Hawaii Business Magazine

DOE pushes to ensure high schoolers learn about money management
After years of pressure from legislators to make financial literacy a graduation requirement, the Hawaiʻi Department of Education is considering changing high school students’ personal transition plans for the first time in more than 15 years. Financial literacy aims to help students manage their money and financial decisions and may include lessons on spending and saving, investing and borrowing money. Civil Beat.

County mayors crack down on short-term rentals, pledging neighborhood restoration
Now with the power to revoke permits, county mayors are moving aggressively to shut many of them down. Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting said it now has the tools to weed out short-term rentals from residential neighborhoods. On Maui, the county proposed a bill to phase out more than 2,000 rentals in West Maui alone. KITV4.

Woman charged for alleged theft of more than $44,000 in IBEW union members’ dues
Attorney General Anne Lopez announced criminal charges against a woman for the alleged embezzlement of approximately $44,367 in union dues from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 1186. Maui Now. Star-Advertiser.

Corruption defendant Dennis Mitsunaga injured in jailhouse fall, delaying trial
A high-profile bribery trial involving businessman Dennis Mitsunaga and former Honolulu prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro was delayed on Monday after Mitsunaga sustained an injury in custody, his attorney said.  Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now.

Friends of Haʻikū Stairs halt removal of popular, but prohibited, hiking trail
A temporary restraining order has been filed by the Friends of Haʻikū Stairs in an attempt to keep the city from their removal. The city said they are waiting to remove the stairs, pending a hearing on Friday. KHON2.

Oʻahu housing market improves with year-over-year gains
The single-family home market had bigger gains, with a 26% jump in sales to 262 in April from 208 a year earlier, and a 10% rise in the median sale price to $1,100,000 from $999,995. Star-Advertiser.

Man who received $12.5M settlement from HPD arrested for gun crimes
Officers booked Jonaven Perkins-Sinapati Saturday afternoon for allegedly firing a gun out of a moving vehicle in Kāneʻohe. Perkins-Sinapati is the same man who was driving a sedan that was being chased by police officers in Mākaha in 2021. Hawaii News Now.

Biki is raising rates while trying to attract more riders
Biki’s Honolulu ridership has been steadily declining over the past few years, and its leadership wants to reinvest in the system to draw in more riders and start adding e-bikes. Civil Beat.

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Star Alameda, wife of mayoral candidate dies
Star Alameda, wife of Hawaiʻi County mayoral candidate Kimo Alameda and a career educator, died Friday. She was 54. Tribune-Herald.

National Science Foundation to decide on billions in funding for Thirty Meter Telescope
The National Science Foundation has until September to decide on advancing the Thirty Meter Telescope to the final design stage. The TMT is competing against a telescope project in Chile for limited NSF funding.  Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Hawaiian name given to new astronomy instrument on Mauna Kea
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo have named a new instrument that will be used at the Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope on Mauna Kea. Wenaokeao, meaning “earliest glow of light,” was given after extensive research by high school students. Big Island Video News.

Candidates file nomination papers, aim to help with Maui’s housing crisis
Two candidates for public office are testing political waters and saying they aim to help address Maui’s housing crisis. Carol Lee Kamekona has filed papers for the Maui County Council’s Kahului residency seat. Council Member Tasha Kama has also pulled papers for re-election to her Kahului residency seat. Maui Now.

Expeditions Maui-Lānaʻi Ferry expands to three round trips per day
The Expeditions Maui-Lānaʻi Ferry is expanding service with three round trips per day, seven days a week, starting the week of June 3, 2024. Maui Now.

Niumalu Bridge on Kaua‘i closed till further notice
Following the flooding event in April, Kaua‘i County consultants inspected county bridges across the island and determined that the Niumalu Bridge was unsafe for motorists, prompting an immediate shutdown. Kauai Now.