Hawaii's beach water quality 6th in the nation

A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council released on Wednesday found that Hawaii ranked sixth in the nation when it comes to beach water quality.

The burglary trial of self-proclaimed heir to the Hawaiian kingdom James Akahi hinges on whether he intended to commit another crime when he and six of his followers allegedly broke into Iolani Palace on Admission Day last year.

Two more people in Hawai'i have died after testing positive for the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, bringing the state total to six deaths, the state Department of Health said yesterday.

The state Public Utilities Commission has approved an average 13.46 percent increase in Young Brothers Ltd.'s interisland shipping rates.

After a nearly four-year battle in Hawai'i courts, Minnesota residents Steve and Donna LaDuke finally and officially can call Elijah, 5, their son.

The City and County of Honolulu has plans to build a $10.6 million affordable housing project for homeless in Chinatown. But the Downtown Neighborhood Board and others in the community are against the idea.

The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority board of directors decided Tuesday against early weekday and full weekend closures of the public access gate to the property.

A preliminary study completed by the military earlier this month finds no threat to the public from depleted uranium at the Pohakuloa Training Area.

Sediment is refilling the entrance to Hilo's Wailoa Small Boat Harbor two years after the state spent $1.3 million to have the material removed.

A 5th Circuit judge on Wednesday ruled in favor of the Kauai County Planning Department and Waipouli developers regarding permits issued for the Eastside projects.

Big fish farm for Big Island, other top news

A dozen spherical cages each with a diameter half the length of a football field would be sub- merged in state waters off the Big Island if plans are realized to establish the largest open-ocean fish farm in Hawai'i.

A team of scientists led by a University of Hawaii oceanographer had a big surprise when they looked to the ancient past for clues to global warming.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded more than $1.7 million to the University of Hawaii.

State funding cuts are battering the nonprofit sector, which has laid off scores of people over the last 12 months and is preparing for more bad news as state departments scrutinize their contracts looking for more savings.

About 420 low-income households in Hawai'i will soon be getting solar water heaters paid for with $3.7 million from the federal economic stimulus program.

The so-called "novel" H1N1 Influenza A (swine flu) "is not novel anymore," says Dr. Chris Whelen, State Laboratories Division administrator.

Some of the state's top tech-savvy innovators Saturday fused together to exchange ideas and find ways to get more people to use this valuable resource.

A less-than-hoped yield for a well drilled by Maui Land & Pineapple Co. at Piiholo has put the company and Maui County water officials at odds over a deal to use the water.

Funding has already been set aside for curbside recycling to begin next year, Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. told community members at last week’s Apollo Kaua‘i meeting.

They say a man can't serve two masters, but Lincoln Ashida finds himself serving many more than that.

While Gov. Linda Lingle was meeting with union leaders last week in an attempt to resolve their labor dispute, some of the state's Big Island employees were receiving layoff notices and pondering their financial futures.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Wednesday morning edition

Coffee has become big business in Hawaii. Eleven regions on five islands house some 830 farms statewide. This is great for our economy, and it's even better for our tastebuds. The diversity of farms and locations translates into a tantalizing cornucopia of experiences for our collective palate.

Hawaii Superferry has asked to abandon its two high-speed catamarans to creditors because of the significant cost of maintaining the vessels as the company moves through bankruptcy.

A showdown in court over Gov. Linda Lingle's planned furlough of thousands of government employees has been set for July 2, the day after the governor's plan is set to take effect.

Two state-employee unions asked a judge yesterday to block Gov. Linda Lingle from unilaterally ordering thousands of state workers to take three unpaid days off per month, starting in July.

The state's four public worker unions are starting a low-key public relations campaign to win support while they fight Gov. Linda Lingle's call for 36-day-a-year furloughs.

Five of the 20 students on a summer study trip to South Korea have been confirmed as having the H1N1 virus or swine flu. They remain in hospital quarantine and are being treated with Tamiflu, said a spokeswoman for the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council, which organized the trip.

A private company that state officials hope will put Hawaii on the road to the widespread use of electric vehicles expects to begin installing infrastructure here in about six months.

An executive with one of the largest architecture and planning firms worldwide said rail projects such as the one planned on Oahu will help increase business along the transit line

The number of West Hawaii residents calling for their own county increased during the last week, after County Council members from Hilo, Puna and Ka'u engineered a council leadership reorganization.

In a ceremony honoring Kaua‘i’s late mayor — a personal accolade everyone agreed he would have resisted — the state Department of Transportation on Tuesday broke ground on the $30 million Wailua Cane Haul Bridge Widening Project, naming both bridges spanning the Wailua River for Bryan J. Baptiste.

Honolulu police are looking for a local man in his 30s they said sexually assaulted a 15-year-old tourist at a Waikiki Beach on Monday.

A 14-month-old law banning tobacco use at all Hawaii County parks has gone largely unenforced because there's none or too few signs informing people of the prohibition.

The Maui County Council voted unanimously in favor of a bill Tuesday that would ban alcohol from Honokowai Beach Park in West Maui.

Top Hawaii Headlines: Friday morning edition

If life is a beach, Hanalei Bay must be heaven. This remote, two-mile crescent-shaped beach on Kauai where the emerald mountains meet the sparkling sea was selected No. 1 on "Dr. Beach" Stephen P. Leatherman's 2009 list of top 10 beaches, which was released Friday.

As the total number of swine flu cases in the Islands climbed to 40 yesterday, state officials reiterated calls for residents to stay home when they're sick, while reassuring travelers that measures are being taken to contain the virus.

Swine flu concerns have cost the state millions of dollars in Japanese visitor spending this month.

Soon we may be able to listen to a recorded message left by King David Kalakaua in the late 1800s

After several hours of haggling, the Hawaii County Council on Wednesday managed to save the auditor's budget and help elderly transportation, too.

The Hawaii County Council voted 6-3 Wednesday to withhold an estimated $9 million from a land-purchase fund Big Island voters created in 2006.

After numerous starts and stops, mistakes, a do over and even a flood, the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge boardwalk could, finally, open in the next month or so, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officials said Thursday.

Whether or not some animosity exists between stand-up paddleboarders, surfers and swimmers, it’s evident that the popular sport is helping to boost the local economy.