Governor’s Pick Withdraws From Consideration for Hawai‘i Water Rights Board

The move by Hinano Rodrigues follows months of criticism from Hawaiʻi’s conservation community plus a lawsuit over how the governor handled the process to select him for the Commission on Water Resource Management’s seat for a loea, or expert, in traditional stream rights and practices.

Civil Beat.

Hawai‘i Students Face Fallout From Cuts to School Food, Education

President Donald Trump’s administration has abruptly canceled two federal programs that directly support local food purchases and school nutrition efforts in a budget-cutting move that is expected to hit Hawai‘i’s schools and families hard.

Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi Residents Have a New Website to Calculate State Tax Cut Savings

The state has launched a new online resource to help residents calculate their estimated tax savings through 2031 and learn about the state’s income tax cut. Act 46 incrementally increased the standard deduction and adjusted tax brackets for tax years 2024 through 2031, eliminating the state’s lowest brackets and lowering the rates for all brackets.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Hawaiʻi Tour Companies Losing Money to Chinese Social Media Scams

The scam involves tourists who buy what they think are discounted tickets to Hawaiʻi attractions, sold by scammers. In the end, the tourists take the tours but the companies don’t get paid.

Civil Beat.

Disney Didn’t Copy ‘Moana’ From a Man’s Story of a Surfer Boy, Jury Decides

A  Los Angeles federal jury deliberated for only about 2 ½ hours before deciding that the creators of “Moana” never had access to writer and animator Buck Woodall’s outlines and script for “Bucky the Surfer Boy.”

Associated Press.

O‘ahu Headlines

HPD Seeks Nearly $400M Budget

During the City Council’s Budget Committee hearing Tuesday, HPD Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan laid out budgetary changes his 2,100-person police force expects to face in the 2026 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The 6.5% jump — to a proposed budget of $390.46 million — is due in part to $11.86 million in IT upgrades for things like computers and similar hardware.

Star-Advertiser.

Who’s Going to Pay for Oʻahu’s Higher Budget? City Council Hopes It’s Not Residents

The Honolulu City Council is urging Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration to find ways to generate funds without forcing residents to shoulder most of that burden.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Honolulu’s New Ocean Safety Department Plans to Bring Major Upgrades to Lifeguard Services

Big changes are coming to Oʻahu’s beaches, which were unveiled at City Budget hearings on March 11. Honolulu’s brand new Ocean Safety Department shared their plans for faster response times and better resources for lifeguards across the island.

KHON2.

UH Mānoa Students and Faculty Push for Support Facing Trump’s Executive Orders

The UH community is calling for more tangible support and an action plan in light of statements released by UH President Wendy Hensel regarding these presidential orders that will impact the UH system.

KITV4.

Seen These Oʻahu Donation Sites? Gifts Don’t Go Where You Think

GreenDrop is not a charity. It’s actually an arm of a for-profit, publicly traded, multinational thrift store operator with $1.5 billion in net sales and a chief executive officer who made $10.1 million in 2023, the most recent year available.

Civil Beat.

New Online Publication Is Part of Hawaiʻi’s Changing Journalism Landscape

There’s a new addition to the media landscape in Hawaiʻi: Aloha State Daily. The news outlet is exclusively online and aims to cover a range of topics, from politics and arts to sports and the economy.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Lawsuit Alleges State Social Worker Dismissed Abuse Reports Prior to 10-Year-Old’s Death

The new civil lawsuit alleges that a state social worker dismissed reported warnings of abuse before the death of 10-year-old Geanna Bradley in 2024.

Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Trump Cuts Target Mauna Loa Observatory

The Trump administration is considering canceling the lease of the support office for a renowned Hawai‘i climate research station, sources say, raising fears for the future of vital work tracking the impact of carbon emissions on global warming.

Reuters.

Hamakua Energy Plant Sold

The parent company of Hawaiian Electric Co., Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., has sold the 60-megawatt Hamakua Energy Plant to a subsidiary of Harbert Management Corp.

Tribune-Herald.

Fence Plan for Hilo Municipal Golf Course Irks Some Neighbors

Hawai‘i County is in the process of erecting a 6-foot-tall continuous chain-link fence along the boundary of Hilo Municipal Golf Course to prevent access by those seeking to play without paying or to use the course for unauthorized purposes.

Tribune-Herald.

Hilo Singing Bridge Needs Emergency Repairs, Traffic Altered

Emergency repairs are needed on the Wailuku Bridge, also known as the Singing Bridge, on Highway 19 in Hilo.

Big Island Video News.

Maui Headlines

MPD Chief Denies Allegations He Was Enforcer for ‘Diddy’

Maui’s police chief denies allegations made by an alleged sexual assault victim of Sean “Diddy” Combs that he worked as an enforcer and facilitator for the rap mogul’s sex parties while working as a captain for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in 2018.

Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

$100M Proposed for Central Maui School in House Draft of State Budget

State Rep. Justin H. Woodson (District 9, Kahului, Puʻunēnē, portion of Wailuku) announced that the House draft of the State Budget (HB300 HD1) includes a proposed $100 million appropriation to cover the remaining funds needed for the construction of Central Maui Elementary and Middle School.

Maui Now.

Maui Planning Commission Begins Kīhei Public Hearing for Honuaʻula Project

There was standing-room-only this morning at the Malcom Center in Kīhei as the Maui Planning Commission began a much-anticipated public hearing on the hotly contested Honuaʻula master-planned community.

Maui Now.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Garden Isle Sees Little Rain in the Month of February

Rainfall totals for the month of February were below average at most of the gages on Kauaʻi. The exceptions were along the west and southwest sides of the island, which received the bulk of the rainfall during the Feb. 16 heavy rain event, according to the National Weather Service monthly rain summary report.

Kaua‘i Now.