University of Hawaiʻi Enrollment Hits 8-Year High With 51,400 Students

Enrollment across the University of Hawaiʻi’s 10 campuses climbed to 51,411 students this fall, the system’s highest total in eight years and a 2% increase over 2024, according to new figures released Sunday.

Star-Advertiser. Kauai Now.

Native Hawaiian Convention: Federal Cuts, Shutdown Elicit a Call for Unity

The economic pressures of living in Hawaii are mounting, so much so that more than 50% of Native Hawaiians are now living outside of the state.

Star-Advertiser. KHON2.

Tourism Industry Deepening Ties to Film Industry

Hawaiʻi tourism officials are looking to harness the power of film to put a spotlight on Hawaiʻi as a visitor destination, while creating a more authentic understanding of the islands and providing employment for local residents.

Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi Ranked No. 1 in Nation for Affordability of Mental Health Care in New Report

Hawaiʻi is among the best states in the nation for mental health, according to a new national report that praised the state’s affordability of care, youth well-being and access to providers, while also highlighting areas that still need improvement.

Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now.

Wespac Moves Toward Reopening Pacific Monument to Commercial Fishing

Members of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, or Wespac, voted Sept. 17 to move toward allowing commercial fishing within four marine national monuments, including Papahanau­mokuakea and the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.

Star-Advertiser.

O‘ahu Headlines

Honolulu Investigator Accused Of Witness Tampering Has Been Reinstated

The prosecutor’s office halted the investigation into one of its own employees, blaming a paperwork issue. Now he’s back at work.

Civil Beat.

Proposed Skyline Extension to Uh Spurs Debate

A legislative push by the Honolulu City Council to see the city’s more than $10-billion Skyline potentially extend to the campus of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa or to West Oʻahu destinations near Ko Olina resort is ongoing.

Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu Permit Director Blames Delays In New System On Growing Pains

New technology has not yet been able to “accelerate everything” as the mayor promised, but the permitting director is urging people to keep the faith.

Civil Beat.

Aloha Stadium Swap Meet Site Being Swapped

An outdoor retail marketplace that’s been a fixture around Aloha Stadium for 46 years is about to move to a new and largely improved location.

Star-Advertiser.

Competency Hearing Set for Pearl City Woman Who Threatened Biden, Trump

Rebecca Ann Folley, 48, who is also known as Becca Waters, was charged by federal criminal complaint April 2 with one count of making threats against the president and one count of making illegal interstate communications.

Star-Advertiser.

Feds Were Told Of Miske’s Suicidal Thoughts

The convicted crime boss died in 2024 while awaiting sentencing. The nature of his death remains unresolved.

Civil Beat.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Sentencing Delayed for Culprits in County Housing Credits Fraud

Attorney Gary Charles Zamber was to have been sentenced Tuesday and businessman Rajesh P. Budhabhatti on Wednesday, while attorney Paul J. Sulla Jr. was to have been sentenced on Oct. 21.  Sentencing for Alan Scott Rudo — a former housing specialist in the county Office of Housing and Community Development from 2006 to 2018 who testified against the three in their trial — is now set for Nov. 19.

Tribune-Herald.

Man Who Murdered UH-Hilo Student in 1978 Granted Parole

Steven Ray Simpson was convicted for the death of University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo student Mary Catherine Drapp, 24, whose body was found Dec. 11, 1978, in tall grass in Fern Forest in Puna.

Star-Advertiser.

Council to Mull Proposed Hilo Housing Development Near Police Station

The Hawaiʻi County Council’s Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions Committee will hear a presentation Tuesday at 11 a.m. about a request to extend the construction deadline for a 64-unit affordable housing development in Hilo.

Tribune-Herald.

Kona Sewer Project Begins October 15

The $6.4 million Hale Hālāwai Force Main Replacement Project – required under Hawaiʻi County’s Administrative Order on Consent with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – will be conducted in five phases, the County of Hawaiʻi reports.

Big Island Video News.

Maui Headlines

Maui Council Committee Advances Bills for Acquisition of Wailuku Executive Center, Expansion of Kula Ag Park

The Maui County Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee has recommended full Council approval of bills to acquire a new building for the Department of Prosecuting Attorney and to re-appropriate funds for phase one expansion of the Kula Agricultural Park.

Maui Now.

First Neighbor Island Kauhale Preparing to Open on Maui

The state is preparing to welcome the first of at least 64 homeless people into Hawaiʻi’s first neighbor island “kauhale” starting Oct. 20, as Gov. Josh Green’s vision of these tiny-home enclaves for those in need expands across the islands.

Star-Advertiser.

Master Plan Complete for Restoration, Reconstruction of Eight Lahaina Historic Landmarks

The Lahaina Restoration Foundation announced the completion of the Historic Building Restoration Master Plan, a comprehensive roadmap for the restoration and reconstruction of eight of Lahaina’s most significant historic landmarks.

Maui Now.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative Funding in Jeopardy

KIUC has been notified that federal grants for two projects that would have boosted electric grid reliability and reduced Kauaʻi’s vulnerability to supply-chain issues and foreign oil pricing may have been canceled. KIUC was positioned to receive $18.2 million in federal assistance toward the $35.8 million cost of the combined two projects.

Garden Island.

Renowned Kaua;i Kumu Hula Dies From Cancer

Leināʻala Pavao-Jardin, a beloved Kauaʻi kumu hula, has died at 51 after her battle with cancer.

KITV4. Kauai Now.