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Tourists lined the lanais of high-rise hotels and sightseers clustered along Hawaii's cliffside highways to take in the spectacle of a potentially destructive tsunami that turned out to be more like an undulating tide.
Dozens of ships headed to open water, 40,000 to 50,000 locals and tourists scrambled to safety and high ground, and communities from Hilo to Waikīkī transformed into instant ghost towns yesterday as the Islands braced for a tsunami that rolled in as merely an odd ocean surge.
In two months, federal, state, county and other emergency first responders hold an annual weeklong hurricane disaster exercise and drills. This year, they will add several problems stemming from yesterday's tsunami response
All over this coastal town yesterday, people gathered at hillside vantage points — their ears to portable radios, their hands gripping binoculars — to watch a tsunami come in that some feared would rival the 1960 waves that killed 61 people in Hilo, toppled buildings and homes and swept away cars.
State Civil Defense leaders kept busy on Saturday, working around the clock trying to keep everyone safe.
The state House Finance Committee agreed last night to defer a bill that would have allowed a casino on O'ahu, as lawmakers discarded gambling as an option to help with the state's budget deficit.
State House Finance Chairman Marcus Oshiro said a move to legalize casino gambling is dead at the Hawaii Legislature this session.
The state's four county mayors applauded the move by House lawmakers to leave in place most of the money they receive from the hotel room tax.
Each year the state forgoes about $835 million in revenue by giving companies and individuals a break on the general excise tax, exempting everything from aircraft engines to shipbuilding.
The State House Housing Committee Wednesday unanimously approved a bill to force planned communities to allow residents to fly Hawaiian and American flags without restrictions.
Room 325 at the State Capitol was full of military veterans. One held an American flag. Others wore red, white and blue. All of them had the same mission.
Responding to a request from lawmakers to cut another 5 percent from its budget, the state Board of Education worked into the night identifying programs that could be trimmed.
The election to fill U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie's 1st Congressional District seat will be held May 22, according to state elections officials.
Hawaii County has launched its first high-tech effort to sell real estate, with a Web site that went live late last week advertising 738 acres in Hamakua.
A Hilo pharmacist foiled an armed robbery Tuesday morning, with a little help from his friends.
Hawaii Island residents and doctors keep coming back to the issue of access to care -- or lack thereof.
He didn’t give himself a specific letter grade for his first full year as Kaua‘i’s mayor, but Bernard Carvalho Jr. made it clear that he is happy with the results thus far.
When Towne Development of Hawaii started selling affordably priced homes in its 2,000-home Kehalani subdivision in Central Maui in the 1990s, customers would wait in line for hours to get on the buyers' list.
Crew members of SubAviator were packing up to leave Mala Ramp on Tuesday, but they may well come back.
A proposed reduction in force affecting state Department of Human Services workers on Kaua‘i will be discussed Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e.
A new version of the native Hawaiian government reorganization bill is moving in the U.S. House, but Gov. Linda Lingle remains opposed to it—and that could doom it in the Senate.
The U.S. House could vote today on a new version of the Akaka bill, after Hawai'i's congressional delegation opted to move forward without the support of Gov. Linda Lingle.
United Public Workers Unit 1 has reached agreement with the four county governments on a new collective-bargaining contract that would run through June 30, 2011.
Gov. Linda Lingle will return to Hawaii today to find that the heat has been turned up on the state's simmering labor problems.
The Hawai‘i Council of Mayors on Monday announced that the four county governments have reached an agreement in principle with the United Public Workers for a new collective bargaining pact for this fiscal year and the next.
A voting controversy has prompted lawmakers to re-start a discussion over the American flag.
In delivering his sixth State of the City address, Mayor Mufi Hannemann outlined a vision for Honolulu that included his $5.5 billion rail transit project, transit-oriented development, thousands of new jobs, new construction and other initiatives to stimulate the economy.
Mayor Mufi Hannemann last night promised to deliver to the City Council a balanced operating budget, but offered few details about how he intends to address an estimated $140 million shortfall.
In a first for Mayor Mufi Hannemann he held his state of the city address outside and at night. It's just one sign of change to come.
Text: State Of The City Address 2010
The Hawaiian Electric Co. announced Monday it is increasing rates for all customers.
Business owners say the streets of downtown Hilo have taken a turn for the worse.
A new surgery center has nearly doubled the number of operating rooms in West Hawaii, but it isn't in competition with Kona Community Hospital, officials say.
A sighting of an approximately 12-foot-long tiger shark led Maui County officials to close waters off Hookipa Beach Park for about two hours on Monday.
The Kapaia swinging bridge over Hanama‘ulu Stream, one of four such pedestrian suspension bridges on the island, likely outlived its practical usefulness many years ago.
A bill that would keep state park revenues on the island where they are generated instead of spreading them across Hawai‘i is being touted by Kaua‘i legislators and the advisory group tasked with preserving and protecting Koke‘e State Park.
Sunday Governor Linda Lingle met with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to talk about Honolulu's rail project.
President Barack Obama prodded states today to raise their school standards by using his best leverage: money.
Sick and injured whales and dolphins will have a place to go after the Feb. 26 opening of the Hawai'i Cetacean Rehabilitation Facility in Hilo.
Expect Mayor Mufi Hannemann to offer a "five-year report card" of his administration when he gives his sixth, and possibly last, state of the city address tonight on the grounds of the Frank F. Fasi Civic Center.
Gambling, civil unions, banning fireworks and raiding the city's transit fund to balance the state budget all appear to be losing support at the Legislature.
Perhaps it is the fiscal crisis facing the state, but it is more apparent this year that there is a lot of ignorance about just what makes the economy run.
As the state's agriculture industry goes through some sour times, a relatively new crop is hoping to sweeten things up. Sugar and pineapple were once the staple crops of Hawaii's plantation era, but with these industries practically extinct, Hawaii's ag lands are now returning to a new era of small farms.
As incidents of domestic violence rise statewide, East Hawaii has seen an increasing number of temporary restraining orders filed against individuals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to begin a week-long monitoring project at the old Kailua-Kona landfill March 8, sampling the air for toxic gases.
Mayor Charmaine Tavares said she made an effort to cut back on out-of-state travel in 2009 because of the county's tight budget.
Maui County Council members spent a total of $116,090 on travel last year, including trips to lobby the Legislature in Honolulu, meetings with council members from other counties and conferences on the Mainland.
Congresswoman Mazie Hirono got a first-hand look at one of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act programs in action Saturday
The state House is considering a measure that would temporarily increase general excise and use taxes by a percentage point, to 5 percent, in an effort to narrow the state's $1.2 billion budget deficit.
Hawaii state lawmakers are advancing a bill to hike the taxes for the next five years on hard liquor, wine, beer and all other spirits.
Hesitant about the political and economic consequences of raising the state's general excise tax, state House lawmakers are walking through several potential alternatives, including another increase in income taxes and eliminating tax breaks for investors and nonprofits.
Neighbor Island mayors and other county executives went before state lawmakers yesterday to again fight to keep their shares of the hotel room tax revenues.
The state and the four counties are squabbling over nearly $100 million collected from the transient accommodations tax. Every hotel room is taxed by the state which then splits it amongst each county. But the state wants to keep that money for the next three years to help balance the budget.
The state Office of Elections has a new permanent chief election officer, but that was the only question resolved about the upcoming 2010 election season.
A large area of thunderstorms south of Hawaii has been showing signs of intensification and organization this morning, but the Central Pacific Hurricane Center says chances of development into a tropical cyclone remain low.
An unusual situation has popped up in the central Pacific Ocean about 1300 miles south of the Hawaiian islands. Even though Hawaii is well outside of hurricane season, forecasters are watching for possible strengthening and organization of a group of thunderstorms brewing near the Line Islands.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority is awarding more than $180,000 to Big Island-based programs aimed at perpetuating the Hawaiian culture.
Kona coffee farmers are losing out on up to $14.4 million in revenue annually to corporate marketers of 10 percent Kona coffee blends, according to a study released last Wednesday.
A one-of-a-kind miniature submarine that flies underwater is visiting Maui this month. It doesn't "fly" very fast - only 6 knots maximum or around 7 mph - but it works just like an airplane, said its crew chief, Dave Harper.
Crossing the “T”s and dotting the “I”s on a commitment it made last week, the Kaua‘i County Council on Wednesday unanimously approved two measures enabling Kaua‘i to become the last Hawai‘i county to have its own dedicated public-use helicopter.
Thousands of visitors today are expected to pour into the first phase of a new USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, designed to replace the old buildings that have sunk nearly three feet into the unsteady ground around Pearl Harbor.
The state is providing more than $8 million in federal money to the four counties to reduce and prevent underage drinking in Hawaii.
Some parents are worried it may be too late to end teacher furloughs this school year. However, a key state Senate committee said maybe not.
The homeless situation can seem overwhelming to the point where some observers just throw up their hands.
Some tourism officials have voiced concern that the growing number of homeless camped at parks could give visitors second thoughts about returning or recommending a trip to friends and family.
Maui finished a "turbulent year" with an occupancy rate of 62.1 percent for 2009. That was down from an already low 67.9 percent in 2008.
State payments totaling about $90 million a month to five insurance plans providing health coverage for low-income residents will be delayed in May and June, and possibly April, says state Human Services Director Lillian Koller.
While Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann says he is not yet an official candidate for governor, he is in the middle of a campaign swing through the state.
Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann played up his Big Island ties during a benefit in Hilo for the Hawaii Island Food Bank, but he is in no rush to decide whether he'll run for governor.
Australia, Philippines, and now possibly Japan - Hawaiian Airlines is aiming for Tokyo.
More than 150 soldiers will spend one last night in Hawaii before leaving for Afghanistan Wednesday. They'll be gone 10 months and for many it's the second time overseas.
State officials say Kona Blue Water Farms remains in compliance with environmental monitoring and reporting requirements and is current on its lease payments.
The executive producers of Lost have kept viewers on the toes by being careful to reveal little clues, but not much.
Mayor Billy Kenoi has been off-island more than a quarter of his first year in office, according to a summary provided by his administration.
Police on Tuesday continued to investigate the death of a man whose decomposing body was discovered Sunday in his sleeping bag in Kalalau Valley.
It's Hollywood in Hawaii, as the Black Pearl arrives. That's the ship featured in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.
One of the stars of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" isn't waiting around for Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz to hit wardrobe and makeup.
A national survey reports Hawaii finally leads America in something good: our sense of well-being.
There was a stunt scare at Kualoa. Firefighters thought they needed to save a life.It turns out the "emergency" was an action scene being filmed near Chinaman's Hat.
Hawai'i's hotel executives expect to see some improvement in Waikīkī bookings this year but caution that the recovery may take longer on the Neighbor Islands.
Mayor Mufi Hannemann's personal attacks on Gov. Linda Lingle are hurting the city's plans for rail transit, according to rail supporter and candidate for governor U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie.
Ninety-two percent of respondents in a recent survey agreed that a portion of Hawai'i's tobacco settlement monies should be dedicated for programs to reduce smoking among minors and to other quit-smoking programs, the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii said Monday.
Living legend Dorothy "Auntie Dottie" Thompson, 89, waves to the crowd of friends and family members who press in to congratulate her Saturday after her award as the YWCA Hawaii Island Remarkable Person for 2010 in a ceremony at the YWCA community hall on Ululani Street.
Last December, 16-year-old June Mohr, of Kailua-Kona, rang bells for The Salvation Army during its holiday collection drive and sent 50 care packages to soldiers overseas.
Nobody saw it or heard anything, but the evidence was gruesomely evident the next morning: 17 sheep and goats in three paddocks on an Olinda property, dead.
While New Orleans and the nation celebrates Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, here in Hawai‘i, the population celebrates the day before Lent as Malasada Tuesday, or Malasada Day
After months negotiating with a landowner, Hawaii County has almost finalized the paperwork to buy a property labeled the top priority for preservation by the county's Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission. The problem is, the man who lives there says it's not for sale.
Despite stepped-up efforts, the state cannot keep pace with swelling numbers of homeless
Rising unemployment and gasoline prices below $4 a gallon are taking a toll on public transit ridership in Honolulu and nationally.
Legislators, Kane'ohe residents and the union for Hawai'i State Hospital employees are raising concerns about a cost-cutting decision in December to lay off state security guards at the psychiatric facility, dramatically decreasing the hospital's security force.
It's Hollywood in Hawaii, as the Black Pearl arrives. That's the ship featured in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.
More than 20,000 people are scheduled to hit the streets Monday morning as part of the 26th annual Great Aloha Run.
A helicopter tour company reported seeing an "SOS" written on Kalalau Beach at about 2:30 p.m. while flying over the area.
The streets were filled with the din of firecrackers, gongs and cymbals as Ed Yap's Big Island Shaolin Arts troupe helped Hiloans celebrate the advent of Chinese New Year.
One of the state's biggest defense contractors has won the bid for the first phase of Ane Keohokalole Highway, also known as the midlevel road.
Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge Manager Glynnis Nakai said, yes, she knows what people will say.
A nearly $90,000 grant from the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs will support efforts by a group working to protect a Lanai forest and watershed and its native plants and animals - including a colony of endangered uau, or petrel seabirds, discovered in 2006.
It was Kaua‘i Police Assistant Chief Roy Asher’s idea to mark the beginning of Chief Darryl Perry’s tenure with new badges for all officers.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife announces an opportunity for interested individuals to participate in the control of feral goats on Kaua‘i in an area known as Hunting Unit F in Waimea Canyon.
Fires are burning on the Big Island of Hawaii as a surge of lava pulses down slope through as many as six tubes, threatening the last remaining home in a neighborhood scorched by lava flows.
Lava from Kílauea volcano once again has oozed through the mostly abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision, covering portions of the small open areas untouched by previous flows.
A high surf warning is in effect for north and west facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu and Molokai as well as north facing shores of Maui and west facing shores of the island of Hawaii. The warning is posted through 6:00 PM Thursday.
Marijuana could be sold legally and have its own tax under a proposal approved Tuesday by a state Senate committee.
Two state House committees on Tuesday killed a bill to allow customers to smoke in certain bars.
A bill that could lead to casinos on Hawaiian Home Lands passed out of the state House Judiciary Committee, while a separate measure that would allow a single casino on O'ahu also advanced yesterday.
Prospects for a statewide ban on fireworks dimmed yesterday after a state Senate committee chose to give counties the ability to opt out.
Natural disasters were considered "low-probability events" four years ago when planning began here on a hazard preparedness training program, observed University of Hawaii professor Karl Kim.
Spending and visitor arrivals for the Honolulu Marathon have remained at a good pace, with participants spending more than $100 million for the fifth year in a row, despite the tourism industry languishing in a cool-down period.
Residents hoping to visit the incredible natural wonders around the Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay will soon need to apply for a free permit from the state to land their kayaks.
Statistics about infant health and mortality can be a weathervane when it comes to predicting future trends in the health of the general population, a state health official says.
Honolulu real estate developer and broker Chris Lau has been appointed commissioner to sell the Makena Beach and Golf Resort, which was foreclosed last year. The auction probably will be scheduled for April.
A trio of bills that could go a long way toward curtailing unintended land uses and promoting agriculture on the Garden Isle have piled up on the Kaua‘i County Council’s to-do list.
Casino operations could take place on Hawaiian Home Lands under a bill that advanced out of the House Hawaiian Affairs Committee yesterday.
Former Honolulu Mayor Frank F. Fasi died last night in his Makiki home at the age of 90.
Two bills that advanced in the state House yesterday would let voters decide if the state Board of Education should be appointed by the governor.
U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie appears to be the favored son of attorneys, while Mayor Mufi Hannemann is the big winner among engineers and heads of companies.
How the University of Hawaii budget fares at the state Capitol is one of several factors that will determine how much tuition could go up at the 10 UH campuses, UH President M.R.C. Greenwood said yesterday after giving a first-ever State of the University speech before a joint session of the Legislature.
Grab those extra blankets - it's cold thanks to those north winds blowing in a big dry air mass after Tuesday's rain.
Too often in Hawaii's history, and today, people building on previously undeveloped land have damaged or destroyed archaeological sites, artifacts and iwi, or bones, said state Rep. Mele Carroll.
By a vote of 24 to 1, the state Senate confirmed former US Attorney Ed Kubo's appointment to be a Circuit Court judge.
Plastic bags don't litter the landscape; people do.
A new biodiesel plant that will produce 2.6 million gallons a year is planned for Keaau.
With one eye firmly trained on public safety, another on protecting local businesses and both hands firmly grasping the steering wheel, the Kaua‘i County Council on Wednesday passed an ordinance that will bar drivers from using handheld electronic devices.
The Hawaii County Council is considering impact fees on building permits as an alternative to the county's current reliance on "Fair Share" contributions from developers.
A Hawaii County Council committee heard from about two dozen people Tuesday night who testified that police are ignoring the voter-passed initiative making adult personal use of marijuana the lowest law-enforcement priority.
A Wailuku Elementary School teacher was arrested Tuesday morning after police reported finding crystal methamphetamine in a search of her Kahului residence.
A first grade teacher at Wailuku Elementary School teacher is facing serious drug charges.
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