East Hawaii News

Hilo on the Big Island will once again become the hula capital of the world next week with the return of the annual Merrie Monarch Festival. The 62nd installment of the weeklong celebration of everything hula and Hawaiian runs from Easter Sunday, April 20, through April 26 this year.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture urges visitors to adhere to strict quarantine rules for transporting ʻŌhiʻa plants from Hawaiʻi to protect th fungal plant disease from traveling back overseas.

The change in traffic pattern is to safely accommodate participants of the La Honua Festival 5K Walk and Run.

The beach at Pohoiki, near the easternmost point on the the Big Island in the Puna District, grew rapidly in the year following the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea and has continued to evolve since.

Results of the survey will support an economic impact study Hawaiʻi County Department of Research and Development is conducting on short-term rentals as required by Hawaiʻi County Council Resolution 556, which was adopted last year.

The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry donated $10,000 to Hawaiʻi Community College’s Culinary Arts Program, funding 20 student scholarships through its annual “A Taste of Hilo” event.

State Department of Transportation personnel at Hilo International Airport have worked with Transportation Security Administration staff in anticipation of the increased number of travelers heading to the Big Island for the 62nd annual Merrie Monarch Festival.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports Episode 18 of ongoing summit eruption of the Big Island volcano began at 10:01 p.m. April 16 and was feeding a lava flow that extended down the vent’s spillway and a short distance onto the crater floor.

Hilo will be the epicenter of all things hula and Hawaiian as the annual Merrie Monarch Festival — the weeklong celebration of island culture — returns for its 62nd year.

Bipartisan TAME Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act introduced in U.S. Senate by Hawai’i Democrat Schatz and Montana Republican Sheehy would use artificial intelligence to better protect communities from increasing toll of extreme weather and wildfires.

U.S. senate, a Hawai‘i Democrat, will give updates about his work in Washington. He will also take questions from constituents throughout the state about their concerns.

Students from five Hawaiʻi Island schools will watch oral arguments along with the Supreme Court in “State of Hawaiʻi v. Charles Zuffante” on Thursday.

On the second day of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, police communications officers were honored during the blessing of their new facility that will provide dispatchers with spacious work zones, top-of-the-line technology and other modern amenities.

Boarding students at Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy can now have dinner from nine Waimea restaurants while remaining on campus due to a business created by a fellow student.

Officer driving a black 2024 Chevrolet Silverado as well as the 62-year-old woman driving a gray 2015 Lexus and the 3-year-old boy riding with her were all taken to Hilo Benioff Medical Center following the April 3 crash at the intersection of Kamehameha Avenue and Manono Street.

Hale O Hawaiʻi County is working to secure and preserve a permanent supply of affordable houses for working families of Hawaiʻi County.

In observance of Good Friday on April 18, there will be no contraflow or lane closures unless otherwise permitted. All scheduled lane closures are weather permitting.

The county and its community partners are hosting events in Hilo, Kea‘au and Pāhala, with the first one this Sunday, and invite the everyone to come have an egg-cellent time in celebration of the season.

Big Island police reported early the afternoon April 10 that 28-year-old Saysha Wilson, who was reported missing April 9, was located later the same day. No further information was provided about her child or where she was located.

From looking for a job in the health care sector to wanting to relax with some jazz and blues played by a Grammy Signature School band, and a ton of stuff in between, you shouldn’t have any problem finding something to keep you occupied — at least for an hour or 2 — during the next week.