Hawai'i State News

A quick look at news stories from throughout the state and beyond.

Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green said his administration stands firm behind the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands after an Oʻahu man filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and its blood quantum mandate.

Resolution 567-26 authorizes the county’s condemnation and acquisition of a long, thin strip of land running along the edge of two separate parcels in the Keonepoko Iki subdivision just north of the Hawaiian Shores neighborhood.

Preliminary statistics from Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism show a total of 828,959 visitors arrived in the state during the month, a 0.5% decrease from a year before, but total visitor spending increased 4.8%.

Utility’s year-round resilience work reduces outages, supports faster restoration, but customers are encouraged to get ready before a tropical cyclone ever approaches the islands; Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green, state and county officials reiterate preparedness message.

SUN Bucks grocery assistance, free eat-on-site keiki meals and Kaukau 4 Keiki can help provide free, healthy meals for children through the summer.

The quake was initially reported as a magnitude-4.6 and then revised up to a magnitude-5.2 before again being changed back to a magnitude-4.6 with the latest update from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory; moderate shaking reported by community members.

Residents in Hawaiʻi County, City and County of Honolulu, and Maui County impacted by March’s natural disasters can still apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance by June 15.

After buying a knife and metal knuckles at a store in Hilo, Jacob Baker allegedly told his friend who drove him there that he would “shank all the rapists in Pāhoa and anyone who messed with him.”

The Pacific Music Institute is a series of workshops, rehearsals and performances that is set for July 3-12 at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and ʻIolani School campuses.

Additional events throughout the state, including other University of Hawaiʻi campuses, also are being planned.

“This is a great moment for us. This is a seed that has been planted to reconnect,” said Ludovic Burns Tuki with Koro Nui o te Vaikava o Rapa Nui, the ocean council of Rapa Nui. “This is the union between the Pacific, the biggest country connected by our blood.”

A quick look at news from throughout the state and around the Big Island.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that the window for the next lava fountaining episode of the ongoing episodic eruption that began Dec. 23, 2024, is now between Saturday, May 30, and Monday, June 1.

Baker now faces one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, which are directly connected with the killings of 69-year-old Robert Shine, 79-year-old Chitta Morse and 69-year-old John Carse, all from Puna; he remains behind bars and police said will not be eligible for release even if he was able to make bail for the initial property crime charges he also faces.

Current University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa interim provost has more than 30 years of higher education leadership experience, having been a faculty member for 35 years at the campus’ College of Engineering and serving 12 years as University of Hawaiʻi vice president for research and innovation and 8 years as associate Mānoa campus vice chancellor.

Hawaiʻi Funding Project pulls from disparate funding and data sources, providing access to visualizations and data to explore funding at the most relevant and useful depth; it is a direct response to questions about federal funding disruptions early in 2025.

A quick look at news happening throughout the state and around the Big Island.

The family holiday celebration became an unexpected wildlife rescue when Hawaiʻi Technology Academy student and Kauaʻi Sailing Association member Xavier Prentice bravely swam out and retrieved the struggling juvenile koaʻe kea, inspiring his community to better protect native Hawaiian birds.

These events are a fun way for the community to support Hawaiʻi’s next generation of agricultural leaders while learning more about the importance of livestock production and youth development programs.