Political season fires up, Health Department in focus over rats, Oahu readies for Obama, more state news

When U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie announced he would resign from Congress to devote his attention to his campaign for governor, many Democrats were startled by the response from U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye.

The Hawaii Democratic Party is now accepting applications to temporarily fill its top post.

A highly publicized rat problem at a Chinatown market is again highlighting the shortage of state food safety inspectors — whose O'ahu ranks have dwindled from 23 in 1988 to nine today — and one state senator called the problem a serious public health concern.

Combining technology and traditional archaeology, scientists have identified thousands of acres of land farmed by early Hawaiians.

Hawaii Island Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy Robert Shallenberger takes bird enthusiasts from the eastern shore of the Big Island to Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument and documents seabirds of the archipelago in "Hawaiian Birds of the Sea: Na Manu Kai."

Hawaii Birds: An Introduction to Over 140 Species of the Most Common and Distinctive Hawaiian Birds

Honolulu Symphony orchestra members gathered at the Blaisdell Concert Hall yesterday to show their support for keeping the orchestra going despite the symphony's bankruptcy filing.

Tour guides are afraid a temporary no-fly zone created when President Barack Obama visits Oahu will hamper aerial sightseeing of popular spots in what is usually a busy tourist season.

On Sunday morning, people in Kona saw hail and a waterspout off shore.

A decade ago, a scandal over rigged promotions rocked the county and cost taxpayers millions -- but the fallout resulted in a better Police Department

Two federal agencies will investigate an incident in which concrete blocks dropped by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources off Keawakapu earlier this month damaged live coral.

For the past year, at the direction of Mayor Charmaine Tavares, the county Department of Planning has quietly been working to streamline and update the county's out-of-date code into a new era of "smart-growth" and "mixed-use" planning.

Housing on Kaua‘i is anything but affordable, according to Anne Punohu of the Kaua‘i Fair Housing Law Coalition.