U.S. Vetting Proposal Threatens Hawaiʻi Economy

Hawaiʻi tourism officials are raising alarms that a new federal proposal requiring millions of foreign visitors to disclose their social media handles could further depress international arrivals — and potentially undermine the benefits of a major national marketing reboot aimed at restoring global travel to the United States.

Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi Senator Condemns U.S. Travel Ban That Includes Tonga

State Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole (D, Kāneʻohe-Kailua) last week condemned a newly announced expansion of federal travel bans that will add 20 countries — including Tonga — to a list of nations facing new U.S. restrictions on travel and immigration.

Star-Advertiser.

Trump Administration Threatens Native Hawaiian Higher Ed Programs

The U.S. Department of Education said that federally funded programs based on race, including those that serve Native Hawaiians and Alaskan Natives, are unconstitutional, according to an opinion by department lawyers. Education Secretary Linda McMahon wants to halt “race-based conditions when allocating taxpayer funding.”

Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi Charter Schools Promised a New Model. Did They Succeed?

Hawaiʻi’s charter schools pledged to improve public education through more innovation and family engagement. Three decades later, they’ve gained momentum but still lag in some traditional measures of success.

Civil Beat.

Kamehameha Schools Trustee Finalists Are Walking Into a Challenging Future

The three finalists vying for the vacant seat are startup entrepreneur Olin Lagon, hotelier Keith Vieira and finance executive Eric Yeaman. The selection comes at a time when the school is under fire from an anti-affirmative action group that wants to open it to non-Hawaiians. As the state’s largest private landowner, Kamehameha also faces questions over the future of more than 300,000 acres of land it owns across the islands.

Civil Beat.

O‘ahu Headlines

Hawai‘i Convention Center Repair Climbs to $87M

A major leak crisis at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, which affected five meeting rooms during a major event this week, is underscoring the urgency of a long delayed rooftop repair project. Repair costs have now swelled to $87 million — a 70% increase — and forced the center to reshuffle capital improvement funds to keep construction on track.

Star-Advertiser.

HART Audit Concludes Results Are Positive, Rail Agency Says

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation announced Friday that a recently completed annual audit of its financial statements proved “positive” for the agency tasked with constructing the more than $10 billion Skyline project.

Star-Advertiser.

HART CEO Gets $350K Following Citywide Pay Raises

The board of directors for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation has approved a new 4% pay raise for Executive Director and CEO Lori Kahikina to continue to oversee completion of the more than $10 billion Skyline project.

Star-Advertiser.

Redeveloping Obsolete Homes at Kūhiō Park Terrace Underway

Work is underway to revitalize and expand the state’s largest public housing complex where demolition has begun on part of the Kūhiō Park Terrace community in Kalihi to make way for a greater number of low-income rental apartments.

Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi’s Millennials Juggle Unaffordable Housing, Child Care

The top financial pressures that financial literacy and wealth management firms say are facing Millennials — housing costs, student debt, consumer debt and a lack of retirement savings — are even more pronounced in Hawaiʻi, where each strain is magnified by the state’s extreme cost of living.

Star-Advertiser.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

HPD Chief Applicants Narrowed Down to 11

Eleven candidates for the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s vacant chief position will receive invitations to be interviewed next month by the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission.

Tribune-Herald.

HPD Officer Whose Police Dog Died in Overheated Car Won’t Be Prosecuted

There will be no criminal animal cruelty charges filed against Hawaiʻi Police Department Officer Sidra Brown, the handler of K-9 Archer, the narcotics detection dog that died Sept. 4 after being left unattended in a police vehicle in Kona.

Tribune-Herald.

Emergency Repairs on Route 19 to Begin Monday

Motorists on Hawaiʻi Belt Road (Route 19) this week between Wainaku and Hakalau could experience traffic delays starting Monday. Emergency repairs will begin on a recently declared “traffic emergency zone” between mile-marker 3 and mile-marker 15 on the highway, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Tribune-Herald.

Southwest Airlines Launches Nonstop Hilo-To-Vegas Route

The new nonstop route starts Aug. 6, 2026, and will initially operate Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, according to a Southwest news release.

Tribune-Herald.

Maui Headlines

In a Year of Federal Cuts and Fading Fire Recovery Funds, Maui Nonprofits Hold Fast

The rollercoaster of a year was reflective of what many Maui organizations have experienced during massive federal funding slashes and rapidly changing policies under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Maui Now.

This Maui Bike Shop Gifts Hundreds of Bicycles to Local Keiki

Maui bike shop Krank Cycles has assembled and distributed about 500 bikes this year. They’re purchased and donated by Jim Falk, president of car dealership Jim Falk Motors of Maui

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Kaua‘i Voters Could Decide Whether Gated Communities Should Be Banned

The Kaua‘i Charter Review Commission is soliciting ideas through February to improve the legal document that defines the county government’s structure, powers and functions. One of the proposals seeks to outlaw the development of gated neighborhood subdivisions. Another calls for increased oversight of the County Council’s budget.

Civil Beat.

Kauai Coffee Farm Landowner Considering Takeover

Denver-based Brue Baukol Capital Partners, a real estate investment firm that bought the land under the farm three years ago, said it is committed to keeping Kauai Coffee open and is actively exploring ways to preserve, improve or potentially manage the business itself.

Star-Advertiser.

Sixth-Generation Wahine Kauaʻi Kalo Farmer Continues Family Legacy

Nestled in the valleys of Hanalei and Lumahaʻi on Kauaʻi sits a loʻi kalo that’s been cultivating on the island’s north shore for six generations.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.