“Business Monday: The Booch Bar expands with new live music venue in downtown Hilo.”
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Accessed on 20 January 2026, 0015 UTC.
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ActivitiesFourth annual HI-PAL baseball tournament coming up in Hilo
East Hawaii NewsLane closure scheduled on Kīlauea Avenue in Hilo for utility pole replacement
Business Monday: The Booch Bar expands with new live music venue in downtown Hilo
Jahred Darius, a musician with PunaKat and an experienced sound engineer and talent booker, is managing the new music venue called the Rainbow Room.January 19, 2026 · 5:00 AM HST
CommunityMuʻumuʻu Month: Waipahu students curate University of Hawaiʻi fashion exhibit
EducationAcoustic tracking of tiger sharks finds they mate during Maui’s whale season
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KWXX Hoʻolauleʻa returns to Downtown Hilo for 29th annual music festival
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Big Island News
January 19, 2026 · 10:00 AM
Fourth annual HI-PAL baseball tournament coming up in Hilo
Twenty-one teams from across Hawai‘i Island, comprised of keiki ages 4 to 8, will participate in the tournament.
January 19, 2026 · 8:00 AM
Lane closure scheduled on Kīlauea Avenue in Hilo for utility pole replacement
Hawaiian Electric will replace two power poles on Kīlauea Avenue near Aupuni Street in downtown Hilo, resulting in lane closures.
January 19, 2026 · 5:00 AM
Business Monday: The Booch Bar expands with new live music venue in downtown Hilo
Jahred Darius, a musician with PunaKat and an experienced sound engineer and talent booker, is managing the new music venue called the Rainbow Room.
January 19, 2026 · 3:00 AM
Hawai‘i Primary Care Association names new CEO to strengthen healthcare access statewide
Emily Chung — who assumed her new role Jan. 5 — has more than 2 decades of public health leadership experience as well as a proven track record in advancing community well-being; she brings expertise and vision to the association’s mission.
January 19, 2026 · 1:00 AM
Hawaiian Electric plans utility work this week in North Kona
The work Jan. 21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. will be accompanied by a closure of the mauka lane of Kuakini Highway, between Ihilani Place and Ha‘awina Street.
January 18, 2026 · 3:00 PM
Muʻumuʻu Month: Waipahu students curate University of Hawaiʻi fashion exhibit
The pieces on display as part of current the Historic Fashion Collection exhibit were selected by nearly 30 students at the Oʻahu high school, who could be the future of Hawaiʻi’s fashion industry; curating the exhibit introduces the teens to possible career paths ranging from designing to entrepreneurship and retail buying to sustainable fashion.
January 18, 2026 · 12:44 PM
Acoustic tracking of tiger sharks finds they mate during Maui’s whale season
The findings challenges the conventional understanding of tiger sharks as purely solitary animals, revealing a predictable seasonal convergence of mature males and females that coincides with the humpback whale calving season in Hawaiʻi.
January 18, 2026 · 10:00 AM
Congressional delegation introduce legislation to establish new national veterans cemetery in Hawaiʻi
The only national cemetery in Hawaiʻi is running out of space, and has been functionally closed for in-ground burials since 1991 — and it is expected to stop taking cremated remains by 2036.
January 18, 2026 · 8:00 AM
Maui’s recovering tourism industry receives boost from return of the humpback whales
Watching the majestic humpback whales has become a tradition woven into the tourism economy of Maui Nui ever since they started coming back from near extinction in the 1970s due to successful conservation efforts.
January 18, 2026 · 5:00 AM
PGA Tour Champions tourney at Hualālai celebrates 30 years, with inaugural champ Hale Irwin as ambassador
The tournament, now called the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualālai, started with 17 professionals, and this year’s pro field is at 42, including defending champion Ernie Els of South Africa.
UPCOMING FEATURED EVENTS:
Every Tuesday · 9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Farmers Market
Every Tuesday · 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Ukulele Lessons with Kris Fuchigami
Every Thursday · 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Queens’ Culinary Market
Local Entertainment
January 19, 2026 · 5:00 AM
Business Monday: The Booch Bar expands with new live music venue in downtown Hilo
Jahred Darius, a musician with PunaKat and an experienced sound engineer and talent booker, is managing the new music venue called the Rainbow Room.
January 18, 2026 · 3:00 PM
Muʻumuʻu Month: Waipahu students curate University of Hawaiʻi fashion exhibit
The pieces on display as part of current the Historic Fashion Collection exhibit were selected by nearly 30 students at the Oʻahu high school, who could be the future of Hawaiʻi’s fashion industry; curating the exhibit introduces the teens to possible career paths ranging from designing to entrepreneurship and retail buying to sustainable fashion.
January 17, 2026 · 8:33 AM
Free tribute concert for Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir set for Sunday at Rainbow Room in Hilo
The free show features the band PunaKat, which will be joined by Steve Fundy of Uncle Charlie, and there will be a special “Grateful Grill” menu.
January 16, 2026 · 7:00 AM
Hawaiʻi County to host reopening event for Arthur L. Greenwell Park playground
The new playground features all new play equipment — including spinners, a large basket swing and various challenging climbing structures; a new synthetic turf safety surfacing system also was installed.
January 16, 2026 · 3:00 AM
KWXX Hoʻolauleʻa returns to Downtown Hilo for 29th annual music festival
The free, family-friendly festival Saturday night (Jan. 17) features four stages, more than 20 bands and more than 40 food and craft vendors; among highlights of this year will be the first KWXX Hoʻolauleʻa performance by High Watah and return of legendary duo Ho‘onu‘a.
Hawaii Public Housing Authority
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Big Island Polls
Big Island Now poll results: County garage is answer to downtown Kona’s parking woes
June 1, 2025 · 3:00 AM HST
Big Island Now poll: What is solution to parking woes on Ali‘i Drive in Kailua-Kona?
May 18, 2025 · 3:00 AM HST
Reminder: Permanent restrictions remain on the transport of ʻŌhiʻa
April 19, 2025 · 1:55 AM HST
Hawai’i Volcano Blog
Third earthquake swarm rumbles beneath Halemaʻumaʻu Crater within Kīlauea caldera
January 15, 2026 · 2:00 AM HST
UPDATE: Episode 40 ends after nearly 10 hours of lava fountaining
January 12, 2026 · 7:19 PM HST
Kīlauea revving up for Episode 40 as dome fountaining, lava spattering increase
January 10, 2026 · 11:09 AM HST
Ocean Blog
UPDATE: High bacteria count advisory canceled at Kolekole Gulch in East Hawai‘i
January 14, 2026 · 3:55 AM HST
Maximum penalties lobbied against fisherman seen illegally longline fishing in waters off Kona Coast
January 11, 2026 · 4:00 AM HST
2026 proclaimed ‘Year of Our Coastal Kuleana’
January 10, 2026 · 9:00 AM HST
University of Hawaiʻi study reveals critical new details about diversity of ocean’s most abundant bacteria
January 3, 2026 · 1:00 PM HST
Maui Now
Lā Muʻumuʻu, a celebration of muʻumuʻu set for Jan. 31 at the Bailey House
The Maui Historical Society will host Lā Muʻumuʻu, a celebration of Muʻumuʻu Month, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 31 at Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House in Wailuku. The event honors the muʻumuʻu as an expression of the history, creativity and living culture of Hawaiʻi. The gathering will feature local vendors selling food, […]
Ongoing police investigation in Haʻikū accompanied by air, drone and K9 units
The Maui Police Department is conducting an ongoing investigation in the Haʻikū area with the assistance of department-issued drones, the MPD K9 unit, and the police helicopter, Hekili. These resources are being utilized to support search and investigative efforts from both the ground and air.
Holy Rosary Church in Pāʻia marks 100th anniversary with centennial celebration
Holy Rosary Church in Pāʻia announces the celebration of its 100th anniversary, honoring a century of devotion, community, and the guiding presence of the Blessed Mother.
State Legislature convenes 2026 session Wednesday
The 33rd Hawaiʻi State Legislature convenes its 2026 regular session at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the State Capitol. The opening day marks the start of the second year of the legislative biennium. The state Senate and House of Representatives will meet in their respective chambers at the State Capitol. For Maui County residents unable to […]
Scholarships available for University of Hawaiʻi Travel Industry freshmen
Hawai‘i public high school seniors graduating in 2026 with an interest in tourism management can apply for the Hawai‘i Tourism Ho‘oilina Scholarship, a four-year scholarship providing $12,000 a year toward a Bachelor of Science in travel industry management at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business.
Kaua‘i Now
PGA Tour Champions tourney at Hualālai on Big Island celebrates 30 years
The tournament, now called the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualālai, started with 17 professionals, and this year’s pro field is at 42, including defending champion Ernie Els of South Africa.
Hawai‘i Department of Transportation announces lane closures this week
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, there will be no lane closures on Monday, unless otherwise permitted.
Kauai Weather Forecast for January 19, 2026
Trades have become more southeasterly today as ridging aloft moves over the state, and gradually weakening southeast winds will prevail over the next couple…
Kauai Weather Forecast for January 19, 2026
Trades have become more southeasterly today as ridging aloft moves over the state, and gradually weakening southeast winds will prevail over the next couple…
Kauai Surf Forecast for January 19, 2026
A short-lived northwest swell will peak tonight and decline Monday. This swell will produce advisory level surf across exposed north and west facing shores of…
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