East Hawai‘i News

Recently released new mele Hawaiʻi featuring duet between award-winning Hawaiʻi musician and University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Hawaiian language graduate student Nicholas Kealiʻi Lum and Japan-born musician and trained ʻōlapa hula Tom Noʻeau offers compelling example of how Hawaiian language is taking root far beyond the islands.

The National Weather Service has issued a high surf warning for north and east shores of Big Island, from 12 p.m. Monday to 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Severe weather continues to impact the islands this weekend and is forecast to worsen, generating hazardous ocean conditions between the islands early next week, especially for the islands of Hawai‘i and Maui.

Part of the roadway south of Paʻauilo was closed several hours while materials from an unsecured load that fell and blocked one lane had to be removed.

Five of those drivers were involved in traffic crashes; three of them, or 23%, nearly a quarter, were younger than 21 years old; islandwide DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue.

Kaukau 4 Keiki is a six-week program, sponsored by the nonprofit Vibrant Hawai‘i, that begins the week of June 22 and ends the week of July 31, 2026.

National Weather Service in Honolulu reports surf along eastern shorelines has fallen below advisory levels.

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.