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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.
Lingle's speech:
video.
transcript.
Looking for a bridge between recession and recovery, Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday proposed several short-term tax incentives to encourage the private sector to hire workers and invest in construction projects to stimulate the economy.
After seven years at the helm, Gov. Linda Lingle is still trying to steer a twitchy economy to safety, rebuild an education system that its supporters say is just fine and pump some life into a tourism industry that continues to need government help.
With a focus on improving the quality of life for residents, stimulating the economy, creating jobs, improving education and building a stronger future for Hawaii, Governor Lingle delivered her eighth and final State of the State Address to the people of Hawaii on Monday morning.
In her speech she talked about the financial crisis and dealing with a $1.2 billion shortfall.
During her final State of the State Address, Gov. Linda Lingle on Monday took aim at Hawaii education system toward the end of her speech, angering some education officials.
Among those listening to Gov. Linda Lingle's final State of the State speech yesterday at the state Capitol was an old political buddy from Maryland, Michael Steele, the controversial chairman of the Republican National Committee.
State House Speaker Calvin Say said yesterday that he will announce by Friday whether the House will vote on a civil-unions bill and suggested he may not have the two-thirds' majority to override a potential veto.
Even the wettest spot in Hawai'i — Mount Wai'ale'ale — wasn't so wet last year as the state experienced below-normal rainfall in all but a few spots.
A local researcher said what Hawaii residents often call vog is a mix of volcanic ash and pollution.
North Kona Councilman Kelly Greenwell is still considering whether he will run for a second term, while other lawmakers are preparing their re-election bids.
Jim Donahue doesn't know how many dogs he and his business, Lucky D Kennels, have been able to save through a dog fostering program.
Last summer’s restructuring of the fee schedule for the Wailua Golf Course has moved it further from self-sufficiency, not closer, and the Carvalho administration is working on a proposal that would walk back some of the changes.
The M/V Huakai, the high-speed ferry that never fulfilled its purpose as part of Hawaii Superferry operations last year, will be mobilized for relief duty in Haiti.
One of two high-speed catamarans built for Hawaii Superferry is being sent to Haiti to help with relief efforts following the devastating earthquake.
A pilot with a Coast Guard C-130 airplane out of Hawai'i who flew into Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Sunday said the airport was like "the wild, wild west."
Reconsidering a street-level alternative for Honolulu's planned elevated commuter rail line would delay the start of the project by only six months, the American Institute of Architects' Hawai'i chapter said yesterday.
Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday she is worried whether Honolulu will be able to afford to pay for and operate a proposed elevated rail system and that she has heard similar views expressed by the Federal Transit Administration.
Air pollution in Punaluu - it's been four days now since a dead whale's been rotting off a Windward Oahu beach.
Preparations are under way for a one-day walkout at Kaiser's Honolulu clinic, where a strike line is expected to form at 6 a.m. Tuesday.
When the Hawaii Legislature opens Wednesday, state lawmakers will have their minds on money and money on their minds
For South and West Maui legislators, 2010 will be all about hanging on to what they thought they already had.
With a new member sworn in, a new chair elected and a new year underway, the Kaua‘i Board of Ethics last week made dramatic strides toward resolving long-standing conflict-of-interest issues.
Thousands of people filled the state Capitol yesterday with prayer and song, a celebration of traditional values laced with an explicit warning to state lawmakers to preserve marriage as between a man and a woman.
Thousands opposed to same-sex marriage rallied at the state Capitol to send a message to lawmakers who support a civil-unions bill in this election year.
While many believe stimulating the economy and ending school furloughs should be at the forefront for the state Legislature, extending benefits for same-sex partners is also expected to be a hot-button issue.
A sea of people in white flooded the State Capitol Rotunda and spilled onto Beretania Street, hoping to convince lawmakers to kill an upcoming bill that would establish civil unions in Hawaii.
A proposed civil unions bill in the state Legislature has again drawn the attention of opponents and proponents on Kaua‘i.
While consumers in most major cities on the Mainland have the choice of several television providers, local residents have few options when it comes to video programming.
U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie is slightly ahead of Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann in the race for governor, according to a new survey of registered voters.
If an election was held now, KITV4's poll of 403 voters, with a 5 percent margin of error, shows former U.S. Rep. Ed Case would win at 37 percent of likely voters.
State Sen. J. Kalani English will probably grab a few headlines when he introduces two bills in the legislative session this week: one to legalize medical marijuana dispensaries and the other to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.
Exactly 117 years ago, Queen Liliuokalani was forced to give up her throne, making her Hawaii's last monarch.
The newly appointed interim superintendent of Hawaii schools says her strong ties to Hilo and the lessons she learned here will factor into her decision-making as she tries to guide the school system through rocky waters.
It is nearly impossible to pinpoint the exact date or time Hualalai may rumble to life again, but the 8,271-foot volcano will erupt, said Jim Kauahikaua, scientist-in-charge of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
As the Legislature readies to begin grappling Wednesday with an anticipated $1.2 billion deficit - and a state constitutional requirement to balance the budget in 60 work days - Maui County's nine-person contingent is looking at wide-ranging solutions from raising the general excise tax by 1 percent to raiding emergency funds.
Lawmakers yesterday said more needs to be done to move the chronically homeless out of parks and off the streets and said opening a "homeless campground" could be one solution, especially for those who don't want to move into shelters.
Former Congressman Ed Case, state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou, the three candidates in a special election for Congress, began to differentiate themselves for voters yesterday in the first public event of the campaign.
Former Rep. Ed Case says Senate President Colleen Hanabusa cannot run for Congress while she is leading the state Senate. He called on her to pick one or the other.
Forty-four agricultural workers from Thailand were forced to work on Aloun Farm for wages lower than what they were promised and required by law, said Kevonne Small, trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.
A triple-digit increase in December foreclosures transformed Hawaii into a top 10 state for foreclosure activity and pushed monthly and year-end totals to their highest level since 2005
Collective bargaining, civil service contracts and unions provided the theme that united a number of the priorities set out by three Big Island legislators for the upcoming session.
The devastation in Haiti is causing Secretary of State to cancel her Asia-Pacific tour. She made the announcement Wednesday, while still in Hawaii. Secretary Clinton says she will return to Washington to coordinate the relief efforts.
The pictures are hard to take for Patrick Elie and Mark Benoit -- who are still waiting to hear from loved ones in Haiti.
State Attorney General Mark Bennett was three for four in state court Wednesday, prevailing on all but one defense pre-trial motion in the James Pflueger manslaughter case.
Limiting hiring and equipment purchases has generated a $7.4 million windfall for Hawaii County, which still needs to sell land and possibly raise taxes to avoid a looming shortfall, Mayor Billy Kenoi said.
Driving through a blackened landscape on a 35-foot-wide path dug up by bulldozers, Bill Bergin pointed out koa trees and ohia trees. Some were charred to a crisp, others remained, tall and proud.
At the last minute, Archie Kalepa decided to go right on a wave instead of left at the Jaws surf spot in Peahi. Then, he knew he was in trouble with "the Big Kahuna."
Video Link to Clinton's speech.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking yesterday at the East-West Center, said the 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Meeting in Honolulu will give Hawai'i a chance to showcase its unique diversity, its "aloha spirit," and its prime location as a hub between East and West.
Hawaii has a chance to showcase its diversity and act as a model for the region when it hosts the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum next year, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday at the East-West Center in Manoa.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton took a barge tour of Pearl Harbor yesterday, stopping briefly to lay a wreath in the shrine room of the USS Arizona Memorial.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a major policy speech in Honolulu on Tuesday at the East-West Center in Manoa about America's future relationship with Asia.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is here in Hawaii, but she's not kicking back she's kicking off a 10 day trip aimed at strengthening and mending relations with countries in the Asia Pacific region.
A group of architects who have worked on Honolulu 's planned rail project yesterday said they support plans to build the $5.3 billion train on an elevated guideway.
The two largest land animals in all of Hawaii are at the center of a lifestyle dispute.
Hawaii legislators are working to change state law before business owners are slapped with a 1,000 percent increase in unemployment insurance taxes.
Four Hawaii residents, including three from the Big Island, are challenging the U.S. Army's application to possess depleted uranium.
Neil Abercrombie struck back against critics of his decision to resign his seat representing the state's 1st Congressional district and creating the need for a special election this spring in front of a friendly crowd of campaign supporters Monday morning.
Hawaii County developers have pledged $108.5 million for infrastructure to accommodate population increases caused by their developments, but so far, only $8.1 million has found its way into county coffers and only $3.6 million has been spent.
On the heels of legislative and public calls for a ban on fireworks statewide, Maui County law enforcement officials and lawmakers offered an assortment of views on regulating the popular and traditional practice of ringing in the new year with a bang.
Following a tsunami, Maui will get a glimpse of "Hereafter" this week - all thanks to movie magic.
For the second time in as many months, the Kaua‘i Planning Commission on Tuesday rejected a petition arguing North Shore landowner Joseph Brescia has not complied with permits in building his single-family residence on top of multiple known burials at Naue.
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.
With El Nino's influence now in full effect, East Hawaii is experiencing warm, dry weather and heavy vog. And there is little relief on the horizon, according to the National Weather Service.
State senators told KITV they expect to approve a civil unions bill shortly after the legislative session starts this month.
The "Mighty Mo," the platform for the Japanese surrender in World War II, has returned to its berth in Pearl Harbor to continue serving as a floating national museum.
State Board of Education Chairman Garrett Toguchi last night refused to step down from his leadership post after several board members called for his resignation.
Board of Education Chairman Garrett Toguchi was criticized by fellow board members Thursday who claim he has not kept them in the loop on important issues.
The University of Hawai'i faculty union on Thursday filed a motion for a temporary restraining order, asking a state court to stop UH President M.R.C. Greenwood from unilaterally imposing salary reductions for UH faculty.
A reduction in the cost of caring for Hawaii's senior citizens is creating controversy.
The Federal Transit Administration raised concerns last fall that the cost of Honolulu's new commuter rail line could outpace the revenue the city has lined up to pay for it.
The board of the state public housing agency selected a replacement yesterday for the agency's executive director in spite of some pleas from community members to keep the popular chief.
State labor officials confirmed Thursday that hundreds of hotel workers on Maui will be laid off.
State cutbacks have led to the recent loss of 10 staff members at the Kaua‘i District Health Office, according to state Department of Health spokesperson Janice Okubo.
Hiring freezes, early retirement incentives and greater use of rainy day funds are among the ways some governments deal with budget emergencies.
A newly formed mainland company is hoping to purchase Kona Blue Water Farms Inc.'s offshore operations.
The latest trend in renewable energy often looks like a remote-controlled airplane - with a man-sized propellor - mounted on top of a flagpole, but it is as quiet as two people talking in a coffee shop and costs about as much as a used car.
Passengers aboard a Hawaiian Airlines Mainland flight that was disrupted by an unruly flier arrived on Maui more than five hours late Wednesday night, tired and happy to finally be on the Valley Isle.
Marine experts are searching the waters off the Kona Coast for a humpback whale entangled in polypropylene line, deflated buoys and other fishing gear.
Two key state senators suggested the counties could impose a sales tax of up to 5 percent to recoup revenue lost if the state holds on to the counties' share of the hotel tax.
County mayors said they were open to all proposals for closing sizable gaps in their upcoming budgets, but stopped short of saying property tax hikes were inevitable.
A new proposal under consideration could force customers to pay a sales tax to help take care of soaring budget shortfalls in Hawaii.
Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi laced his request for state funds with humor. But he and his mayoral colleagues know there's nothing funny about the state's budget crisis.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. underscored the importance of Kaua‘i keeping its share of hotel tax revenue from the state in his testimony Wednesday morning during a joint hearing of the House Finance and Senate Ways and Means committees.
Gov. Linda Lingle's administration rejected, again, a tentative agreement between education officials and the Hawaii State Teachers Association that would have ended "furlough Fridays" for the remainder of the current school year.
The Lingle administration again rejected a $35 million proposal by the teachers union and state Board of Education to increase instruction time at public schools by seven days ending in June.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be in Hawaii next week, where she will speak about Asia-Pacific relations and consult with U.S. military commanders in the Pacific, the State Department said yesterday.
A Hawaiian Airlines passenger plane made a belated landing on Maui last night after turning back to Portland, Ore., under the escort of armed fighter jets.
Home at last, after a fighter jet escort - a Hawaiian air flight at the center of a security scare has finally arrived on Maui.
The state Legislature is cutting five recess days from its 2010 calendar to both trim expenses and encourage members to focus on the state budget.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has picked up the pace in federally registering 48 endangered Kaua‘i species in light of a lawsuit filed earlier this week in federal court by environmental activists.
Kaua‘i drivers would be forced to pay an additional 50 cents for every gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel they purchase if the County Council goes along with measures recommended in the final draft of the Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan released this week.
Hawaii County may join Maui and Kauai counties in banning plastic shopping bags if a bill by Kohala Councilman Pete Hoffmann continues along its current path.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. underscored the importance of Kaua‘i keeping its share of hotel tax revenue from the state in his testimony Wednesday morning during a joint hearing of the House Finance and Senate Ways and Means committees.
Defying Kelly Greenwell's threat to resign, a County Council committee voted against a resolution asking the state Legislature to decriminalize marijuana
About 35 business owners and community leaders gathered Tuesday in Hilo to forge a message to President Barack Obama on how the government can best aid the economic recovery on the Big Island.
A preliminary report on a Dec. 16 helicopter crash in Hana says the copter actually lost all power and crashed in what was intended as a simulated loss of engine power exercise.
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