New Hawaiʻi Law Creates Broadband Office to Close Connectivity Gap

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, serving as acting governor while Gov. Josh Green is out of state, on Monday signed two bills into law aimed at closing Hawaiʻi’s digital divide by establishing a centralized state Broadband Office and expanding digital literacy services.

Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiʻi Moves to Broaden Allowed Agricultural Uses

The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture plans to overhaul its rules this summer to allow more than just agricultural production on 25,000 acres under a new agricultural enterprise lands program.

Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi Keiki Face Mixed Trends in Well-Being vs. Mainland Peers

Hawaiʻi’s children are increasingly affected by housing instability and parental job insecurity, ranking the state among the worst in the nation for economic well-being, according to the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book released Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Star-Advertiser.

Report Shows Use of Hawaiian Language Growing at Home

Once banned in public schools in Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiian language continues to make a comeback, rising as a spoken language among households by more than 48% in less than 10 years.

Maui News.

ACLU of Hawai‘i Asks County Leaders Not to Collaborate With Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawaiʻi is urging county leaders in the state to refrain from assisting the federal government with immigration enforcement.

Kauai Now.

O‘ahu Headlines

Council Shake-Up Follows Close Vote on Sewer Rate Increase

The face-off at the Honolulu City Council over sewer fees now has political fallout for two council members. Two days after council chair Tommy Waters lost that vote, two members who voted against him are losing their leadership positions.

Hawaii News Now.

Oʻahu Condo Buyers Gaining Advantages in Slowing Market

The Honolulu Board of Realtors reported that condominium sales plummeted 22% in May to 374 from 478 in the same month last year, representing the biggest year-over-year decline for any month in the last 11 months.

Star-Advertiser. 

Parking Rates Are Going Up at Honolulu Airport

Hourly parking rates at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport are going up starting July 1.

Hawaii News Now.

City Seeks Development Partner for West Oʻahu Affordable Housing Project

On Monday, the Honolulu Department of Housing and Land Management put in a request for qualifications to help develop 13 acres of land near Wakea Street and Kamokila Boulevard.

Hawaii News Now.

Farmers Want a Natural Way to Fend Off Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles

 Crews are injecting about 800 trees from Kakaako Waterfront Park through Kewalo Basin to Magic Island with an insecticide called Xytect.

Hawaii News Now.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Hawaiʻi County Council Seeks More Oversight With Passage of Vacation Rental Bill

The Hawaiʻi County Council has passed a measure requiring short-term rental owners to register their units with the county.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Lawmakers Offer Updates About Recent Legislative Session

House Bill 818, which would’ve established the Waiakea Peninsula Community Development District, died after passing over to the Senate, which didn’t schedule any hearings about the measure.

Tribune-Herald.

Kona Airport Runway to Close Overnight on Wednesday, June 11

Runway 17-35 at the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole will close from 10 p.m. on June 11 to 6 a.m. on June 12, as part of an ongoing runway rehabilitation project.

Big Island Video News.

Maui Headlines

Emotions Are High As Maui Considers Phasing Out Short-Term Rentals

Dozens of people turned out to testify on Mayor Richard Bissen’s effort to convert short-term rentals into long-term housing in a bid to ease the affordable housing crisis.

Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

50 Trucks Will Spend 5 Months Moving Lahaina Fire Debris to Permanent Landfill

Fifty trucks will spend five months hauling Lahaina wildfire debris to a landfill in the center of Maui starting next Monday, Maui County said. There’s enough debris to fill five football fields five stories high.

Associated Press. Maui News.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Three graduate from Kauaʻi Police Department 101st Recruit Class

One of the few remaining items needing attention by Police Chief Todd Raybuck before Thursday was the administering of oath to three graduates of the 101st Police Recruit Class on Monday at the Kauai Veterans Center.

Garden Island.

Although Bacteria Rates Are Rising, Federal Funding Cuts Threaten Water Quality Testing

In its national annual report, Surfrider Foundation revealed that Waikomo Stream at Kōloa Landing in Poʻipū was on a list of the top ten beach bacteria hotspots.

Kauai Now.