The 13th annual Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC) is just over two weeks away, landing in Hawaii from June 6 through June 16. About 2,500 delegates from 28 Pacific island nations will soon arrive, prepared to represent Pacific culture. Read more
For all the relieved and smiling faces emerging Friday from U.S. District Court, there was a class of observers who were surely watching the corruption trial of Keith Kaneshiro and Dennis Mitsunaga with alarm. Read more
Hawaii has one of the highest rates of homeless youth in the U.S. — third highest in the nation, according to 2023 federal Department of Housing and Urban Development data, and this year’s numbers are higher than last year’s. Read more
Fire season is approaching, along with the anniversary of the lethal Lahaina fire — and factors the state and counties can’t control, including rainfall and other weather patterns, appear primed to keep wildfire risk high again this year. Read more
Hawaii lawmakers are getting serious about speeding and this month passed a bill that, if signed by Gov. Josh Green, will enable the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to add 10 automated enforcement systems at busy Oahu intersections. Read more
Mobile camera trailers at scenic East Oahu shorelines: enhanced security, or obtrusive surveillance? Read more
On Saturday, dozens of West Oahu residents walked through Maili, calling for an end to the epidemic of crime and violence tearing away at their communities. Read more
State leaders have taken steps to strengthen Hawaii’s health care system in recent years, including incentives to bring doctors to serve throughout the islands. Read more
There’s been a lot of teeth-gnashing over the effects of Senate Bill 3202, a bill to allow for additional housing on residential lots. Read more
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In 1964, Hawaii granted the U.S. Army access to approximately 23,000 acres of land on Hawaii island in exchange for a token $1 payment. Read more
Your daily cup of “Hawaiian coffee” will soon contain more coffee grown in Hawaii. And there will be truth in advertising for Hawaii-grown macadamia nuts. Read more
Two-and-a-half years after the disastrous Red Hill fuel spill that contaminated the area’s water, people who were sickened then — and claim ongoing health problems even now — are in the midst of a landmark lawsuit trying to make the Navy pay. Read more
Days after the Legislature appropriated nearly $20 million to boost Hawaii’s fight against invasive pests, lawmakers rightly called the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) to task — grilling officials over the agency’s weak effort to control stinging, fast-spreading little fire ants and other invasive species that threaten to overtake and overwhelm our state. Read more
People can argue about what comprises a city’s “core services,” but few would dispute that handling police emergency calls, the 911 system, is at the top of the list. Read more
Gov. Josh Green is forming a group of experts and advocates to help formulate the state’s climate resilience policy. Read more
When he first proposed the approach to tax relief last year, based on a hefty increase in the standard deduction and tax-bracket adjustments, Gov. Josh Green acknowledged it was an “audacious” notion, and ultimately it stalled in conference committee. Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic created deep hardship throughout Hawaii, with its serious threats to health, jolts to the economy and shutdown of in-person education, pushing many households that formerly held firm onto shaky domestic ground. Read more
Hawaii residents enjoy a geographic separation. It’s also attractive as an exotic lure to visitors. Read more
It’s reassuring that the Legislature found money in the budget to put $300 million aside for the state’s emergency “rainy day” fund, and to make a $135 million appropriation for the state employees’ retirement fund. Read more
It’s been a quiet period for the historically high-energy debate over the future of Mauna Kea, especially the long-delayed bid to build the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) at the summit. Read more
Last week’s arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court about a homelessness dispute in Grants Pass, Ore., underscored the difficult policy issues nationwide of balancing the rights of the homeless and the need of municipalities to manage the problems. Read more
