News

“This is more than an equipment upgrade — it’s an investment that enhances our harbor’s operational capabilities and strengthens our disaster preparedness. The new lift will allow us to launch our vessel quickly and safely to protect our shores and support our community.” — Big Island state Sen. Lorraine R. Inouye, who represents Hawai’i Senate District 1,

Hawai‘i County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen confirmed receiving the criminal cases involving the four officers and forwarded them to the state Attorney General for an impartial review.

Some of the Big Island’s past explosive eruptions happened when magma erupted through groundwater or lake in a summit crater. Read this week’s ‘Volcano Watch’ to learn more now.

Despite the heat, this time of year is great for getting out and going before everyone’s schedules overflow with work, school activities, sports and — yes, it’s only just a few months away now — the holiday season. So don’t miss the full slate of activities and events happening during the next several days around the island.

The happiness and celebration of their arrival at small South Pacific island — their final port of call in French Polynesia before heading to the Cook Islands — was almost an inverse of the emotional farewell Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia received as they departed Aug. 7 from Tautira, Tahiti.

The theme for the 2025 conference — slated for Sept. 12-13 in Kailua-Kona — focuses on practical tools and thoughtful reflections to support the kindergarten entry assessment domains.

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.