Hawaii hotels’ performance lost ground during 2024. Hawaii hotels statewide reported an occupancy of 73.3% in 2024, down 1.1 percentage points from 2023 and 7.5 percentage points from 2019, according to a Hawaii Hotel Performance Report released by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Star-Advertiser.
Being A Mom In Hawaiʻi Isn’t Easy. This Report Shows Why. Hawaiʻi has the highest child care costs in the nation. And in what could be viewed as a related problem, women in the Aloha State are the most sleep-deprived in the nation, according to an analysis by the United Health Foundation for its annual Health of Women and Children report. Civil Beat.
Oahu
Bodycam video in lawsuit shows alleged assault by police officers during pandemic. Dramatic police body camera video shows an alleged assault by Honolulu police officers during a confrontation over the mask mandate. The video is part of a lawsuit against the city over an incident that occurred outside 7-Eleven in Wahiawa in September 2020. Hawaii News Now.
Public advised to avoid part of Ala Wai Canal after sewage spill. The public is advised to stay out of the water from Waikiki-Kapahulu Public Library to Liliuokalani Avenue. Hawaii News Now.
Surfer breaks back bailing from wave on Oahu’s North Shore. Lucas Recovery is expected to take at least three months but surgery may be necessary and spinal stability will still be compromised. Hawaii News Now.
Ravenous Beetles Go Urban, Preying On Honolulu’s Iconic Coconut Palms. Urban Honolulu has been hit by tree-killing coconut rhinoceros beetles, renewing concerns about what would remain of the tropical cityscape if the ravenous pests chew their way through the coastline. Civil Beat.
Sea Anemones Invade Kāne‘ohe Bay, Likely From Home Aquariums. A new invasive species threatens Kāneʻohe Bay’s fragile coral ecosystem, sending state officials scrambling for a solution. Civil Beat.
Hawaii protesters rally against Trump, Musk on Presidents Day. Hundreds of protesters Monday lined South Beretania Street fronting the state Capitol as part of a nationwide Presidents Day effort to oppose the Trump administration’s policies in the first weeks since taking power. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.
Hawaii Island
The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai recently took the No. 1 spot in the Best Hotels in the USA ranking for U.S. News &World Report’s 15th annual ranking of best hotels. Another Hawaii island hotel, the Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, took third place in the Best Hotels in the USA category. Five more Hawaii hotels were ranked among the top 50 of the Best Hotels in the USA. Star-Advertiser.
Mauna Lani loan request OK’d. DHL Mahi Opco, LLC — owners of the Mauna Lani Resort — intends to take out a mortgage from Goldman Sachs for about 750 acres of land that includes both the resort property and 230 acres of state-leased land that contains the Puako petroglyph fields and is largely used as an archaeological park. Tribune-Herald.
Bids for Nānue Bridge rehabilitation project tens of millions higher than state’s revised cost estimate. The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation is reviewing three bids it received for a project to rehabilitate the more than 70-year-old Nānue Bridge outside of Hilo, and all are tens of millions more than the state’s latest revised cost estimate. Big Island Now.
Presidents Day protests draw anti-Trump crowds in Hilo. More than 100 people lined the mauka sidewalk on Hilo’s Kamehameha Avenue near the statue of King Kamehameha I. Another 50 or so voiced their displeasure with the administration of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency by waving signs on Kanoelehua Avenue near the Ross Dress for Less store. Tribune-Herald.
Maui
Council’s $300,000 vacation rental phase-out study strays off course. A Maui County Council plan to contract its own study of the economic impacts of Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed phase-out of Maui County vacation rentals has fallen to the wayside, and Council legislative analysts will conduct research in-house instead. Maui Now.
Maui County: Lahaina wildfire debris will begin being moved from Olowalu to Central Maui in June. After a slow start to create a permanent site for the 2023 Lahaina wildfire debris, Maui County said the process is now moving quickly with semi-trucks scheduled to begin in June to transport the approximately 400,000 tons of debris and ash from Olowalu to Central Maui. Maui Now.
South Maui to receive $3.2 million to help control deer. Gov. Josh Green has released $3.2 million in capital improvements to design and construct more fencing along the slopes of South Maui to control the overpopulation of axis deer. Maui News.
Presidents’ Day protests against Trump break out across Hawaii. Dozens along Wailuku's High Street protested President Donald Trump on Presidents' Day. KITV4.
Kauai
Sex Harassment Claim Against Judge Could Cost Taxpayers $90K. Leanne Rosa had worked for Kauaʻi Judge Randal Valenciano for about 18 years when, she says, he began conducting himself in a “sexually suggestive” way, subjecting her to “sexualized hugs” and “unwanted and unwelcome touching” in the courthouse. Civil Beat.
This Luxury Kauaʻi Hotel Is Housing Foreign Workers In Container Homes. The 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay also bought a multimillion-dollar home in a working class neighborhood to house upper management. Civil Beat.
‘UnPresidents Day’: expressing displeasure with Musk, Trump. A biologist, and two biotechs from the Wildlife Refuges were fired on Friday afternoon. The trio was among more than 400 people who held signs on Monday expressing their displeasure with President Trump’s recent executive orders and actions. Garden Island.
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