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Covering the Cost: The cost of consumer fraud, deceptive business practices

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Covering the Cost: The cost of consumer fraud, deceptive business practices


In HNN’s new livestream show “Covering the Cost with Annalisa Burgos,” we break down the numbers behind Hawaii’s affordability crisis in candid conversations with financial experts, entrepreneurs and community leaders.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Coming up on today’s episode at 12:30 p.m. Hawaii time, Annalisa Burgos talks with the state Dept. of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Deputy Director Dean Hazama about the cost of consumer fraud and how residents can protect themselves against deceptive business practices.

“At DCCA, consumer protection is not just enforcement. It’s education, outreach, and prevention,” Hazama said. “Our goal is to ensure that residents, businesses, and especially vulnerable communities have the tools they need to make informed decisions. We believe the best defense against fraud is awareness, access to information, and responsive government services.”

Hazama says the DCCA aims to be proactive, rather than reactive, by focusing on outreach and partnering with community organizations, industry groups, and other state and federal agencies to share consumer protection information.

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Topics include:

  • Scam prevention and fraud awareness
  • Identity theft protection
  • Financial literacy
  • Disaster-related scams
  • Understanding consumer rights under Hawaii law

National Consumer Protection Week is on March 1-7, and DCCA is hosting its annual 21st annual Consumer Protection Fair on March 5 from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Hawaii State Capitol, 4th Floor Lanai.

DCCA divisions and partner agencies will be available to answer questions, including AARP, BBB, FBI, Social Security, IRS, Red Cross, etc. and City and County and other state agencies.

Military service members and their families are also often targeted by scams that specifically exploit their military benefits or relocation situations.

The DCCA Military Consumer Guide is designed to help service members and their families make informed financial decisions, increase their awareness of local laws and available resources, and reduce financial stress during transitions.

“Hawaii is home to approximately 44,000 active duty service members and 5,500 National Guard personnel. Many military families experience frequent relocations, deployments, and permanent changes of station,” Hazama explained.

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The DCCA says it’s also undergoing its IT Modernization Initiative, which focuses on accessibility, efficiency, and transparency through a redesigned website with improved navigation tools and eventually an AI-assisted customer support chatbot

Residents can also call a centralized call center at its new dedicated department-wide number: 1-844-808-DCCA (3222).

Hazama says this allows the DCCA to better track inquiries through a case management system and reduce missed or lost calls. Because cases remain active until resolved, it aims to improve accountability and responsiveness.

The DCCA also offers post-storm consumer guidance and insurance support.

“Following the recent high winds and heavy rain, DCCA’s Insurance Division issued a reminder to residents about how to protect their property and navigate the insurance claims process,” Hazama said.

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“Natural disasters and severe weather events can create stress and confusion, and unfortunately can also open the door to fraud and misinformation. Our message to residents is simple: act promptly, document thoroughly, and know your rights.”

Remember to:

  • Contact your insurance company or agent immediately to report damage.
  • Document all damage with clear photos or videos.
  • Keep detailed records.

Residents can contact the Insurance Division at 1-844-808-DCCA (3222) or visit the Insurance Division’s website for additional claim-filing tips and recovery resources.

Visit DCCA‘s website cca.hawaii.gov for more information and resources.

Catch “Covering the Cost with Annalisa Burgos” Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. online, on HNN’s streaming app and anywhere you get your podcasts.

From skyrocketing housing prices to the country’s highest tax burden, Annalisa is covering the cost of aloha in America’s most expensive state and offering practical strategies, policy insights, and honest talk about what it really takes to call Hawaii home.

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Hawaiian Airlines Ends April 22. What Replaces It.

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Hawaiian Airlines Ends April 22. What Replaces It.


That headline is something many of us never expected to read. This April 22, 2026, is the day Hawaiian Airlines officially ends. Alaska’s reservation system takes over, Hawaiian flight numbers disappear, and all operations move to Alaska. Hawaiian joins the oneworld alliance too on the same day, but for Hawaii travelers, the alliance is not the headline. The airline you knew will cease to exist as part of the process that began with Alaska’s purchase of Hawaiian on December 3, 2023.

You can still board a plane painted with the iconic Pualani on the tail, but you will not book an HA flight anymore. Your confirmation email shows AS (Alaska). Your boarding pass shows AS. What airport departure boards and gate screens display on day one is a separate question. That and more will be revealed later.

When the code disappears, not the paint.

The Hawaiian call sign already ended last fall, when HA866 flew from Pago Pago to Honolulu on October 29, 2025, closing out 95 years of Hawaiian flight numbers in the sky. Call signs are largely for pilots and air traffic control, and most travelers never really see them. April 22 is entirely different because flight numbers exist on your itinerary, your receipt, your screenshot, and your email, and when HA disappears from those, you see it.

What booking Hawaiian looks like after April 22.

Customer service interactions will route entirely through Alaska’s systems. Schedule changes, irregular operations, rebooking rules, and automated notifications follow Alaska’s logic, and frequent travelers will notice these differences first.

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A huge reservation system change is happening behind the scenes.

April 22 is also when Alaska’s reservation system replaces what remains of Hawaiian’s Amadeus platform, which has been degraded since the 2023 Sabre-to-Amadeus migration went sideways, infuriating its customers. The cutover is supposed to resolve years of booking infrastructure problems. But we’re keeping in mind that system migrations at this scale have historically created turbulence before they stabilize, so patience may still be required.

Branding stays, for now.

The visual identity remains intact on April 22. Pualani stays on the tail, uniforms stay recognizable, and the onboard experience does not change that day. Alaska has acknowledged that Hawaiian branding carries value in Hawaii, but Alaska has not committed to how much of it stays or how long. Everything past the paint is already Alaska.

The oneworld alliance arrives on the same day.

April 22 is also the day Hawaiian becomes a full member of the oneworld alliance. International lounge access improves, elite status recognition lines up across partner airlines, and earning and redeeming miles across oneworld carriers becomes far easier. Hawaiian did not have that before and had limited partners on its own. Under Alaska, it does have, for the first time, a robust partner network.

Atmos status is part of the oneworld structure wherein Silver aligns with oneworld Ruby, Gold with oneworld Sapphire, and Platinum and Titanium with oneworld Emerald. For travelers who qualify, that means priority services and lounge access when flying internationally. Alliance benefits may work best outside of Hawaii for now, as many of you have noted.

What Alaska has promised next for Hawaii.

Alaska has announced a $600 million investment covering airport renovations at five Hawaii airports, a full A330 cabin refit starting in 2028, and a new flagship lounge at Honolulu in late 2027. All twenty-four A330s are set to receive a new business class in a 1-2-1 layout with privacy doors and direct aisle access, replacing the dated 2-2-2 configuration.

The same design team behind the 787 soft product is said to be handling the A330, and the refit was quoted as rolling out across the entire fleet over roughly 12 months starting in January 2028. A true premium economy cabin comes with it, separate from Extra Comfort, and extra legroom. Extra Comfort rebrands to Alaska Premium Class on April 22 as an Alaska alignment, but the new premium economy class does not arrive until sometime in 2028.

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The Honolulu lounge will expand to roughly five times the current Plumeria Lounge footprint at the Terminal 1 Mauka Concourse entrance. Beat of Hawaii has covered that new Honolulu Atmos Lounge separately. None of these upgrades changes anything significant if you are flying Hawaiian anytime soon.

What happens to the A321neo, A330, and the 717 interisland fleet long term under Alaska is a separate question. Beat of Hawaii has been covering that.

But Hawaiian had been running out of runway long before Alaska arrived, and the acquisition is the reason there is still a Pualani tail flying to Hawaii at all. What Alaska does with the paint, the brand, and the Hawaii routes from here is the part we’ll continue watching.

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‘Really gross’: Windward Oahu school infested with millipedes

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‘Really gross’: Windward Oahu school infested with millipedes


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – For weeks, students at Kalaheo High School in Kailua say thousands of critters have been crawling about campus.

Videos posted on social media showed throngs of millipedes along the school’s outdoor areas and in its gymnasium.

“It’s really gross, there’s just like millipedes all over the walls and it’s just gross, they’re crawling everywhere, and like I’m walking and I have to walk over them,” senior Cate Carmack said.

Carmack’s classmate, Lex Fuentes, added, “They’re just like all around our school. like on the ceiling, walls, floor, they’re just everywhere.”

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Fuentes and Carmack both did not really mind the millipedes, but they said the swarms were somewhat distracting.

“I was sitting in AP psych, just doing my thing. I see it on my jacket, flick it off, and I go about my day,” Fuentes said.

Junior Harper Reynolds shared that some were seen on the roof and walls.

“When I’m walking around, or like going from class to class, there’s just like millipedes on the roof and on the walls. It’s kind of weird, it’s kind of gross, it’s like, why is that even there?” Reynolds said.

The pests are likely there because of the recent rain, according to Jimmy Fitzgerald of Kilauea Pest Control, which sprayed infested areas of the school on Tuesday.

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“Kalaeho’s been very impressively proactive handling this over the years because every spring, that’s very common, the boom in insects, the rain is coming, it’s pushing them outside of their natural habitat,” Fitzgerald said.

This year, the insect’s natural habitat, the hillside behind the school, is much more saturated from the Kona low storms. Fitzgerald said the wetter conditions this year could explain why there are more millipedes at the school than usual.

“Naturally, the millipedes would be going up the trees, and hiding in the trees for a day and then coming down, but it’s been so wet in those back areas, they’ve been coming into the human spaces instead,” Fitzgerald explained.

Fitzgerald also pointed out the pests are harmless, and so is the insecticide they use to get rid of them, as the product is safer and less toxic than household bleach.

“Everything we do is people and pet-friendly, so it’s meant to impact something that’s this small, millipedes are about this small,” Fitzgerald said.

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Kilauea Pest Control used a long-lasting product expected to push out the pests over the two to three weeks.

The company will reevaluate in 30 days whether the school will need a follow-up treatment.

“It needs to be gone,” Carmack said.

The Hawaii State Department of Education reported “the problem has dramatically decreased” since Tuesday’s treatment and “school custodians are continuing to monitor the campus and will respond to any new reports.”

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Judge rejects Trump DOJ’s bid to block Hawaii climate lawsuit

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Judge rejects Trump DOJ’s bid to block Hawaii climate lawsuit


A federal judge in Hawaii has turned away the Trump administration’s effort to block Hawaii from filing a climate liability lawsuit against the oil and gas industry, finding the Justice Department failed to prove the federal government would be harmed by such a legal challenge.

The decision Wednesday by Senior Judge Helen Gillmor of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii marks the second loss in DOJ’s two attempts to prevent states from launching lawsuits that seek to compensate local governments for the costs of dealing with climate change.

DOJ sued Michigan and Hawaii last May as part of Trump’s efforts to target state climate change initiatives, arguing that the actions complicate U.S. energy policy. Both states went ahead with their climate lawsuits anyway, and a federal judge in January dismissed DOJ’s complaint against Michigan.

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Gillmor echoed the Michigan decision, finding the federal government did not demonstrate a concrete injury.



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