Series

Not So Public

March 2025

Tuesday, March 11

Not So Public: Why Does UH’s New President Need A $250,000 Adviser?

January 2021

Friday, January 29

Civil Beat Sues Honolulu Police To Make Officer Overtime Data Public

May 2020

Friday, May 1

Information Lockdown At Hawaii Labor Department Stymies Coronavirus Stories

March 2020

Wednesday, March 4

Honolulu Agrees To Post Financial Disclosures Online

Monday, March 2

Honolulu Ethics Commission Scrubs Financial Disclosures From Website

March 2019

Thursday, March 14

Names, Ranks And Salaries Of Honolulu Cops Are Still Secret

January 2019

Wednesday, January 16

Education Officials Are Keeping Teacher Misconduct A Secret

June 2017

Tuesday, June 20

How HART Tried — And Failed — To Keep Rail Records Secret

December 2016

Thursday, December 8

State Hides Work History Of Former Cop Charged With Sex Assault

October 2016

Monday, October 31

Hawaii Prison Officials Say It Will Cost $23,000 For Public Records

September 2016

Thursday, September 29

What Happens When A Cop Goes On Desk Duty?

May 2016

Monday, May 9

What’s The Honolulu Board of Water Supply Trying To Hide?

April 2016

Tuesday, April 19

Not So Public: Hey DLNR, We’re Still Waiting For That Info On Commercial Tours

Tuesday, April 5

Why Was Ethics Director Suspended? Report Offers Few Details

April 2013

Friday, April 12

Not So Public: Hawaii Withholds Prison Death Records, Gets Sued

July 2012

Wednesday, July 11

Not So Public: Open Records Agency Takes Up Our Appeal, 1 Year Later

March 2012

Monday, March 19

Not So Public: Recipients of Hawaii Film Tax Credits Under Wraps

Wednesday, March 7

Not So Public: When Emails Brought Down Hawaii Official

February 2012

Saturday, February 18

Not So Public: Auditor Stonewalled On Prison Job

Tuesday, February 14

Not So Public: Hawaii Agency Wants $123,000 To Review Records

Convicted Hawaiʻi Lawmaker’s Emails Were Deleted When He Left Office David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

Convicted Hawaiʻi Lawmaker’s Emails Were Deleted When He Left Office

Civil Beat requested emails ex-Rep. Ty Cullen and Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke exchanged with a lobbyist. Requests were denied because the accounts were deleted.

A Fight During Work Hours Wasn’t Enough To Get This City Inspector Fired Department of Planning and Permitting/2025

A Fight During Work Hours Wasn’t Enough To Get This City Inspector Fired

Honolulu hired Bryan Porcello despite at least eight convictions, and only fired him after his arrest for allegedly bailing a woman out of jail for sex. Heavily blacked-out documents make it difficult to see what was the last straw for the city.

Not So Public: City Officials Mum On HPD Chief Request For Extra Cash Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Not So Public: City Officials Mum On HPD Chief Request For Extra Cash

Soon-to-be retired Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan says he wants to be paid for two more years to cover retiring sooner than he’d anticipated.

Civil Beat Sues Honolulu Police To Make Officer Overtime Data Public Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2020

Civil Beat Sues Honolulu Police To Make Officer Overtime Data Public

HPD has refused to hand over information that is routinely shared in other cities.

Information Lockdown At Hawaii Labor Department Stymies Coronavirus Stories Ronen Zilberman/Civil Beat/2020

Information Lockdown At Hawaii Labor Department Stymies Coronavirus Stories

Civil Beat tried to pursue stories about workers in unsafe conditions or denied workers’ compensation claims, but the state labor department says it’s too busy to answer questions.

Honolulu Agrees To Post Financial Disclosures Online Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2019

Honolulu Agrees To Post Financial Disclosures Online

The city decided to make the forms more easily available following a Civil Beat report earlier this week.

Honolulu Ethics Commission Scrubs Financial Disclosures From Website Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2016

Honolulu Ethics Commission Scrubs Financial Disclosures From Website

The records are now only available for inspection at Honolulu Hale and officials are charging for copies — even if that’s just taking photos with your phone.

Names, Ranks And Salaries Of Honolulu Cops Are Still Secret Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2013

Names, Ranks And Salaries Of Honolulu Cops Are Still Secret

Legal challenges from Hawaii’s police union have prevented the public release of the identities of almost 2,000 sworn officers.