East Hawai‘i News

Big Island community invited and encouraged to attend a special one-of-a-kind evening showcasing incredible talents of ʻOhana Waʻa Laulima canoe club members and supporters to benefit the nonprofit that provides opportunities for people with special needs and the programs that uplift them.

A birthday bash from 2 to 6 p.m. today will feature hands-on activities, anniversary treats, giveaways and full access to exhibits and the planetarium all for free; the celebration also kicks off a year of monthly anniversary programming throughout 2026.

For the first time in 40 years, large tephra from Kīlauea fell across neighborhoods near Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, leaving homeowners with hazardous material on their roofs, and in their gutters and water systems.

Visual observations have been a backbone of volcano research more than 2,000 years and remain fundamental to understanding how volcanoes work; advancements in technology even allow eruptions to be viewed from anywhere around the world.

Forecasters report, however, that winds will remain breezy today, largely expected to stay just below advisory levels, continuing to gradually decrease throughout the day.

And that’s just a quick sample of the wide and, shall we say, unique variety of events and activities happening around the Big Island. Cure that ‘cabin fever’ and get out of the house to discover what we’re talking about.

Free, full-day communitywide cultural and educational gathering centered on the coconut — often referred to as the ‘tree of life’ — slated for Sunday (Feb. 22) at Palace Theater

A northbound acceleration lane heading to Hilo from Keaʻau would alleviate traffic on Highway 11 in the vicinity of Māmaki Street, also known as the Panaʻewa stretch.

The advisory was put in place Feb. 12 for the area between Lyman Bay (Mill Beach) and Waipahi Point following a malfunction of the disinfection system at Pāpa’ikou Wastewater Treatment Plant, which resulted in discharge of up to 98,300 gallons of fully treated, insufficiently disinfected wastewater.

The work by the Department of Water Supply will be conducted between mile markers 6 and 7 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The ʻiʻiwi likely hatched in the winter/spring of 2015-16 and is a minimum of 10 years old, which is rather amazing considering the typical lifespan of ʻiʻiwi is, maybe, half of that at 3 to 5 years.

An estimated 15 million cubic yards of lava erupted and covered about 50% of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater floor.

National Weather Service reports winds have fallen to below the advisory threshold.

With the quick, unexpected support of the Hilo Elks Lodge, Olena’s Massage Center was able to reopen one month after a fire destroyed their downtown business last November.

Lane closure schedules can change at any time without notice. All projects are weather permitting; in observance of Presidents’ Day on Feb. 16, there will be no contraflow or lane closures unless otherwise permitted.

Applications are due by 4 p.m. Feb. 27 and must be submitted online; this year marks the 21st year of the scholarship program, honoring Hawaiʻi high school seniors for all-around excellence and their commitment to well-being.

The move marks the second phase of Goodwill Hawaiʻi’s long-term plan to consolidate its retail business and human services programs at one location to better serve the East Hawaiʻi community.

Navia Nash was last seen at 7 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 11) on ‘Ua‘u Road in Mountain View, wearing a gray hoodie and camouflage sweatpants.

The County of Hawaiʻi has installed a new roundabout at the intersection of Kawili and Manono streets to help improve traffic flow.

The cleaning project, which begins Monday (Feb. 16) is expected to last about 2 weeks, barring any unforeseen circumstances; the facility has been closed since Jan. 24 when volcanic ash and glass strands of Pele’s hair began falling into the pool during Episode 41 of lava fountaining from the ongoing episodic summit eruption of Kīlauea volcano.