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Special state agents are scrutinizing businesses' cash sales in hopes of taxing some of the $2 billion in unreported transactions estimated to occur in Hawaii every year.
Hawaii state lawmakers are considering a proposal that would force customers to pay more at the grocery store.
Hawaii parents want school furloughs to end right now, but two state Senate committees are looking to the future to make sure Hawaii's public school children are never again robbed of any classroom time.
O'ahu's housing market started the year on a positive note, as the median price of previously owned single-family homes sold in January jumped 10.8 percent to $597,500 from $539,500 a year earlier.
Former U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo's chances of being confirmed by the state Senate as a Circuit Court judge improved yesterday when an influential senator who had opposed Kubo said he would likely vote for his confirmation.
The Federal Transit Administration has included funding for the Honolulu rail system in President Barack Obama's fiscal 2011 budget, in anticipation of the rail plan's clearing environmental review
A high surf advisory is in effect for north and west facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and north facing shores of Maui.
Blocked wells have left Puna Geothermal Ventures falling behind on its contract with Hawaii Electric Light Co., plant manager Mike Kaleikini said Monday.
Maui Land and Pineapple Co. will cease paying for life insurance and medical coverage for all its noncontractual retirees.
While the Kauai County Council continues to tweak a proposed ban on handheld electronics for Kaua‘i drivers, a leading institute on highway safety reported last week that similar laws across the country have not resulted in a lower incidence of traffic accidents.
Hawai'i drivers are probably paying more at the pump than they would have been if the state's controversial gasoline price cap had not been suspended in 2006.
A recovery in Hawaii's visitor industry, the state's top economic engine, is at least two years out despite improved performance in December and a respectable year-end finish.
A high-surf warning is in effect for most north- and west-facing shores of the state.
After months of contentious negotiations, UH professors overwhelmingly ratified a six-year contract yesterday that cuts costs for the university in the short term to tackle mounting fiscal woes, but also restores a 6.7 percent pay reduction after 18 months, promises lump-sum payments to reimburse money lost in the pay cuts and includes something in the last two years of the agreement that workers don't hear a lot these days — a pay increase.
Unionized faculty at the 10 University of Hawaii campuses have ratified a new contract that cuts their pay by about 6.7 percent over the next 18 months but returns the money lost over the course of the six-year agreement.
The votes are in, and the University of Hawaii's Professional Assembly has overwhelming voted to ratify a new contract with UH.
W.H. Shipman Ltd. has gone to court to stop an adult video and lingerie store from operating in a shopping center across from Keaau Middle School on the Big Island.
Hawaii will soon see a lot of red, in its blue territory. On Wednesday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) kicks off its winter meeting in Waikiki.
A state House committee on Tuesday gave first-round approval to two proposals to try to reduce a tax hike many businesses said will either force them to close or to lay off more employees.
The Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce has weighed in on a bill that seeks to address a drastic increase in unemployment insurance tax rates, as well as drafted its own legislation that it hopes will gain support.
Ten percent of Hawaii County's workforce was unemployed in November, the most recent month for which the numbers are available, according to the county's Research and Development Department.
It took some getting used to recycling, but now the Big Island is the No. 1 county user of the Hawaii Deposit Beverage Container Program, said officials from Hawaii County's Department of Environmental Management.
For a while, Maui's weather has been going through warm-and-cool, hazy-and-clear cycles characteristic of El Nino conditions, according to Glenn James, senior weather analyst with the Pacific Disaster Center in Kihei.
The Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative Board of Directors on Tuesday approved three resolutions necessary for the co-op’s application for a $168 million loan to fund numerous projects in coming years.
A northwest swell is diminishing but will continue to generate high surf along most of Hawaii's north- and west-facing shores today.
Surf's up, and it is going to stay up, at least for some beaches
Missing moon rocks from the first and last human lunar landings have been discovered in a locked cabinet in Hawaii.
The owners of Aloun Farms, one of the largest and best-known agricultural businesses in Hawai'i, are scheduled to plead guilty tomorrow in federal court to illegally importing farm laborers from Thailand and holding them in virtual servitude
The state Board of Education's decision yesterday to conduct a national search for the next chief of public schools reignited a long-standing debate over the $150,000 pay cap on the superintendent's salary.
The Board of Education on Monday named its new interim superintendent.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have taken over the investigation of a small single-engine plane crash that took the lives of a prominent Honolulu veterinarian and his 20-year-old son Sunday.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's speech today on U.S. relations with Asia and Pacific nations will be webcast.
The crackdown on illegal kayak vendors at Kealekekua Bay is continuing.
Whenever state Rep. Angus McKelvey drives down Front Street and out of the corner of his eye sees that filthy sailboat wreck, he grips the wheel a bit more and let's out a little "grrrr," he said.
A Sunday night fire in a Port Allen warehouse bay leased by Mana Divers caused an estimated $250,000 in damages but no injuries, the Kaua‘i Fire Department announced Monday.
A man died early Sunday morning after collapsing during the Hawaii Electronic Music Festival at the Palace Theater in downtown Hilo.
Tom Greenwell admits he sounds like an infomercial for KonaRed, a new wellness drink made from the ruby red coffee cherries cultivated in Kona.
For the first time in a long time, there was good news to come out of an economic meeting at the State Capitol.
State lawmakers facing a $1.2 billion budget shortfall over the next two years received some good news from Hawaii's top economists on Tuesday.
Several state lawmakers and a leading economist yesterday questioned why the Lingle administration mostly used across-the-board spending cuts to contain the state's budget deficit, arguing that it led to misguided decisions such as furloughs for public school teachers on classroom days.
Gov. Linda Lingle's budget plan for the upcoming legislative session amounts to passing the buck and relying on future administrations to solve the state's financial woes, a key state lawmaker said.
Hawaii's mayors aren't bragging about how big their budgets are. Instead, they're talking about the transient accommodations tax or TAT which comes mainly from hotel rooms.
Six months into her term, the new UH president is showing her tough side. On Tuesday night, M.R.C. Greenwood says she will not give in to the demands of the faculty union.
Acting schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, described as a quick study with good communication skills, has the courage to work for the public interest, says former Gov. Ben Cayetano.
Public school meals might still be the cheapest grinds in town, but new price increases going into effect today aim to close the gap
Fewer people appealed their property assessments last year, but some folks are falling behind on paying their tax bills anyway.
Hawai'i health officials will lift their restrictions on H1N1 vaccine injections sometime next week and are urging people in high-risk groups to get vaccinated against the swine flu in the next several days before everyone else becomes eligible.
Forbes magazine has spotlighted Bank of Hawaii as the nation's top performing bank, while ranking Central Pacific Bank near the bottom of a list of 100 largest U.S. banks and thrifts.
Kona winds that have been coming out of the south since last week should continue until Wednesday, when a cold front is expected to arrive and bring winds out of the north and northeast,
The Kaua‘i County Council on Tuesday interviewed a multitude of mayoral appointees to various boards and commissions.
The National Weather Service has issued a high-surf warning for north- and west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai and Maui and west-facing shores of the Big Island.
Although businesses had no specific numbers to back their claims, merchants along Maui's north shore say customer traffic and sales go up and even double when the surf rises.
A 3rd Circuit judge has ruled in favor of the University of Hawaii in dismissing a challenge to the Mauna Kea Comprehensive Management Plan.
A special election to fill the remainder of U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie's term in Congress could be held in May, provided that funding becomes available and the state obtains new voting machines.
U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie announced he will resign his office effective Feb. 28 to run for Hawaii governor, leaving the 1st Congressional District without representation for at least a couple of months.
The State Office of Elections says it intends to hold a special election to fill the seat of outgoing Congressman Neil Abercrombie. But how, when, and where the funding comes from is all up the air.
Gov. Linda Lingle has nominated former U.S. Attorney Edward Kubo Jr. as an Oahu circuit judge, a seat left vacant by the retirement of Frances Wong.
Acting Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, an attorney and former executive director of the Hawaii Business Roundtable, said yesterday she hopes to become the permanent chief of Hawai'i's public school system.
The acting superintendent of Hawaii's public schools will step into the Furlough Fridays fray tomorrow in her first appearance with the Board of Education team trying to nudge Gov. Linda Lingle's administration to restore classroom days to the school calendar.
While his heart, soul, family, friends and work are here on the Garden Isle, Kaua‘i Complex Area Superintendent Bill Arakaki said Monday that he would consider moving up the state Department of Education ladder if asked.
Police issued 93 citations and made one arrest for fireworks violations over the News Year's holiday this year, a 600% increase from the 14 issued during New Year's 2009.
Starting Tuesday hundreds of public school children will head back to the classroom after the holiday break to face changes to the school bus service.
Madame Pele proved how unpredictable she can be Saturday morning at the kickoff event for Volcano Awareness Month.
President Barack Obama bade goodbye to Hawaii last night after an 11-day getaway filled with basketball, golf, family time and tourist attractions.
President Obama wrapped up his 11-day Christmas vacation in his hometown of Honolulu last night and boarded Air Force One for the 4,800-mile flight to get back to work in Washington, D.C.
He's the leader of the free world, with a heavy agenda waiting for him when he leaves Hawaii tonight and returns to the White House.
Pat Hamamoto said her decision to resign as chief of the Hawai'i school system was not influenced by drawn-out negotiations over teacher furloughs or cuts to the public education budget.
She was in the middle of a budget crisis, Furlough Fridays and bitter collective bargaining. Yet Pat Hamamoto says none of that had anything to do with her decision to walk away from her job as state superintendent.
video: Former Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto spoke for the first time today about her resignation and retirement.
Supporters, opponents and others with something to say about the city's plan to build a $5.5 billion elevated rail will have a new forum to voice their opinions soon.
The HIV prevention coordinator's position and a "major link" with the community on HIV/AIDS issues has been eliminated in state Health Department budget cuts.
Last year ended without indictments in the cases of two Orchidland Estates women police say were murdered.
With the end of the "Aughts," Hawaii and Maui County look toward another election year, with a number of high-stakes contests just 11 months away.
Members of the county body that annually recommends properties to be acquired for open space and public access purposes are concerned about “vegetative encroachment and beach privatization.”
A proposal to put Kaua'i's next landfill in the middle of the state's largest coffee plantation has plenty of people asking Mayor Bernard Carvalho, "Why?"
Anyone who wants to help in this year's whale count can sign up now.
Federal wildlife officials were reassessing their work to try to disentangle a humpback whale off West Maui on Christmas Day, and whale expert Ed Lyman said Sunday that he believes the distressed whale will be able to survive its injuries.
Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday shot down an agreement between the teachers union and education officials to end most furlough days this school year, saying it was not "fiscally responsible."
If the University of Hawaii does not get pay concessions from the faculty union, layoffs and cuts in student financial aid are "potentially on the table," UH President M.R.C. Greenwood said.
The University announced 3,500 professors will see a 6.67 pay cut over the next year and a half. On average the University said professors make $84,000 a year. The cut equates to $5,600 less a year.
Ringing fishing bells and holding protest signs, a coalition of more than 90 boaters and fishers held a demonstration at the state Capitol yesterday against proposed state rules that they say would restrict their recreation and lifestyle.
The president wrapped up about five hours of golf at the Luana Hills Country Club Monday without finishing the full 18 holes.
Good riddance to 2009, a lost year.
"Lucky you live Hawaii."
The long-awaited completed revision of the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, which has as its goal a minimum of 35 percent diversion from the landfill and productive uses of even non-recyclable trash, was recently presented to the Kaua‘i County Council.
Images of Hawai'i's clear skies, blue waters and verdant cliffs were being beamed to a snow-bound Mainland audience even before President Obama touches down in his hometown today for an expected 10-day Christmas vacation.
Waves of 40 feet or higher are forecast for north shores on Christmas day.
Two more rounds of extra-big and giant-sized waves are expected to hit the north and west shores of Maui and Molokai this week, said Glenn James, senior weather analyst at the Pacific Disaster Center in Kihei.
More Hawaii residents moved to the U.S. mainland through the past year than vice versa, helping to keep the state's population growth rate relatively low, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Education officials remained tight-lipped on details of a tentative agreement with the state teachers union to reduce furlough days for public school teachers.
Battered by foreign competition and a sputtering economy, the last major pineapple producer in Hawaii completed its final harvest after 97 years in the agricultural business.
Those who imbibe their holiday spirits should be aware that police plan to step up drunken driving enforcement.
Hawaii County government, having batted 0 for 2 on two different approaches to providing affordable housing, remains mired in litigation, is contemplating a drastic revision of county code and is preparing to try yet a third approach.
The county Charter Review Commission voted unanimously to move forward with a ballot measure that would, if approved by voters next year, extend the term for Kaua‘i County Council members from two years to four.
Even for many U.S. cities and municipalities, the life-sustaining liquid delivered to consumers, even when safe, can taste like the shallow end of a swimming pool
Changes to longline fishery rules endanger the future existence of turtles, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the National Marine Fisheries ServiceThe teachers union and Gov. Linda Lingle's administration have hit a standstill in talks on reducing the number of Furlough Fridays at public schools, diminishing chances of a solution before early January.After two days of negotiations that initially appeared productive, talks between the teachers union and the governor's office collapsed with both sides unable to agree on how to end furloughs of public school teachers.Talks aimed at ending furlough days for Hawaii public schools broke off on Wednesday morning with no deal and no new meetings scheduled.A Native Hawaiian federal recognition bill moved forward in the House yesterday without the proposed changes that have drawn opposition from Gov. Linda Lingle.The long-running battle over allowing more bed-and-breakfast operations on Oahu is settled for now after the City Council voted down a proposal to lift a cap imposed 20 years ago.The voggy and hazy conditions the islands are experiencing will last at into Thursday. Then a cold front will come over the islands, scrubbing the vog out of the skies.Baby boomers reaching the end of their work years, coupled with a tight county budget, are creating an increase in "retirement in place" for Hawaii County employees.Mayor Charmaine Tavares will seek a second four-year term in 2010.The federal government's Advanced Technology Solar Telescope is most likely coming to Haleakala, but whether Native Hawaiian groups want to - or should - participate in its establishment was a subject for debate Tuesday afternoon.Big Island police shot and killed a 60-year-old Puna man Wednesday afternoon after a standoff of over ten hours. Police say that the man, who has yet to be identified, fired a gun numerous times during the standoff.The Kaua‘i County Council wasted no time Wednesday morning, questioning Mayor Bernard Carvalho’s decision to move forward with siting a new landfill at the Umi site near Kalaheo and grilling the county’s consultant for answers about the selection process.
The Board of Land and Natural Resources is being asked at a meeting this morning to approve entry fees for tourists at eight parks statewide.
Of an estimated 15,000 jobs in Hawai'i expected to be created or saved through federal stimulus money in the next few years, just over 1,400 direct local jobs can be tied to the funds so far.The federal government's Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, a highly controversial project to study the sun that's $23 million in planning and 10 years in the making - so far - will receive the money it needs to be built atop Haleakala.
On Sunday, 22,000 runners will be going into Kapiolani Park for the Honolulu Marathon, where they will finish the race right across the street from a group of homeless campers who have set up about 20 tents in the park.Mary Oshiro, state House Majority Leader Blake Oshiro's mother, usually recruits aunties, cousins and neighbors to bake homemade desserts for Opening Day of the state Legislature each January.
The administrator of the Honolulu Liquor Commission believes he will be cleared of wrongdoing when an investigation that has put him on administrative leave is wrapped up.An ailing Hilo man whose wife persuaded lawmakers to change a law so they could live in the same care home has died.The University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) is now offering H1N1 vaccines to pregnant women on Oahu.Hawaii County residents may see their electric rates rise next year.The battle over Mauna Kea's future landed in Circuit Court on Wednesday, where attorneys for the University of Hawaii argued with a coalition of Hawaiian and environmental groups before Judge Glenn S. Hara.Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i Chapter is offering another $3,000 to anyone who has information leading to the arrest and conviction of April’s Westside monk seal killer.The county Board of Ethics thinks Mayor Billy Kenoi's ethics proposals go too far, and Wednesday the board took the first stab at making them less stringent.Big Island charter school representatives had an opportunity to share their challenges and concerns with a federal education department representative Wednesday.
More monster waves are forecast today for O'ahu's North Shore, where thousands fought traffic and battled for parking yesterday to catch the kick-off of a swell that brought surf of up to 40 feet.
Monster waves drove several people to Red Cross shelters and drew thousands of onlookers to Oahu's North Shore, creating bumper-to-bumper traffic between Haleiwa and Waimea Bay, where many hoped to see a premier surfing event.
Some of the biggest names in tow-in surfing are expected to return today to the legendary "Jaws" surf spot, where wave heights could top 50 feet.The northern shores of all Hawaiian islands remain under a high surf warning that has been extended through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The Keawaula portion of Kaena Point State Park was closed Monday due to high surf conditions, according to officials at the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). The decision was made upon the recommendation of Ocean Safety lifeguards.
Baldwin and Hookipa beach parks closed shortly after 8:30 a.m. Monday because dangerously high surf and shore breaks posed unsafe conditions for beachgoers, Maui County announced.
The public wants to hold elected leaders accountable for education in Hawaii, says Gov. Linda Lingle, renewing her push to change Hawaii's educational structure.A top federal education official told parents yesterday to keep the pressure on for a solution to teacher furloughs, but also said the crisis could be used as an opportunity to improve quality at some of the state's poorly performing public schools.Dozens of survivors of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Monday solemnly remembered those who died in the aerial assault 68 years ago.
Headline from 1941 inflames conspiracy theory Hawaii County solid waste officials have responded to complaints about shortened transfer station hours by revising the schedule so more people can dump their rubbish en route to work.
Winners of the 39th annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival's coffee label, web site and recipe contests have been announced.
The sale of 737 acres in Hamakua will go forward without a transparency amendment, thanks to County Council flip-flops Wednesday. The Hawaii County Council voted 6-3 Wednesday to approve Mayor Billy Kenoi's controversial proposal to attempt to sell 737 acres of Hawaii County land to help pay for government operations.School bus fares for Hawaii public school students will be going up at the beginning of 2010.
Public school parents will pay more for their kids to ride the school bus come next year after the state Board of Education last night voted 8-2 to raise one-way fares from 35 cents to 75 cents.The Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) announced Thursday that the state’s film office will remain intact despite layoffs.Senate leaders say they are ready to come back into session to halt next year's Furlough Fridays.The state Legislature is likely to return for a special session to address the issue of school furloughs, possibly in early December, according to state Sen. Roz Baker.U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye is encouraging many people to run for office and is urging "healthy competition" but has not formally endorsed Mayor Mufi Hannemann's expected bid for governor in 2010, according to an Inouye spokesman.Though this week the number of flu cases in Hawai‘i is just elevated or at the historic baseline, flu season has arrived in the state earlier than normal, state Department of Health officials said.More than 7,000 state workers identified as critical personnel have been offered priority access to the H1N1 vaccine to ensure that government operations continue running smoothly in the event of a worst-case flu scenario.The state wants to use the old Hilo Memorial Hospital building to provide job training to certain Hawaii Community Correctional Center inmates. Faced with opposition from both sides of the island, the Hawaii County Council on Wednesday postponed a resolution reducing the number of Kona meetings, saying the measure will be brought up again later in the budget process.A longtime dream of a Hawaii Community College campus at Kona took a step forward yesterday with the Board of Regents' approval of a development plan for the new campus.
A weather system spinning around the state is bringing high surf, heavy rain and even snow to the islands.A flash-flood warning has been issued for windward and some north shore areas of Kauai and Oahu this morning.A storm continues to push through the state. Heavy rain and thunderstorms will be lingering through today and flash flooding is possible. Drier conditions are due back next week.Snow fell on the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on Thursday.Young Brothers said yesterday that barge arrivals to Kahului Harbor on Maui have been disrupted by continuous large swells that made it unsafe to attempt to enter the port. The next port arrival has been postponed until today.U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, in a telephone news conference yesterday, again scolded Hawai'i for its decision to furlough teachers for 17 school days and said the move could hinder the state's ability to garner competitive federal grant money.Hawaii's intrepid "samurai sub" hunters will look this weekend for two Japanese World War II submarines that have eluded previous searches in a graveyard of military debris south of Oahu.
The Lingle administration announced yesterday that about 650 state workers will lose their jobs to help the state reduce labor costs and close a budget deficit, down from the 1,100 originally targeted for layoffs last summer.Hundreds of state workers will start to be laid off in waves starting on Friday.Six career police officers each with more than two decades in law enforcement are the finalists for Honolulu police chief, according to biographical information released yesterday.Moanalua Middle School was scheduled today to became the first Hawaii school to inoculate children, faculty and staff for H1N1 influenza, or swine flu.The value of building permits on the Big Island in the first eight months of 2009 is little over half of what it was for the same period last year.The movie "The Men who Stare at Goats" doesn't treat Hawi resident Jim Channon very nicely.The lifeless body of Daniel Bonanno was discovered in a white Ford Ranger pickup truck Monday morning, just one day after the 47-year-old Kapa‘a man, owner of a long criminal record, was released after years behind bars.
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