Kona-Low Storm Fallout Continues to Hit North Shore Business

Visitor traffic to Waimea Valley has fallen sharply this spring, forcing staff to stretch resources and scale back hiring as fewer travelers make the trip past ongoing traffic restrictions triggered by March’s Kona-low storms. The slowdown highlights how lingering infrastructure damage from the storms continues to ripple through North Shore tourism and the small businesses that depend on it.

Star-Advertiser.

Akakū Maui Fights to Preserve Public Access Funding

Akakū Maui Community Media is continuing its push to protect Maui County’s public access funding as $400,000 in annual cuts loom over the nonprofit. That figure represents roughly 35% of Akakū’s current $1.1 million operating budget, a reduction the organization warns would significantly limit its ability to serve the community.

Maui Now.

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Puna Killings Shake Big Island’s Off-Grid Community

For residents of Puna, a remote and eclectic part of Hawaiʻi’s Big Island, the killings of three men known for embracing the community’s off-grid, free-spirited lifestyle have become a startling reminder of the region’s struggles. Hawaiʻi Police suspect Jacob “Jake” Daniel Baker of killing Robert Shine, 69, Chitta Morse, 79, and John Carse, 69, over Monday and Tuesday in a series of seemingly random attacks in Kapoho and Kalapana.

Associated Press. Tribune-Herald.

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Nēnē Make a Comeback on Molokaʻi After Years of Absence

After dying out on Molokaʻi, the Native Hawaiian goose is staging a quiet comeback. A small but thriving flock of nēnē is now living and raising young at Puʻu O Hōkū Ranch, marking another step forward for an endangered species that has been pulled back from the brink of extinction with sustained conservation support.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.