Hawai'i State News

The grants will support projects that directly contribute to coral restoration progression in the U.S. Pacific Islands by providing the means for capacity building and/or restoration implementation.

With ongoing staffing shortages for school bus drivers, the state will partner with counties for the second year in a row to provide transportation for students attending Hawai‘i public schools.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation worked with Florida officials to clear any misconceptions about Hawai‘i’s limited-purpose driver licenses

Margaret Sanchez was appointed interim chancellor on Jan. 3, 2023 after the previous chancellor, Joseph Daisy, retired in December 2022.

Hawaiʻi’s reimbursement rate for school meals and other federal child nutrition programs has been increased to 30% above the continental U.S. rates, which is projected to bring an additional $8 million a year to Hawaiʻi to support healthy meals for children.

The Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey is the only comprehensive study of its kind in the islands and takes place from July through December 2023.

The Royal Standard of Queen Lili’uokalani, Hawai‘i’s last reigning monarch, was returned July 24, 2023 to her Washington Place home and placed on public view for the first time in 130 years, since it was illegally seized in 1893.

The Garden Island Boogie Board Classic was founded in 2018 by professional bodyboarders Jeff Hubbard and Chris Burkart, who wanted to establish a premier bodyboard competition on Kaua‘i.

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the flagship campus of the University’s 10-campus system, led the extramural award amounts this year with $342.7 million.

In June 2020, the Hawai‘i Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the state breached its trust duty to Native Hawaiian beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust program by not awarding homestead lots in a timely manner.

When herbivores — our reef’s lawnmowers — such as uhu (parrotfishes), nenue (chubs), kala, kole, manini, other surgeonfishes and sea urchins are in low abundance, coral reefs are overgrown with seaweeds and begin to suffocate and die.

In his new role as vice provost of student success, Steven D. Fenster will collaborate with the University’s center for academic success, student life, library and learning commons teams.

The U.S. House-passed National Defense Authorization Act authorizes more than $1.5 billion in military construction projects in Hawai‘i, including $5.4 million to begin construction of a new air traffic control tower at Wheeler Army Airfield.

A U.S. Senate delegation, led by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), went to Iceland to learn about the countryʻs work on climate change, to strengthen U.S.-Iceland ties and discuss the NATO Alliance.

The Hawaiʻi State Division of Aquatic Resources will hold hearings on the proposed adoption of administrative rules that establish provisions for the Ocean Stewardship User Fee.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health is alerting health care providers throughout the state to be vigilant in screening for cases of syphilis in people who could become pregnant and during pregnancy, and is emphasizing recommendations for diagnosing and treating cases.

Judge Kevin T. Morikone on June 14 granted a summary judgment in favor of the state on several grounds in a lawsuit filed in 2022 by ʻOhana Control Systems Inc. that asserted 25 separate claims, including that the Education Department breached eight contracts to install fire alarm systems at schools on Oʻahu and Maui.

The plan would also eliminate a total of $90.2 million of debt from student loan borrowers throughout the state.

The homes must be located in eligible rural areas and presidentially declared disaster areas in states selected to participate in the pilot, which includes American Samoa.

This statewide event, which will run throughout August, aims to encourage residents to experience the variety of sustainable transportation options that Hawai‘i has to offer.