“Top stories and breaking news from Hawaii, across the nation, and around the world.’
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Accessed on 31 January 2026, 1348 UTC.
Content and Source: “Honolulu Star-Advertiser.”
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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiinewsjournal.com).
Saturday, January 31, 2026 68°Today’s Paper
Breaking News
Get the latest top stories and breaking news today from Hawaii, across the nation and around the world.
Firefighters extinguish 16th floor fire at Makaha Valley Towers
Firefighters this morning extinguished a two-alarm blaze at a high-rise in Makaha. Read more
Kealakehe Elementary students involved in terroristic threatening incident
Hawaii island police are investigating an alleged threat made by a 9-year-old student at Kealakehe Elementary School. Read more
Hawaii health officials investigate chickenpox outbreak at Kauai school
Health officials said none of the infected individuals were vaccinated against chickenpox, also known as varicella. Read more
U.S. Senate budget bill includes $75 million for Hawaii
Schatz said the latest funding follows nearly $34 million in earmark funding for Hawaii in an appropriations deal signed into law earlier this month and $38 million enacted in November. Read more
Senate passes deal to fund government, negotiate ICE limits
The agreement did not come together in time to avert a brief lapse in federal funding over the weekend, starting Saturday morning. Read more
No. 3 Hawaii men’s volleyball sweeps No. 14 Penn State
Hawaii (9-1) earned its eighth sweep of the season in its first regular-season match ever at Penn State. Read more
Don Lemon released without bond over Minnesota protest charge
Lemon vowed to fight the charges after he and a group of journalists and activists were indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Minnesota. Read more
Apple reports record iPhone sales amid holiday bump
The iPhone sales surge led Apple to its most profitable quarter ever. Profit for the three months ending in December rose 16% from a year earlier to $42.1 billion. Read more
Hawaii Police Commission picks Reed Mahuna as next chief
The nearly 28-year veteran of the Hawaii Police Department has been serving as interim police chief since September. Read more
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Saks Off 5th stores to close at Waikele, Ala Moana
According to a company-provided list, the Saks Off 5th store at Waikele Premium Outlets begins closing sales on Saturday, and the Saks Off 5th store at Ala Moana Center is slated to close on Monday. Read more
Mangione will not face death penalty after murder charge dismissed
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan said she felt constrained by Supreme Court precedents to dismiss the murder charge, calling it legally incompatible with the two federal stalking charges Mangione still faces. Read more
HFD airlifts 2 teens from Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail
The 911 call to the Honolulu Fire Department came in at 6:15 p.m. for a 17-year-old male hiker experiencing muscle cramps in both legs. Read more
Wall Street closes down as investors fret over Trump’s Fed nominee
On top of assessing the risks from U.S. tensions with countries including Iran, investors were also worried about the prospect of another U.S. government shutdown. Read more
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Home Alone,’ ‘Schitt’s Creek’ actress, dies at 71
Creative Artists Agency confirmed her death in a statement, which did not cite a cause but said she died after a brief illness. Read more
High surf warning in effect for north, west shores of smaller islands
Forecasters said a second, larger and longer-period swell building today will boost surf heights before gradually easing later in the weekend. Read more
Machete robbery suspect arrested near Aala Park
Officers said they initially responded at around 12:20 a.m. to a robbery reported near 524 Kaaahi St. Read more
Trump picks Kevin Warsh as Fed chair
In a post on Truth Social today, Trump praised Warsh, saying, “he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best.” Read more
DOJ releases massive cache of Jeffrey Epstein files
Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, said at a press conference that today’s massive batch of files marked the end of the Trump administration’s planned releases under the law. Read more
Trump celebrates ‘Melania’ premiere after $75M Amazon spend
Amazon paid $40 million to the first lady’s production company for the film rights and then ponied up another $35 million to promote it. Read more
Trump sues IRS, Treasury Department for $10B over tax return leak
Thursday’s lawsuit puts Trump in the unusual position of suing government agencies that are part of the Executive Branch, which he leads. Read more
Rainbows rally on road, only to fall in OT vs. Irvine
The Hawaii men’s basketball team ran out of fantastic finishes in an 87-76 overtime loss to UC Irvine tonight in the Bren Events Center in Orange County, Calif. Read more
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More Breaking News
Hawaii health officials investigate chickenpox outbreak at Kauai school
U.S. Senate budget bill includes $75 million for Hawaii
Kealakehe Elementary students involved in terroristic threatening incident
Firefighters extinguish 16th floor fire at Makaha Valley Towers
Hawaii Police Commission picks Reed Mahuna as next chief
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