Hawaii Business Magazine

State launches new marketing campaign in bid to recruit hundreds of new corrections officers
The state Department of Corrections is racing to fill nearly 400 positions at its facilities across the state — the highest number of vacancies it’s ever had. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiʻi to cover palliative care through Medicaid
Hawaiʻi has become the first state in the U.S. to cover community palliative care services through Medicaid, according to Gov. Josh Green. Star-Advertiser.

Search for new CEO of Native Hawaiian trust stirs debate over qualifications
The Liliʻuokalani Trust, named after Hawaiʻi’s last reigning queen, was founded in 1909 to support orphans and children experiencing poverty. As of 2022, the fund was worth more than $1 billion. Hawaii News Now.

The backlog of Honolulu building permits is taking a toll on city revenue
In the 2023 fiscal year alone, Honolulu received close to 20,000 permit applications but issued fewer than 15,000. The difference — carried over into the following year — represents an average of more than $1 billion in taxable construction work and nearly $7 million in building permit fees. Civil Beat.

Fireworks bill moves forward at Honolulu City Council
The Honolulu City Council held its first public hearing on Wednesday on whether or not Oʻahu should bring back sparklers and fountains. KHON2.

The company will partner with Eurus Energy America on an upcoming renewable hydrogen project and Hawaiʻi-based Bana Pacific for a renewable natural gas project… read more.

Plan to turn Manago Hotel into housing nixed
A $5.5 million county grant to purchase a historic West Hawaii hotel and use it for affordable housing has fallen through. Tribune-Herald.

Trace amounts of chromium detected in Laupāhoehoe water
For the first time, trace amounts of chromium have been detected in water samples from the Laupāhoehoe P-2 Well, which is part of the County of Hawai‘i Department of Water Supply’s Laupāhoehoe-Kapehu system. Big Island Video News.

Maui hits pause button on managed retreat fund
A fund established to help Maui County deal with the impacts of climate change and sea level rise will be paused for three years and the money earmarked for it in the 2025 fiscal year used instead for the Pulelehua housing project north of Lahaina. Civil Beat.

7% drop in people experiencing homelessness
The overall homelessness count on Maui dropped by 7% from 704 individuals in 2023 to 654 in 2024, according to newly released data from Bridging the Gap. The report showed that there was a 26% decline in unsheltered homelessness. Maui Now.