Supreme Court Clears a Path For Honolulu Climate Lawsuits to Proceed

The Supreme Court said Monday it won’t hear an appeal from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change. The order allows the city of Honolulu’s lawsuit against oil and gas companies to proceed.

Associated Press. New York Times.

Hawaiian Electric Submits Wildfire Safety Plan

Hawaiʻi’s largest electrical utility has formalized a three-year plan to reduce future wildfire risks in a new report filed with state regulators. Hawaiian Electric said its latest wildfire safety strategy is expected to cost $450 million to implement over three years through 2027 after $120 million spent on wildfire risk mitigation in 2024.

Star-Advertiser. Maui Now. KHON2.

Hawaiʻi Offering Discounts to Survivors, First Responders

Gov. Josh Green has asked Hawaiʻi’s visitor industry to partner with the state to offer heavily discounted packages to give California residents and first responders an opportunity to come to Hawaiʻi for respite, and film crews displaced by the California wildfires to continue their work here.

Star-Advertiser. KITV4

Hawaiʻi Agriculture Department Loses Another Deputy

Hawaiʻi’s agriculture department is losing another deputy director. Dexter Kishida and his predecessor, Morris Atta, have stepped down from the job. The department has a serious turnover and vacancy problem, including among key leadership positions. High vacancy rates, particularly in key leadership positions, have cast doubt over the department’s ability to strengthen protections against invasive species.

Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi’s Governor Responds to Deadly Fireworks Blast With Proposed $300 Fines, More Prison Time

Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green on Monday proposed a range of new penalties to crack down on those who flout the state’s fireworks laws, nearly two weeks after a fireworks explosion at a Honolulu home on New Year’s Eve killed four people and injured about 20 others.

Associated Press. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

O‘ahu Headlines

Kai Kahele, OHA Board Chair, on a Renewed Push to Develop Kakaʻako Makai

Current law bans residential housing on the ocean side of Ala Moana Boulevard. The state transferred the Kakaʻako Makai land to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs years ago as a land base. For the past several years OHA has tried unsuccessfully to get the zoning changed to allow it to build high-rise towers as part of a development called Hakuone.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting Temporarily Shutters Online System

The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting today is expected to perform the second major upgrade to its electronic plans review software called ePlans.

Star-Advertiser.

Strike at Queen’s Is Averted in Final Hours

A strike by union nurses at two Queen’s hospitals on Oahu was averted Monday after a tentative agreement on a new, three-year contract was reached during the early morning hours.

Star-Advertiser. Hawaiʻi Public Radio. KITV4.

Possible Security Threat Triggers Evacuations at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

The commissary and base exchange on Hickam Air Force Base were shut down Monday evening due to a possible security threat. An alert was posted by Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam at around 4:16 p.m.

Hawaii News Now.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Big Island Begins New Year in Drought

Most of the island is in moderate drought, with a sliver of the northern portion of West Hawaiʻi in severe drought, according to an update Friday by the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

Tribune-Herald.

Hawaiʻi Police Recovered Over 500 Grams of Illicit Fentanyl Across the Big Island in 2024

In 2024, the Hawaiʻi Police Department recovered 562.94 grams of illicit fentanyl, which is enough to potentially kill 281,470 people, and arrested 50 individuals for fentanyl-related offenses. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, just two milligrams of illicit fentanyl, equal to a couple grains of salt, is a lethal dose.

Big Island Now.

Maui Headlines

Rescuers Free Two Whales Entangled in Lines off Maui

Two humpback whales were rescued in separate incidents by disentangling them from lines in waters off Maui at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

Maui News. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now.

Millions of Dollars Soon to Be Available for Maui Immigrant Fire Survivors

Maui immigrant fire survivors will soon be eligible for millions of dollars to help with their recovery efforts. Roots Reborn has launched the Our Financial Future program aimed to help immigrants who lost their jobs or homes in the 2023 fires.

Hawaii News Now.

Public Comment Sought on Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan

The Food and Nutrition Security Plan aims to ensure that all Maui County residents have access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food.

Maui Now.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Nurses at Wilcox Medical Center to Start a Three-Day Strike Tuesday Morning

Wilcox Medical Center nurses will go through with a strike this morning after negotiations with the hospital ended last night without an agreement.

Kaua‘i Now.

Kaua‘i County Office of Boards and Commissions to Be Temporarily Closed

The Kaua‘i County Office of Boards and Commissions will be closed to the public from Wednesday through Jan. 31 because of construction. In-person service is expected to resume Feb. 3.

Kaua‘i Now.

New Hours for Kaua‘i Police Department

The Records window will now be open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Firearms window will also be open on the weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Garden Island. Kaua‘i Now.