Island Life Live: Honolulu weighs ads on Skyline trains, congressional race forum, and OHA's military lease documentary
A packed local news hour out of Honolulu, mixing a transit funding squeeze, a tight congressional race, and a major land-rights debate that could reshape Hawaii.
- Honolulu's transit system costs far more to run than it brings in, so the City Council is weighing ads on the outside of Skyline trains and buses to help close the gap.
- The Congressional District 2 race between Jill Tokuda and Brenton Awa is heating up, with Native Hawaiian rights and federal lawsuits as the central fight.
- Nearly all the military's 65-year leases on Hawaii public trust lands expire within two years, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is pushing for public input on what happens next.
- OHA is not asking the military to leave, but wants a balance between defense, the economy, and protecting land and culture.
- Paramount's $81 billion merger with Warner Brothers Discovery could eventually combine Paramount Plus and HBO Max, though they would still trail Netflix badly on subscribers.
Outlook: The lease decisions and the District 2 race will dominate Hawaii's political conversation over the next two years, and the ad bill moves on for further review.