Ostrov returns to head Hawaii GOP, bills advance unmasking ICE agents, Waikiki instituting major drone surveillance program, Rudy Tai named Kauai police chief, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Head of Hawaiʻi Republican Party talks state priorities, President Trump. The Hawaiʻi Republican Party has had a revolving door with three different party chairs in the last six months. Shirlene Ostrov is back in the driver's seat after a stint five years ago.  She said that between then and now, the local party went through nine elected chairs. Hawaii Public Radio.

Bills advance to identify ICE agents. The first of several bills that would unmask federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents was met with concerns Tuesday from the Honolulu Police Department and state Department of Law Enforcement that backup officers from their departments also could be identified while supporting local undercover operations. No representatives for ICE or any federal agency testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee or submitted written testimony regarding SB 2203. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi Homeowners Need More Options To Get Rid Of All Cesspools By 2050. State lawmakers are taking up a bill this week that would create a low-interest loan program. All property owners in Hawaiʻi have until 2050 to get rid of their cesspools under state law. But daunting cost challenges have left 83,000 cesspools intact across the island state, with only a few hundred getting removed annually. Civil Beat.

Lawmakers hear passionate testimony on plan to study potential geothermal sites. State lawmakers heard passionate testimony opposing geothermal exploration by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) during a House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection hearing. The department is asking the legislature for $15 million to study geothermal energy and says beneficiary meetings will start in April and May. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii looks to fend off federal fossil fuels lawsuit. A lawsuit the federal government filed against Michigan over fossil fuels has been thrown out — prompting Hawaii to use that case to bolster its own of efforts to hold private companies accountable for their role in climate change. The federal government filed a lawsuit against Hawaii on April 30 after Gov. Josh Green announced he planned to sue private fossil fuel companies for deceptive marketing that contributed to climate change harms. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi’s Cost Of Living Is High. But There’s Another Huge Problem. Policymakers and media outlets often point to Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living when discussing why people flee the state for greener economic pastures. But a study by economists at the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization argues there’s another, equally important factor: a lack of high-paying jobs. Civil Beat.

How a media censorship case in Alaska relates to Hawaiʻi newspapers. A recent story in the Columbia Journalism Review highlighted the owner of Oahu Publications Inc. Its flagship publication is the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, which it created in 2010 after purchasing the Honolulu Advertiser from Gannett.  The Alabama company Carpenter Media Group acquired Oahu Publications and its media brands in 2024. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

Sheriff Drones May Be Watching You In Waikīkī. A major drone surveillance program could be coming to Waikīkī as soon as March as part of a statewide push to use modern technologies to fill gaps in policing. Sheriffs plan to fly drones over the tourist district to watch for crimes being committed in public spaces during peak busy hours, festivals and large events.  Civil Beat.

Lawsuit is filed against city over approval of new Turtle Bay hotel. Earthjustice filed the suit Tuesday in First Circuit Court on behalf of the nonprofit groups Center for Biological Diversity and Conservation Council for Hawaii, and community group Kapa‘a Kuilima. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Dozens of tenants forced out of low-rise apartments for 'Iolani School demolition. Landowner ʻIolani School is beginning a long-planned expansion, knocking down five aging apartment buildings next to the campus. From keiki to kupuna, dozens of families over the weekend got notices to vacate and are now scrambling to find homes. KITV4.

Council bill seeks online database of city funds. A Honolulu City Council measure requiring the city administration use real-time, web-based software to grant greater public access to the annual, multi-billion dollar budgets and day-to-day finances of the city advanced Tuesday. Star-Advertiser.

Car dealers say DMV registration delays slowing business on Oahu. For car dealers on Oahu, the biggest holdup isn’t selling vehicles, it’s registering them. Several dealers say limited appointment availability at the Satellite City Hall in Kapalama has turned registration into a waiting game, delaying deliveries and frustrating customers. Hawaii News Now.

Power outage sparks renewed push to restructure HECO. After a massive power outage that left thousands across the island in the dark yesterday, lawmakers are pushing a proposal to restructure Hawaiian Electric, raising new questions about reliability and accountability. KHON2. 

Pearl City woman sentenced for threatening Trump, Biden. A Pearl City woman was sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release Monday while she continues her mental health treatment after pleading guilty to threatening to assassinate Trump or Biden, whoever was in the White House at the time. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Tephra cleaup continues: Kilauea volcano’s recent episode made a mess of things. A week-and-a-half after episode 41 of Kilauea’s yearlong summit eruption deposited tephra — lightweight volcanic glass debris — over a sizable area surrounding Halema‘uma‘u crater, residents of Volcano are still digging out. Tribune-Herald.

Police ID women killed in Hilo fire. Hawaii Island police have identified the two women who died in the Nov. 29, 2025, structure fire at the former Puueo Poi factory building on Kekuanaoa Street in Hilo. The victims have been identified as 72-year-old Antoinette Amii and a 56-year-old Neilla Lee, both tenants of the building. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now.  Hawaii News Now. KITV4. 

Maui

KCWA hosts Community Conversation on how Maui’s watersheds really work, Feb. 5. The Kula Community Watershed Alliance will host its next Community Conversations event on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, at 6 p.m., featuring hydrologist Christopher Shuler of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Water Resources Research Center. Maui Now.

Response underway to remove grounded boat from Kīhei shoreline. Owners of a grounded vessel are hoping to get the boat removed from the Kīhei shoreline today. The vessel, Na Nahiku, ran aground on the shore fronting 131 S. Kīhei Road fronting the Kīhei Youth Center on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Maui Now.

Kauai

Rudy Tai named next Kauai police chief. An Oahu man who retired Monday as the deputy chief of the San Diego Police Department was selected Tuesday to be Kauai’s next police chief. The Kauai Police Commission appointed Rudy Tai from a pool of 51 applicants. Star-Advertiser. Kauai Now.  KITV4.

Mayor Kawakami attends U.S. Conference of Mayors in D.C. Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami recently returned from Washington, D.C., where he attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors, joining mayors from across the country to collaborate on shared challenges and national priorities impacting local communities.  Garden Island. Kauai Now.