Hawaii Business Magazine

Hawaii Business Magazine Newsletters: “$1B pledged for underseas internet cable.”

Views expressed in this Hawaii State News update are those of the reporters and correspondents. Accessed on 01 May 2024, 2025 UTC.

Content and Source: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzGxStzdDQdTLPTlhVmPSmQrnsNs/Hawaii Business Magazine Newsletters.

Please scroll down to read your selections. Thanks for joining us today.

Russ Roberts (https://hawaiinewsdigestonline.com).

Locally Owned, Locally Committed Since 1955

5.1.2024

TOP STORIES

$1B pledged for undersea internet cables
The Pacific Connect Initiative will create new fiber links between Hawaiʻi and other Pacific regions. Lt. Gov. Luke says the trans-Pacific fiber optic cable project is essential to keep Hawaiʻi connected to the rest of the world at a time when two of the state’s three existing trans-Pacific fiber cable links are nearing the end of their operational lives. Civil Beat. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now.

Lawmakers rejected a bill to bail out HECO. Now what?
Hawaiian Electric Co. is seeking expedited regulatory approval to sell utility assets to obtain a $250 million line of credit to improve its financial stability. The move, if approved by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, would allow HECO to use money owed by customers and other parties as collateral to establish lines of credit to fund operations. Civil Beat. Hawaii Public Radio.

HECO readies plan for cutting power during wildfire risks
Hawaiian Electric Co. is preparing to roll out its plan for proactive power shutdowns for areas at high risk for wildfires during extreme weather. The utility hopes to launch its Public Safety Power Shutoff plan at the end of the month, with a targeted implementation date of July 1. Star-Advertiser.

RFK Jr. wins ballot access fight in Hawaiʻi
The Democratic party of Hawaiʻi will not appeal the decision to allow independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy to appear on the Hawaiʻi ballot this November. KITV4.

Lingering softness in visitor arrivals threatens summer season
Visitors to Hawaiʻi exceeded the expectations of some tourism industry officials in the first quarter, but results were still weak and are worsening for the peak summer season and beyond. Star-Advertiser.

Growing cruise industry is the latest in Hawaiʻi’s tourism economy
Cruises are once again becoming a popular way to book trips for those wanting the most out of their vacation at the lowest cost. March 2024 saw a 40 percent increase in visitorship with over 12,000 people compared to 8,000 people who came in March of 2023. KHON2.

Wrongful imprisonment law isn’t working for 2 in high-profile cases
Two Hawaiʻi men who were wrongly convicted and put behind bars for years are hitting another brick wall trying to win compensation. Hawaiʻi law promises that people who are wrongly convicted and incarcerated are entitled to $50,000 for every year they spent in prison. Hawaii News Now.

HAWAII BUSINESS MAGAZINE
The Best of Small Business in Hawai‘i 2024
Meet 13 local companies that create, repair, innovate, feed, entertain, sustain and thrive. Two are new inductees to the Hawai‘i Small Business Hall of Fame. We’ll publish one new profile a day starting on May 2… read more.

OʻAHU

Ex-Honolulu investigator tells jury he swore to facts in theft case he had ʻno ideaʻ about
Five people associated with a local engineering firm are accused of bribing former prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro to pursue a bogus theft case. Civil Beat.

Red Hill fuel spread through water quickly, expert testifies
Water system experts testified Tuesday on the second day of a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. government that tests may have missed contamination in the critical early days of the Red Hill fuel crisis. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio. Hawaii News Now.

Lifeguards want new department with oversight, HGEA poll finds
City and County of Honolulu lifeguards unanimously supported creating a new Department of Ocean Safety but overwhelmingly rejected Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s proposal on how to do that, according to a poll taken by their union. Star-Advertiser.

Register for the 2024 Women's Entrepreneurship Conference, May 17!

HAWAII BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Fixing Hawai‘i’s Deadly Roads

Speeding, drunk driving and other causes kill about a hundred people a year. Here is what’s being done to keep Hawai‘i’s drivers, pedestrians and bikers safer… read more.

HAWAIʻI ISLAND

Affordable housing production open for proposals May 1st
As part of an effort to meet the need for affordable housing on the Big Island, the Office of Housing and Community Development is inviting qualified agencies to submit proposals. Nonprofits, for-profit organizations, and community land trusts can submit proposals to create “sustainable, inclusive, and affordable housing solutions” for residents. Big Island Video News.

Manono street project clears another hurdle
Despite some misgivings, a Hawaiʻi County Council committee has approved a plan to redevelop a derelict Hilo residential lot. Tribune-Herald.

County Council favors resolution aimed at protecting nearly 30 acres in Pu‘uanahulu
The Hawai‘i County Council on Tuesday bolstered efforts to preserve and protect the cultural and natural resources on a nearly 30-acre parcel on the west side of the Big Island for education, gathering and cultural practices. Big Island Now.

John Kaohelaulii, a cultural practitioner on Kauaʻi, has been playing the Hawaiian strategy game kōnane since he was eight years old. | Photo: Christian Kahahawai

HAWAII BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Cultural Practitioners, Advisors Help Educate Visitors About Hawai‘i’s People, Places, History and Culture
Cultural practitioners working in the tourism industry see their roles as integral to ensuring Hawaiian culture is perpetuated accurately and that visitors treat the Islands respectfully. But some practitioners say Hawaiian culture is still undervalued... read more.

MAUI COUNTY

New housing projects give hope to some Maui fire survivors
Ka La‘i Ola is expected to provide 450 interim homes for wildfire survivors who did not qualify for any type of federal aid. Star-Advertiser. Another project, Ke Ao Maluhia at Maui Lani, is a collaborative effort among the state, county and others developed and managed by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. Maui Now. Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now.

Trees for Lahaina
Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club celebrated the opening of the Mana’olana Garden with a blessing ceremony on Monday, a significant step in Lāhainā’s ongoing recovery and reforestation efforts. The grow hub, created in partnership with Treecovery, hosts 125 locally sourced fruit tree saplings that will be replanted in West Maui. Maui News.

KAUAʻI

Median home price leaps to $1.6M in March
Home sales and prices climbed for the third straight month, as the Kaua‘i housing market continues to try and shake off a dismal performance in 2023. The median price of a single-family home on Kaua‘i was easily the highest among the four major islands. Garden Island.

BLNR awards disputed Coco Palms state land to developer over nonprofit group
The state Board of Land and Natural Resources granted two contested state-owned parcels of Wailua land to the developer of the Coco Palms Resort, denying the application of a nonprofit organization opposed to the development at a recent meeting. Kauai Now.

MAY ISSUE