Hawaii Business Magazine Newsletters

Cesspools are sending raw sewage into the ocean. Could a fee get people to convert?
The state Legislature is considering a new fee on cesspools as part of a plan to end massive sewage leaks into the ground and ocean. Hawaii News Now.

Hawai‘i lawmakers aim to avert ‘early’ DHHL funding lapse
The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands appears set to receive extra time to use $600 million appropriated by the Legislature in 2022. Star-Advertiser.

Ban on biocontrols that threaten Hawaiʻi forage grass urged in resolution
The discussion comes as the state considers all the different tools that can be deployed to reduce the invasive grasses that increase fuel loads and the risk of wildfire in Hawaiʻi. Big Island Video News.

Rising insurance rates on the horizon for Hawai‘i residents following Maui fires
Hawai‘i policy holders had to turn to some out of state or even out of country insurers, which means disasters around the world also drive up prices here. KITV4.

Mufi Hanneman recognized at this year’s Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism Gala
For his significant and long-term contributions to Hawai‘i’s tourism industry, Mufi Hannemann has been chosen to receive this year’s ‘Legacy in Tourism Award’. He currently serves as the president and CEO of the Hawai‘i Lodging and Tourism Association and the chairperson for the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority board. KHON2.

Akebono, a pioneering giant and ‘proud Hawaiian’ in sumo, dies at 54
Hawai‘i sports legend Akebono Taro made history when he became the first non-Japanese-born sumo wrestler to reach the sport’s highest title. Akebono was born Chadwick Haheo Rowan in Waimānalo and graduated from Kaiser High. Hawaii News Now. Star-Advertiser. KHON2. KITV4.

North Shore residents fight plans for shopping center, ask for first responder hub instead
Hanapohaku LLC has plans to create a commercial center to serve the local community with services and shops and provide jobs in the area. Members of the Save Sharks Cove Alliance started a petition to urge the city to instead build a first responder hub that would provide what they say is much needed emergency services. KHON2.

First school-based health center in country opens at Waipahu High
The Academic Health Center represents a partnership between the state Department of Education and Hawai‘i Pacific Health, which will provide health care services to the community while offering high school students hands-on training from medical professionals. Star-Advertiser.

New mental health crisis center is already diverting patients from ERs, but has room to grow
The Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Iwilei, a first-of-its-kind program in Hawai‘i, opened on March 8. Since then, 58 people were screened, half of them were admitted for treatment. The other half could not be admitted and some were considered unsafe to be there. Hawaii News Now.

State eyes vacant Windward O‘ahu campus for DOH offices, crisis center
Hawai‘i Pacific University’s iconic Windward O‘ahu campus could become a new home for the state Health Department and a mental health crisis center. The proposal is in the state Senate’s version of the state budget after Adventist Health Castle dropped plans to expand there. Hawaii News Now.

Haiku Stairs’ demolition to begin late April, city says
The city says demolition of the more than 3,900 steps leading to the top of the Koolau Range, above Haiku Valley and the H-3 freeway, will begin at the end of April. Star-Advertiser. KITV4.

City looking to hire 500 to staff Summer Fun program
The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation is once again looking to hire hundreds of workers for its annual Summer Fun program at 60 sites across O‘ahu. Star-Advertiser.

Benioffs bolster fire department fleet
The Hawai‘i Fire Department now has access to four brand-new brushfire trucks that were gifted through donations to the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation. Tribune-Herald.

‘Kauhale Initiative’ garners support from Hilo crowd
Hilo residents were widely enthusiastic Tuesday night during a meeting about a state project to develop communities of tiny homes for the Big Island’s homeless population, despite misgivings about where those communities could be built. Tribune-Herald.

Mayor Mitch Roth presents 2024-2025 budget to Hawaiʻi County Council
The mayor’s $888 million operating budget is up 6.6% from last year. It says $30.5 million of that bump would go to salary increases for employees. Hawaii Public Radio. Big Island Now.

Work to decommission 2 Maunakea telescopes to resume
UH’s Hoku Kea Observatory and Caltech’s Submillimeter Observatory have been slated for decommissioning and removal from the mountain for years, although the process for both observatories has been slow. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now.

Death of foster child leads to $750,000 settlement pending approval by Legislature
Fabian Garett-Garcia died on July 25, 2017, and his caregivers told authorities he was injured by accident when he fell on his face from a 3-foot-high bench while wearing virtual reality goggles at the foster home in Waimea. Civil Beat.

Judge issues two orders against Maui County Council appointee to planning commission
Second Circuit Court Judge Kelsey Kawano issued a writ of quo warrant Monday against Danny Ray Blackburn, asking him to appear before the Second Circuit Court on April 17 to show what authority he has to participate as a Maui County Planning Commissioner, according to court documents. Maui News.

Council Budget Committee hears the pain of Lahaina wildfire survivors
Maui Resident Rick Nava asked Budget Committee members reviewing Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed $1.67 billion fiscal 2025 budget to prioritize public health and safety and the community’s lack of parks and open space for children who need a place to run and play. Maui Now.

Skyrocketing Maui rent shrinks housing options for wildfire survivors
Some 1,100 households — or 2,768 individual evacuees — were still living in 11 Maui hotels as of Friday. Star-Advertiser.

A low-income housing complex is ready to rebuild after Lahaina fire. It just needs $36M.
The developer of the 89-unit project is the first to obtain building permits in the burn zone. Now the county and state are being asked to pick up the cost of what insurance didn’t cover. Civil Beat.

Hawaiian monk seal returned to Kaua‘i waters after veterinary team removes ingested hook and fishing line
An 8-month-old Hawaiian monk seal was safely returned to Kaua‘i waters after a veterinary team at the Big Island’s marine mammal hospital removed an ingested hook and fishing line from the animal’s esophagus. Kauai Now. Garden Island.