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🌱 Patch AM: Why can a once-excluded HART board member finally enter closed meetings?

Also check out Christmas Morning Breakfast with Santa on the Honolulu Patch calendar

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Greetings Honolulu! We’re your go-to source for what’s happening in town. Read on to get plugged in! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Why can a once-excluded HART board member finally enter closed meetings?
  • Why Honolulu’s oldest bar is finally closing after 91 colorful years
  • How a Honolulu “Giving Tree” brightened Christmas for homeless keiki

Also on today's calendar: Christmas Morning Breakfast with Santa.

Find out what's happening in Honolulufor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did the little needle say to the mother needle when it brought home a failing report card? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Honolulufor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Thursday: Times of clouds and sun, with a high of 80 and low of 71 degrees.
  • Friday: Sunshine and some clouds, temps: high: 81, low: 65.
  • Saturday: Sun followed by clouds, with a high of 80 and low of 66 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. HART board revises closed-door meeting policy (staradvertiser.com) — Honolulu’s rail board, HART, has revised its confidentiality rules so nonvoting member Natalie Iwasa can finally join closed-door executive sessions on the city’s multibillion-dollar rail project. Under new chair Kika Bukoski, all members now sign a single, less-punitive agreement, and Iwasa plans to push for a dedicated anti-fraud policy to boost transparency and accountability for Honolulu taxpayers.
   

2. Aloha, Smitty's: It's the End of an Era at Smith's Union Bar (honolulumagazine.com) — Honolulu’s oldest bar, Smith’s Union Bar on Hotel Street, is closing after 91 years, ending a beloved gathering place in Chinatown once tied to sailors, jazz clubs, and the city’s red-light district. Regulars are packing in for final drinks as the lease ends and safety concerns mount, marking a poignant moment in the neighborhood’s ongoing gentrification.
   

3. Giving Tree brings holiday magic to hundreds of homeless keiki in Hawaiʻi (kitv.com) — Hundreds of homeless keiki in Honolulu are getting toys, clothes, bikes, and gift cards this Christmas through Family Promise of Hawaii’s Giving Tree partnership with Hawaiian Electric Industries, Hawaii Life Flight, and Nuʻuanu Congregational Church. With family homelessness up 20% in two years and calls for help surging, organizers say these gifts offer both immediate relief and hope for long-term stability.
   

4. Kamehameha Schools changes its tuition policy to protect trust against lawsuit (kitv.com) — Kamehameha Schools, based in Honolulu, will make tuition free for all students statewide starting in 2026, pending probate court approval, to help protect its Native Hawaiian–focused admissions policy from legal challenges. Supporters say removing tuition strengthens the argument that education is a charitable gift, though some worry it could make admission even more competitive for local families.
   

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Mahalo to the honest shopper behind me at Safeway Hawaii Kai Self-Checkout… who found my tub of PAID FOR Salmon Poke and turned it in to Guest services.
    I got home after a maniacal day of last- minute Christmas shopping and post office dealings and could not find the special lunch I treated myself to… (Nextdoor Kuliouou)
  • UPDATE: Reunited with Owner!!
    Found dog, black female Pomeranian on Pahoa Ave near Kahala Elementary A member of our Kahala-Diamond Head Neighborhood Security Watch (NSW) found… (Nextdoor Kahala)
  • Halekulani Hotel posted a job opening for Front Services - Front Services Clerk (Part-Time) in Honolulu. Apply here.
  • UFC Gym posted a job opening for Front Desk Opener in Honolulu. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Honolulu here.

Ok Honolulu! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I guess I’m not as sharp as I thought.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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