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Hara to retire as adjutant general for Hawaii

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Hara to retire as adjutant general for Hawaii


Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, adjutant general for the state of Hawaii, who serves as commander of the Hawaii National Guard and director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, will resign from his post on Oct. 1 and retire from the military on Nov. 1, bringing to an end a distinguished 40-year career in the military.


What You Need To Know

  • Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, adjutant general for the state of Hawaii, who serves as commander of the Hawaii National Guard and director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, will resign from his post on Oct. 1
  • The governor has selected Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan to replace Hara
  • Logan currently serves as deputy adjutant general for Hawaii and commander of the Hawaii Army National Guard 

“Throughout his entire career, Maj. Gen. Hara led by example, providing a steady hand through some of the most challenging times in the history of our state and nation,” Gov. Josh Green said in a statement released on Friday. “I can say with confidence that the state of Hawaii is better because of Maj. Gen. Hara’s dedicated service, commitment, and sacrifices. I wish him all the best in retirement.”

Green has selected Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan to replace Hara. Logan currently serves as deputy adjutant general for Hawaii and commander of the Hawaii Army National Guard. 

“He is a key component of the Hawaii National Guard’s success and his appointment as Adjutant General marks another historic milestone in a storied military career,” Green said of Logan. 

As adjutant general, Logan will serve as the commander of the Hawaii National Guard and director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. He will be responsible for daily operations and oversee approximately 5,600 Army and Air National Guard service members which includes approximately 2,100 full-time federal and state employees. Brig. Gen. Logan’s appointment is pending state Senate confirmation.

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The Hawaii Department of Defense will conduct an official change of responsibility ceremony on Oct. 1.

“I am grateful and proud to have served with the extraordinary members of the state of Hawaii, Department of Defense, who accomplished every assigned state and federal mission during extremely challenging times,” Hara said. “And I have full faith and confidence in Brig. Gen. Steve Logan and know that he will successfully lead the department into the future.”

Hara, served on combat deployments to Baghdad, Iraq; Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; and Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was appointed adjutant general in Dec. 2019.

Hara served as the state’s overall incident commander from 2020 to 2023 during the COVID-19 pandemic response. He again served as the state’s incident commander for the Maui wildfire response.

Logan, a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan, has been the deputy adjutant general since Dec. 2019 and commander of the Hawaii Army National Guard since Oct. 2021. He most recently served as the dual status commander of the Hawaii National Guard’s Joint Task Force 50, which was activated in response to the 2023 Maui wildfire disaster.

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“I’m truly honored and humbled to be selected as the adjutant general for the state of Hawaii and extremely proud to be a member of Gov. Green’s Cabinet,” Logan said. “I also want to thank the dedicated efforts of the many great leaders who’ve held this post before me, most notably Maj. Gen. Hara for his decisive leadership through these challenging times.”

Logan grew up on Oahu and enlisted as an infantry soldier in the Hawaii Army National Guard during his senior year in high school. He commissioned through the Guard’s Officer Candidate School and later attended the U.S. Army’s Initial Entry Rotary Wing Training Course. He flew both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft for almost 30 years and has served in the military for more than 40 years.

Prior to being selected as the State Army Aviation Officer, Logan was a traditional National Guard soldier holding positions in the Honolulu Police Department. He retired as a metropolitan police lieutenant in 2004.



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Hearings set for men charged in attempted murder case – Hawaii Tribune-Herald

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Hearings set for men charged in attempted murder case – Hawaii Tribune-Herald






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4,000 troops lose air conditioning in Hawaii

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4,000 troops lose air conditioning in Hawaii


Mechanical problems with a water treatment plant in Hawaii have left thousands of soldiers without central air conditioning in the barracks, a spokesman for U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii confirmed Tuesday in a statement to Military Times.

Four thousand soldiers in Area North Barracks are opening windows, turning on fans or using other tools to beat the heat while the base grapples with pump issues.

On July 10, deep-well pumps supporting Army installations in central and northern Oahu started experiencing problems.

According to the garrison, only one pump is currently pushing water to the surface. To maintain essential water services, water chiller systems have been turned off. Without the chiller systems — which make up almost 40% of the daily water use — the barracks do not receive central air conditioning. The incident was initially reported by Task & Purpose.

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According to the National Weather Service, temperatures for the remainder of the week range from the mid-70s to the upper-80s.

Units are able to move troops to MWR facilities with central air conditioning, according to the service, but as of Sunday, no units had done so.

Repairs are underway, but an exact timeline for when the pumps will be fully functional again was not provided.

The cause of the issues has not been definitively identified, however “age and extreme heat due to ventilation system repairs are believed to be part of the cause,” said Nathan Wilkes, the garrison’s external communications chief.

The installation is prioritizing keeping safe drinking water available.

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Barracks and residential housing have access to drinkable water, and plumbing and sanitation systems are operational. Wilkes also said the installation has paused irrigation systems pulling from Area North water supply.

Family housing still has air conditioning and water access, Wilkes added.

The garrison’s commander, Col. Rachel Sullivan, was scheduled to host a town hall on the installation’s Facebook page on Tuesday.

Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.



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Hilo woman killed in Kona traffic crash – West Hawaii Today

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Hilo woman killed in Kona traffic crash – West Hawaii Today


A 21-year-old Hilo woman died as the result of a three-vehicle traffic collision Sunday night on Alii Drive in Kailua-Kona.

Officers responded to a 9:28 p.m. report of a head-on collision near the north end of Kahaluu Beach Park.

Their preliminary investigation determined that the woman, Hinanui T. Starr-Boyle, was driving a gray 2012 Toyota Tacoma northbound at a high-rate of speed for the area.

While passing another northbound vehicle in a no-passing zone, the Tacoma crossed into the southbound lane and collided head-on with a silver 2010 Nissan Frontier pickup truck driven by a 20-year-old Holualoa man.

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Following the initial collision, the Nissan Frontier continued onto the makai shoulder of the roadway, where it struck a parked tan Ford Econoline van.

Starr-Boyle was pronounced dead at 10:17 p.m. at Kona Community Hospital. Her passenger, a 25-year-old Hilo man, and the driver of the Nissan were admitted to KCH. Both were listed in stable condition.

The driver of the Nissan was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

None of the people involved in the collision were wearing seat belts, and speed and impairment are believed to be contributing factors in the crash, police said.

Starr-Boyle’s death is the 18th traffic fatality on Hawaii Island in 2026, compared to 14 at the same time last year.

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Potential witnesses or anyone with video camera footage from the area around the time of the crash are asked to contact Officer John Harvey at (808) 326-4646, ext. 3229, or john.harvey@hawaiicounty.gov.

Those who prefer anonymity may contact Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.





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