#Greggor Ilagan

More than $12 million has been released to the Department of Transportation for long-awaited Highway 130 improvements in the growing district of Puna.

Career fishermen and generations of fishing families have been waiting for access to the ocean since the 2018 Kīlauea lava flow blocked the Pohoiki Boat Ramp eight years ago.

Hawai‘i County Council initially failed to pass the original funding bill for the study in January 2024, which would have accepted the state’s $1 million and a $500,000 county match. The council ultimately passed its own bill in March 2024, with a $1 million county match, that expanded the scope of the study months before state funding lapsed on June 30, 2024.

“Across the aisle, these shared values reflect our 51 members’ dedication to serving the public,” said House Speaker Nadine Nakamura of Kaua‘i, the first woman speaker of the House in Hawai‘i history and first Asian-American woman state speaker of the House in United States. “They remind us of the meaningful work happening here at the Legislature and our daily responsibility to do our best for the people of Hawaiʻi.”

Democrats dominated state elections throughout the islands, although Republicans picked up state House seats on O‘ahu.

Democrats won all the Senate and House races on the Big Island during the 2024 General Election.

The ride was intended to demonstrate the road, from Keaʻau to Pāhoa, is used regularly by cyclists despite safety concerns.

The Future Caucus cultivates the next generation of national leaders with the skills to build bipartisan coalitions and pass effective legislation.

The bill would have accepted and added into the County’s budget $1 million from the state, which Puna state Rep. Greggor Ilagan was able to get allocated as a line item in the state budget in 2021, and another $500,000 from County coffers for the Hawai‘i County Department of Public Works to do the study.

There is no infrastructure work planned at this time. Bill 107 only would put funds into the County budget for the study, which would be conducted to find an alternate route in and out of Puna to Hilo below Highway 130.

The House Committee on Finance will continue to conduct site visits across the state to gain insight into the status of ongoing projects and other needs of neighbor island communities.

Several bills and resolutions were approved or adopted by one or both chambers of the 32nd Hawaiʻi State Legislature and revolving around a wide range of issues, including: guns, coffee, kimichi, sex trafficking, grounded vessels, humpback whales and active shooting drills in schools.

It’s been almost five years since the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano and resulting lava flow landlocked the Pohoiki boat ramp, yet the battle continues for funding to dredge the beach and reopen access to the ocean.

Margaret Wille’s bill seeks a total ban on polystyrene food containers, while Greggor Ilagan wants to see increased public education on the foam product instead of a ban.

The 20-acre parcel proposed to be turned into a park is envisioned to be built in phases, according to County Council member Greggor Ilagan.

My heart goes out to those involved in Tuesday’s crash on Highway 130, and their families. I also feel for those who were detoured or delayed as a result of the accident.

The June 27 Kilauea lava flow gained 150 yards between Saturday and Sunday morning, bringing the flow closer to the Kaohe Homesteads boundary.

UH Agricultural program and industry experts seek community input, offer expertise.

The 11 newly elected county officials took office during a ceremony today at the Afook-Chinen Civil Auditorium.