Trump approves disaster aid for Lala, Lowell; state DOE seeks $80.6M funding boost; Honolulu to pay $1.8M for beating up the wrong man; Maui cop killer convicted, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii Department of Education seeks $80.6M more in funding. The state Department of Education is seeking $80.6 million in additional general funds for fiscal 2028-29, largely to maintain existing school services, cover rising operating costs and address needs the department says are underfunded or unfunded. The request would represent a net increase in funding, rather than an entirely new set of programs, and comes after the Legislature reduced the DOE’s general-fund base budget by $1.71 million for fiscal 2026-27. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii public schools see some gains in attendance, math and graduation rates. Hawaii public schools are continuing to recover from pandemic-era learning disruptions, with student attendance and mathematics proficiency improving in the latest school year. But statewide academic performance remains below the goals set for 2029. Star-Advertiser. KHON2. 

Trump approves major disaster aid for Hawaii after Lala, Lowell. The federal government has agreed to cover most of the cost to repair damage to public facilities in Hawaii caused by Hurricane Lala in August and Hurricane Lowell in September. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now. KHON2.

Strengthening El Nino could add fuel to Hawaii’s hurricane season. Hawaii’s hurricane season typically runs from June through November. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii ALPR expansion sparks privacy push by counties. Some county councils are moving to put guardrails in place for automated license plate readers as the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement expands its use of the technology across the state. KHON2.

Oahu

Honolulu Voters Could Make Impeached Politicians Sit Out. Voters will have the opportunity to make the penalty for impeachment on par with the penalty for being recalled by voters. Civil Beat.

Taxpayers To Pay $1.8M After HPD Stopped, Beat Up The Wrong Man. HPD used physical force against the wrong people during an islandwide manhunt in 2024, costing taxpayers almost $2 million. Civil Beat.

OHA approves $5M plan to create nonprofit to develop Kakaʻako Makai. Trustees with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs approved a $5.2 million plan Thursday to create a nonprofit to run the Native Hawaiian Cultural Center slated for Kakaʻako Makai. It's a step forward in OHA’s plan to develop 29 acres in Kakaʻako Makai following a partial settlement of unpaid Public Land Trust revenue in 2012. Hawaii Public Radio.

West Oahu residents express frustration, even as Hawaiian Electric touts restoration efforts. The state Public Utility Commission has begun a series of meetings around the state to look at Hawaiian Electric’s reliability during the recent Kona storms and hurricanes. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Hawaiʻi County Council advances bill to extend housing and homelessness fund for 2 more years. The fund, established as a pilot program in 2022, allocates a minimum of $9 million annually from property tax revenue to local nonprofits to address homelessness. Bill 192 would extend the program, set to expire in June 2027, by an additional two years. Big Island Now.

‘A lost life, a grieving family and an injured officer’: Chief provides details about fatal Ocean View incident. Hawaii Police Department Chief Reed Mahuna said the man shot and killed by a police officer Wednesday afternoon in Ocean View threatened the officer’s life and injured him with a large lava rock. The shooting victim has been identified by police as 31-year-old Nafetalai Teisina of Ocean View. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video Now. 

IRONMAN Donation Funds Two Mobile Health Vans For Nāʻālehu. Two mobile health trailers have been unveiled in hurricane-battered Kaʻū, made possible by a $350,000 donation from The IRONMAN Foundation to Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center.  Big Island Video News.

Business park eyed for Pana‘ewa; DHHL seeks to develop 146 acres along Railroad Avenue. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands unveiled a conceptual plan for a new business park in the Pana‘ewa area of Hilo at a community meeting Tuesday in Keaukaha. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Man convicted of first-degree murder in officer’s death. A jury has convicted Clembert Alii Kaneholani, 39, of first-degree murder in the August 2025 shooting death of Maui Police Officer Suzanne O. Maui News. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now.

Lahaina Strong to host community-led candidate forum ahead of 2026 General Election, Oct. 14. Lahaina Strong will host a community-led candidate forum bringing together candidates for the Maui County Mayor and County Council races to meet directly with the community and share their priorities, plans, and vision for Maui County’s future. Maui Now.

Lahaina Community Land Trust to steward Kainehe, ʻāina momona that once fed Lahaina people. The Lahaina Community Land Trust is setting forth on a new path to steward Kainehe, known in recent decades as 1050 Front Street, turning this ground into a living history and gathering space to celebrate this ʻāina momona that once fed Lahaina’s aliʻi. Maui Now.

Kauai

Kauaʻi Punts On Rules To Make Homes Safer From Fires — Again. Proposed changes to construction and landscaping requirements for new homes have now been deferred three times by a council committee. Civil Beat.

Rebuilding of Kauaʻi County’s Kāpule Building from extensive fire damage remains in early stages. A preliminary structural and engineering assessment is complete on the government building, but a final engineering assessment cannot begin until the cleanup work is finished. Kauai Now.