Army Gearing Up for Multinational Exercise Amid Land Negotiations

The Army announced Friday that from today through Nov. 17, soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division will participate in the annual Hawaii rotation of the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC), a series of training ranges in Hawaii and Alaska.

Star-Advertiser.

Turnout Is Up. People Like It. But Voting by Mail Is Under Attack in Hawaiʻi

The state Elections Commission has asked the Legislature to revert to in-person, same-day voting. But experts say voting by mail is safe and popular.

Civil Beat.

Construction Industry Looks to Younger Generations to Keep Building Hawaiʻi

A recent UHERO report said ongoing construction of the Skyline rail project, the Aloha Stadium redevelopment, and rebuilding on Maui will sustain nearly 40,000 construction jobs through the end of this decade. But the median age of a construction worker in Hawaiʻi is 44, two years older than the national median of 42.

Hawai‘i Public Radio.

UH Study: 19-Year Life Expectancy Gap Among Major Ethnic Groups in Hawaiʻi

The updated analysis — published in the Hawaiʻi Journal of Health and Social Welfare — shows that while the state continues to rank among the nation’s healthiest, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders continue to face the greatest disparities.

Kaua‘i Now.

Hawai‘i Response a ‘Lifeline’ for Snap Benefit Recipients

Local efforts to help the 161,400 low-income Hawaii residents facing elimination of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP — benefits and others affected by the federal government shutdown will keep an already bad economic situation from getting worse for the state, according to the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.

Star-Advertiser.

O‘ahu Headlines

Honolulu Fired Building Permit Worker Who Cut Through Delays for a Few People

The city accused a plans examiner of preferential treatment.From 2019 to 2022, building plans examiner Kim Kehrwieder helped certain applicants on dozens, if not hundreds, of occasions, plucking them out of the queue and sparing them costly, monthslong delays, a city investigation found.

Civil Beat.

TheBus Gives Final Contract Offer to Local 996

The proposal, delivered late Friday, includes a 16% pay increase over four years — a 4% raise each year — along with 100% employer-paid medical coverage for active employees, retirees, and their families, and full employer contributions to pension funds.

Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

North Shore Eyeing Shuttle Service to Solve Traffic Woes

House Majority Leader Sean Quinlan (D, Waialua-­Haleiwa-Punaluu) has secured $4.7 million to help untangle traffic snarls on Oahu’s North Shore and is negotiating to purchase seven acres from Dole Food Co. — an integral step in starting a shuttle system aimed at easing traffic.

Star-Advertiser.

Condemned House Lots Recycled in Kuliouou

The board of the state’s Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. in July approved spending $500,000 appropriated by the Legislature in 2024 on “Band-Aid” repaving of a dilapidated road fronting 17 vacant lots where the state previously purchased and demolished damaged homes built by a private developer for a predecessor agency as part of a larger subdivision.

Star-Advertiser.

Punahou Square Park Has Seen Better Days

A dog park is being added to the small park while other parts of it remain neglected.

Civil Beat.

Sewer Installation Begins for Kailua Ocean Safety Facility

City crews are starting sewer connection work next week for the new Honolulu Ocean Safety Department facility in Kailua.

KHON2.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Council Likely to Push Back Implementation of STVR Law to July 2026

Hawai‘i County’s law regulating short-term vacation rentals — those lasting fewer than 180 consecutive days — could be pushed back to take effect July 1, 2026, under a proposal the County Council will discuss Tuesday.

Tribune-Herald.

Big Isle Lawmakers Provide Update on Road Projects

State and county transportation officials joined local lawmakers last week to share updates and hear community concerns about ongoing and future projects in Puna and across Hawai‘i Island.

Tribune-Herald.

Iconic Ali‘i Drive in Kona Changed Forever After Loss of 80-Foot Tree

The landscape of historic Ali‘i Drive in Kailua-Kona is forever changed as the more than 100-year-old Moreton Bay Fig tree with branches that arched over the roadway was cut down, going from its majestic 80 feet high to a 20-foot trunk.

Big Island Now.

Maui Headlines

Drought Leaves Extreme Low Flows in East Maui Streams; Debate Sparked Over Emergency Easing of Stream Flow Standards

The Oct. 28 briefing for members of the Hawaiʻi Commission on Water Resource Management raised urgent concerns about the source of East Maui’s and — by extension — Upcountry’s drinking water supply, prompting state water officials to consider revising in-stream flow standards as an emergency measure.

Maui Now.

Maui County Plans More Wells, System Upgrades to Meet Upcountry’s Water Issues, Growing Demand

As the need for water continues to outpace supply, especially in Upcountry, Maui County is trying to find new sources and solutions that aren’t dependent on rain. They include buying and drilling new wells, upgrading key treatment plants and potentially connecting to the Central Maui system so water can be pumped Upcountry in times of short supply.

Maui Now.

As Residents Brace for Changes to Snap, Maui Farmers Worry About the Impacts

Pono Grown Farm produces a diverse variety of vegetables, fruit and honey on about 13 acres in Makawao, using regenerative and organic methods, with a focus on youth and community agricultural education.

Hawai‘i Public Radio.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Kalāheo Dental Group’s Annual Halloween Candy Buyback Supports Operation Shoebox

For the past 10 years, the team at Kalāheo Dental Group on Kauaʻi’s west side has turned the post-Halloween sugar rush into something truly sweet: their annual Halloween Candy BuyBack event, which supports U.S. troops overseas.

Kaua‘i Now.

Life of a Beloved Kumu Hula Celebrated on Kauai in a Fond Farewell

Hula, memories and aloha filled the Kilohana Plantation grounds Saturday as hundreds turned out to honor the life of Jonelle Marie Leināʻala Pavao-Jardin. She died on Oct. 4 at the age of 51 after a 15-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Hawaii News Now.