‘Closely monitoring’ shutdown: Green’s office issues statement in wake of federal funding uncertainty. With a partial federal government shutdown in place and the Trump administration freezing $26 billion in federal funding for Democrat-run states, including Hawaii, the office of Gov. Josh Green says it is “closely monitoring the impacts … on our residents, workers and critical programs.” Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News. Maui Now. KHON2.
Tourism softening prompts job cuts and reduced hours for Hawaii workers. The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism reported Tuesday that there were 806,776 total visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in August. The 2.6% decline from August 2024 was the second-worst arrivals drop of the year after July, when visitor arrivals dropped 4.4%. Star-Advertiser.
Trump freezes $26B in funding for Democratic-run states, including Hawaii. The targeted programs included $18 billion for transit projects in New York, home to Congress’s top two Democrats, and $8 billion for green-energy projects in 16 Democratic-run states, including Hawaii, California and Illinois. Reuters.
Federal funding cuts trigger Hawaiʻi Resilience Fund activation. The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation announced it has activated its Hawaiʻi Resilience Fund in response to ongoing federal funding cuts to nonprofit organizations across the state. Maui Now.
Private funding keeps Hawaii’s historic sites open. Despite a federal government shutdown that began Tuesday evening in Hawaii, the state’s most visited historic sites will remain open to the public. Star-Advertiser. KHON2.
Digital Navigator program launches at state libraries. Beginning this month, Hawaii residents will be able to sit down with trained “digital navigators” at public libraries for help with everyday technology skills, part of a new state initiative to expand digital literacy and bridge the digital divide. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.
Eyeing rooftop solar? Options are slim for the rest of 2025. The deadline to claim a major federal tax credit for rooftop solar is three months away. But for some Hawaiʻi residents, the window may have already closed. Hawaii Public Radio.
Oahu
Convicted Officials May Be Innocent, Hawaiʻi Chief Justice Suggests. Honolulu’s former top city attorney Donna Leong, managing director Roy Amemiya and Honolulu Police Commission Chair Max Sword may have an opening to get their criminal records thrown out, one legal expert says. Civil Beat.
Council OKs Downtown Business Improvement District. Downtown Honolulu property owners will soon pay into a revamped special improvement district to boost public safety and economic revitalization in an area long known for crime, homelessness and closed businesses. Star-Advertiser.
City completes Dillingham Boulevard Bridge rehabilitation project ahead of schedule. The city’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) said the $1.5 million project finished two months ahead of schedule. Hawaii News Now.
OHA May Have Found A Way To Build Housing In Kakaʻako Makai. After years of failing to get building approval, the office may look to another Hawaiʻi government agency to jumpstart construction. Civil Beat.
Concerns raised as state approves use of ‘camera car’ to enforce parking at Ala Wai harbor. A vehicle with a license plate reader goes though the lots and figures out who’s been parked for longer than the six-hour limit. Hawaii News Now.
The Fallout: Life After Aging Out Of An Abusive Foster Home. The former foster sons of John Teixeira were left to find their way in the world. Some made it. Some did not. Civil Beat.
Stuck On A Honolulu Rail Platform? Let A Book Take You Somewhere. The city wants livelier rail stations. The library system wants more access to their books. Can a vending machine pilot project satisfy both goals? Civil Beat.
Hawaii Island
Woman charged for making millions off ‘100% Kona Coffee’ that was not pure. Patricia Johnson, aka “Trish,” was charged in a 24-count indictment Sept. 25 after she allegedly made more than $5.2 million selling “100% Kona coffee” that was actually sourced from South American beans bought in California and Washington. Johnson’s Kona Coffee Cafe on Alii Drive opened in the 1990s and purportedly sold “100% Kona Coffee” in drinks, coffee beans, and chocolate-covered coffee beans. Kona Coffee Cafe’s physical location is closed but its online business remains open, according to the company website. Star-Advertiser.
How does the federal government shutdown affect Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park? Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will remain accessible to the public during the federal government shutdown, but some services may be limited or unavailable, officials with the National Park announced on Wednesday. Big Island Now.
Young Brothers shipment originally slated to arrive Oct. 2 at Hilo port delayed. Cargo destined for Hilo will be loaded on another barge departing today, with Young Brothers reporting in its promised update that the backup barge is expected to arrive Oct. 3 at the Port of Hilo. Big Island Now.
Maui
Lahaina Strong and Housing Back Hui Coalition urge Maui County Council to pass Bill 9 ‘clean’. Bill 9, which passed out of the Maui County Council Housing and Land Use Committee on July 24, 2025, would transition short-term vacation rental (STR) units in apartment-zoned districts—once homes for local families—back into the long-term housing pool for residents. Maui Now.
Lahaina’s Front Street to remain two lanes. A Maui County government consulting firm looking at ways to rebuild Lahaina after the 2023 wildfire has narrowed the field of discussion about redesigning Lahaina’s commercial district and eliminated turning Front Street into a mall or into a one-way thoroughfare. Maui News.
New Pā‘ia siren expected in late 2026, as recent emergencies show they’re no longer a ‘last resort’. The use of the sirens in the Pā‘ia fire and during the tsunami warning in July showed just how much the approach to sounding them has changed since the 2023 Lahaina wildfire. Maui Now.
State selects Ku‘ia property for new King Kamehameha III Elementary. Gov. Josh Green’s office announced Wednesday that state and county officials have landed on the Ku’ia site below the Lahaina Bypass as they move forward with plans to rebuild the school destroyed in the 2023 Maui wildfires. Maui News. KITV4.
Kauai
EPA fines Grove Farm, Hawaii Gas for illegal cesspools on Kauai. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined the Grove Farm Company Inc. and The Gas Company more than $104,500 for operating illegal large-capacity cesspools in Lihue, Kauai. Garden Island.
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