Hawai'i State News

One lucky winner will recieve a trip for 2 to the 15th anniversary festival on O’ahu at the end of October, including airfare for two on Hawaiian Airlines, a 4-night stay at OUTRIGGER Waikīkī Paradise Hotel, two priority access tickets to the Hawaiian Airlines Presents Decanted grand tasting and two tickets to Cirque Du Soleil ‘Auana at OUTRIGGER Waikīkī Beachcomber Hotel, a prize package worth a total $5,700.

Annual 3-month Operation Nasse — conducted by United States, Australia, France and New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu — aimed at safeguarding marine resources of Pacific Island nations.

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources says a contractor is scheduled to begin July 29 trimming and removing the massive tree that uprooted and toppled the afternoon of July 12, falling across Kilauea Avenue, a portion of nearby Calvary Chapel Hilo and — it was learned a week later — two women, apparently crushing them underneath. It’s been about 2 weeks since the tree collapsed and almost a week since the bodies of the two women were recovered from under its now tangled and mangled canopy.

The program — a joint effort between Hawai‘i and U.S. Department of Agriculture — is aimed at bridging a gap in nutrition many keiki throughout the islands experience during their summer break from school.

While the situation has improved statewide compared with before the 2024-25 school year, 4 of the 9 school bus routes throughout the state still suspended are on the Big Island. Fortunately, offiicials report new drivers are being trained.

Following a July 19 plea to the public seeking help finding 48-year-old Sarah Coultas of Pa‘auilo and daughter Violet Coultas, Hawai‘i Island police received credible information they were in the Phoenix area, prompting Arizona Department of Public Safety to issue first of state’s new missing persons alerts to find Violet.

Silicone elastomers are used in items such as artificial muscles and medical implants and need to bend, stretch, and move with the human body without deteriorating over time.

The Neighbor Island Medical Scholars Program aims to alleviate physician shortages in rural areas by giving high school students hands-on education and real clinical experience.

The July 19 temblor that caused the tsunami watch excitement struck roughly 45 miles northeast from the epicenter of a 1952 magnitude-9 earthquake that did trigger a destructive Pacific tsunami that caused damage in Hawai‘i, including on the Big Island.

Governor signs emergency proclamation, activates Hawai‘i National Guard to respond when needed to help, as wildfire threat expectd to increase heading into hottest months of summer, exacerbating already existing abnormally dry and drought conditions throughout much of the state, including most of the Big Island.

New study from researchers at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology also provides hope that that impact could be manageable; meanwhile, five Indo-Pacific coral species received critical habitat protections this week, potentially preventing their mass extinction.

7 of the new officers assigned to Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center, 1 to Kulani Correctional Facility, both in East Hawai’i, following 8 weeks of vigorous classroom instruction, physical training and field training.

Aimed at strengthening oversight, transparency and accountability of immigration enforcement,the Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement, or VISIBLE, Act of 2025 would require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public enforcement actions.

Can you Vision Zero? Hawaiʻi Department of Health initiative developed in response to devastating impacts of tragic traffic deaths and raise awareness about how residents with shared vision to stop them can help.

“Today, we are re-envisioning the path forward in the roadmap of wildfire prevention and recovery,” the governor said. “We are taking action from both ends of the wildfire spectrum — building a more robust fire prevention framework within the state and enacting historic legislation that will aid in timely access to compensation following disaster.”

The state is inspecting local stores to ensure that the recalled products are no longer available for sale.

Residents are urged to stay informed through Hawaiian Electric’s website, social media, or mobile app, as extended outages may occur if conditions worsen.

Gov. Josh Green has signed two bills related to Hawaiʻi’s housing issues — a property insurance bill to stabilize prices and coverage, and a bill that establishes more resources for houseless youth.

Hawai‘i County Civil Defense asks public in those locations to be careful with use of open flames, fire and hotwork activity as well as avoid parking vehicles on dry grass after travel.

The newly identified object, dubbed 3I/ATLAS, is suspected to be a comet and should show increasing activity as it gets closer to the sun, but it will never get warm enough to be seen by the naked eye. And it poses no risk of hitting Earth.