Hawai'i State News
Rental assistance available for those impacted by kona low flooding
Residents of Hawaiʻi County could be eligible for assistance if their home is unsafe to live in because of damage caused by the flooding; approved applicants receive an initial rental award of up to 2 months of rent.
State, University of Hawaiʻi secure more than $322K for plant pathogen detection, biosecurity innovation
Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity officials say the projects to be funded with the federal grant dollars are intended to help move Hawaiʻi toward a more proactive, technology-driven biosecurity framework capable of addressing increasingly complex global agricultural threats.
Hōkūleʻa to make Japan stops in 2027 as part of Moananuiākea Voyage
Polynesian Voyaging Society traditional Hawaiian voyaging canoe will return to the island nation for the first time in 20 years; dates will tentatively be from April to September next year.
Opportunity Zones 2.0 Market Activation Summit set to convene at beginning of June
Local leaders, developers, investors and community stakeholders are invited to attend the upcoming summit and can register now.
Business briefs for May 18: Medicaid fraud, new nonstop flight, company honored, ‘Fuel the Future,’ NIL bill nixed
A quick look at business-related news stories from throughout the state.
Hawai‘i high school students can apply now for summer culinary training cohort
Deadline to apply is May 29 for Cohort 22: Culinary Foundations through partnership between Culinary Institute of the Pacific and Culinary Institute of America; but don’t wait, seats are limited.
Hawaiʻi briefs for May 17: Spring commencement, funds released, locally-sourced foods, Stories from the Field
A brief look at several stories from throughout the state.
‘He Lei Hoʻokahi’ marks 100 years of summer sessions at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Special restaging of 2026 Merrie Monarch Festival Hōʻike performance also honors Kumu Hula Darrell Lupenui.
State alerts Hawaiʻi health professionals to fraud scheme targeting license holders
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs said scammers have recently targeted current and former nursing license holders, with dentists, pharmacists and other health professionals also at potential risk.
Riders of Honolulu Skyline on Great Futures Day will transform commutes into support for Hawaiʻi youth
Boys & Girls Club of Hawaiʻi celebrates 50 years with communitywide initiative Monday, May 18, to lift up programs that serve island children and teens.
June 2 is filing deadline for Hawaiʻi candidates running for public office in 2026
Prospective candidates are encouraged to review the 2026 Hawaiʻi Candidate’s Manual.
Gov. Josh Green signs new law limiting corporate political spending in Hawaiʻi
The new law, that goes into effect next year, establishes new restrictions on political spending activities by corporations and other “artificial persons” organized under Hawai’i law.
Hawaiʻi Island police initiate a murder investigation after fatal assault
Michael Alan Torres Jr., 57, died at Queen’s Medical Center on Oʻahu due to injuries from an assault in Hilo at 5:11 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.
Controversial Falls on Fire festival permitted to continue in Pāpaʻikou, but with conditions
The Windward Planning Commission approved a special use permit for property owner, Andrew Tepper, who has agreed to comply with conditions such as noise control, road management, fire and food safety, and cultural consultation.
2-year dispute ends with Hawaiian Paradise Park mailbox park to be built at new location
The original site of the mailbox park sparked anger by some people due to is proximity near a burial site with ancestral bones.
State opens $20 Million loan program for Hawai‘i condominium repairs
Hawaiʻi officials have unveiled a groundbreaking, state-backed loan program to help condominium associations.
Episode 47 of the Kīlauea eruption ended early Friday morning
The latest Big Island volcano eruption with vibrant lava fountaining from the north vent of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater lasted nine hours before pausing again.
Kona police invite community to an ʻāina-centered scavenger hunt Saturday morning
Join Miss Aloha Hawaiʻi Scarlette Burnham-Rosario and the Hawaiʻi Police Department for a beachfront scavenger hunt to help clean the coastline at 7 a.m. this Saturday.
Hawaiʻi Job Challenge Academy to close in Hilo after June graduation
In two years, the Job Challenge Academy had four classes that provided 56 young adults with hands-on training, professional development, and certificates to help build their long-term success.
Man faces charges for endangered marine mammal harassment
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk of Washington faces charges related to harassing an endangered monk seal by throwing a rock at it on Maui.
