Lawmakers Could Restructure Conveyance Tax to Give DHHL a New Funding Stream

Taxes paid on real estate sales in Hawaii could become a lot higher for multimillion-dollar properties to fund development of Hawaiian homesteads and housing infrastructure near transit hubs. Two competing bills pending at the state Legislature propose restructuring Hawaii’s conveyance tax, which gets applied when real estate, including homes, is sold.

Hawai‘i Public Radio. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi School Contract Failures Triggered Holdup of $30M+ for Meals

Scrutiny of Hawaiʻi school contracting comes as lawmakers raise more questions about the costs of producing school lunches.

CIvil Beat.

Low-Income Hawaiʻi Patients and Their Doctors Face a Financial Cliff

A senior Hawaiʻi health care leader says issues with government reimbursements are leading to “a state of non-viability” for the state’s entire health care system.

Civil Beat.

AG Stakeholders Urge Immediate Assistance for Farmers After Hawaiʻi Floods

Agriculture advocates are warning state lawmakers that the recent Kona low storms have created a dire situation for local farmers, who need immediate assistance.

Hawai‘i Public Radio. Big Island Now.

Incoming Hawai‘i Storm Could Have ‘Same Type of Impacts’ of Flooding

The National Weather Service is watching a new system that could bring more rain to the Islands after devastating floods from back-to-back Kona Lows. Weather models are hinting at another chance for heavy rainfall and flooding next Wednesday and Thursday.

KHON2. Hawaii News Now.

O‘ahu Headlines

Honolulu City Council Considers Covid-Era Hazard Pay for Bus Workers

More than 2,000 city bus drivers and mechanics would receive hazard pay for work during the COVID-19 pandemic under a proposal before the Honolulu City Council that would cost nearly $17 million.

Star-Advertiser.

New Hotline Launched on Oʻahu to Report ICE Activity as Arrests Rise

A newly-formed coalition on Oʻahu is asking the public to help document immigration enforcement activity, launching a hotline to report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

KITV4. Hawaii News Now.

Waialua District Park to Serve as Storm Relief Hub Starting Friday

The City and County of Honolulu will consolidate all Kona-low storm assistance efforts to a single location at Waialua District Park starting Friday.

Star-Advertiser.

DLNR: Avoid Whale Remnants Between Nanakuli and Barbers Point

The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources announced last Friday that blubber, bones and other remnants were washing ashore between Nanakuli Beach Park and Barbers Point, which attracts predators such as tiger sharks.

Star-Advertiser.

How a Seabird Native to Hawai‘i Has Adapted to Life in Honolulu’s Concrete Jungle

New data shows the numbers of white terns have jumped more than 50% in the past decade — evidence the seabirds are thriving amid the concrete towers, traffic-clogged roads and Waikiki hotels in the state’s largest metropolis.

Associated Press.

Charley Memminger, Former Star-Bulletin Reporter and Humor Columnist, Dies at Age 72

Humorist Charley Memminger, whose writing career spanned three decades as a columnist and reporter at the Honolulu Star- Bulletin, died Tuesday in Waipahu.

Star-Advertiser.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Mayor Alameda Vetoes Bill 127

Mayor Kimo Alameda on Thursday vetoed Bill 127, which would have established a seven‑member Construction Code Commission.

Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now.

Rural Health Clinic Sought for Volcano; Senate Resolution Requests a Feasibility Study

The state Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously Monday to pass a resolution looking into siting a rural health clinic in the town of Volcano.

Tribune-Herald.

Irene Midel Was ‘Beautiful Inside and Out’.

“Aunty Irene” — one of Hilo’s most colorful and visible kupuna — died at 97 on March 27. Short in stature but huge in aloha, Midel was a grande dame at the Merrie Monarch Festival hula competition and other cultural events.

Tribune-Herald.

Maui Headlines

Maui County Directors of Human Concerns, Planning Sworn In

After the appointments were confirmed recently by the Maui County Council, Margaret “Maggie” Willis was sworn in as County of Maui Director of Human Concerns and Jacky Takakura was sworn in as County Director of Planning on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

Maui Now.

Congresswoman Tokuda to Host Town Halls in Lahaina and Molokaʻi

Congresswoman Jill Tokuda of Hawaiʻi will hold community town hall meetings in Lahaina and on Molokaʻi.

Maui Now.

Maui Mental Health Providers Face Stress and Uncertainty About State Jobs

Staff at a state-run clinic serving wildfire survivors in Hawai‘i have waited months for permanent jobs. Instead, they got another temporary contract.

Civil Beat.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Kaua’i Helicopter Crash: Here’s What We Know One Week Later.

Survivors may provide investigators with valuable details about the March accident. That hasn’t been the case in fatal crashes over the past decade.

Civil Beat.

Preserving the Unique Ecosystem of Kaua‘i: Pacific Missile Range Facility, Partners Again Relocate Laysan Albatross

Wildlife biologists at Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands once again worked alongside community partners to promote the long-term protection of native Hawaiian Laysan albatross that find their way to the U.S. Navy facility and attempt to nest.

Kaua‘i Now.