Governor vetoes 8 bills, new law could break HECO monopoly, ICE agents partner with Kaneohe Marines, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Governor Green Issues Final Veto List. On July 3, Governor Josh Green finalized on his Intent-to-Veto list, signing 12 bills into law and vetoing eight. Big Island Video News.

Full veto list can be found here. Hawaii Governor's Office.

Is HECO’s Monopoly Over? New Law Could Change Power Market. The bill is expected to give Hawaiʻi ratepayers additional choices for purchasing electricity. Lawmakers hope it will also lower electric bills. Civil Beat.

New laws to tackle condo insurance crisis. Gov. Green signs two bills to help with housing. To help deal with Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis, Gov. Josh Green signed into law one bill that deals with the rising cost of property insurance and another that expands essential resources for youth and young adults facing homelessness. Big Island Now. Maui News.  Star-Advertiser.  KHON2.

Newly named Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity is looking for new hires. The state is looking to fill 44 positions in the newly-named State Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. The new hires are part of a nearly $26.6 million appropriation to protect Hawaii from invasive species and grow the agriculture industry. Hawaii News Now.

Rent supplement program for kūpuna extended through 2028. The program allows kūpuna at imminent risk of homelessness who are at least 62 years old to apply for supplemental rental assistance. Hawaii Public Radio.

New commander to lead elite forces in the Pacific. The military’s secretive elite forces have a new leader in the Pacific. On Thursday Navy Rear Adm. Jeromy Williams of U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific, also known as SOCPAC, passed the baton to Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Van­Antwerp. Star-Advertiser.

New UH Agriculture Dean Wants To Help Hawaiʻi Grow More Of Its Own Food. During 16 months on the job, Parwinder Grewal has hired more faculty, secured millions in funding and started setting up a new undergraduate degree in farming. Civil Beat.

Oahu

ICE agents partner with Kaneohe Marines. Marine Corps Base Hawaii is one of three military installations partnering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a pilot program to ensure foreign nationals can’t gain “unauthorized” access to U.S. Department of Defense facilities. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu chooses consultant for transit-oriented development. A master planning effort to transform city- and state-owned lands along Hono­lulu’s more than $10 billion rail line into mixed-use, transit-oriented development in the Iwilei-Kapalama area now includes a contracted primary consultant. Star-Advertiser.

Investigator: Vocal Red Hill Whistleblower Faced Pushback For Speaking Out. One of the military’s loudest critics amid the Red Hill fuel contamination fiasco said her boss tried to keep her quiet. Civil Beat.

Fire leaves woman, 94, and dog dead. Gusts of wind continued to sweep through the 55 acres of blackened land in Maili on Monday, where a wildfire Sunday afternoon left a 94-year-old woman and a pitbull dead and destroyed a family’s home and business. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.  KHON2. KITV4.

Hawaii Island

LUC to consider expansion of University of the Nations in Kona. The plans to add 62 acres adjacent to the 45-acre campus on Kuakini Highway have been in the works since a 2003 master plan was submitted to the LUC to change zoning on the two subject land parcels from agricultural to urban. Tribune-Herald.

Weigh in on new changes to gun rules on Hawaiʻi Island. The Hawaiʻi Police Department is changing the rules about gun permits and licenses, and the public is invited to share their thoughts. KHON2.

New finding answers a question that has puzzled astronomers for years.  An international team of astrophysicists have uncovered a possible origin of fast X-ray transients (FXTs) — mysterious, fleeting bursts of X-rays that have long puzzled astronomers. Using the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island helped with the discovery. Hawaii News Now.

Maui

Council focuses on zoning issues throughout this month. The Maui County Council will meet July 8 at 9 a.m. to consider zoning legislation on agricultural tourism, parking requirements for electric vehicles, food trucks in the agricultural district, the size of accessory dwellings and the definition of various land-use terms. Maui Now.

County Committee on the Status of Women to host community roundtables on women’s health issues. The County of Maui Committee on the Status of Women will hold community roundtables on Friday, July 11, 2025, to gather public input on issues affecting women’s health in the county. Maui Now.

State of Hawaiʻi to host recruitment event on Maui, July 10, showcasing 300 jobs. The state of Hawaiʻi Department of Human Resources Development will host a recruitment event on Thursday, July 10, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Maui State Office Building in Wailuku. Maui Now.

Kauai

Kauaʻi Police Chief Job Posting Gets Tepid Response. On Kauaʻi, job applications for chief of police are down 68% as a department with sinking morale and recruitment and retention issues seeks its next leader. Civil Beat.

County warns of fraudulent council letter. The County of Kauai is warning the public of a new scam involving fraudulent letters falsely claiming to be from the Kauai County Council. Garden Island.