Hawaii

Family recalls ‘worst nightmare’ as second death tied to mainland facility caring for Hawaii mental patients

Published

1 month ago

February 3, 2026

Family recalls ‘worst nightmare’ as second death tied to mainland facility caring for Hawaii mental patients

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii News Now has learned of another mental patient death tied to a mainland facility contracted by the state health department.

Curtis Panoke was sent to the Columbia Regional Care Center from the state hospital in 2010 after multiple assaults. In 2016, other patients there beat him into a coma and he died last year.

His family is suing the facility and the state.

Hawaii News Now learned of Panoke’s death while investigating the suicide of a Kauai man named Payton Hough at that same facility.

Kauai man’s troubled path

Hough was born and raised on Kauai, but his life ended in an institution thousands of miles away. His story reveals weaknesses in how the state handles people with mental illness.

Growing up in Hanalei, “we spent so much time on the beach, always fishing, going down to the beach, camping, crabbing,” said Tanisha Baker, Hough’s sister.

“He was just so caring and compassionate and very warm,” Baker said.

Hough, who they called Makana, was a skateboarder and skilled with electronics at school.

“He came in there when the rest of the techs couldn’t get the computers up online. He went in there and troubleshooted and got it up online,” said Payton Hough Sr.

Traumatic incident triggers decline

Hough’s family believes his descent into mental illness began with an incident in Kilauea.

Michael Ebinger, who went to prison for killing a man on the same property in 1983, confronted Hough and a friend with a gun and machete.

Ebinger committed suicide the day the boys were to testify.

“When that happened, there was a change. There was a definite change in the way that he was processing things, the way that he was communicating,” his father said.

By his 20s, Hough was severely mentally ill, often homeless and on drugs. In 2013, he was arrested on a burglary charge, then acquitted and committed to the state hospital in Kaneohe.

The family maintained ties.

“We would send him letters and cards and books and a Bible and pictures of us, just to remind him that we love him, we miss him,” Baker said.

Brief improvement, then setback

As doctors adjusted his medications, Hough improved and eventually was released to a bed at Kahi Mohala and allowed to begin living in the community.

“It was like night and day. It was like, wow, son, you’re doing so good, and he would feel good, and he would be very energetic and want to do things,” his father said.

But on Halloween 2019, during a visit to the probation office at Circuit Court in Honolulu, he was accused of assaulting a sheriff.

Documents say he was taken back to the hospital, but within days he was in Oahu Community Correctional Center’s mental health module, sharing a cell with 56-year-old Jacob Russell, who he considered a friend.

Later, he told his family he couldn’t handle the close quarters.

“‘Dad, I needed space.’ He was constantly pleading for help and wanting to be heard, and they would not listen to his concerns,” his father said.

Hough lashed out against Russell in a beating court records say included multiple stomps to Russell’s head and neck area. Russell died on Christmas.

Hough was acquitted again because of mental illness, but would never leave custody again. His connection to his family deteriorated so much they called police to check on him in the hospital.

Family cut off from contact

“After I did that, things changed. Things changed. That’s when things… They shut us down completely,” his father said.

Sometime in 2024, the family learned that Hough was no longer in Hawaii. He had been transferred to the 347-bed Columbia Regional Care Center in South Carolina, a converted jail.

It happened without notice to his attorney and without any record in the courts.

The Hawaii Health Department has contracted the facility to take in the most violent of its mental patients.

Other than a brief Zoom call around Christmas, the family was denied access to Hough.

“We were fighting for him,” said his mother, Zina Hough.

“It was like they were trying to erase his voice,” said Hough Sr.

Pastor denied access

Kauai pastor Gregory Poole offered to help. He is from South Carolina and had prison ministry experience.

“I’d always had good success to basically be able to go visit as a pastor and check on that particular individual,” Poole said.

His calls were ignored. He showed up at the facility in September and was denied access to Hough, but his doctor told him things were going well and he was doing well.

“So I actually left the facility that day being very encouraged,” Poole said.

But two days before Thanksgiving, the Columbia County coroner called the family to say Hough had committed suicide.

“We were devastated. Our whole world fell apart. Our worst nightmare, the thing we’ve been trying to prevent from happening happened,” Baker said.

“While on watch, on suicide watch, he was supposed to be watched every 30 minutes, and he wasn’t,” his father said.

“It could have been different. If we could just tell him, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about you. We’re praying for you. We’re gonna come visit,’” Baker said.

“It’s tragic. There’s just no other way to say it,” Poole said.

State offers limited support

Adding to the family’s trauma, the state only offered one plane ticket for someone to collect Hough’s ashes.

They put up a GoFundMe so the family could go.

“How is one person going to go over there and pick up the remains of our son when we’re such a tight-knit family? How could the grieving process be laid on just one when it’s all, we’re all family? We’re ohana,” his father said through tears.

The state health department said it cannot discuss any individual patient, even if deceased, but said, “If the patient consents to allow family member(s) involvement in their care…. the department encourages family support and involvement in their loved ones’ care.”

The department says it currently has seven patients in South Carolina, but did not say how many have been sent over the years.

“Our plan is to bring him back back here to Hanalei Bay, where he’s been trying to get back to for years, and we’re going to do a celebration of life and scatter his ashes in Hanalei Bay,” Baker said.

While Hough may finally rest, the family won’t. The Columbia Regional Care Center did not respond to questions.

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Hawaii

First Alert Forecast: Time to prepare is now, severe storm approaching

Published

10 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

First Alert Forecast: Time to prepare is now, severe storm approaching

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – If you liked the weather yesterday, you can pretty much copy and paste that onto today’s forecast. It’ll be another nice day with a mix of clouds and sunshine. However, this morning, unstable clouds are moving into the windward slopes of the islands, bringing showers to mountain areas.

That will change as a really strong low-pressure system moves toward the islands and strengthens as the week goes on, with tomorrow (Monday) being a transition day. This is a serious storm system for Hawaii that will start impacting us on Tuesday and last through the weekend, bringing heavy flooding, strong and gusty winds, thunderstorms that could become severe, and five days of winter weather for the summits and higher slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

A great tool to have is our First Alert Weather App and interactive radar.

Rain/Thunderstorms

Even though the storm center is hundreds of miles away, its effects are already being felt. Thunderstorm bands are forming 500 to 700 miles from the storm’s center, and high-level clouds with embedded thunderstorms are already showing up just 150 to 250 miles west of Kauai. A super-strong jet stream (a fast-moving air current) is pushing these storm bands toward Hawaii. A Flood Watch may be issued this afternoon.

Ensemble models are in good agreement on the track and intensity of this storm. The combination of tropical moisture moving north and the way the upper atmosphere is set up will create deep, organized thunderstorms that will bring heavy showers throughout the islands. The first few days of rain will completely soak the ground. Once the soil is saturated, even lighter rain will quickly turn into runoff and cause flooding. That means the flooding threat actually gets worse later in the week, not better. Heavy rain starting Tuesday will bring 4 to 12 inches of rainfall statewide over the next five days.

Wind

Starting Tuesday, winds will shift to blow from the south and southwest as the storm system approaches. These winds will get progressively stronger through the week. By Friday through Sunday, the winds will be dangerous — strong enough to knock down trees, especially on the northern and eastern slopes of the islands’ mountains. A High Wind Advisory or High Wind Warning is likely to be issued.

The heavy rain earlier in the week will soak the ground and weaken tree root systems. When the strong winds hit, these weakened trees will be more likely to fall. Falling trees and branches will likely knock down power lines, causing power outages across the state.

On top of the strong winds, severe thunderstorms will develop as tropical moisture and southerly winds collide. These storms could be dangerous, with:

Damaging wind gusts
Very heavy rainfall
Dangerous lightning

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch may be issued at some point during this event.

High-elevation snow and ice, along with stronger winds, are also expected over the highest elevations of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on Hawaii Island. These conditions will likely limit road access to the observatories at summit level. Winter Storm Warnings are likely to be issued for those areas later this week.

Download HNN’s weather app for everything you need to plan your day.(Hawaii News Now)

Surf

Expect choppy conditions on east-facing shores today, then calmer surf for most of the week. North and west shores will see small, steady waves, while south-facing shores will turn rough and choppy starting Tuesday.

Get 10-minute weather updates, plus your 7-day forecast on Hawaii News Now Sunrise every weekday morning from 4:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. HST with Guy Hagi and team. Meteorologist Drew Davis will have your updates in the midday and early evenings and then Meteorologist Jennifer Robbins at 4 p.m. until 7 p.m; then at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Hawaii News Now. Also on weekend mornings with Billy V & weekend nights with Ben Gutierrez.

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Hawaii County Weather Forecast for March 08, 2026 | Big Island Now

Published

22 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Hawaii County Weather Forecast for March 08, 2026 | Big Island Now

Hilo

Tonight: Cloudy with numerous showers. Lows 57 to 67 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph shifting to the southwest after midnight. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Sunday: Cloudy with numerous showers. Highs around 77 near the shore to around 63 at 4000 feet. East winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy. Scattered showers in the evening, then numerous showers after midnight. Lows 57 to 66 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Kona

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Isolated showers in the evening. Haze through the night. Lows around 69 near the shore to 45 to 50 near 5000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. Haze through the day. Scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs 80 to 85 near the shore to around 65 near 5000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 40 percent.

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Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. Scattered showers in the evening, then isolated showers after midnight. Haze through the night. Lows around 69 near the shore to 44 to 50 near 5000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Waimea

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Breezy. Isolated showers in the evening, then scattered showers after midnight. Lows 59 to 69 near the shore to 51 to 59 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Sunday: Breezy. Mostly sunny with scattered showers. Highs around 77 near the shore to 66 to 75 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 58 to 68 near the shore to 51 to 58 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Kohala

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Sunday: Breezy. Mostly sunny with scattered showers. Highs around 77 near the shore to 66 to 75 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 58 to 68 near the shore to 51 to 58 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

South Big Island

Tonight: Breezy. Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Haze. Lows around 72 near the shore to around 51 near 5000 feet. Northeast winds 10 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. Breezy. Isolated showers in the morning, then scattered showers in the afternoon. Haze through the day. Highs around 82 near the shore to around 64 near 5000 feet. East winds 10 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers in the evening, then partly cloudy with isolated showers after midnight. Haze through the night. Lows around 71 near the shore to around 52 near 5000 feet. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Puna

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Tonight: Cloudy with numerous showers. Lows 57 to 67 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph shifting to the southwest after midnight. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Sunday: Cloudy with numerous showers. Highs around 77 near the shore to around 63 at 4000 feet. East winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Waikoloa

Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows 68 to 73 near the shore to 46 to 52 above 4000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. Isolated showers in the morning, then scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs around 82 near the shore to 63 to 70 above 4000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph shifting to the northwest in the afternoon. Gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. Scattered showers in the evening, then isolated showers after midnight. Lows around 70 near the shore to 46 to 52 above 4000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Synopsis

The high pressure ridge north of the islands will weaken through Monday as a strong cut off low pressure system deepens near the dateline. Wind directions will veer more southeasterly on Monday, then strengthening southerly winds from Tuesday onward. This next system is extremely strong for the Hawaii region and dangerous impacts are likely to develop statewide through much of next week. A combination of flooding, strong and gusty southerly winds, thunderstorms, and Big Island summit level snow and ice will threaten Hawaii from Tuesday through next weekend. Island by island impacts will be driven by both large scale troughs and smaller scale thunderstorm bands over the entire duration of this severe weather event.

Short term update

The satellite imagery this evening shows a strong low pressure system deepening near the International Dateline, drifting slowly towards the Hawaiian Islands. A significant band of thunderstorms continues to develop roughly 500 to 700 miles east to southeast of the low’s center. A band of high level clouds even farther away from the low, shows embedded thunderstorms already developing within 200 to 300 miles west of Kauai.
Closer to the Hawaiian Islands we see some unstable cumulus clouds moving in from the east, producing periods of showers along the eastern slopes of the Big Island and Maui. These showers will bring a brief increase in clouds and showers to all islands through the early morning hours.

Previous discussion

Issued at 429 PM HST Sat Mar 7 2026
Stable weather conditions this afternoon as the islands remain under the subtle influence of weak surface ridging located just west of the state. The pressure gradient downstream of a large 1038 mb high has been taunt enough to produce breezy trades in the 10 to 20 mph range, occasionally exceeding 25 mph in gust through notoriously windy passages/valleys. Today’s rain behavior was very light and spotty and confined to windward or interior upper terrain where the 24 hour rain accumulation winner was unsurprisingly Mt. Waialeale on Kauai with 1.25 inches. Overnight conditions will be mainly clear leeward, partially to overcast windward with the infrequent quick-hitting light trade shower. Tomorrow will be very similar to today as it relates to wind, cloud coverage and rain chances. The only minor change will the slightly greater coverage of measurable primarily windward rain as the boundary layer moistens up. The pattern begins to undergo change Monday, especially from Oahu westward, as a developing upper trough and its associated features begin to evolve far west northwest of the state.
Weather will undergo change late Monday as a deep upper level trough develops and deepens southward northwest of the islands. The trough will move east very slowly and begin to exhibit a negative tilt going into the middle of next week. This will initiate the next weather event that, because of its slow movement, will likely hang on for multiple days. The main threats will be periods of heavy rain that will create flash flooding, produce strong or severe storms and strong kona winds. NWP guidance indicates a strong jet streak nosing in from the west at mid week, along with a splitting jet with the base of the trough positioned over the western half of the state. The vicinity of the jet’s more (upper difluent) left exit region may promote enhanced large scale ascent that is typically required for thunderstorm development. Along with this jet forcing, passing shortwave disturbances rotating around the base of the trough and cooling mid to upper layers, will be the ingredients that will increase chances for organized convection through mid to late week. Falling surface pressures northwest of the state will create a pressure pattern that will support strengthening south to southeast (kona) statewide winds. This will pull up a plume of rich tropical moisture across the region. As the trough lifts slowly northeast, very high precipitable water values of over 1.7 inches over the western islands Tuesday will expand east across the remainder of the state through Wednesday.
Lowering height falls, cooling air aloft, and increasing deep- layer shear will favor episodes of heavy rainfall with embedded thunderstorms. Broad south-southeast confluent flow running parallel with the upper terrain could support training and anchored convection. The potential for significant flooding remains alive through late in the week if and when heavier rain persists over the same locals (similar to what occurred over the Koolaus a couple of weeks ago). Flooding impacts could become more pronounced over time as soils become saturated and stream / reservoir levels rise. In addition to the flooding threat, thunderstorms could become strong, possibly severe, by the middle of next week. Another threat will be strong southerly winds atop ridge tops and along leeward slopes. Downslope winds Wednesday could become strong enough to throw light weight objects about, knock out power, cause minor structure damage, break off tree limbs and fall weaker rooted trees. Please monitor subsequent forecasts through Monday as details regarding the exact timing and location of the heaviest rain and strongest wind come into better focus.

Aviation

Issued at 845 PM HST Sat Mar 7 2026
East southeast flow across Hawaii is expected to slightly weaken tomorrow. Scattered clouds will move in and bringing SHRA over southeast areas. MVFR conds possible in SHRA, otherwise VFR conds prevail.
AIRMET Sierra for mtn obsc is in effect for windward locations of Kauai, Oahu, Maui and The Big Island.
AIRMET Tango in effect for mod turb blw 080 downwind slopes (south across northwest facing). Expect this AIRMET to drop off in the morning. Directional LLWS possible at the PHOG/OGG runway Sunday afternoon.

Marine

Issued at 429 PM HST Sat Mar 7 2026
Strong high pressure far northeast of the state will maintain fresh to strong trade winds through the rest of the weekend, with the strongest winds over the central and eastern coastal waters (with the exception of Maalaea Bay). A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for these areas through 6 pm Sunday, though this may need to be extended for the typically windy channels and waters of Maui County and the Big Island through Sunday night. A front approaching from the west will ease the trades and shift them southeasterly on Monday, with the winds then becoming southerly and increasing to fresh to strong levels Tuesday through the rest of the week.
Surf along east facing shores will remain elevated and choppy through the rest of the weekend, trend downward on Monday, then lower below normal levels Tuesday through late next week.
A series of west-northwest swells will keep some small surf in place along north and west facing shores during the next 7 days, but surf will remain well below advisory levels. A small to moderate sized north swell is possible around Thursday and Friday of next week.
Surf along south-facing shores will remain small, with the exception of areas exposed to trade wind swell wrap. Rough and choppy conditions will develop Tuesday and continue through late week as southerly winds increase in advance of a front. A series of small long period south swells will also move through Monday through late week.

HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories

Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST Sunday for Alenuihaha Channel, Big Island Leeward Waters, Big Island Southeast Waters, Big Island Windward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County Leeward Waters, Maui County Windward Waters, Oahu Windward Waters, Pailolo Channel.

Big Island Now Weather is brought to you by Blue Hawaiian Helicopters.

Check out their Big Island Helicopter Tours today!

Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov

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Hawaii

People Power Hawaii festival remembers pivotal Marcos ouster in Philippines’ history

Published

1 day ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

People Power Hawaii festival remembers pivotal Marcos ouster in Philippines’ history

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – This year marks 40 years since the People Power Revolution ousted former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., from office in the Philippines, and Honolulu’s Filipino community is using art to preserve that history.

The People Power Hawaii month-long art festival is raising awareness about the historic peace movement and bringing the Filipino community together through art rooted in collective trauma and history.

“Art can inspire action, you want to tell people that something matters,” said Dianne Deauna, a board member of the Hawaii Filipinos for Truth, Justice, and Democracy, and organizer of the panel and art gallery. “If we don’t prioritize sharing these stories and capturing that history, we lose our most potent weapon against forces that try to erase us, and divide us, our heritage.”

The People Power Revolution consisted of a four-day, non-violent uprising in the Philippines in February 1986 that ended Marcos’ 20-year rule. It followed public outrage over his rule under martial law, electoral fraud and the assassination of opposition candidate Benigno Aquino Jr. Democracy advocates and Marcos’ dissenters held demonstrations, protesting corruption and persecution under the Marcos administration. Marcos and his family fled to Honolulu, where he lived in exile for three years, and died in 1989.

The month-long art festival opened with Pagalala’t Pakikibaka (Memory in Art), an artists’ panel and gallery event, at the Hawaii State Library, offering a historical view into the Marcos era of the Philippines and his time in Honolulu. It also included a People Power Hawaii Concert.

A new theater play called Indigo Child will be shown at The Actors’ Group (TAG) Brad Powell Theater at Dole Cannery on March 10, 11, 17 and 18.

The theater play follows the story of a mother and son and their psychological aftermath of martial law in the Philippines.

“It’s a warning, against political, historical revisionism and unexamined history,” said Emmanuele Mante, the organizer of the Indigo Child play. “It’s also a form of ethical and political act.”

People Power Hawaii 2026 is organized by the Hawaii Filipinos for Truth, Justice, and Democracy (HFTJD) and brought by the Filipino-American Historical Society of Hawaii (FAHSOH), Filipino Association of University Women (FAUW), and the Center for Philippine Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

For more information, head to People Power Hawaii 2026.

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