Hawai'i State News

The meeting, which will take place on Jan. 12 at 10 a.m., will provide updates for the Munitions Response Site Project 18 at the Waimea-Kohala Airport.

Check out several business and industry stories from around the Big Island and Hawaiʻi.

Kauaʻi native Kaina Makua portrays Kamehameha I in the Apple TV+ series and is co-founder and executive director of West Kauaʻi nonprofit and social enterprise Kumano I Ke Ala, where he leads initiatives dedicated to restoring ancestral relationships to ʻāina through education, food systems revitalization and Hawaiian language immersion.

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Hawai‘i Democrat, is joined by 24 of her Senate colleagues in urging President Donald Trump’s Administration to restore staff and resources at Taxpayer Advocate Service, which assists taxpayers with resolving any issues within the Internal Revenue Service.

The deadline to apply is 4:30 p.m. Jan. 23; final determinations about which nonprofit organizations will receive funding will be made as Council on Revenue forecasts in January and March are published.

The new number brings multiple state divisions onto a unified call center platform, improving call routing, case tracking and consumer support.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of English’s choice is meant to highlight the enduring value of human-centered thinking, creativity and interpretation in an age of rapidly growing artificial intelligence.

Newly created office serves Hawaiʻi Island’s west and north coasts, and a wide range of jobs are available, such as office assistants and trade workers, with monthly salaries between about $3,500 to $6,700, plus state benefits.

Med-QUEST families can participate in the Hawaiʻi Child Wellness Incentive Program, which encourages preventive care and supports the long-term well-being of keiki across the islands.

In the wake of the tragic Cristmas Eve accident, Hawaiʻi lost an esteemed emergency physician, Dr. Judy Fitzgerald, who left an indelible mark on patients and colleagues across the island.

The Caring for Veterans and Strengthening National Security Act would require U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide U.S. veterans in the Freely Associated States of Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands with access to the health care and benefits all American veterans should receive.

Each of the panel members bring deep experience in water resource management, ethics, agriculture and community development to critical areas of state service.

Any unused Hawaiʻi Emergency Food Assistance Program balance cannot be carried over or reissued in 2026 and will be expunged at the end of the year.

U.S. District Court Judge Jill Otake earlier this week dismissed a majority of claims challenging the state’s Act 96 and denied a plaintiff motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the act from taking effect.

A UH Mānoa study dives into the mystery and the origin of the swirls of color appearing in the North Pacific Ocean each summer.

Holiday wishes were fulfilled for a total of 16,435 youth and seniors throughout The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division, but the need is growing and continues beyond the holidays; consider setting up your own Virtual Red Kettle campaign before the end of the year to help.

Duo from Big Island shot a 6-under-par total score of 66 on Dec. 22 at Wailuā Golf Course in Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi, to top the field and clinch their return to the spring championship, which will be hosted in May 2026 at Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.; will be one of 128 teams competing in championship.

A new study revealed that marine areas managed by local villages support higher giant clam population densities compared to federally designated no-take reserves.

The state energy office next year will support the launch of five new Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project initiatives in Hawaiʻi — including two on the Big Island — and American Samoa, strengthening energy reliability and security.

The most recent eruptive event at the summit of the Big Island lasted about 8.1 hours less than the first episode that started the eruption a year ago on Dec. 23, 2024, but produced higher fountains and more lava output.