Census shows fewer vacant homes, smaller households; Legislature mulls bill allowing public to video law enforcement; Honolulu raises transit fares, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Fewer Hawaiʻi Homes Are Vacant As Number Of Households Grow. Hawaiʻi added 33,000 new households between 2020 and 2024, but the average household size has shrunk, according to new data from the Census Bureau. Comparisons between the new survey and the one for the preceding five-year period show there were 492,453 households in Hawaiʻi at the end of 2024 compared to 459,424 households at the end of 2019. Civil Beat.

Lawmakers consider measure allowing public to take videos of law enforcement officers. Hawaii lawmakers are considering a bill that makes it clear that the public can use cameras to record law enforcement actions that take place in public settings. Hawaii News Now.

State leaders want to make sure estimated $100 million from visitors ‘Green Fee’ is used wisely. State officials are optimistic that it will come out on top of a federal lawsuit currently blocking cruise ship visitors from paying the new “Green fee”. KHON2.

Hawaiʻi Could See Nation’s Highest Drop In High School Graduates. The declining number of graduates from Hawaiʻi schools reflects larger concerns in the DOE about shrinking enrollment and the potential for school closures. Civil Beat.

Lawmakers press teacher education leaders over licensing delays. State lawmakers on Wednesday sharply questioned education officials and leaders charged with ensuring teachers are adequately prepared over the issues of persistent teacher shortages, licensing backlogs and student achievement gaps — with some senators warning that delays in strengthening the teacher pipeline are harming students. Star-Advertiser.

Keiki bills target vaping, e-bikes, mental health, school meals. Hawaii children could see a ban on flavored nicotine products, e-bike safety regulations, a digital mental health platform and free school meals in charter schools under a package of bills introduced by the state Legislature’s keiki caucus. Star-Advertiser. Kauai Now.  Hawaii News Now.  KITV4.

State lawmakers propose ban on surfboard wax made with ‘forever chemicals’. The effort follows the passage of one bill in 2022 and the failure of other bills in 2024 and 2025 to ban a variety of consumer products made with the same class of chemicals found in thousands of products. Star-Advertiser.

SBA programs for native businesses face scrutiny. The Native Hawaiian Organizations Association is urging President Donald Trump’s administration to distinguish between “isolated allegations” about the Small Business Administration’s program aimed at developing native-run businesses and its success expanding economic opportunity, as U.S. Rep. Ed Case calls for a formal review. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Honolulu City Council adopts new transit fares. The Honolulu City Council on a split vote Wednesday moved to increase fares for riders of TheBus, TheHandi-Van and Skyline. Bill 54, as adopted, increases the annual adult fare from $880 to $990. The monthly adult fare will rise to $90, up from the current charge of $80 — a 12.5% increase for both. Single fares will remain at $3, but riders who pay cash will have to pay 25 cents more. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

City says it may have to take over nearby land to expand Oʻahu landfill. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi told state lawmakers this week that the city is currently discussing expanding the landfill into the nearby Makaiwa Hills, which the James Campbell Company wants to develop into a residential community. Blangiardi said the city may have to resort to eminent domain to use that land. Hawaii Public Radio.

Some call for ban on riding in truck beds after deadly crash. A 27-year-old woman was sitting in the bed of a pickup truck that was traveling eastbound on the H-1 Freeway in Aiea when it was rear-ended. The woman was ejected from the truck and pronounced dead at the scene.  Hawaii News Now. KHON2. 

Hawaii Island

Crucial Hawaiʻi County Commissions Stymied By Members’ No-Shows. Hawai‘i County’s two planning commissions had to cancel more than a third of their regular meetings last year after failing to have the minimum number of members present, resulting in monthslong delays for some projects.  Civil Beat.

Public invited to 5 public meetings regarding Maunakea. The Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, or MKSOA, in partnership with Kua o Wakea, has announced a series of community workshops across the Hawaiian Islands. Tribune-Herald.

Emergency Banyan Tree Removal Set For Hilo. An assessment recently done on 48 banyan trees on Banyan Drive identified the single tree for removal because of structural instability. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now. 

Marine biologists hope 'Limu Ark' will protect Hawaiʻi's seaweed biodiversity. Alongside fellow UH Hilo professor Maria Haws and marine science students Emma Poland, Lauren Runnels and Abigail Nason, Karla McDermid created the Limu Ark, a living library of about 70 limu species. The collection is housed in a Matson container at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center in Hilo. Hawaii Public Radio.

Maui

Factory-built housing bill stirs debate: Cost versus durability for wildfire survivor housing. The Maui County Council passed a bill on first reading Friday that would allow for factory-built housing in the Lahaina burn zone, a measure intended to accelerate housing recovery for survivors of the August 2023 wildfires. Maui Now.

Restoring sand dunes could save Maui’s north shore, one of Hawaiʻi’s most eroded coastlines. Tara Owens and her team at the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant program are spearheading an effort to restore the sand dunes along a 1.5-mile stretch of coastline from Wawau Point (Baby Beach) to Lower Pā‘ia Park. Maui Now.

Kauai

U.S. Coast Guard, partners search for missing 19-year-old off Kauaʻi beach. Matthew Kai’mana Packard-Asai was last seen Wednesday (Jan. 28) fishing on the rocks near the northern point of Kahili Beach in Kīlauea.  Kauai Now.