East Hawai‘i News

The islandwide inspections will be conducted from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 10-13 in a Manuiwa Airways helicopter.

Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy student Samantha Fortney, who grew up in Hilo, is turning her senior capstone project into meaningful action, inspired by a desire to serve her community.

The East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center is hosting the second Youth Art Series Festival featuring live performances and art activities in Hilo on March 14.

Hawaiʻi Police Department officers Jason Cunefare and Lawrence Matsumoto will be honored for their exemplary service.

Marzo’s Country Sports Bar and Grill is opening at the Puna Kai Shopping Center in Pāhoa this week, featuring a place for Puna residents to kick back to live music, cold beer and good food.

Students of the lab class worked with community stewards of Kaumaui, a loko iʻa in the community on the south side of Hilo Bay on the Big Island, to help with restoration and preservation efforts and collect water samples for DNA testing back on campus as part of their semester-long experiment.

Hawaiian language immersion programs throughout the islands are growing fast. Fast enough they are strained to keep up with the demand, needing more qualified teachers; a University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo program director and educator is dedicated to filling the gap.

The pool at William “Billy” Kenoi District Park was shuttered Jan. 24 when tephra — volcanic material including ash and volcanic glass Pele’s hair — from Episode 41 of the ongoing episodic summit eruption of Kīlauea volcano was carried by wind, making its way into the facility and surrounding areas.

James Fonseca was last seen at 3 p.m. Feb. 27 on Ala Oli Street in Hilo. Have you seen him? If you have, call police immediately.

Lane closure schedules can change at any time without notice. All projects are weather permitting.

The Hawaiʻi County Department of Parks and Recreation is conducting site preparations in Hilo Bayfront Park for a skate ramp donated by Dan Madsen, owner of Oasis Skateboards.

Elika Akamai Nohoomakeaka Keiki Perry was arrested and charged in relation to Feb. 19 burglaries at Prince Kūhīo Plaza and at Long’s Drugs.

Hundreds of community members come together in downtown Hilo for a day to celebrate niu — the coconut — as a symbol of life, resilience and cultural continuity.

Mauna Loa’s Volcano Alert Level is at Normal and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory expects to see changes such as increased seismicity or gas emissions before any future eruption; keeping a close eye on the volcanoes even during quiet times can teach important lessons that will inform our interpretations and decisions as conditions change.

Hawaiʻi Island police are asking for any information on Victoria Geil, who was last seen in Mountain View on Dec. 3, 2025 and was reported as a runaway.

Ambronette ‘Amber’ Rivera received the award earlier this month from Friends of the Library of Hawaiʻi during its annual Membership Meeting; congratulated by Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green and first lady Jaime Kanani Green and honored by state legislators and others.

The family-friendly fundraiser April 18 at Walter Victor Baseball Complex in Hilo is dedicated to strengthening families and preventing child abuse and neglect in Hawai‘i.

The newly reopened branch in Hilo — which has been inside the KTA Super Stores location at Pū‘āinakō for 30 years — demonstrates the bank’s continued commitment to Hawai‘i Island.

Police have made 95 DUI arrests so far this year, a decrease of 22.76c5 from the 123 DUI arrests made by the same time last year.

The National Weather service have extended the island’s high surf advisory until 6 p.m., with waves of 7 to 10 feet still expected.