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A number of companies and hotels will offer pyrotechnics shows around the state on New Year's Eve as part of celebrations.
Maui might get more crackle and pop this New Year's Eve.
Dry conditions prompt fireworks warning
Beginning at midnight, employees at Tanioka's Seafoods and Catering in Waipahu were to begin cutting large blocks of ahi into thin slices. The pre-dawn work today is in anticipation of the morning arrival of scores of customers who ordered sashimi for New Year's.
President Barack Obama continued his low-key holiday vacation, spending several hours at the secluded North Shore home of a high school friend.
Karl Rove, a senior advisor and top political strategist to former President George W. Bush, is scheduled to appear at the state GOP's annual Lincoln Day dinner in February, local Republicans said Wednesday.
Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk radio host, is "resting comfortably" in the Queen's Medical Center after suffering chest pains, his program said in a statement.
In stark contrast to Sarah Palin, whose Hawaii vacation was photographed and touted in the press, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is enjoying a very private luxurious time at the Four Seasons Hualalai resort on the Big Island.
Crime in Honolulu rose nearly 6 percent in the first half of 2009, even as it fell nationwide.
Despite an initial rejection by the governor ... a proposed agreement to reduce the number of teacher furlough days is still alive.
Hawaii County is moving forward with its revised version of a $1.4 million upgrade to Reed's Bay Beach Park in Hilo.
Firefighters continued to build a fire break around the Kealakekua Ranch fire Tuesday, West Hawaii Battalion Chief Reuben Chun said.
Many Hawaii County property owners are abusing agricultural tax exemptions and not paying their fair share of taxes, according to the chairman of the Real Property Tax Board of Review.
The voters’ rejection in 2008 of a proposed charter amendment that would have loosened ethical restrictions does not impact how the law is interpreted, county officials have determined.
Do you walk three miles to and from work everyday? Would you expect a 7-year-old to?
A recent study has thrown new light on the previously underestimated extent of pre-contact Hawaiian agriculture, particularly in dry lee areas of the Big Island.
Anyone who wants to help in this year's whale count can sign up now.
Federal wildlife officials were reassessing their work to try to disentangle a humpback whale off West Maui on Christmas Day, and whale expert Ed Lyman said Sunday that he believes the distressed whale will be able to survive its injuries.
Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday shot down an agreement between the teachers union and education officials to end most furlough days this school year, saying it was not "fiscally responsible."
If the University of Hawaii does not get pay concessions from the faculty union, layoffs and cuts in student financial aid are "potentially on the table," UH President M.R.C. Greenwood said.
The University announced 3,500 professors will see a 6.67 pay cut over the next year and a half. On average the University said professors make $84,000 a year. The cut equates to $5,600 less a year.
Ringing fishing bells and holding protest signs, a coalition of more than 90 boaters and fishers held a demonstration at the state Capitol yesterday against proposed state rules that they say would restrict their recreation and lifestyle.
The president wrapped up about five hours of golf at the Luana Hills Country Club Monday without finishing the full 18 holes.
Good riddance to 2009, a lost year.
"Lucky you live Hawaii."
The long-awaited completed revision of the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, which has as its goal a minimum of 35 percent diversion from the landfill and productive uses of even non-recyclable trash, was recently presented to the Kaua‘i County Council.
Despite increased security at airports following two scares in Detroit, many passengers arriving in Honolulu Sunday said they did not experience any unusual travel delays.
The quarantine station at Honolulu Airport is seeing a lot of international passengers arriving with swine flu but no illnesses requiring quarantine or isolation, say Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials.
A series of tobacco tax hikes are helping to curtail local sales of cigarettes and cigars.
Businesses in Kailua said they have seen a surge in customer traffic since the first family arrived for the holidays.
It seems the teachers union, along with blue-collar workers, are dragging their feet in hopes that they can make it to the finish line called the legislative session and make their case before lawmakers that they should not have to take a hit.
A whale entangled in fishing gear off of Maui was freed on Christmas Day by rescuers led by the Hawaiian Islands Entanglement Response Team.
Whale expert Ed Lyman of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary said he believed the team freed the whale of most or all of the material it was dragging, which included an anchor; but that he could not be sure because he didn't get a chance to look under the animal before it swam away.
The Christmas shopping season was a mixed bag for Hilo merchants, some of whom did strong sales, while others are hoping for better business in 2010.
As the number of homes in foreclosure grows larger and larger, so do the problems caused by an increasing number of homes sitting vacant, ownerless and uncared for in neighborhoods around Maui.
Living in a grass hut, tepee or igloo may not be ideal for most people, but these structures provide the fundamental concepts of sustainable living that have been around “a lot longer than we have,” said architect and sustainability consultant Peter Arsenault.
Images of Hawai'i's clear skies, blue waters and verdant cliffs were being beamed to a snow-bound Mainland audience even before President Obama touches down in his hometown today for an expected 10-day Christmas vacation.
Waves of 40 feet or higher are forecast for north shores on Christmas day.
Two more rounds of extra-big and giant-sized waves are expected to hit the north and west shores of Maui and Molokai this week, said Glenn James, senior weather analyst at the Pacific Disaster Center in Kihei.
More Hawaii residents moved to the U.S. mainland through the past year than vice versa, helping to keep the state's population growth rate relatively low, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Education officials remained tight-lipped on details of a tentative agreement with the state teachers union to reduce furlough days for public school teachers.
Battered by foreign competition and a sputtering economy, the last major pineapple producer in Hawaii completed its final harvest after 97 years in the agricultural business.
Those who imbibe their holiday spirits should be aware that police plan to step up drunken driving enforcement.
Hawaii County government, having batted 0 for 2 on two different approaches to providing affordable housing, remains mired in litigation, is contemplating a drastic revision of county code and is preparing to try yet a third approach.
The county Charter Review Commission voted unanimously to move forward with a ballot measure that would, if approved by voters next year, extend the term for Kaua‘i County Council members from two years to four.
Even for many U.S. cities and municipalities, the life-sustaining liquid delivered to consumers, even when safe, can taste like the shallow end of a swimming pool
People in sunny, outdoorsy states -- Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida -- say they're the happiest Americans, and researchers think they know why.
The latest economic forecast says Hawai'i could see some recovery starting early next year, though it will be weak and not shared by all sectors.
The state Council on Revenues trimmed the state's revenue forecast yesterday, but the reduction was less than state lawmakers feared, and economists spoke optimistically about the state moving out of the recession.
The state's budget deficit grew by about $40 million as the Council on Revenues reduced its revenue forecast by one percentage point, predicting tax money for the 2010 fiscal year to come in about 2.5 percent lower than a year ago.
East Hawaii businesses that depend on the cruise ship industry will continue sailing through the doldrums of stagnant tourism in 2010.
Kamehameha Schools spent 5.5 percent less on educational programs in the 2009 fiscal year than the year before, though the trust said it increased its reach to Native Hawaiian children by 16 percent compared to last year.
The Department of Education said on Thursday that school bus services will not end in the spring and any claims that they will end are completely false.
The U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Thursday approved changes in the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act that would provide a much faster route to a sovereign Native Hawaiian government.
If you're looking to get vaccinated against swine flu there's good news. The Department of Health expanded the range so more people can get the nasal spray.
The Hawaii Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in a dispute over environmental law. At stake is a plan to expand the Turtle Bay Resort.
A Legacy Land Conservation Commission grant, combined with money from the county's Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation fund, will be used to buy 10 acres in North Kohala.
The state Water Resource Management Commission decided on Thursday afternoon to postpone a decision in the contested case over 19 East Maui streams.
From the time Ken D’Attilio of Inter-Island Helicopters decided to get out of the tour business, the company phone hasn’t stopped ringing with inquiries about tours, a company spokesman said.
Wrapping up what has been an occasionally contentious 2009 with quite possibly its most heated meeting to date, the Kaua‘i Board of Ethics on Thursday laid out the path it will take on its way to clarifying a controversial section of the County Charter.
Changes to longline fishery rules endanger the future existence of turtles, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the National Marine Fisheries ServiceThe teachers union and Gov. Linda Lingle's administration have hit a standstill in talks on reducing the number of Furlough Fridays at public schools, diminishing chances of a solution before early January.After two days of negotiations that initially appeared productive, talks between the teachers union and the governor's office collapsed with both sides unable to agree on how to end furloughs of public school teachers.Talks aimed at ending furlough days for Hawaii public schools broke off on Wednesday morning with no deal and no new meetings scheduled.A Native Hawaiian federal recognition bill moved forward in the House yesterday without the proposed changes that have drawn opposition from Gov. Linda Lingle.The long-running battle over allowing more bed-and-breakfast operations on Oahu is settled for now after the City Council voted down a proposal to lift a cap imposed 20 years ago.The voggy and hazy conditions the islands are experiencing will last at into Thursday. Then a cold front will come over the islands, scrubbing the vog out of the skies.Baby boomers reaching the end of their work years, coupled with a tight county budget, are creating an increase in "retirement in place" for Hawaii County employees.Mayor Charmaine Tavares will seek a second four-year term in 2010.The federal government's Advanced Technology Solar Telescope is most likely coming to Haleakala, but whether Native Hawaiian groups want to - or should - participate in its establishment was a subject for debate Tuesday afternoon.Big Island police shot and killed a 60-year-old Puna man Wednesday afternoon after a standoff of over ten hours. Police say that the man, who has yet to be identified, fired a gun numerous times during the standoff.The Kaua‘i County Council wasted no time Wednesday morning, questioning Mayor Bernard Carvalho’s decision to move forward with siting a new landfill at the Umi site near Kalaheo and grilling the county’s consultant for answers about the selection process.
The Board of Land and Natural Resources is being asked at a meeting this morning to approve entry fees for tourists at eight parks statewide.
Of an estimated 15,000 jobs in Hawai'i expected to be created or saved through federal stimulus money in the next few years, just over 1,400 direct local jobs can be tied to the funds so far.The federal government's Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, a highly controversial project to study the sun that's $23 million in planning and 10 years in the making - so far - will receive the money it needs to be built atop Haleakala.
On Sunday, 22,000 runners will be going into Kapiolani Park for the Honolulu Marathon, where they will finish the race right across the street from a group of homeless campers who have set up about 20 tents in the park.Mary Oshiro, state House Majority Leader Blake Oshiro's mother, usually recruits aunties, cousins and neighbors to bake homemade desserts for Opening Day of the state Legislature each January.
The administrator of the Honolulu Liquor Commission believes he will be cleared of wrongdoing when an investigation that has put him on administrative leave is wrapped up.An ailing Hilo man whose wife persuaded lawmakers to change a law so they could live in the same care home has died.The University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) is now offering H1N1 vaccines to pregnant women on Oahu.Hawaii County residents may see their electric rates rise next year.The battle over Mauna Kea's future landed in Circuit Court on Wednesday, where attorneys for the University of Hawaii argued with a coalition of Hawaiian and environmental groups before Judge Glenn S. Hara.Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i Chapter is offering another $3,000 to anyone who has information leading to the arrest and conviction of April’s Westside monk seal killer.The county Board of Ethics thinks Mayor Billy Kenoi's ethics proposals go too far, and Wednesday the board took the first stab at making them less stringent.Big Island charter school representatives had an opportunity to share their challenges and concerns with a federal education department representative Wednesday.
"We are closing a decade -- a difficult decade," Office of Hawaiian Affairs chairperson Haunani Apoliona said.In OHA's annual State of OHA address, Apoliona said she'll petition lawmakers for a process for the state to pay back money it owes for making money off ceded lands.The state Office of Elections hopes to complete as early as next month the first major revision since 2000 of the rules governing how elections are held in Hawaii.Due to the recession and the state's projected $1 billion budget deficit through June 2011, state House and Senate leaders have canceled plans for the usual pomp on Opening Day in January.Funding for everything from the historic Royal Hawaiian Band to nonprofit programs could face the chopping block in the search for ways to tackle a $140 million Honolulu city budget deficit.After losing tens of millions on bad loans to California homebuilders, Central Pacific Bank is shutting down its Mainland operations.Foreclosures in Hawaii rose again in November for the 29th straight year-over-year increase, as resort areas of the neighbor islands continue to push the statewide rate higher.Honolulu Marathon week officially kicked off Wednesday with the opening of the Marathon Expo.Two Big Island power plants made the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's newly-released list of the state's top 10 industrial polluters for 2008.The 12 destinations Frommer's announced earlier this month included many places that a less adventurous American traveler would hesitate to go -- like Tunisia, Cuba, Vietnam, India -- and Hawaii Island.
Property tax increases aren't out of the picture for Hawaii County residents, Mayor Billy Kenoi said Tuesday evening.Jan McEwen, who has bachelor's and master's of science degrees, will be out of a state job, again, this month. This time, she is going to collect unemployment and use the time to write a book about gardening, she said Tuesday.Nearly 200 acres of pristine watershed will be preserved with the purchase of Kawaikapu Ranch lands in southeast Molokai by the Molokai Land Trust.
A ban on the use of handheld electronic devices while driving seemed destined for passage out of committee Wednesday before being deferred at the final moment amid safety concerns.The humpback whales are back in Hawaiian waters! If you scan the ocean carefully, you may see them spout or breach.Between 2000 and 2005, the teen birthrate in Hawaii decreased from 46 to 36 births per 1,000 15- to 19-year-old females. But in 2006, the year for which the most recent data is available nationwide, a 14 percent jump in Hawaii’s teen birth pushed it back up to 41 percent. National Kids Count Project
More monster waves are forecast today for O'ahu's North Shore, where thousands fought traffic and battled for parking yesterday to catch the kick-off of a swell that brought surf of up to 40 feet.
Monster waves drove several people to Red Cross shelters and drew thousands of onlookers to Oahu's North Shore, creating bumper-to-bumper traffic between Haleiwa and Waimea Bay, where many hoped to see a premier surfing event.
Some of the biggest names in tow-in surfing are expected to return today to the legendary "Jaws" surf spot, where wave heights could top 50 feet.The northern shores of all Hawaiian islands remain under a high surf warning that has been extended through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The Keawaula portion of Kaena Point State Park was closed Monday due to high surf conditions, according to officials at the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). The decision was made upon the recommendation of Ocean Safety lifeguards.
Baldwin and Hookipa beach parks closed shortly after 8:30 a.m. Monday because dangerously high surf and shore breaks posed unsafe conditions for beachgoers, Maui County announced.
The public wants to hold elected leaders accountable for education in Hawaii, says Gov. Linda Lingle, renewing her push to change Hawaii's educational structure.A top federal education official told parents yesterday to keep the pressure on for a solution to teacher furloughs, but also said the crisis could be used as an opportunity to improve quality at some of the state's poorly performing public schools.Dozens of survivors of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Monday solemnly remembered those who died in the aerial assault 68 years ago.
Headline from 1941 inflames conspiracy theory Hawaii County solid waste officials have responded to complaints about shortened transfer station hours by revising the schedule so more people can dump their rubbish en route to work.
Winners of the 39th annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival's coffee label, web site and recipe contests have been announced.
Officials say the big surf has so far caused no major problems on Oahu's North Shore. Wave heights are upwards of 30 feet to 40 feet, with occasional 50-foot sets on outer reefs.
Surfers and surf watchers are expected to flood the north and west shores of O'ahu and Maui today in what is being called epic surf that may be the biggest in 40 years.As high surf approaches Oahu, evacuation shelters in Sunset Beach, Haleiwa and Waianae are ready to take in people who live in the danger zones. But on Sunday, not many people were taking advantage of the facilities.Marine experts cut loose a yearling humpback whale yesterday that had been entangled in heavy plastic rope near the Hawaiian Islands.
Suspending executives' raises, imposing a hiring freeze and furloughing workers are among the measures being considered by Hawaii County leaders facing a possible $45 million budget deficit.The economy may be in the doldrums, but that's not stopping Mayor Billy Kenoi's administration from hiring new employees.A raging stream that caused a Hau'ula home to fall into its waters is cutting a new channel to Kamehameha Highway, threatening the stability of the only thoroughfare through that area of Windward O'ahu.The assets of RightStar, Hawaii's biggest cemetery and funeral operator, will be auctioned Dec. 21 at the state's First Circuit Court in Honolulu.Now, finally, the Maui County Council will get into the nitty-gritty part of Maui's long-awaited master planning process.A 48-year-old male visitor from Apple Valley, Calif., drowned Sunday afternoon at Kipu Falls, a county news release states.
Wind and rough seas are impeding efforts to free a young humpback whale from a tangle of heavy rope wrapped around its mouth and body.Rescuers tried for a second day Wednesday to free a young humpback whale tangled in rope, and while they enjoyed some success in removing hundreds of feet line, the remaining rope still posed a threat to the animal's life.NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is seeking to fill eight primary seats and eight alternate seats on its advisory council.President Obama is expected to vacation in Hawai'i later this month, a holiday tradition for the president and his family.Hawai'i residents have registered guns at a record pace for each of the past four years, and appear headed for a new high again this year, preliminary figures show.The state Board of Education last night declined to ask for an emergency $12 million for student transportation, which means public schools could run out of money to pay for school bus service by April.Man lying on side of road dead after apparently being run over by driver pulling to the side as police cars respond.A city prosecutor said he will ask the state parole board to require a man and woman who nearly starved their 12-year-old daughter to death to serve 50 years in prison before they are eligible for parole.Swine flu activity is "somewhat elevated" for this time of year in Hawaii, state health officials say, but it is not rising and the islands possibly can avoid the pandemic upsurge that occurred on the mainland.The mystery of the "hot spot" that created the Hawaiian Island chain over the last 75 million years has been unraveled with an experiment that "opened a window into the earth."
The state Department of Human Services director on Thursday defended a decision to cut childcare subsidies to some families by as much as 80 percentKalihi-Palama Health Center has a new shipment of H1N1 vaccine. It won't be around for long.
The county has no intention of implementing a pay-as-you-throw fee at solid waste transfer stations in the near future, Mayor Billy Kenoi said Wednesday.The Hawaii County Council doesn't want the state Land Use Commission dissolved after all.Two pit bulls belonging to a Kawaihae family were euthanized 48 hours after the dogs ripped open the throat of a neighbor's Labrador retriever and were deemed dangerous, said Lynette Fluaitt, director of operations with the Hawaii Island Humane Society.With home construction at a near standstill, Maui County will - and must - make some changes to its controversial residential work force housing policy, Council Member Wayne Nishiki said Wednesday.Charred wood and melted glass is all that remains of about one third of the northern portion of the former retail annex to the world-famous Coco Palms after a Thursday morning blaze further decimated a once-iconic hotel already in disrepair for years.A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday there was no basis for claims of discrimination and conspiracy made by former Kaua‘i Police Department Chief K.C. Lum against several county officials, upholding a lower court’s decision.
Workers at the state's public libraries will take 15 furlough days a year for the next two fiscal years, closing libraries on those days starting Dec. 16.Kevin Cronin, the state's embattled chief elections officer, informed the state Elections Commission yesterday that he intends to resign at the end of the year.President Obama's announcement on Tuesday of a troop surge in Afghanistan comes as Hawaii's Army National Guard prepares to send a unit to the war-torn country.Despite working for nearly two years to eliminate "illegal camping" at Kapi'olani Park, the city finds itself grappling with another homeless encampment there.On the Diamond Head end of Waikiki next to Kapiolani Park, a disabled Laura Lambertson pitched her tent for the night Monday on a strip of land between the sidewalk and Kalakaua Avenue, along with scores of other homeless people.As many as 1,275 new bed-and-breakfast homes could be established on Oahu under certain conditions intended to allow true homeowners to take in additional income to keep their properties.Hawaii's two U.S. senators, Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, are in strong support of President Barack Obama's plan to add 30,000 troops to the Afghanistan war. But Hawaii's two House members, Reps Neil Abercrombie and Mazie Hirono, questioned the plan.Oahu law enforcement officials arrested a man they said conned Hawaii banks out of $130,000.
Hawaii County farmers who have lost crops to vog and sulfur dioxide emissions can continue applying for low-interest loans from the federal government.The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering more low-interest loans to Hawaii Island farmers whose crops are suffering from the vog, declaring the county as a primary natural disaster for a second time in less than 18 months.A three-day land and air search for Hana residents Carl and Rae Lindquist ended Monday when Maui firefighters conducted a 2-hour search of a streambed and a shoreline near where the couple's battered sport utility vehicle was found Saturday morning.A lawsuit filed in state court demands efforts to widen Kuhio Highway through Wailua be abandoned until an environmental impact statement is completed.
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