Hawaii

Hawaii law enforcement ask lawmakers for staff and money to crack down on illegal fireworks

Published

11 months ago

January 8, 2025

Hawaii law enforcement ask lawmakers for staff and money to crack down on illegal fireworks

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii authorities on Tuesday asked lawmakers for $5.2 million to hire eight people and expand a forensic lab to crack down on the persistent rampant smuggling of illegal fireworks like those that killed four people and injured about 20 more at a Honolulu home on New Year’s Eve.

Jordan Lowe, the director of the state Department of Law Enforcement, outlined the funding request during hearings before House and Senate committees at the state Legislature. Last week’s deadly explosion highlighted the immense risks posed by illegal fireworks in Hawaii and put a spotlight on the department’s efforts to address contraband explosives.

Hawaii lawmakers will consider budget requests during their next legislative session due to begin on Jan. 15.

The state already has an Illegal Fireworks Task Force that the department formed in 2023 together with other state, city and federal agencies. So far it has seized 227,000 pounds (103,000 kilograms) of fireworks and two people have pleaded no contest to felony indictments resulting from its work.

Lowe told lawmakers his department’s contribution to the task force consists of two officers whose main job is handling narcotics enforcement. Whenever an operation is planned, the task force must pull personnel from the Honolulu Police Department, attorney general’s office and other agencies.

“The problem with that is it’s really not sustainable,” Lowe told the House Finance Committee.

He explained how after a seizure of 30,000 pounds (13,600 kilograms) of fireworks, for example, officers must unload a shipping container holding the contraband, prepare an inventory list, reload the explosives into a container and then transport it to storage. Only then do they track down who bought and sold the shipment and determine whether they are able to prosecute the case.

The eight positions requested for the proposed Explosives Enforcement Section include six investigators, one of whom will be an administrator, and two clerks.

About $2 million of the initial startup cost would be for the laboratory, where investigators can analyze seized explosives. Currently, Honolulu police have the only forensics lab in Hawaii certified to analyze fireworks composition and Lowe said it is already overwhelmed.

The department will need to lease space, obtain equipment and hire a criminalist or someone to analyze evidence for the lab, Lowe said. Investigators will need safety equipment and vehicles. The department will need storage space.

The department also wants to work with county fire departments to set up a unified fireworks permitting system which would help investigators with enforcement.

Lowe acknowledged that the pace of fireworks seizures has dropped sharply over the past year. The task force captured 187,000 pounds (85,000 kilograms) from early December 2023 through early January 2024 but then only 40,000 pounds (18,100 kilograms) the rest of last year. Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz asked if the task force was getting fewer tips from people working at the ports due to threats and whether authorities would need a new source of information. Lowe replied that was correct.

An X-ray or particle scanner would allow the task force to identify more fireworks entering Hawaii but such large-scale canners cost millions, Lowe said.

On Saturday, the department plans to sponsor an amnesty event at Aloha Stadium at which it will allow people to drop off illegal fireworks without the threat of punishment. It said the event offers a way to dispose of fireworks in a safe manner.

“Our first responders have witnessed the tragic consequences of illegal fireworks use,” said Honolulu Fire Chief Sheldon Hao said in a news release. “To ensure public safety, we can no longer ignore or diminish the serious and deadly dangers associated with illegal fireworks.”

Separately, the Honolulu medical examiner said the fourth person killed in the New Year’s explosion was Carmelita Beningno, age 61.

Audrey Mcavoy, The Associated Press

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Hawaii

Suspect apprehended during Thanksgiving restaurant robbery

Published

2 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Suspect apprehended during Thanksgiving restaurant robbery

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Police responded to an armed robbery call shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

According to police, a 36-year-old man entered a closed restaurant at 1910 Ala Moana Blvd. and allegedly pointed what appeared to be a handgun at two employees.

One employee was able to flee, but the second was reportedly assaulted and had her property taken.

Police officers arrived while the suspect was still at the scene and detained him.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree robbery.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or CrimeStoppers at 808-955-8300.

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Hawaii

Christopher Fujimoto

Published

20 hours ago

November 28, 2025

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Chef Chris is a Native Hawaiian Chef born and raised on the island of O’ahu, Hawai’i. Chef Chris grew up on the east side, in Kāneʻohe, and was taught from a young age to truly appreciate eating food directly from the ‘āina (land) and kai (sea), learning how to gather, fish, spear fish, and go torching from his father who was a huge influence on teaching him Hawaiian culture from a young age.

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Hawaii

Hawaii field goal kicker Matsuzawa had ‘humble beginnings’ | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Published

2 days ago

November 27, 2025

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Hawaii field goal kicker Matsuzawa had ‘humble beginnings’ | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Before the legend of the “Tokyo Toe,” before the hot-selling jersey with the surname in kanji, before the record streak and all those watch lists, there was the video.

Kansei Matsuzawa’s form needed polishing in 2022, and the competition at Hocking College was befitting of a junior college. But Matsuzawa’s powerful right leg was evident on highlight videos.

Thomas Sheffield, Hawaii’s special teams coordinator, learned of Japan-reared Matsuzawa’s back story of watching YouTube for pointers, practicing for hours at a community park, and pestering junior colleges for a shot.

UH already had a dependable kicker in Matthew Shipley.

“We always need kickers,” UH head coach Timmy Chang said.

In receiving permission to add Matsuzawa to the Warriors’ 2023 class as a preferred walk-on, Sheffield thought, “I liked his humble beginnings. I liked his story. I thought he’d fit really well inside our program.”

Most of all, as apparent from videos and recommendations, “he had leg power,” Sheffield said. “That’s why I brought him in. That’s why I recruited him.”

Matsuzawa did not participate in any games during the 2023 season. Soon after, Shipley announced he was entering the transfer portal, eventually transferring to Arkansas. After an impressive spring training and offseason workouts, Matsuzawa was named as Shipley’s successor.

“I always projected him to start at some point in his career,” Sheffield said. “He was always, in my head, the replacement for Matt Shipley. He was always the next one in line for me.”

Last year, Matsuzawa converted on 12 of 16 field-goal attempts, slightly short of Shipley’s 14 of 18 in 2023.

“I wasn’t happy with my stats and how I spent the season,” Matsuzawa said.

Sheffield said: “I always knew he could be better than 75%.”

In January, Sheffield brought in former TCU kicker Caleb Sempebwa — along with his long-snapper Jax Thompson — to challenge for the starting kicker’s job. Sempebwa and Thompson left UH at the end of the spring semester.

Sheffield then signed James Madison transfer Jack Mowrey, who was once the nation’s most highly rated high school long-snapper. After several auditions, Matsuzawa chose backup quarterback Caleb Freeman as his holder.

The snap-hold-kick operation had glitches in player-run practices during the summer. They decided Matsuzawa would be more comfortable if Freeman received the snap eight yards from the line of scrimmage instead of the conventional seven yards. Mowrey’s 40-mph, laces-out snaps compensated for the extra yard.

Matsuzawa “just found a (pre-snap) routine that works for him,” Sheffield said. “We tweaked the little things in his kicking form. For him, it was mostly finding what works for him, and the routine from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed.”

With guidance from a sports psychologist, Matusuzawa has silenced what he called the outside “noise.” That includes the Manoa mist, Colorado State’s slippery turf, Air Force’s thin air, and that recent on-line chatter, including talk of a Heisman Trophy candidacy.

“I never get too excited or too low,” Matsuzawa said. “Every time I (aim for) the middle, and focus on doing my job. We focus on the process and the results.”

Matsuzawa’s 23 field-goal attempts are the most by a UH kicker since Tyler Hadden went 18-for-23 in 2014.

Sheffield figured Matsuzawa would connect on 85-90% of his field-goal attempts.

“I didn’t know he would be 100% at this point of the season,” Sheffield said. “He works hard. He does a lot of mental training with a sports psychologist. Those all play a factor. At the end of the day, it’s his discipline and his love for football.”

Matsuzawa said: “I just do my routines, small things right every day. Don’t skip the process. I never get bored with what I’m doing.”

Matsuzawa and punter Billy Gowers are advocates of stretching. After flights to and from road trips, they will stretch in hotel foyers or at Ching field.

“We have to take care of our bodies,” Matsuzawa said.

Matsuzawa also finds inspiration from campus life.

“Just spend the time in the facility longer,” he said. “I don’t like to go home. Once you go home, it’s done. It’s not easy to do something at home. I wake up early for practice and stay longer, as long as I can, and do something every day.”

WYOMING COWBOYS (4-7, 2-5 MWC) AT HAWAII RAINBOW WARRIORS (7-4, 4-3)

When/Where: 6 p.m. Saturday / Ching Complex • TV: Spectrum Sports • Radio: 1420-AM / 92.7-FM • Line: UH by 71

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