State settles midwife lawsuit, Honolulu police could start using AI, students fall ill after drinking chocolate milk at school, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

State agrees to let midwives practice without penalties. A state court case that challenged a Hawaii law restricting traditional midwives from assisting in pregnancies and births without state-issued licenses ended Wednesday after the state agreed to settle the matter with nine plaintiffs, including midwives and student midwives. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now.

Hawaiʻi, 14 other states launch Governors Public Health Alliance. Fifteen governors from across the United States announced the Governors Public Health Alliance on Oct. 15, with Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green being among the alliance members. KHON2.

OHA Trustees Kill Proposed Pay Raise For CEO On Paid Leave. The trustees voted unanimously against giving Stacy Ferreira a 35% pay raise, saying the proposal was premature and flawed. Civil Beat.

Deputies sue state, claiming false arrests fueled by corruption. Four Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement deputies filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming they were falsely arrested by their own administration to discredit claims of hostile work environment in a previous lawsuit. Hawaii News Now.

Public can now submit project ideas, suggestions to Green Fee Advisory Council. Green Fee Advisory Council is now accepting ideas from the public for projects that could receive Green Fee funding. Big Island Now.

Financial strain starting to hit furloughed federal workers. Financial strain is now becoming a reality for thousands of workers in Hawaii affected by the federal government shutdown as they dip into savings, look for other work, and try to get unemployment benefits. That comes as furloughed workers got a paycheck this week — their last one until the government shutdown ends. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii students fall ill after drinking chocolate milk at school. The state Department of Health is investigating a cluster of gastrointestinal illnesses among nine students at one Oahu elementary school after they reportedly drank Meadow Gold chocolate milk that was recently recalled over quality concerns. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. 

Hawaiian Airlines will say aloha to ‘HA’ code after nearly 95 years. Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines will begin the process of operating under a single call sign by Oct. 26, 2025. Hawaiian has flown under the code “HA” since 1929 and it will be officially retired in April 2026. KITV4.

Oahu

Honolulu Police Could Start Using AI To Write Reports. AI could reduce the time officers spend completing paperwork, but some groups urge caution about entrusting such a critical part of policing to “unreliable and untested” technology. Civil Beat. KHON2. 

Hawaiʻi DOE Wants Another $30M For  Facility That Hasn’t Been Built. The Department of Education plans to ask state lawmakers for more than $30 million in additional funding next year to retrofit 19 school kitchens in Central Oʻahu so they can serve meals prepared at a centralized food facility. Civil Beat.

Oahu Transit Services: Contract talks continue with TheBus drivers. Oahu Transit Services, which operates TheBus and TheHandi-Van routes on behalf of the City & County of Honolulu, remained at odds Wednesday with the union which represents bus operations and mechanics though to lesser degree. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Segment 2 of Honolulu’s Skyline rail system opens to the public today. An inaugural ride of the city’s Skyline train — with stations at Makalapa/Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Lagoon Drive and Middle Street in Kalihi — occurred Wednesday. Star-Advertiser.

Historic Falls of Clyde sunk to its undersea resting place. Hawaii residents bid a final aloha Wednesday morning to the Falls of Clyde, the historic ship that had graced the waters of Honolulu Harbor for decades. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio. Hawaii News Now. KITV4. 

Hawaii Island

Effort to ease qualifications for Public Works director fails. Two proposed charter amendments aimed at altering the qualifications for key Hawaii County department heads failed to pass the full County Council on Oct. 8 — shelving changes that some officials argued might have helped with recruitment for hard-to-fill leadership roles. Tribune-Herald.

Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission approves water rate increase for Waikōloa area. Residential and non-residential customers will see an increase of 47.89% for monthly water usage on 5/8-inch and 3/4-inch meters from $12.07 to $19.67. Big Island Now.

Funding approved for Kealakehe sewage plant upgrades. The Hawaii County Council has approved a $31 million capital budget amendment to fund construction of a major upgrade to the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant, fulfilling a legal requirement to begin producing high-quality recycled water. Tribune-Herald.

Kona community races to contain coconut rhinoceros beetle. Amid Kona's black lava fields, Keāhole Agricultural Park appears like a lush oasis. Mangoes, plumerias, and palm trees grow tall and green, standing in stark contrast to the brown fountain grass that surrounds the park on all sides. Hawaii Public Radio.

Maui

Hundreds of Kaiser Permanente health care workers on Maui go on strike, forcing temporary closure of Kīhei clinic. On Maui, the strike forced the temporary closure of Kaiser’s Kīhei clinic, which offers services that include a pharmacy, laboratory, optometry, pediatrics and physical therapy. Kaiser said the clinic’s providers and services have been shifted to other Kaiser locations on Maui.  Maui Now.

Man charged with threatening to kill congressional, state workers. A 36-year-old man is facing a federal criminal charge after he allegedly threatened to shoot and kill a Hawaii congressional delegation staff member and their family on Maui. Star-Advertiser.

Kauai

World-renowned astrophysicist brings the universe to Kauaʻi. UC Berkeley astrophysicist Dr. Alex Filippenko took a pause from his Kauaʻi vacation to treat about 330 astronomy enthusiasts to a rare glimpse of the universe’s earliest galaxies, recently revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Kauai Now.