Gov. Josh Green’s Budget Reflects Federal Culling

Gov. Josh Green’s $20.4 billion supplemental budget addresses federal funding cuts while prioritizing affordable housing, climate infrastructure, healthcare and education. The administration will implement the green fee from hotel taxes for environmental protection, but the budget doesn’t address 2024 tax cuts the governor wants to scale back.

Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

Budget in Brief (PDF)

Hawaii Dept of Budget and Finance.

Condominium Insurance Prices Begin to Stabilize

Condominium building insurance rates are beginning to stabilize. This comes five months after the state’s Hurricane Relief Fund began issuing policies to buildings that couldn’t secure coverage on the traditional market.

Hawai‘i Public Radio.

Hawai‘i Office of Consumer Protection Announces $6M Settlement With PayPal

The Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection (OCP), on behalf of the state of Hawai‘i, announced on Monday a $6 Million settlement with PayPal, Inc. and PayPal Holdings, Inc.  The settlement resolves OCP’s lawsuit, filed in December 2022, alleging unfair and deceptive acts or practices through PayPal’s operation and Venmo e-payment platforms.

Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Hawai‘i Groups Blast Snap’s Restrictions on Sugary Products

Hawai‘i Appleseed, the Hawai‘i Public Health Institute and the Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network say the rules will raise costs, reduce choices and create extra work for retailers and state administrators without improving health outcomes.

Maui News.

O‘ahu Headlines

HART Pays $41.3M to Settle Lengthy Ward Village Dispute

On Nov. 25, state Judge John M. Tonaki formally resolved the matter by allowing HART to pay more than $41.3 million to acquire easement access — specifically, for Skyline’s proposed Kakaako Station in the area of Ward Avenue and Queen Street — that could eventually allow the city’s rail project to travel eastward to Ala Moana Center and beyond.

Star-Advertiser.

Is Senator’s Affordable Housing Plan Happening? Depends Who You Ask.

State authority says market conditions and project requirements put Aloha Homes on the shelf. Sen. Stanley Chang says the Kakaʻako development remains underway.

Civil Beat.

Downtown ‘Hell-Hole’ Building Founder Faces Eviction From His Luxury Condo

Honolulu developer Chad Waters’ landlord alleges he owes $5,000 in back rent. The founder of a squalid downtown office building converted into unlicensed apartments now faces his own eviction complaint for allegedly failing to pay rent on the luxury Kakaʻako condo where he lives.

Civil Beat.

Honolulu Ocean Safety Chief Sworn In

Honolulu’s first-ever Ocean Safety Chief was sworn in at a special ceremony at Honolulu Hale Monday morning. Kurt Lager’s appointment to the position earned unanimous approval from the Ocean Safety commission.

Hawaii News Now.

UH Hotline Answers the Call to Immigration Detention in Honolulu

Once it became clear that the Trump administration was pursuing an aggressive immigration policy, the Refugee & Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa set up a “Deportation Defense Hotline.”

Hawai‘i Public Radio.

Mililani Man First to Be Compensated Under Hawai‘i’s Wrongful Conviction Law

A man imprisoned for a crime he did not commit will become the first person in Hawai‘i to receive compensation under a 10-year-old law. Roynes Dural will receive $420,833 from the state for the eight years and five months he spent in prison following a wrongful conviction.

Hawaii News Now.

Gen X Is Squeezed, Caring for Generations Before and After

On weekends, Raphael Bacani, 51, packs silken tofu and brown‑sugar syrup into his car and heads to the Waipahu farmers market to sell taho, the Filipino street food that’s one of two side businesses he and his wife run to help cover the bills.

Star-Advertiser.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Pay Hike for County Managers

In its final meeting of the year Monday in Hilo, the Hawai‘i County Salary Commission approved a 15.29% pay raise for the county’s top officials. The raises, which follow negotiated pay increases for Hawai‘i Government Employee Association members, will take place in four increments — 3.5% on Jan. 1, 2026, 3.79% on July 1, 2026, and 4% on July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2028.

Tribune-Herald.

As Promised: Hawai‘i Governor Commits Funding to New Big Island Hospital in Supplemental State Budget

Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green submitted his Supplemental Budget for Fiscal Year 2027 to the State Legislature Monday, which dedicates $50 million in General Obligation funds to the building of a new hospital on Hawai‘i Island.

Big Island Now.

Large-Scale Marijuana Growing Operation Investigated in Ocean View

During a search at a residence in the 92-8600 block of Jasmine Drive, officers recovered approximately 397 marijuana plants, 364 pounds of processed marijuana, 19,814 grams of marijuana concentrate, 1.2 grams of cocaine, and four firearms.

Big Island Video News. Big Island Now.

Maui Headlines

Thousands of Maui Vacation Rentals in Limbo After Council Hits Gridlock

Kāʻanapali condo owners have filed the first lawsuit so far against the county over Bill 9.

Civil Beat.

Volunteers Replant Keawaiki Park at Lahaina Harbor With Native Plants

On Dec. 6, representatives from the three Lahaina Rotary Clubs, Treecovery and the Lahaina Restoration Foundation came together to replant Keawaiki Park with native Hawaiian trees, groundcover and vines.

Maui Now.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Building a Future at Lima Ola: KHDC Marks First Phase Success

Kauai Housing Development Corporation (KHDC) announced that 23 of the first 24 three-bedroom, two-bath homes in the Lima Ola Workforce Housing Development have been sold to Kaua‘i families, turning the dream of homeownership into reality for local workers who want to stay on island, according to a press release.

Garden Island.