News

The Hawai‘i Police Department is warning the Big Island community about a widespread phone scam where callers are pressuring people to pay fines for missed court appearances or outstanding warrants.

Hawaiʻi Police Department the afternoon of Aug. 13 in its update thanked the public for its assistance and cooperation with finding 59-year-old Elizabeth Stearns.

This warning comes as the Judiciary has mailed out 330,000 jury questionnaires to residents statewide this week for potential jury service in 2026.

Local National Agricultural Statistics Service representatives will visit operations and properties on the Big Island this month and in September to determine if they meet eligibility criteria for the survey.

“The Food and Product Innovation Network is a meaningful investment in Hawai‘i’s future — one that bridges education to export pathways by equipping our schools, colleges and entrepreneurs with the skills and infrastructure they need to bring local innovations to the global marketplace,” said Senate Ways and Means Chairman Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz.

The Hawai‘i County Department of Water Supply issued the restriction initially on Aug. 4 after Hawī well #2 went down.

U.S. senator from Hawai’i speaks with several Hawai’i Island chambers of commerce; nearly 250 residents turn out for community meeting in Waimea

The airline announced it will suspend service between Honolulu and Incheon, South Korea; Fukuoka, Japan; and Boston to redeploy planes on routes to Sydney, Tahiti, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Concerned Hilo parents are voicing safety concerns as Ground Transport Inc. alters a longstanding school bus route, requiring children to walk miles uphill from Wainaku Gym instead of being dropped closer to their homes on Kaiwiki Road.

The eatery in downtown Kailua-Kona was allowed to reopen Aug. 12 after successfully completing several mandatory corrective actions to take care of multiple food safety violations found last week during a routine food safety inspection, which included cockroaches seen on food-contact surfaces and in ready-to-eat food.

28-year-old Weston Duarte faces a total of 26 offenses; he remains in custody at Hālawa Correctional Facility, a state prison, in Honolulu on the basis of a pending parole violation; a $350,000 bench warrant for his arrest also was issued upon his indictment.

Hawai‘i Fire Chief Kazuo Todd said there were no lightning strikes in the area where the fire started, so the blaze is likely to be human-caused. Whether it was intentional or accidental is still under investigation at this point.

The feedback from those who attend these working group meetings helps U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service guide conservation priorities in the local communities for the upcoming fiscal year.

The motorcyclist is identified as Hapaki Teixeira, who was transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead Aug. 11 at 10:08 p.m.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health reports a significant surge of 203 pertussis cases statewide.

A GoFundMe has been created to help restore essential farm operations and protect local food production and reforestation efforts for two family-run farms.

With community support, enticing prizes, and a concluding health fair, this initiative encourages setting and achieving personal fitness goals while making Hawaiʻi a healthier place.

The Big Island Substance Abuse Council solidified its reputation for delivering exceptional, culturally grounded behavioral health services in Hawaiʻi.

The Hawai‘i Fire Department was dispatched on Monday at approximately 6:43 p.m. to the blaze named Mana Road fire.

O.K. Farm’s mission to enhance local food security is assured as more than 74 acres of the farm were established as the Pu‘u‘eo Mauka conservation easement, protecting the land to forever remain a productive agricultural land.