In Case You Missed It
Two Big Island men face charges following theft from orchard
Two Papa‘ikou men are facing agriculture theft charges after allegedly hundreds of pounds of rambutan and bananas from the Hawai‘i Sunshine Orchards.
Hirono, Moran introduce bipartisan bill to support veterans’ family caregivers
US Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), members of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, have introduced the Veteran Caregiver Reeducation, Reemployment, and Retirement Act to help family caregivers transition into the workforce or retirement after their caregiving responsibilities end.
Big Island sees little rain in February
The highest monthly total among the automated sites came from the U.S. Geological Survey’s rain gauge at Honoliʻi Stream with 3.87 inches.
54-year-old Hilo man dead after possiblly drowning in Puna area known as ‘Mermaid Pond’
Royden Daikawa was about 100 yards from shore early the afternoon of March 1, struggling to swim, after being swept off rocks by a rogue wave that struck the coastline near Government Beach Road in Pāhoa
Mauna Lani chef melds Hawaiian and Mediterranean flavors at resort restaurant
HāLani (Breath of Heaven) first opened with the remodel of the resort in January 2020.
Hawaiʻi County reaches COVID hazard pay agreements with employee unions
Mayor Kimo Alameda signed contracts with Hawaiʻi Government Employees Association and Hawaiʻi Fire Fighters Association this week to provide their members 2 years of hazard pay. Tentative agreements are being finalized with State of Hawaiʻi Organization of Police Officers and United Public Workers.
Woman accused of helping Puna murder suspect elude police granted supervised release
37-year-old Jake Kiko is charged with first-degree hindering prosecution, a Class C felony, in connection with the search for 28-year-old Isaiah Fourshey, who allegedly shot and killed 25-year-old Latisha Soares on March 4 in Mountain View and later died following a police-involved shooting.
Nearly 30 motorists arrested for DUI during week of Feb. 24-March 3
Hawai‘i Police Department officers have made a total of 171 arrests of motorists driving under the influence of an intoxicant during the first two full months of the year. While it’s just 3 more than during the same time period in 2024, it represents a 1.8% hike in DUI citations.
Volcano Watch: When have lava fountains formed on Kīlauea and what are their hazards?
Several past eruptions were characterized by similar lava fountaining episodes, including at the start of the Puʻuʻōʻō eruption in 1983, the start of the Maunaulu eruption in 1969 and the 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption.
End of an era: Last Kona Brewers Festival to benefit 17 nonprofits
Started by the nonprofit Ke Kai Ala Foundation, the festival has given $1.8 million to community groups over the 30 years the event has been hosted.
Top 10 things to do on Big Island for March 7-13: Final Kona Brewers Festival, KS Hawai‘i Hōʻike, YAS Fest, Redeeming Māhū and more
Many of the events and activities around the Big Island during the next week will focus on tradition, talent and taddies. Check out this week’s top 10 things to do now!
Hilo, Kona residents could experience temporary outage of Spectrum Voice 911 service Thursday
Spectrum will be performing scheduled maintenance beginning at 12 a.m. tonight until 12 p.m. Thursday, causing a potential temporary outage of 911 services.
Season 1 of ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption a wrap with Episode 12 finale
Fountains once again reached heights of 600 feet, which were sustained until the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu Crater quit erupting at 8:26 p.m. March 4. Sustained fountains from the south vent saw heights of 200 to 400 feet throughout the night before decreasing. Just like the best season finale, however, the exciting, roaring eruptive event ended all too soon at 10:37 a.m. March 5, just less than 22 hours after it started.
Update: Wind advisory extended through Thursday morning for much of Big Island
National Weather Service forecasters in Honolulu expect east winds to continue at 20 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph, for north, south, southeastern and interior portions of the island, including North and South Kohala as well as parts of Kaʻū and Puna.
Puna murder suspect dies following officer-involved shooting
28-year-old Isaiah Kaleo Jiaan Fourshey allegedly shot and killed his ex-girlfriend’s 25-year-old sister Latisha Soares early the morning of March 4 at her Mountain View residence.
First coconut rhinoceros beetles found outside Waikōloa area on Big Island
A live adult invasive scarab was found March 3 at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport and another disovered March 4 at Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai‘i Authority, both of which are situated along the West Hawai‘i coastline. Brings the total number of adult coconut rhinoceros beetles found on the island to 7 since October 2023.
Police launch arson probe after several suspicious brush fires in Ocean View
Hawai‘i Fire Department fire crews responded to reports of brush fires at 1:15 p.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, with three smaller fires already extinguished before they arrived to the scene of the earlier report, for a total of 4 blazes in the general area between Lūʻau Drive and Coral Parkway along King Kamehameha Boulevard.
Downtown Hilo post office could close or be sold by Trump Administration
The historic Federal Building that houses the office on Waiānuenue Avenue is among 440 federal properties deemed not core to federal government operations that are on the president’s and Elon Musk’s DOGE chopping block.
Applications now being accepted for public pre-kindergarten program
The program currently operates 92 classrooms on 74 Hawai‘i Department of Education campuses statewide.
Hilo native named head coach for Vulcans women’s volleyball
Reed Sunahara comes to UH-Hilo after serving nine seasons as head coach at Division I West Virginia University.
