'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano

Hawaii News Now
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Crime, corruption, scandal. You won't find it in the travel brochures or on the postcards, but life in Hawaii isn't always paradise. In this podcast from Hawaii News Now chief investigative reporter Lynn Kawano, we take you behind the headlines that the visitor bureaus don't advertise and delve into the stories that keep us talking (and up at night).

  1. Do you really have to pay a parking ticket in Hawaii?

    May 6

    Do you really have to pay a parking ticket in Hawaii?

    Hawaii is owed nearly $15.3 million from unpaid parking tickets since Act 59 passed in 2020. The law change gives the state only one option to punish those who don't pay, and even that has limitations. "I just throw it in a drawer or put it in my glove compartment and then forget about it," said a Honolulu woman with a handful of outstanding tickets. HNN Investigates discovered just how many ignore the citations: 215,208 tickets went unpaid between 2020 and 2025. The top five have hundreds on record. Learn more about the lost revenue from unpaid citations and a possible solution in this episode of "The Other Side of Paradise." Related stories Hawaii owed $15 million from unpaid parking tickets; state has few options to collect Lawmaker targets parking ticket loophole after HNN Investigates found millions unpaid

    8 min
  2. A Maui man exonerated by DNA died before receiving state compensation

    Jan 26

    A Maui man exonerated by DNA died before receiving state compensation

    In this episode of “The Other Side of Paradise,” Lynn Kawano details the difficulties Alvin Jardine III suffered after DNA cleared him of a home invasion rape, after he had already spent 20 years in prison. Jardine was homeless when he was found dead in the Haiku area of Maui in December, days after the Maui Police Department issued a missing person bulletin. He was the first person exonerated by the Hawaii Innocence Project in 2011. Learn more on HawaiiNewsNow.com.

    12 min
  3. Hawaii military faces scrutiny after series of spousal murders

    10/14/2025

    Hawaii military faces scrutiny after series of spousal murders

    A Marine was sentenced to 26 years for murdering his wife on base as the Army investigates another spouse found dead on Schofield Barracks weeks earlier. Wives are sounding the alarm about the violence and lack of information being provided to the community by military leadership. Staff Sgt. Alonzo Alcantara was sentenced on Sept. 30, 2025, for the murder of his wife, Ruby Tenorio Alcantara, who died just over a year prior, on Sept. 1, 2024. Alcantara admitted in court to using a rear-naked chokehold, a martial arts technique taught by the Marines, to kill his wife during an argument about finances and his legal troubles. But the autopsy report that HNN Investigates obtained shows she had a lot more injuries, indicating Alcantara did more that just a chokehold. The couple’s 8-year-old son witnessed the violence, it was revealed in court, and their younger child was also in the home at the time. The Alcantara children are now living with family members who are struggling to pay the bills. There is a GoFundMe set up to help.

    13 min
  4. 32. Who killed Diane Suzuki?

    07/15/2025

    32. Who killed Diane Suzuki?

    It's a 40-year-old murder mystery. Diane Suzuki, 19, disappeared on July 6, 1985, in broad daylight, at a busy place in Central Oahu.Her attacker had less than 15 minutes to commit the crime and hide her body. In this episode of "The Other Side of Paradise," Lynn Kawano revisits the case from the day she went missing to the failed grand jury proceedings eight years later. The HNN investigative reporter talks to the man Suzuki was planning her life with, and explains why law enforcement won't open the files to clarify rumors that have swirled for decades. Listen for exclusive bonus content not available anywhere else. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    19 min
  5. 31. Head of Homeland Security Investigations Hawaii leaves ahead of immigration policy shift

    03/21/2025

    31. Head of Homeland Security Investigations Hawaii leaves ahead of immigration policy shift

    In this episode of "The Other Side of Paradise," we talk to the former assistant director of HSI's Honolulu office. John Tobon is a founding member of the agency, which started after the 9-11 attacks. He was at the World Trade Center when the planes hit on that day, working for U.S. Customs. Tobon describes his escape, talks about some of the international drug lords he arrested and why  he is choosing to stay in Hawaii post-retirement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    24 min
  6. 30. City prepares for trial over deadly officer-involved shooting after widespread protest halts settlement

    12/20/2024

    30. City prepares for trial over deadly officer-involved shooting after widespread protest halts settlement

    Outrage over a proposed $1.5 million settlement for a wrongful death lawsuit could cost taxpayers millions, legal experts say.The family of a South African rugby star, Lindani Myeni, is suing the city and the officers who shot Myeni, killing him in 2021. The officers were also injured by Myeni during the incident.Honolulu police, the mayor, and city prosecutor were among many who opposed a settlement. Their testimony convinced the Honolulu council to reject the deal, opting instead to go to trial.In this podcast, Lynn Kawano gives us both sides of the battle, including why city attorneys pushed to settle, why they were met with strong resistance, and the unexpected potential impacts on the officers involved. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    16 min
  7. 29. DNA expert explains process of solving decades-old murder in just days

    08/19/2024

    29. DNA expert explains process of solving decades-old murder in just days

    The man behind the DNA discovery in the Dana Ireland case said Hawaii County police had enough to arrest the suspect on July 19. Instead, Albert Lauro, Jr., was released and committed suicide four days later. Stephen Kramer, a former federal prosecutor and the man who co-founded the FBI’s forensic genealogy team, said a DNA match from the national database CODIS was enough probable cause to arrest Lauro for Ireland’s 1991 murder. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    26 min
  8. 28. Arrested for DUI — with no alcohol in his system

    06/27/2024

    28. Arrested for DUI — with no alcohol in his system

    Over the last two years, dozens of Oahu drivers have been arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence with breathalyzer results of 0.00 — meaning no alcohol showed as present in their system, HNN Investigates has found. In the latest episode of "The Other Side of Paradise," Lynn Kawano speaks to a driver who was arrested despite being sober and gets a new response from HPD to her exclusive investigation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    15 min
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Crime, corruption, scandal. You won't find it in the travel brochures or on the postcards, but life in Hawaii isn't always paradise. In this podcast from Hawaii News Now chief investigative reporter Lynn Kawano, we take you behind the headlines that the visitor bureaus don't advertise and delve into the stories that keep us talking (and up at night).

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