He is a fourth-generation kamaaina born on Oahu who earned a journalism degree from the University of Hawaii. Gomes has been a reporter for local newspapers since the mid-1990s. He regularly enjoys surfing, bodysurfing and skateboarding.
Some residents in the adjacent single-family home neighborhood said they prefer a school use that would maintain the longtime character of the area, as opposed to more homes. Read more
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is moving ahead with a plan to build homes on Maui for wildfire survivors. Read more
Hawaii lawmakers are considering legislation to increase electrical utility regulation pertaining to wildfires in the wake of the Aug. 8 Maui disaster. Read more
Gov. Josh Green has given state lawmakers a lot to contemplate with a package of proposed legislation comprising close to 340 bills. Read more
A Native Hawaiian homestead development pipeline has swelled to about 6,000 lots costing $1.2 billion midway into a three-year effort to use a historic $600 million appropriation from the state Legislature in 2022. Read more
A state agency is seeking more than $60 million to upgrade a centralized financial management system after halting botched work on the critical project last year. Read more
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Two state agencies that own a lot of productive agricultural land are close to realizing expectations of a 2003 Hawaii law created to help long-term ag operations. Read more
An intense focus on Maui wildfire relief and long security screening lines for the public marked the opening day of the 2024 Hawaii Legislature at the state Capitol on Wednesday. Read more
Three long-delayed Oahu public housing redevelopment projects took big steps forward last week and could produce 554 new homes in 2026 and 911 more in 2028. Read more
Hawaii’s Legislature and Gov. Josh Green could have close to a half-billion dollars of additional state general fund revenue at their disposal over the next 18 months, according to a new projection that guides state spending. Read more
Hawaii officials have warned about possible electricity shortages after the decommissioning a coal-fired power plant and as planned solar farm and battery storage projects faced delays or cancellation. Read more
Kauai’s nonprofit electric utility recently announced that part of its West Kauai Energy Project with developer and operator AES Corp. has been canceled, and that it is uncertain whether the remainder of the overall $250 million project remains financially feasible. Read more
Future security enhancements include installing the bag X-ray machines at the three security checkpoints and eliminating public parking under the Capitol. Read more
An almost 6-month-old state panel created to accelerate affordable-housing production has acted on its first housing project application, though only to approve a relatively small fee waiver. Read more
Maui County officials are being asked to subsidize at least two planned residential subdivisions to affordably house people displaced by the Aug. 8 wildfire that destroyed roughly 3,500 homes in Lahaina. Read more
Hawaiian Electric wants the ability to send more power generated by its customers into the grid in return for financial benefits paid for by ratepayers. Read more
The Hawaiian Airlines name is slated to join a roster of longtime kamaaina brands that lived on after being acquired by companies outside Hawaii. Read more
Hawaiian Airlines has not only one venerable Hawaii aviation brand name, but a second one from a defunct former competitor. Read more
The number of fire loss lawsuits filed in state court have topped 70 but is expected to soar into the hundreds — and perhaps beyond 1,000 — to easily become the biggest incidence ever of mass tort litigation in Hawaii. Read more
Oahu’s housing market experienced relatively small and mostly negative changes in sales and prices of previously owned homes last month. Read more
Stock traders spent much of Monday capitalizing on the pending sale of Hawaiian Airlines to Alaska Airlines, boosting shares of Hawaiian’s parent company by 193%. Read more
