Hawai'i State News
Big Island native Ilima Shim competes on season 4 of ‘Tough As Nails’ on CBS
Through the first three episodes of the CBS reality competition show, Ilima Shim is giving her 11 fellow contestants a run for their money.
3 visitors rescued at “Olivine Pools” on Maui after knocked down by large wave
Three visitors described to be in their 20s were transported by Maui Emergency Medical Service for treatment of injuries sustained after being knocked down by a big wave at Olivine Pools in Kahakuloa.
Surf was up at Jaws on Maui with big wave riders putting on a show
Pro surfer Matahi Drollet wiped out at Jaws on Maui and broke his board, but a local found the tail piece and is returning it to him because keeping the fins of somebody else is “bad luck.”
UH receives $2.4M to improve energy, marine technologies
The funding from the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research will be used to develop and advance energy, marine and other blue economy technologies and opportunities aimed at strengthening the state’s economy and workforce.
State AG’s new Special Division joins fight against human trafficking
Wednesday is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. It is commemorated during National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, which has been observed each year in January since 2010.
Wreckage, flight crew recovered from Hawai‘i Life Flight in deep waters between Maui, Big Island
The twin-engine, turbine-powered airplane crashed into the Maui Channel late on the night of Dec. 15 off the coast of Kaupo, Maui.
First responders train to disentangle humpback whales in Hawaiʻi waters
When a report of a tangled whale in Hawaiʻi comes in, a specialized, highly-trained group led by federal and state workers head out on a search and rescue mission.
Gov. Green pledges $100 million of Hawaiʻi’s surplus budget to fight climate change
Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green has established a Climate Advisory Panel and is re-committing the state to the U.S. Climate Alliance.
New U.S. laws to support Native Hawaiian language schools and programs
“As we have seen in Hawai‘i, Native speaker-led language programs have proven that culturally based instruction is key to revitalizing and maintaining indigenous knowledge and traditions,” Sen. Brian Schatz said.
Maui surfing pioneer dies in Portugal when swallowed by 40- to 50-foot wave
Marcio Freire of Maui was on a family vacation when he died Thursday while surfing big waves in Nazaré on the central coast of Portugal.
State of Hawai’i has a new poet laureate, succeeding Kealoha
Brandy Nālani McDougall has been selected as the next Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate, succeeding Kealoha
Working Group: Most contaminating Hawaiʻi cesspools should be converted by 2030
The Big Island has 5,119 cesspools that are ranked Priority Level 1, the most in the state.
Hawaiʻi’s U.S. Representatives Ed Case, Jill Tokuda begin new terms in 118th Congress
On Tuesday when the 118th Congress convened, U.S. Rep. Ed Case (HI-01) began his fifth term and U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) began her rookie term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Virtual exhibit launches about Lānaʻi and its changing landscape
The Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center celebrates the new year with the opening of a virtual audio and visual exhibit that takes visitors on a journey to explore Lānaʻi’s past as a way to better understand the island of today.
Hawai’i State House Committee on Finance to hold first informational briefings this week
The Hawai’i State House Committee on Finance will hold its first informational briefings of 2023, during which various state department representatives will provide updates and requests on their budget proposals.
Which state has the worst roads in 2022?
ConsumerAffairs recently published an analysis of which states have 2022’s worst (and best) roads for travel, and found that the bumpiest and potentially most dangerous rides occur in Hawaiʻi.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs funds workshops about iwi kūpuna repatriation, reinterment
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ Iwi Kūpuna Repatriation and Reinterment Program is providing $50,000 over two years to The Hawaiian Church of Hawaiʻi Nei for a series of workshops.
UPDATE: High surf advisory for Big Island canceled
Large breaking waves of 6 to 8 feet are forecast this afternoon. Wave heights are expected to increase to 7 to 10 feet tonight.
Applicants sought for 3rd Circuit Family, District Court per diem judges
Applicants must be residents of Hawai‘i and citizens of the United States and must have been licensed to practice law by the Hawai‘i Supreme Court for a period of no less than five years preceding nomination.
New Hawaiʻi law bans balloon releases to protect marine life
A new statewide law banning the intentional release of balloons in Hawaiʻi — and the strongest such measure in the country — went into effect Jan. 1, 2023.
