Quality of life survey shows more residents considered leaving the state, FEMA raises rent for Maui wildfire victims, McKinley High sex victim to get $14M, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

More Hawaii residents considered leaving state, UH survey finds. Nearly half of Hawaii residents considered moving out of state in the past year, with the cost of living emerging as the leading reason, even as a new statewide survey found improvements in life satisfaction, health and community support. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now.

Full resident survey report can be found here.

Hawaii’s holiday travel outlook not too merry amid high costs. Hawaii’s crucial holiday travel season is shaping up weaker than expected, with some hotel operators reporting bookings running about 15% behind last year’s pace amid higher airfares and mounting vacation costs. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii public schools post gains in math, attendance. Hawaii public school students showed continued progress in mathematics and attendance during the 2025-26 school year, with proficiency levels in math and language arts approaching pre-pandemic levels, according to the state Department of Education’s latest Strive HI results. Maui News.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is airing a series of forums with candidates running for OHA trustee. Everyone can vote in the OHA election, regardless of the island or district where they are registered. Tuesday’s OHA candidate forum features incumbent trustee Kalei Akaka and challenger Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong, who are running for the Oʻahu island seat. Hawaii News Now.

Longer delivery time for mail from Hawaiʻi. The U.S. Postal Service has released new expectations for deliveries to and from Hawaiʻi, just in time for the holiday shopping season. Packages are going to take longer to ship — in some cases, twice as long. Some local business leaders say that could create challenges. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

Dole Food to cease coffee farm operations on Oahu. Dole Food Co. has decided to cease coffee farming on Oahu and lay off nine employees on Nov. 30 amid an effort to sell the 154-acre Waialua Estate farm. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Rebukes DOE: Pay $14M To McKinley High Sex Abuse Victim. Civil case had found boys for years preyed on a girl with cognitive abilities of a 5-year-old while school officials looked the other way. Civil Beat.

Judge Rules State Must Pay $1.1M In Oʻahu Jail Suicide. Diamond Simeona-Agoo, 21, had a well-documented history of mental illness and suicide attempts before she hanged herself at Hawaiʻi’s largest jail. Civil Beat.

Number of fatal traffic accidents dramatically drops on Oahu. After a recent rash of road crashes on Oahu, including critical and deadly ones, it may seem like there has been a high number of accidents this year. But the numbers actual show the opposite has happened. KITV4.

Hawaii Island

The Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Board and members of the public weighed in Thursday on a proposal by the University of Hawaii to make changes to its management plan for the summit region of the mauna. The changes include an amendment that would allow for decommissioned observatory sites to be reused for future astronomy facilities, which is prohibited under UH’s current plan. Tribune-Herald.

Proposed Waikoloa housing project gets unfavorable vote. The Hawaii County Council’s Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions voted 5-3 last week against forwarding a favorable recommendation to the full council regarding zoning changes requested for the proposed Waikoloa Green housing project. Tribune-Herald.

Two 3% tuition hikes proposed for UH Hilo. The University of Hawaii is proposing tuition increases at UH Hilo and other campuses across the UH system as part of its four-year tuition schedule. Under the proposal, which will be considered by the Board of Regents in November, tuition at UH Hilo would be frozen for the next two school years, but beginning in the 2029-30 academic year it would increase 3% annually for both in-state and out-of-state students. For residents, this means tuition would jump from $7,632 to $7,872 in 2029-30 and to $8,112 in 2030-31. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaiʻi County Water Supply Chief Announces Retirement. DWS Manager-Chief Engineer, Keith K. Okamoto, P.E., announced last week that he will retire before the end of the year. Big Island Video News.

Nāʻālehu Elementary students return to campus Monday after repairs from Hurricane Lala. About 400 students returned to their elementary school that had been closed for two-months due to the devastation of the hurricane that also badly damaged their town. Big Island Now.

Maui

FEMA raises rent for Maui wildfire survivors for 3rd time this year. Maui wildfire survivors living in housing provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency will see their rents increase for the third time this year, with rent prices nearly tripling since March. The increase, which was announced on Oct. 2, will require survivors of the deadly 2023 wildfires to pay 75% of the fair-market rental rate by the number of bedrooms in the unit. For example, those in two-bedroom units — where the HUD fair-market rent is $2,656 — must pay $1,992 beginning Dec. 1. That’s a $680 increase from the previous rental rate, which went into effect on Sept. 1.  Star-Advertiser.

State public corruption unit leading criminal probe into Maui County. The state Attorney General’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division (SIPD) is investigating allegations of fraud against Maui County staffers stemming from a civil whistleblower lawsuit filed earlier this year. The lawsuit, filed by Leo Caires, former chief of staff for Mayor Richard Bissen, claims the mayor knew about possible fraud inside his administration and ignored it. Hawaii News Now.

Maui police veteran’s sexual assault trial set for November. A veteran Maui police officer’s trial on six sexual assault charges is scheduled to begin in late November. Devin Schoeppner, 49, appeared in court Tuesday for a brief hearing, where a judge rescheduled the trial. Hawaii News Now.

Maui jury finds extended terms warranted for protection of the public in Officer O murder case. After last week’s finding of defendant Clembert Alii Kaneholani guilty of murder in the first degree and other charges in the death of Maui Police Department Officer Suzanne O, a Maui jury Monday returned verdicts finding that the defendant should be subject to extended terms of imprisonment for the protection of the public. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. 

Kalo Farmer Faces Pro-Development Candidate In Upcountry Maui Council Race. Bobby Pahia and Jon Yokouchi are racing to fill the seat that Yuki Lei Sugimura has held since 2016. Civil Beat.

Coral core traces 253 years of change at Olowalu Reef. Researchers analyzed chemical indicators preserved in a core taken from a massive coral colony to reconstruct changes in sediment, nutrients and other material entering coastal waters from the land between about 1760 and 2013. Maui News.

Kauai

How Kaua‘i’s Mayoral Candidates Plan To Address Cesspools. Bernard Carvalho Jr. and Mel Rapozo say the island needs to manage its solid waste better but have different ideas on how to get there. Civil Beat.

Kauai wedding vendors urge couples to keep plans after hurricane. Kauai wedding vendors are urging couples not to give up on island weddings as businesses continue recovering from Hurricane Lowell. The storm passed close to Kauai’s west side in early September, damaging homes, businesses and some wedding venues. Hawaii News Now.

Surfrider Kauaʻi announces conservation efforts, NOAA seeks public input on seabed mining. Surfrider Kauaʻi announces conservation efforts, NOAA seeks public input on seabed mining. Kauai Now.