Hawaii mulls fisheries protections, big plans for Aloha Stadium partners, Maui condo owners prepare lawsuits against vacation rental ban, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

With Wild Fish Stocks Dwindling, Congress Considers Backing Aquaculture. After years of fish farmers criticizing the state of Hawaiʻi for overlooking aquaculture, the federal government is offering some hope in new legislation. Civil Beat.

UH launching advanced degrees in fisheries management. The University of Hawaii has hired eight faculty members for new master’s and doctorate degree programs in sustainable fisheries management, coincidentally as President Donald Trump opened up prohibited fishing areas to Hawaii’s longline fleet. Star-Advertiser.

For Environmental Scientists, Climate Change Means Coping With Death. As deep anxiety over climate change and the future grips the general public, this summer’s Hawaiʻi Conservation Convention conference featured a first-of-its-kind grief seminar.  Civil Beat.

Campaign Reform Is Forcing Lawmakers To Raise More Cash In Non-Election Years. Two new laws intended to slow the easy flow of money to lawmakers while they’re in session significantly crimped incumbents’ cash-raising abilities during the 2025 session. But the new restrictions have not stopped special interest money from finding its way to state legislators at other times.  Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi Is Increasingly Relying On Unlicensed Teachers To Fill Vacancies. The number of unlicensed teachers has steadily grown in Hawaiʻi schools since the pandemic, and the state may see a wave of retirements in the coming years. Civil Beat.

US judge in Hawaii considers legality of restrictions on access to abortion medication. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to overly restrict access to mifepristone, a medication for abortions and miscarriage management, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union argued Friday in a lawsuit by a Hawaii doctor and healthcare associations challenging the legality of the restrictions.  Associated Press.

Two companies jump on board to move inter-island fiber infrastructure forward. Ocean Networks Inc., a leading telecom development and service company, has officially selected two world leaders—Prysmian, a cable solutions provider, and International Telecom, an engineering and installation specialist—to build and deliver the Hawaiian Islands Fiber Link project. Kauai Now.

Oahu

Aloha Stadium project partners include sports arena and entertainment district pros. Hawaii doesn’t have a professional sports team to support a planned new stadium on Oahu, but the consortium working to develop a mixed-use community around a future Aloha Stadium has big-league players. Star-Advertiser.

East Honolulu’s Last Undeveloped Valley Faces Uncertain Fate. Kamehameha Schools has yet to release its plan for Kamilonui Valley. But the school’s history of development in the area is stoking fears about what will happen to Hawaiʻi Kai’s last farmlands. Civil Beat.

Grant helps provide stable housing for Native Hawaiian women. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs announced last month that it was contributing $180,000 to provide additional rent subsidies for Native Hawaiian women living at Mohala Mai — a permanent supportive housing project — to help combat the prison recidivism rate. Star-Advertiser.

Elevated safety ambassadors help fight crime in Waikiki. The pilot program, which began Wednesday, is meant to serve as a “force-multiplier” for the staff-constrained Honolulu Police Department. Star-Advertiser.

Engineering company Oceanit turns 40. The company had modest beginnings as a small coastal engineering firm. Founder and CEO Patrick Sullivan, an engineer and scientist, followed his wife Jan Sullivan — who hailed from Hawaii — to the islands to pursue her law career. Star-Advertiser.

Popular Waikīkī Promenade Is Finally Open Again. The area languished for about a year as the city fenced it off for repairs. Civil Beat.

East-West Center President on importance of pilina: ‘America First’ doesn’t have to be ‘America Alone’. Since taking the helm of the East-West Center in July, long time White House advisor and diplomat Celeste Connors has been applying Hawaiian values to help navigate a tumultuous time. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Residents, commissioners weigh in on search for next police chief. The top concern with of majority of testifiers on Friday was that whomever becomes top cop in Hawaii County not enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Homeland Security and/or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which reportedly raided coffee farms in West Hawaii and removed a first-grader from Honduras from Konawaena Elementary School. Tribune-Herald.

Salvation Army Dedicates Hilo Overnight Safe Space Expansion. The shelter, which opened last year to assist the houseless community, has doubled in size and is ready to serve up to 50 overnight guests. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now.

Hāmākua wildland fire 75% contained, Highway 19 near Pāʻauilo reopens. The Hawaiʻi Fire Department reports a wildland fire in Hāmākua and has issued a wildfire watch for Pāʻauilo. Big Island Now. Hawaii News Now.  KITV4.

Removal of banyan cost $153K: Questions, concerns linger following collapse of tree that killed 2. The debris from the banyan tree on Hilo’s Kilauea Avenue that uprooted and fell July 12, killing two women, has been trucked away and disposed of, and damage caused by the massive tree crashing onto the roof of Calvary Chapel Hilo’s church building is now visible. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Owners mulling legal action if Maui County’s short-term rental bill passes. At about 70 condo complexes where short-term rentals could become illegal under a proposed bill before the Maui County Council, property owners have been watching, waiting and talking with their lawyers.  Maui Now.

Lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple fuels debate over water supply and reveals The Sentry golf tournament is in jeopardy. The lawsuit, filed on Monday in the Second Circuit Court on Maui, also revealed that the Plantation Golf Course at Kapalua may have to close due to deteriorating conditions caused by the water restrictions. Maui Now.

Environmental advocates propose interim ban to protect Molokai from invasive beetles. The proposal calls for a temporary block on plants, soil, mulch, and other goods prone to infestation to the island. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Maui Economic Development Board raises funds for STEM education. Students from Maui High, Maui Waena Intermediate, Lahainaluna High, and Pukalani Elementary School showed off robots they designed, built, and programmed to complete tasks and challenges. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai

How Did State Count More Kauaʻi Ballots Than County Said It Delivered?  The next meeting of the Hawaiʻi Elections Commission on Wednesday is expected to be dominated by recent findings of discrepancies in the number of drop box and mail-in ballots cast on Kauaʻi during the 2024 general election.   Civil Beat.

Kauaʻi County Council greenlights use of $361,000 from national opioid settlements. The County of Kaua’i now has the green light to accept and spend more than $361,000 in national opioid settlement funds aimed at curbing the island’s opioid crisis. Kauai Now.

Kauai Fire Department graduates 5, promotes 2. Five graduates of the Kauai Fire Department 34th Recruit Class, and two promotions from within the KFD were celebrated on Friday before a throng of family members and friends at the Moikeha Building rotunda. Garden Island.