Regulators vote for commercial fishing at marine monuments, Canadians boycott Hawaii, PGA cancels season opener at Kapalua, school enrollment down, salaries up, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Federal regulators vote in favor of President Trump’s push for commercial fishing in marine monuments. On Tuesday, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council voted to advance President Donald Trump’s executive order to allow commercial fishing inside the Papahanaumokuakea and Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monuments. The decision came after dozens of Native Hawaiians, fishers and scientists voiced opposition. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Canadian Tourists are Boycotting the U.S. Here’s What That Means for Hawai‘i. The amount of money spent by Canadian visitors in the first seven months of 2025 is down 4.9%, from $668.3 million in the same period of 2024, and 7.5% lower, from $686.1 million, in 2019. Hawaii Business magazine.

Hawaiʻi School Superintendents Could See Big Increases In Pay Ranges. Hawaiʻi’s top educational leaders could see some of their biggest pay raises in years under a proposal scheduled to be heard by the state Board of Education Human Resources Committee on Thursday.  Civil Beat.

Hawaii public school enrollment falls 17k since pandemic. New data from the Department of Education shows 150,280 students enrolled in the 2025-2026 school year — that is about 2,000 fewer than the previous school year and more than 17,000 less than before the pandemic. KHON2.

DOE Aims To Avoid School Closures Through Redistricting. The Hawaiʻi Department of Education has changed its course and plans to consider redistricting schools instead of pursuing campus closures. Civil Beat.

State Hospital Overloaded By Law To Offer Mental Health Care In Lieu Of Jail. The goal was to get help faster to non-violent offenders with mental illness. Instead, they are showing up again and again at the state hospital. Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi is racing to install rooftop solar before the tax credit sunsets. Hawaiian Electric received over 1,100 applications in July for new residential solar and battery-storage systems, which is almost twice as many applications as customers filed in June. Hawaii Public Radio.

Gov. Josh Green proclaims Sept. 17 as Constitution and Citizenship Day in Hawaiʻi. The special day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 and highlights the enduring importance of constitutional governance throughout Hawaiʻi’s history. Big Island Now.

Oahu

Yearlong work added to Kapiolani Boulevard improvement project. A project to replace the existing street lighting system on Kapiolani, from Ward Avenue to Piikoi Street, began Monday. The work is expected to last a year, city officials say. Star-Advertiser.

UH, Army sign environmental agreement. The new Intergovernmental Support Agreement was signed at the Schofield Barracks Seed Lab, where the Army keeps seeds from native plants the service has been working to cultivate and spread across land it controls in the islands. Star-Advertiser.

Coast Guard awards $69M contract for new hangars. The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a nearly $69 million contract to design and build new hangars and “associated facilities” at Air Station Barbers Point. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

COVID outbreak ends at Hilo  Benioff Medical Center nursing home.  The assisted-living facility, which is home to 55 residents, saw 16 residents and 10 staff testing positive for the virus during the outbreak last month. Tribune-Herald.

Emergency exercise scheduled to take place at Hilo International Airport. The exercise is a triennial requirement by the Federal Aviation Administration to test emergency response protocols, according to a news release from HDOT. Big Island Now.

BJ Penn arrested, charged with violating protective order filed by his mother. Retired UFC champion Jay Dee “BJ” Penn of Hilo was has been arrested and charged with violating a court order for protection that was extended last month by a Hilo judge at the request of his 79-year-old mother. Big Island Now. Hawaii News Now. KITV4. 

Maui

Kapalua won’t host PGA Tour’s season opener as it copes with drought and Hawaii water dispute. The PGA Tour said Tuesday it is leaving Kapalua Resort in Hawaii for its season opener after determining the drought and a water dispute that has left the golf course baked and brown from lack of irrigation cannot be ready to host The Sentry in January.  Associated Press.  Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now.  KHON2.  KITV4.

Desperate West Maui residents want action from state water commission to help drought. The land where the water comes from is owned by Maui Land & Pineapple. But water distribution is regulated, so MLP follows guidelines set by the Commission on Water Resource Management. KHON2.

Council approves Waiʻehu housing project exemptions in narrow 5-4 vote. In a split decision, the Maui County Council voted 5-4 last week to grant key procedural exemptions and loan flexibility for the 119-unit Hale Mahaolu Ke Kahua affordable housing project in Waiʻehu, a move developers say is critical for the project to secure competitive financing. Maui Now.

Maui condo prices down 35 percent. The median price of single-family homes was down 3.6% ($1.27 million) and condominium prices by 35% ($650,000) compared to the same month last year, according to the Realtors Association of Maui. Maui News.

Kauai

Kaua‘i Liquor Control Commission to hear testimony on new rule changes. Proposed amendments to the Kauaʻi Liquor Control Commission rules and regulations will be open to public testimony during a hearing next week.  Kauai Now.

New MRI suite coming to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital. The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust granted more than $10.6 million to help the Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital expand and develop its MRI suite. Garden Island.