Legislative Leaders Want Pay-To-Play Bill Significantly Watered Down. Leaders in the House and Senate want to weaken a key reform measure that had sought to ban campaign contributions from people who win substantial government contracts. Changes being pushed by the House speaker and Senate president would apply the contribution ban only to companies doing business with specific branches of government, essentially continuing the status quo for most elected officials and their campaign donors. Civil Beat.
State tax measures put renewable energy incentives in the crosshairs. State lawmakers have introduced measures this session to roll back the renewable energy credit, along with other income tax credits. Hawaii Public Radio.
Online sports betting bill is still in play at the state Legislature. Although House lawmakers passed a resolution to study legalizing gambling in Hawaiʻi, another measure that legalizes sports betting is still being considered. Hawaii Public Radio.
State youth mental health services could be updated amid funding cuts. SB 1442 would require the state’s Adolescent Mental Health Division to establish family guidance centers in different counties and offer a network of preventative, early identification, screening, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative services. Star-Advertiser.
Bill defining torture, making it a Class A felony, moves to final legislative votes. State House and Senate conferees quickly approved Senate Bill 281, which defines torture and would upgrade it to a Class A felony, with a maximum 20-year prison term. It’s something supporters believe will save more lives, especially those of children. Hawaii News Now.
'The darker side of paradise': Bills aimed to help sex trafficking victims. Two bills moving through the legislature this year will bring more protection and rights to victims of sex trafficking. KITV4.
State domestic abuse measure passes. A state bill intended to reinforce legal protections for domestic violence survivors has cleared its final legislative hurdle. Tribune-Herald.
State budget includes $1M for food banks amid federal cuts. The budget passed by the state Legislature this week would send $1 million to Hawaiʻi food banks over the next two years. Hawaii Public Radio.
Hawaii auto sales continued to fall this year and badly trailed the rest of the country — with an uncertain future ahead because of President Donald Trump’s economic policies, the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association reported Wednesday. Hawaii dealers saw a drop of 1.3%, based on new vehicle registrations for the first three months of 2025. Star-Advertiser.
Hawaiian Airlines helps buffer Alaska’s $166M loss. Alaska Air Group posted weaker-than-expected first-quarter earnings Wednesday due to negative impacts of macroeconomic factors on air travel demand. Star-Advertiser.
German teens imprisoned and kicked out of Hawaii prompts fears among foreign nationals. After German teens trying to visit Hawaii were imprisoned and kicked out of the state, foreign nationals living in the islands are worried about their future. KITV4. Hawaii News Now.
Oahu
With Paramedics Spread Thin, Honolulu Dusts Off A Possible Solution. For years, understaffing and complaints of burnout at the city’s ambulance service have prompted discussion about merging it with the fire department. Civil Beat.
How Honolulu first responders keep 911 running when disaster strikes. In the face of a devastating natural disaster, the elements can potentially impact our ability to communicate. One of the most important communication methods during an emergency is the 911 dispatch system. Hawaii News Now.
‘Renovation Aloha’ Home Flippers Hit With Flurry Of Building Violations. Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama continue to renovate Oʻahu homes without proper permits even as their show seeks taxpayer subsidies. Civil Beat.
Ex-death row inmate convicted of 4 counts of sex trafficking. A 38-year-old pimp who dodged death row in Delaware was convicted in federal court in Honolulu Tuesday of sex trafficking three adult women and one minor girl. Star-Advertiser. KHON2.
Hawaii Island
Kona jury awards $2.5M in damages in sex abuse case. A Kona Circuit Court jury last week found in a civil trial that a Waimea businessman sexually abused a 12-year-old boy decades ago. The jury awarded the plaintiff $2.535 million in damages. Tribune-Herald.
Puna man faces nearly 20 charges after small arsenal discovered in Hawaiian Beaches residence. Hawai‘i County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney says Solomon Lord was arrested and charged April 16 following the execution of a search warrant on a Lalakea Street home in Hawaiian Beaches. Big Island Now. Hawaii News Now.
Maui
FEMA cracks down on Lahaina residents not paying rent. At the start of the week, nearly 200 out of around 1,000 households on FEMA’s temporary housing program had not paid rent. Now, it’s down 100 — or one in 10. KHON2.
9 projects with over 800 housing units could get funding from Maui County for construction, rising costs. Maui County wants to spend its $43.5 million Affordable Housing Fund on nine projects with 843 units of mostly rental housing in the next fiscal year, including a rental project in Kīhei with social spaces for seniors, a Nāpili apartment complex for fire-displaced families and a major housing development in Kahului with a civic center and commercial space. Maui Now.
Bill sets aside $807.5 million for Maui wildfire claims. Hawaii legislative leaders have agreed to fully fund the state’s share of Maui wildfire damage claims slated to be paid out over four years. Star-Advertiser.
Lāna‘i Loses The Island’s Only State Mental Health Counselor — Again. Key mental health worker on Lānaʻi resigns, eroding in-person patient care and exposing the fragility of a system that depends so heavily on one worker. Civil Beat.
Kauai
New agricultural park aims to innovate, accelerate Kauaʻi farming businesses. The first phase of the proposed 87-acre agricultural park includes 20 acres of sub-licensed farm plots, four acres of agroforestry, as well as an acre of shared facilities for farmers including a washing and packing area, greenhouses, walk-in cold storage, and a meeting and business space. The land is leased from My Kapa’a, LLC – owned in part by Bette Midler. Kauai Now.
6,000 gallons of wastewater spills from Wailua Coco Palms sewer pump station. About 6,000 gallons of wastewater spilled from the Wailua Coco Palms sewer pump station April 23, contaminating some nearby properties. Kauai Now.
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