Facilities Authority Moves to Speed Classroom Builds

The School Facilities Authority, the state agency charged by lawmakers with modernizing school construction, has begun rolling out a digital planning tool called Akamai, a cloud-based configurator designed to automate much of the pre-design and planning work that traditionally takes months — or even years — to complete.

Star-Advertiser.

UH Engaged With Hackers Who Highjacked Cancer Study Data

The University of Hawaiʻi is tight-lipped after people participating in a cancer study had personal information, including Social Security numbers, exposed to computer hackers. Those people may not even know. As of December, UH had not notified them that their data was stolen from the Cancer Center’s servers.

Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi’s Jobless Rate Remains Second Lowest in U.S.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate plunged three-tenths of a point to 2.2% in November from September and now has fallen by a half-percentage point over the last three reporting periods, according to data released Tuesday from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Star-Advertiser.

Gov. Green Appoints James Carpio to the BLNR

Gov. Josh Green has appointed James (Jay) John Kamealoha Carpio of Wailuku to the Board of Land and Natural Resources. The appointment runs through June 30, 2029. Carpio, a Native Hawaiian born and raised in Wailuku, Maui, has worked as a hunter and guide, rancher, land manager, master fisherman and farmer.

Star-Advertiser.

O‘ahu Headlines

City Budgeting Openness Bill to Become Law Without Blangiardi’s Signature

Mayor Rick Blangiardi has refused to sign a Honolulu City Council bill that aims to hold the administration more accountable over the funding appropriations it provides for the city’s use each year.

Star-Advertiser.

City Seeks Rail Oversight Agreement in Historic Chinatown

As Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s construction of the more than $10 billion Skyline rolls toward Chinatown, city officials seek an updated agreement with the state to gain more oversight over historical sites and future development projects along the rail line’s route.

Star-Advertiser.

$150M Kitchen Project Aims to Expand Locally Sourced School Meals

On Jan. 29, construction begins on a $150 million regional kitchen project in Central Oʻahu’s Whitmore Village. The kitchen is expected to open in June 2027 and, once fully operational, is designed to serve up to 60,000 meals a day to more than 80 public schools statewide. However, officials say the rollout will begin on a smaller scale.

Hawaii News Now.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

U.S. High Court Could Hear Case Regarding 2010 Raid of THC Ministry

The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled a conference today in Washington, D.C., to consider surveillance and privacy issues surrounding the federal raid in 2010 of The Hawaiʻi Cannabis Ministry — also known as the THC Ministry — which operated openly for years with a storefront banner in downtown Hilo.

Tribune-Herald.

Council Honors Legacy of Fire Chief Kazuo Todd With Passing of Two Fire Safety Bills

On Wednesday morning, the Hawaiʻi County Council passed Bill 108, which allocates $1.75 million in state funding to establish ambulance operations at Makalei Fire Station in Kailua-Kona, which includes six new positions.

Big Island Now.

Passing Zones to Be Removed From Section of Highway 19 in West Hawaiʻi

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation is removing passing zones on a 14-mile stretch of the Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway (Highway 19) in West Hawaiʻi. Passing zones will be removed between mile posts 78 and 92.6, from Waikoloa Beach Drive down to Keahole Airport Road.

Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News.

Maui Headlines

Hawaiʻi’s Critically Endangered Crow Is Soaring in Maui Forests

For a long time, it wasn’t looking good for the ʻalalā, a highly social, intelligent, charismatic but critically endangered Hawaiian crow, which became extinct in the wild in 2002. Efforts to reintroduce the ʻalalā to its home habitat of Hawaiʻi island were unsuccessful, but several ʻalalā have survived their first year since being released on the Valley Isle.

Civil Beat.

Man Injured in Officer-Involved Shooting on Maui

The shooting took place just before 7:30 p.m. Thursday near the Kehalani Ace Hardware in Wailuku for a reported terroristic threatening incident.

Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Valenciano’s Early Retirement Creates Opening for Kaua‘i’s Next Chief Judge

Kauaʻi’s top judge quietly retired this fall after 18 years in the position, presiding over several high-profile legal disputes, including cases related to the now-defunct Hawaiʻi Superferry. The Hawai‘i Judicial Selection Commission is evaluating nominees to fill the 5th Circuit Court seat.

Civil Beat.

‘Keep Vaccines Optional’ Draws a Crowd

A Keep Vaccinations Optional meeting on Tuesday drew an overflow audience of about 300 people to the Līhu’e Neighborhood Center, according to resident Steve Yoder.

Garden Island.

Kauaʻi Coffee Co. Warns of 141 Job Losses With Land Lease Set to End in March

Kauaʻi Coffee Co., one of the island’s largest agricultural employers and a major visitor attraction, addressed the Kauaʻi County Council as its land lease approaches expiration in March.

Kauaʻi Now.