Gov. Green Proposes Suspension of Historic Tax Breaks in 2027

Record state tax breaks that went into effect two years ago would be suspended for all Hawaiʻi income earners for three years beginning in 2027, Gov. Josh Green said in his State of the State Address Monday. Citing a $3 billion economic loss caused by federal budget cuts in 2025, Green explained that the move is necessary to address an unforeseen shortfall and stabilize Hawaiʻi’s economy for all income earners across the islands.

Star-Advertiser. Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Want More Revenue Streams to Craft Future of Culture and Arts

Eyeing cuts to federal funding and related agencies, legislators plan to introduce several bills aimed at saving the arts. One would create a cultural trust, an endowment funded by donors.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Hawaiʻi’s Homeless First Point-In-Time Count Being Conducted Since 2024

Hawaiʻi is conducting its first Point-in-Time Count since 2024, and volunteers are fanning out across the state to gauge the homelessness problem in the Islands.

KHON2.

O‘ahu Headlines

Lawmakers Question Officials Over Affordable Housing, Landfill

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration outlined Monday the city’s ongoing efforts to modernize city services, including shortening the time it takes to get city building permits, creating more affordable housing projects and dealing with homelessness on Oʻahu.

Star-Advertiser.

Homeless Count Shows Gaps in the System

For the first time since 2024, Oʻahu on Monday resumed its unsheltered Point-in-Time Count of people living on the streets. Outreach teams, service providers and city officials fanned out across Honolulu — including Chinatown, one of the island’s most visible areas of homelessness.

Star-Advertiser.

Oʻahu’s Sugar Canals Decay as State Acquisition Lags

In the fields of Central Oʻahu, a 30-mile irrigation system brings 6 to 10 million gallons of water to farmers every day. It has been almost three years since the state agreed to take Lake Wilson and Wahiawā Dam off Dole’s hands, but it has yet to take possession of the hazardous system.

Civil Beat.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Council Members Seek Audit of County Homeless Funding

The County Council’s Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs on Thursday voted to send to the full council a resolution requesting the county auditor conduct a performance audit of the Office of Housing and Community Development’s Homeless and Housing Fund, a five-year program established by the council in 2022 to combat homelessness.

Tribune-Herald.

Hawaiʻi County Council Urges State to Ban Commercial Aquarium Fishing

The Hawaiʻi County Council is pushing state lawmakers to end a decades-long battle against aquarium fishing this legislative session through a resolution that urges state lawmakers to ban all harvesting of fish for commercial aquariums.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

State Set to Review CRB Containment Measures for Hawaiʻi Island

Community groups on Hawaiʻi Island are pushing the state Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to take steps to contain the spread of invasive coconut rhinoceros beetles.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Maui Headlines

Gov. Green Highlights Maui Wildfire Recovery in Annual State of State Address

Gov. Josh Green pledged to extend rent support for Maui wildfire survivors through February 2027 and proposed halting future state tax cuts to preserve social services during his State of the State address Monday in the House Chambers at the State Capitol.

Maui Now.

Floor Plans and Renderings Available for Hoʻokumu Hou Reconstruction Program

Home design renderings and floor plans for the Hoʻokumu Hou Single-Family Homeowner Reconstruction Program are now available to view on the Hoʻokumu Hou website, and the application deadline has been extended through August 2026, the County of Maui Office of Recovery has announced.

Maui Now.

Maui December Unemployment Rate Is 2.4%

The Hawai‘i State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism today announced that the seasonally adjusted state unemployment rate for December was 2.2%, the same as in November. On Maui, the unemployment rate was 2.4% in December, down from the 2.5% rate the previous month and the 3.5% rate reported at the same time last year.

Maui Now.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Overnight Closures Planned for Kūhiō Highway Near Hanalei Bridge Beginning Feb. 2

Kūhiō Highway is scheduled to be fully closed overnight on Hanalei Hill on weeknights beginning in February to allow for road reconstruction work near the Hanalei Bridge, according to the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation.

Kauaʻi Now.

Kauai Coffee Company Faces Uncertain Future as Land Lease Nears Expiration

The Garden Island is buzzing about what’s next for Kauai Coffee Company, a 140-employee business that’s been a mainstay of the Westside since the 1980s. The company’s land lease expires in March. Two years of attempted negotiations between Kauai Coffee’s landowner and parent company have come and gone.

Civil Beat.