Hawaiʻi Legislature Begins 2025 With High Hopes for Solving Our Toughest Issues

Cracking down on illegal fireworks. Stabilizing condo insurance costs. And — again — ramping up on affordable housing while ushering out invasive species. Both the Hawaiʻi House and Senate sought to take action on these topics as the 2025 legislative session began yesterday. But recreational marijuana and aclimate impact fee on visitors may not be a slam dunk.

Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now.

Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Vow to Stabilize Property Insurance Market as Climate Change Fuels Higher Premiums

Hawaiʻi lawmakers began a new legislative session Wednesday with a vow to try to stabilize the state’s property insurance market as hurricanes, wildfires and other climate change-influenced disasters at home and elsewhere prompt insurance carriers to raise rates.

Associated Press.

Hawaiʻi Families Could Face Big Price Hike for School Meals

A dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to. That could be especially true at Hawaiʻi public schools, should a new proposal to nearly double lunch costs over the next few years go into effect. It costs about $9 to make a school lunch. The Department of Education wants to charge high schoolers $5, up from $2.75, and middle schoolers $4.75, up from $2.50. Parents aren’t happy. DOE officials are looking to lawmakers to make lunches free.

Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi Is the Only State Without a Fire Marshal

We need one ASAP, new report says. Last year, the state Legislature passed a law to establish the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Since then, the State Fire Council, which is composed of all the county fire chiefs, has been working through the hiring process.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Invasive Species in Hawaiʻi: Lawmakers Float New Plan as Urgency Mounts

Draft legislation proposes consolidating programs under a renamed Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, but critics say the agency already has a spotty track record on invasive species.

Civil Beat.

O‘ahu Headlines

City’s Proposed Landfill Site Draws Strong Opposition at Wahiawa Town Hall Meeting

For the first time, Wahiawa area residents got the chance to react to the city’s proposal to build a 15-acre landfill on agricultural land in Central O‘ahu.

Hawaii News Now.

California Developer Revives Plans to Build ‘Iconic’ Resort in West O‘ahu

Some of Ko Olina’s empty fields could be the future site of what developers are calling an “iconic resort.” The “Atlantis” would be built on Oahu on 26 acres of land, next to Disney’s Aulani O‘ahu.

Hawaii News Now.

Queen’s Medical Center Nurses Ratify Tentative Agreement

After more than 40 hours of mediation, Queen’s Medical Center and the Hawaii Nurses’ Association reached a tentative agreement just hours before their strike call at 7 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 13. The new contract runs from Wednesday, Jan. 15 through Jan. 14, 2028, and will allow enforceable staffing ratios to ensure quality care for patients is a priority.

KHON2. KITV4

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Eager Visitors Flock to See Spectacular Lava Fountaining From Kīlauea Eruption

People were flocking to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on Wednesday to get a glimpse of fountaining lava.The eruption that began Dec. 23 in a crater at the summit of Kīlauea volcano has paused periodically. It resumed Wednesday morning as a “small sluggish lava flow,” and then increased into a fountain that appeared to be 200 feet (60 meters) high, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said. By the afternoon, visitors to the national park on the Big Island were able to see two fountains from an overlook.

Associated Press. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News.

A Face-Lift for Central Fire: Decrepit Downtown Hilo Station Will Be Repaired, Renovated Starting Later This Year

Firefighters will vacate the Central Fire Station in downtown Hilo as early as this spring while the nearly 90-year-old building undergoes long-overdue repairs.

Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now.

Maui Headlines

Lahaina Library and Spring House One of Many Issues Coming Before Maui County Council This Week

A bill related to the demolition of the historic Lahaina Library and Spring House that was ravaged by the 2024 Lahaina wildfire is on the Maui County Council’s agenda for Friday.

Maui News.

Maui Emergency Management Agency Urges Public to Avoid Restricted Areas in Lahaina

MEMA has received numerous reports of vehicles parked on private property or in private lots. Also, there have been reports of individuals disregarding signage and entering unsafe, restricted zones, according to county officials.

Maui Now.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Bird Flu Detected in Samples Collected at Līhuʻe Wastewater Treatment Plant

Hawai‘i Department of Health State Laboratories Division officials say bird flu, specifically H5 avian influenza, was detected at very low levels in wastewater samples collected at the Līhuʻe Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Kaua‘i Now.

Upcoming Symposium to Address Future of Kauaʻi Community Correctional Center

The Hawaiʻi Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will share updates, receive feedback, and explore best practices on the relocation plans for the Kauaʻi Community Correctional Center next Saturday.

Kaua‘i Now.

Nurses Strike Continues at Wilcox Medical Center With Staffing Ratios as Sticking Point

The 159 nurses now on strike at Wilcox Medical Center, the largest medical center on Kaua‘i, say five minutes of delayed care can be a matter of life and death.

Kaua‘i Now.