Hawaii weighs license plate readers, later bar hours, and Paramount-Warner layoffs
Hawaii is debating new surveillance cameras and later bar closing times, while the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger threatens thousands of entertainment jobs.
- Hawaii Island is considering automated license plate readers to help police solve crime, with community meetings planned before any cameras go up.
- Police say the data gets deleted after 90 days, but the ACLU wants privacy protections written into state law.
- The Honolulu Liquor Commission is testing licenses letting some Oahu bars serve until 4 a.m.; businesses like it, while police and Waikiki groups fear more fights and drunk driving.
- Day one of the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger brought a warning to staff about layoffs, with $6 billion in cost cuts targeted and an estimated 4,500 film and TV jobs lost in Los Angeles over three years.
- Movie memorabilia is hitting the auction block, including the axe from The Shining, expected to fetch more than $50,000.
Outlook: Expect public hearings on the cameras and bar hours in the coming weeks, and more layoff news out of the merged studio.