreciate our school community for bringing this to our attention and for being partners in our effort to prioritize the safety and well-being of our campus 'ohana. We take all threats seriously, if you have any information regarding these incidents, please notify the school's administration, ' read Tuesday's note. School officials encouraged parents to talk to their children about reporting 'any information that may assist in our investigation and explain the serious consequences and impact ' to the school community when threats are made. 'We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates if more information becomes available, ' school officials wrote. 'Kamehameha Schools is deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our haumana, faculty and staff, and we remain dedicated to creating and maintaining a safe, nurturing campus, ' read a statement to the Star-Advertiser from Kamehameha Schools' officials. 'We take all threats seriously and continue to investigate these incidents thoroughly.'
