Tsunami warning downgraded to advisory as Hawaii remains wary, Hurricane Iona, Tropical Storm Keli continue to pose no threat, flights resume at airports, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii residents and visitors evacuate ahead of a tsunami that brought some flooding. Over a million Hawaii residents and visitors spent more than seven hours under threat of a potentially highly destructive tsunami Tuesday that triggered evacuations from low-lying coastal areas statewide. The tsunami warning issued by the National Weather Service around 2:45 p.m.was in response to an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia. Star-Advertiser. Associated Press. Hawaii Public Radio.  Big Island Now. Hawaii News Now. 

TSUNAMI ADVISORY has been extended until noon today with unusual currents and more tsunami waves across the state. Light to moderate trades will strengthen over the next couple of days to moderate to locally strong as a high north of the state builds.  Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Quiet Beaches, Traffic, Canceled Flights: How Hawaiʻi Prepared For Tsunami. Traffic was gridlocked and sirens blared every hour after a tsunami was generated by a massive earthquake off Russia. Civil Beat.

Hawaiian Airlines flights resume, Alaska Airlines flights resume Wednesday morning after Tsunami Warning. Hawaiian Airlines flights have resumed this evening while Alaska Airlines flights will resume tomorrow morning after a pause from the state’s Tsunami Warning. KITV4.

Hawaii has long history of devastating tsunamis. It had been more than 12 years since a tsunami warning and statewide coastal evacuation has been issued in Hawaii. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. 

Hurricane Iona weakening rapidly, Tropical Storm Keli remains steady; no threats to Hawaii. In data valid at 11 p.m. Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Iona was about 690 miles south of Honolulu and was moving to the west at 17 miles per hour. Hawaii News Now.

How projects compete for the state's hundreds of millions pegged for affordable housing. One of the state’s biggest investments over the last decade has been to subsidize affordable housing. Over the next two years alone, the state Legislature has invested $200 million into its Rental Housing Revolving Fund. Hawaii Public Radio.

AI In The Courtroom? Complaints About Misuse By Hawaiʻi Lawyers Growing. Hawaiʻi is seeing an increase in complaints against lawyers accused of improperly using artificial intelligence programs to help produce documents, but the state court system has yet to take decisive action to address the problem. Civil Beat.

Care Home Failures Are Common — And Rarely Tracked Over Time. Officials estimate about 90% of adult residential care homes have issues each year, though most of them are minor. Fines for larger problems are rare. Civil Beat.

UH law, medical schools say new federal loan caps will worsen the affordability gap. Students pursuing professional paths, like those in law or medical schools, are limited to $50,000 a year in loans, with a lifetime limit of $200,000. These limits go into effect July 1, 2026, under President Trump's budget bill signed into law earlier this month. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

Waikiki hotels evacuate guests to higher floors during tsunami warning. As threat assessments touched off warning sirens across Waikiki, hotels began moving guests mostly to higher floors — a standard protocol known as vertical evacuation. Star-Advertiser.

Warning snarled Oahu traffic as people fled inundation zones. The evacuations ordered in advance of Tuesday’s tsunami snarled traffic on freeways and surface streets on Oahu for hours as people fled the inundation zones. No major accidents or injuries were reported as people followed orders and inched their way to safe areas of the island. Star-Advertiser.

Tsunami waves cover boat ramp; leave debris, damage in East Oahu. High waters pushed over a parking stall curb and left debris in the Maunalua Bay parking lot. Small, tsunami-powered waves left minor damages in the parking lot of Maunalua Bay in East Oahu on Tuesday. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiian Airlines’ Honolulu leaders named. Alaska Air Group on Tuesday announced the core Hawaiian Airlines leadership team that will oversee the combined operations in Honolulu, the company’s second-largest hub, once the carriers obtain a single-use operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration this fall. Star-Advertiser.

Judge Stops Trial In Police Shooting Lawsuit Before It Goes To Jury. A lawsuit filed by the widow of Lindani Myeni, who was shot and killed by Honolulu police in 2021, was dismissed Tuesday by a Honolulu judge who said there was no evidence police had violated Myeni’s constitutional rights.  Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Evacuation orders canceled after tsunami warning downgraded to advisory.  Update at 11:34 p.m. July 29, 2025: Hawaiʻi County canceled evacuation orders for coastal areas after officials assessed areas in tsunami inundation zones. It follows the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center’s downgrading of the tsunami warning, which had been in effect for most of the day for the Hawaiian Islands, to a tsunami advisory. Big Island Now. Big Island Video News.

High court bars Sulla, Zamber from law practice. Two Hilo attorneys recently convicted by a federal jury in Honolulu for an affordable housing credits scam have been barred from practicing law in Hawaii. Tribune-Herald.

New Hawaiʻi County initiative offers homeowners HILP with repairs, upgrades. Hawai‘i County’s Office of Housing and Community Development has a new program that offers Big Island homeowners HILP — an extra level of help — with essential improvements to their homes. Big Island Now.

Maui

Hawaiʻi downgraded to Tsunami ADVISORY following 8.8 Russia quake; 15 foot drop in water levels reported at Kahului Harbor.  There was a 15-foot water drop reported at Kahului Harbor as water receded and exposed the pier on Tuesday evening. Kahului also had the highest amplitude wave values in Hawaiʻi of 5.7 feet, which is the height of the wave, relative to normal sea level.  Maui Now.

Tsunami evacuation orders lifted for Maui; county bus routes to start late Wednesday. The Maui Emergency Management Agency lifted evacuation orders shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday, giving residents who had evacuated low-lying areas for a tsunami warning a chance to return to their homes. Maui News.

JABSOM begins new school year with reaccreditation, housing on Maui. At the John A. Burns School of Medicine, the opening of a new home on Maui this past weekend will help with the goal to boost health care on the neighbor islands. Hawaii Public Radio.

Kauai

Tsunami warning downgraded to advisory. Update at 4 a.m. July 30, 2025: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has continued the Tsunami Advisory for Kaua‘i with sea level oscillations across the state of Hawaiʻi still at advisory levels. Kauai Now.

Kīlauea community to look at site layouts in next town expansion project meeting. The community is collaborating with the Kauaʻi County Housing Agency to develop a master plan for the Kīlauea Town Expansion. Kauai Now.

Division of Motor Vehicles to close all offices next Wednesday. The Division of Motor Vehicles will close both the main Līhuʻe office and the newly opened Kapaʻa satellite office next Wednesday, Aug. 6, for staff training. Kauai Now.

 

Green limits Hawaii National Guard in immigrant actions, Hurricane Iona, Tropical Storm Keith pose no threat to Hawaii, Honolulu lawsuit against fossil fuel companies heads to court today, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Gov. Josh Green limits activation of Hawaii National Guard.  Gov. Josh Green will require a briefing on the circumstances and the “true need” of a federal request to activate the Hawaii National Guard before considering the deployment of soldiers for any law enforcement duties like President Donald Trump’s effort to carry out the largest mass deportation of immigrants in U.S. history. Star-Advertiser.

Governor steps into national leadership roles, expanding Hawai‘i’s voice on key issues. Gov. Josh Green has been elected to the Executive Committee of the National Governors Association (NGA) and named vice chair of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA). Maui Now.

Iona now a major hurricane, Tropical Storm Keli remains steady; no threats to Hawaii.  Iona has quickly intensified into a major Category 3 hurricane as it continues on a track keeping it well south of Hawaii. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Keli is maintaining is intensity as a weak tropical storm to the southeast of the state. Associated Press. Big Island Now.  Hawaii News Now.  Star-Advertiser.

The Human Rights Defense Center is suing the Hawaiʻi Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for censorship. The center says the department has not allowed its educational publications, books and informational brochures to be delivered to inmates.  Hawaii Public Radio.

Will Political Uncertainty Force Hawaiʻi’s Native Birds ‘Into Oblivion’? Ever since the federal budget ax came for wetland and forest protection jobs earlier this year, nonprofits and private groups have been trying to fill the gap in hopes that the government would soon see the error in its ways. Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi Parents Are Giving Schools A Better Grade. Five years after the Covid-19 pandemic started, schools are seeing fewer students who feel unsafe on campus and an increase in the percentage of parents who are satisfied with their children’s school and feel engaged in Hawaiʻi’s public education system.  Civil Beat.

Law enforcement officials rally ranchers, farmers to help curb crime on agricultural land. On Monday, the Department of Law Enforcement held a meeting with dozens of farmers and ranchers, encouraging them to help carry out the newly-signed Act 235.  The department’s new unit is starting off as a pilot program of about 8 officers, with half of them on Oahu and the other half on Hawaii Island. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

Honolulu’s lawsuit against fossil fuel companies leads climate change legal fight. Honolulu is not alone in its effort to sue fossil fuel companies to hold them accountable for climate change harms, but the city’s lawsuit is further along than similar litigation across the country. A hearing on Tuesday will indicate how these fights play out in court.  Associated Press.

HPD Is Sending Its Newest Cops To West Oʻahu. Will The Unusual Move Help? The influx of new officers to the Westside is meant to improve response times, but the interim police chief has declined to say how long it currently takes police to respond to calls. Civil Beat.

Haleiwa expansion project progresses. A proposed Haleiwa housing and commercial development continued to spark opposition over the potential loss of agricultural land, increased traffic congestion and the high cost of living even as a Honolulu City Council measure advanced Monday. Star-Advertiser.

North School Street properties eyed for city use. The city agency tasked with helping at-risk families and individuals in need of low-income housing, job training, or battling homelessness, also plans to grow beyond its existing Iwilei area offices. Star-Advertiser.

State deputy sheriff sues the State of Hawaii. State Deputy Sheriff Martin Horton has sued the state for allegedly experiencing discrimination and whistleblower retaliation within the Department of Law Enforcement. KHON2.

Hawaii Island

Proposed preschool next to ‘Imiloa clears another hurdle. A recently released final environmental assessment for a proposed Hilo preschool for up to 80 children near the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center helped guide a finalized design and an updated construction schedule for the project. Tribune-Herald.

The last of three inmates to escape Hale Nani has been returned to custody after seven months. Inmate Clyde T. T. Loa is the last of three inmates who left the Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center’s Hale Nani Facility without permission in December 2024 to be returned to custody. Big Island Now.

Free workshop provides options for financial, technical support to West Hawaiʻi farmers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is hosting a resource workshop Friday to bring one-on-one, personalized advice and other assistance directly to producers to help them reach their goals through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. Big Island Now.

Maui

Ag tourism gets a boost as an accessory use in Maui County agricultural districts, except on Molokaʻi. Maui County Council members unanimously gave final approval Friday to a bill establishing agricultural tourism as permitted accessory use in agricultural districts, except on Molokaʻi. Maui Now.

Mainland company plans to start ghost tours in Lahaina, where more than 100 died in wildfires. Two years after the Maui fires killed more than a hundred people in one of the deadliest wildfires in US history, a mainland tour company is getting ready to start a Lahaina ghost tour, marketing it in the city's most haunted and historic locations. KITV4.

Maui Strong awards $7.5M to help struggling families rebuild from wildfires. The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, through its Maui Strong Fund, has been awarded $7.5 million to help families on Maui begin rebuilding homes that were lost to the August 2023 wildfires.  Maui News.

Kauai

Navy Hopes Native Hawaiian Outreach Will Help Keep Kauaʻi Missile Base Land. Seeking to avoid pitfalls that have stalled other military negotiations, the U.S. Navy is reaching out to Native Hawaiians and promising to assess cultural impacts in its bid to retain use of land on Kauaʻi needed to support operations at the Pacific Missile Range Facility. Civil Beat.

Kīlauea community to look at site layouts in next town expansion project meeting. The community is collaborating with the Kauaʻi County Housing Agency to develop a master plan for the Kīlauea Town Expansion. Kauai Now.

Kauaians celebrate impacts of new laws. The Kauai contingent of legislators and a group of community advocates met with Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke on Friday to celebrate recent legislation that protects natural resources, improves public land access, and supports community initiatives. Garden Island.