Green’s tax cut freeze plan repeals five years of additional savings for taxpayers. Hawaii taxpayers stand to receive dramatically stunted financial savings under a plan by Gov. Josh Green to cancel future state income tax cuts. A single person earning $75,000 a year would miss out on $3,855 in estimated tax savings over the next five years, and $1,103 a year after 2031 if Green’s legislation is approved by the Legislature, according to calculations by the state Department of Taxation. Star-Advertiser.
Hawaii lawmakers look to ban popular ‘prediction market’ wagering. Ahead of Gov. Josh Green’s annual State of the State address last week, online betters placed $448,667 in “prediction market” wagers on whether he would say phrases that included “affordable,” “affordability,” “mainland,” “cost of living,” “aloha,” “kauhale,” “housing,” “health care,” “tourism” and “volcano” as part of an online gambling phenomenon that would be prohibited under House Bill 2198. Star-Advertiser.
Bills address nurse staffing levels and patient safety. A coalition representing thousands of nurses is backing legislation to address what they say have been chronic staffing issues statewide at hospitals in Hawaii to improve patient safety. Star-Advertiser.
New legislative bills would allow residents to kill wild chickens. Two bills being considered this legislative session would allow residents to kill feral chickens, under House Bill 1852 and the latest version of HB 980, which stalled in the 2025 legislative session but automatically rolled into this one. Star-Advertiser.
End of aquarium collecting does not lead to recovery of reef fish in Hawaiʻi waters, new analysis finds. A new analysis of state and federal monitoring data finds that yellow tang populations on Hawaiʻi reefs failed to recover — and in some cases declined — after commercial aquarium fish collecting ended, contradicting long-standing claims that the practice was sustainable. Maui Now.
New UHERO report finds Hawaiʻi’s economy has “lagged behind the rest of the U.S. for years” According to a new report from the University of Hawaiʻi’s Economic Research Organization, Hawaii’s economy is among the worst in the nation. KHON2.
DOE to open priority placement process for Kaiapuni education. The state Department of Education announced that a new statewide priority placement process for Hawaiian language immersion programs will open Monday, with the application window to close March 13. Star-Advertiser.
Commentary: Hot Political Topics Are Stoking Sunshine Bills This Year. Now that the bill-filing deadline has passed, here’s our handy roadmap for following hundreds of government accountability and political reform bills proposed for the 2026 session. Civil Beat.
Oahu
Honolulu City Council’s affordable housing bills face strong resistance. A trio of Honolulu City Council measures is drawing opposition from building developers and housing advocates alike over an effort by some Council members to potentially roll back existing incentives related to affordable housing development on Oahu. Introduced on Jan. 22, Bills 14, 15 and 17 variously look to revise the city’s existing affordable housing laws to reduce or eliminate real property tax exemptions and similar requirements for housing incentives and waivers for developers. Star-Advertiser.
Meet The Oʻahu Woman On A Mission To Stop The Ala Wai Canal Bridge. Laura Ruby has opposed a bridge over the Waikīkī canal for almost 20 years. Even as construction inches closer, she has no plans to stop. Civil Beat.
Hawaiʻi tech company Servpac is adding a new building to its data center in the Mililani Technology Park. Despite the additional space, most Hawaiʻi data is stored on the continent. Hawaii Public Radio.
Road rehabilitation project to take place in Kaneohe. The city said construction will begin on an 18-month-long project on Monday along Kamehameha Highway from Haiku Road to Likelike Highway and Kaneohe Bay Drive. Hawaii News Now.
Hawaii Island
Operation Reverse Robinhood: Big Island Lawyer Gets 6 Years For Scam. Gary Zamber is the first of the four defendants to be sentenced for conspiring to take advantage of loopholes in the Big Island’s system for handing out affordable housing credits to developers. Civil Beat.
Reed Mahuna Tapped To Serve As Hawaiʻi County’s Next Police Chief. The 28-year veteran cop was born and raised on the Big Island. The Hawaiʻi County Police Commission unanimously chose longtime Big Island cop Reed Mahuna as the department’s next police chief after a two-day hearing that wrapped up Friday. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser.
Tram collision at Hilton Waikōloa Village prompts suspension of service. Two trams at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on Hawaii Island crashed Saturday night. No one was hurt, and the hotel said emergency services were called to the scene. Hawaii News Now. Big Island Now.
Spittlebug threatens Hawaii Island’s cattle industry. The tiny black bug has destroyed an estimated 320,000 acres of ranchlands from Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a to South Point. Star-Advertiser.
Kawili Street Paving Project Begins This Week. The project will be carried out in phases, totaling 1.6 miles between Kanoelehua Avenue and Puainako Street. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now.
Maui
PUC to hold public hearing on proposed Hawaiʻi water rate increase in Kapalua, Maui. The Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission will conduct a public hearing Monday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Maui Preparatory Academy on Hawaii Water Service Company, Inc.’s request for a rate increase for its Kapalua Water and Wastewater Divisions. Hawaii Water is asking the commission to approve a 59% increase over revenues at current effective rates, including a 7.46% rate of return, a power cost charge pass-through, a water purchase rider and refunds of excess 2021-2025 revenues. Maui Now.
Bezos donation boosts Lahainaluna scholarships and wildfire research. A $3.5 million donation from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez includes $1.5 million for Lahainaluna High School graduates affected by the fires and $2 million for vegetation management and land stewardship research. Star-Advertiser.
Kauai
Hawaii health officials investigate chickenpox outbreak at Kauai school. The Hawaii Department of Health today said it is investigating an outbreak of chickenpox at Kilauea Elementary School on Kauai. To date, five cases have been reported among four students and one household member. Health officials said none of the individuals were vaccinated against chickenpox, also known as varicella. Star-Advertiser.
Found human remains ends search for missing 19-year-old fisherman on Kauai. The massive multi-agency search for a 19-year-old Kapaa man was suspended after three days when human remains were found in the waters off Kahili Beach on Saturday afternoon. KITV4.
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