PUC Approves 18.1% Temporary Rate Hike for Young Brothers

The state Public Utilities Commission approved Friday an 18.1% temporary rate increase for Young Brothers LLC, effective Tuesday. The move comes in response to the company’s claims of financial distress that it says threatens its ability to maintain essential interisland shipping services.

Star-Advertiser. Maui Now.

Governor Seeks Clean Slate to Appoint New Hawai‘I Tourism Authority Board

Gov. Josh Green asked for courtesy resignations from the entire Hawai‘i Tourism Authority board following its first meeting as an advisory board Thursday — leaving the agency to process through its biggest leadership shake-up since it was created by the Legislature in 1998.

Star-Advertiser.

OHA Staff Baffled By Spending Plan Filled With Dramatic Cuts, Changes

A vote comes Monday for the new budget, which some fear could undermine the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ mission.

Civil Beat.

State Watchdogs Are Keeping the Pressure on for Government Reform

It includes a plan to revive a major pay-to-play bill snuffed out in the Hawaiʻi Legislature this year. Fired up by the fate of a major pay-to-play bill that died in April at the Legislature, the heads of the Campaign Spending Commission and Hawaiʻi State Ethics Commission are stepping up their efforts to lobby for reform in the 2026 session that beings in January.

Civil Beat.

Governor Signs Measures Aimed at Protecting Agriculture in Hawaiʻi

A pilot program to fight agriculture-related crimes in Hawaiʻi will go into effect July 1 on the Big Island and Oʻahu. The program within the state Department of Law Enforcement is intended to strengthen laws relating to agriculture theft — including cattle rustling — plus trespassing and hunting without permission on private ag land.

Tribune-Herald. Maui Now. KITV4.

O‘ahu Headlines

Land Board Rejects Army’s Final EIS

The state Board of Land and Natural Resources voted Friday 5-1 to reject the Army’s final environmental impact statement on plans to retain state land on Oʻahu after leases expire in 2029.

Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

Connors Takes Over East-West Center Among Budget Concerns

Celeste Connors, who takes over Tuesday as the new president of the East-West Center, continues to receive emails from across Hawaiʻi and the Indo-Pacific region about what the East-West Center has meant professionally and personally.

Star-Advertiser.

Proposed Haleiwa Development Draws Community Ire

A planned housing and commercial development in Haleiwa town is being rejected by many nearby residents who say it poses a significant threat to the North Shore area’s agricultural history, rural environment and overall community.

Star-Advertiser.

Dozens Rally Against Proposed Gondola Ride on Oʻahu’s North Shore

Dozens protested plans for a gondola spanning a portion of Mount Kaala in the Waianae mountain range. The movement to stop the proposed construction of a tramway along the mountainside has been gaining momentum for years.

Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

New Paradigm Put Forth to Protect Ancient Hawaiian Burials

The beachside town of Kailua could be designated a burial ground, affording more protection to a roughly estimated 3,000 unmarked ancient Hawaiian graves located in the community built largely on sand.

Star-Advertiser.

Dog Owners Seek Increased Access to Parks for Furry Family Members

Youth sports teams say they are struggling to find available fields for their practices and games, while dog owners — knowingly or unknowingly — are ending up at de facto parks because they have nowhere else to bring their four-legged friends to play.

Star-Advertiser.

Queen’s Shutters Clinic Specializing in Long COVID Patients

The long COVID clinic at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu is closing today after a five-year run treating more than 500 patients.

Star-Advertiser.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Plan for Plastic Recycling Plant Alarms Big Island Officials, Residents

A Hawaiʻi County commission calls for a pause in the project until the state establishes rules regulating discharge of micro- and nanoplastics. A plan to launch Hawaiʻi’s first bulk recycling plant for plastic is running into determined pushback from Big Island critics who worry the recycling operation could release contaminants into the environment.

Civil Beat.

UH to Decommission Third Maunakea Telescope

The University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy is officially initiating the decommissioning process for the UH-owned UKIRT telescope, formerly known as the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope.

Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News.

UH Telescope Dedicated in 1970 Now Honored for Enduring Impact on Space Exploration

University of Hawaiʻi’s 2.2-meter (88 inch) telescope on Maunakea was recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Milestone program for its role in shaping astronomical research worldwide.

Big Island Now.

Trump Administration’s Actions Rattle Foreign Students at UH Hilo, Could Hurt Enrollment

International students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo are grappling with anxiety about their visas, travel and social media as the university braces for a potential loss of enrollment because of those concerns.

Tribune-Herald.

Maui Headlines

Residents Encouraged to Attend In-Person Lahaina Community Meeting, July 2

Residents are encouraged to attend the County of Maui’s Lahaina Community Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 2, at the Lahaina Intermediate School cafeteria.

Maui Now.

Pair Honored for Nearly 40 Years of Work at Maui Homeless Center

James Worley and John Decker have helped people facing homelessness find housing on Maui through their volunteer work as board members for the nonprofit Ka Hale A Ke Ola Resource Center. The two were honored Thursday for their longtime contribution to the community.

Maui News.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Kaua’i Conservation Leaders Hope New Green Fee Will Prioritize Environmental Initiatives, Not Tourism

Kauaʻi nonprofit Malama Hule’ia planned to use a $750,000 federal grant to purchase an aquatic excavator to remove invasive red mangrove around the Hule’ia river watershed in Lihu’e.

Kauai Now.

Kauaʻi’s Embattled Drug Addiction Treatment Center for Youth Is No Longer Empty

A new treatment option for drug-dependent youth on Kauaʻi is breathing life into the island’s troubled $7 million adolescent treatment center, a taxpayer-funded facility that fell into disrepair over the four years that it stood vacant.

Civil Beat.

Community Encouraged to Complete Waimea 400 Affordable Housing Survey by Today

The County of Kauaʻi Housing Agency is encouraging community members to provide their input on the Waimea 400 Affordable Housing Master Plan by completing an online survey by today.

Garden Island.