Dan Nakaso | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Landon McNamara crowned winner of ‘The Eddie’ surf contest

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 11:19:00 +0000

UPDATE: 5:25 p.m.

Hawaii Ethics Commission plans penalty system akin to traffic fines

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The Hawaii Ethics Commission plans to create a uniform fine schedule — similar to standardized traffic fines — and voted unanimously Wednesday to have a bill introduced in the next legislative session that would speed up the issuance of fines, which now takes up to six months.

‘The Eddie’ to draw thousands, plus traffic

Dan Nakaso — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 onlookers will pour into Waimea Bay on Sunday when surf conditions will dictate whether the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational will happen.

Hawaii jobless claims, tourism jumped in last federal closure

Dan Nakaso — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Unemployment claims jumped in Hawaii, but so did visitor arrivals, the last time the federal government struggled through a partial shutdown six years ago through the holidays.

Feds send another $250M for Honolulu rail construction

Dan Nakaso — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Honolulu’s Skyline rail project will receive another $250 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of its funding agreement with the city, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz announced Wednesday.

Gov. Green’s budget keeps ‘rainy day fund’ at $1.5 billion

Dan Nakaso — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Gov. Josh Green’s proposed state budget calls for no increase to the state’s $1.5 billion rainy day fund, but Green does want to dedicate all of the estimated $66 million in annual interest to help Hawaii address the effects of climate change and prevent future wildfires, according to the state Department of Budget and Finance.

Maui is poised for $1.6B in federal funding to rebuild Lahaina

Dan Nakaso — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The U.S. Senate has tentatively agreed to $12 billion to respond to disasters across the country, including $1.6 billion to help Maui rebuild following the 2023 wildfires, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said Tuesday.

Gov. Josh Green’s state budget accounts for tax cuts, fire settlement

Dan Nakaso — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 10:06:00 +0000

Gov. Josh Green has unveiled his proposed state budget for the next two fiscal years, which accounts for record tax cuts for residents that begin in January, the state’s $800 million share of a proposed $4.037 billion settlement to settle lawsuits in the aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires and includes likely raises for unionized workers.

OHA Chair Kahele uses relationships to aid Native Hawaiians

Dan Nakaso — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Kai Kahele — a former state senator, U.S. representative and unsuccessful candidate for governor in 2022 — was elected chair of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs barely an hour after he was sworn in for his freshman term as an OHA trustee.

Queen’s plans new hospital in Kailua-Kona with helipad, housing

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:06:00 +0000

The Queen’s Health Systems plans to build an 80-bed hospital next to the Kailua-Kona Costco on Hawaii island that would include a helipad to cut travel time to its trauma center on Oahu and, critically, construct adjacent, below-market-rate housing to recruit and retain some of the estimated 300 hospital staff, nurses and doctors.

Congressional delegation continues to support Maui survivors

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

A bipartisan bill sits on President Joe Biden’s desk that would exempt survivors of disasters, including the 2023 Maui wildfires, from having to pay federal income tax on settlement money.

Trump policies create uncertainty for Hawaii economy

Dan Nakaso — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Incoming President Donald Trump and his potential policies — especially campaign threats of tariffs on imported foreign goods — create an unknown for Hawaii’s economic forecast, which the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization otherwise expects to show modest growth through 2027.

Hawaiian to take over Seattle-based routes, add airplanes and crews

Dan Nakaso — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Alaska Air Group today plans to tell investors in New York that Hawaiian Airlines will take over West Coast routes from Alaska Airlines to Hawaii and fly new nonstop routes from Seattle to Japan and South Korea, and announce more Hawaiian Air planes, and flight and ground crews.

UH plans to improve Manoa’s popular McCarthy Mall

Dan Nakaso — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The University of Hawaii at Manoa will begin work as early as January that it says will transform the “heart” of the campus by making its already popular, tree-lined McCarthy Mall even more accessible while creating a five-story building designed to help students from different disciplines mingle and mix.

Hawaii joins ‘blue state’ coalitions to fight Trump policies

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Gov. Josh Green says he will not send Hawaii National Guard troops to the mainland to help enforce potential Trump administration immigration policies “that would break up families.”

Gov. Josh Green plans new push on tourism fee, housing

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Gov. Josh Green plans to ask the upcoming Legislature for the power to divert $60 million in each of the next two fiscal years from interest earned on the state’s “rainy day fund” to help Hawaii fight back against climate change and reduce the risk of future wildfires.

Hawaii Senate tweaks committees, chairs ahead of 2025 session

Dan Nakaso — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Unlike the state House, leadership at the state Senate will remain relatively familiar for the upcoming legislative session, with some tweaks to Senate committees and chairs.

Construction driving Hawaii’s economic growth, state says

Dan Nakaso — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Hawaii’s economy performed slightly better than expected in 2024 and — with a red hot construction industry, in particular — should show even more gains for 2% growth in 2025, according to the latest economic data from the state Department of Economic Business and Development.

Expediting Japanese travel part of bigger push for visitors

Dan Nakaso — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 10:06:00 +0000

Japanese travel to Hawaii will now be easier as Gov. Josh Green and the visitor industry continue to work to encourage more Japanese travel despite the weakness of the yen.

New Hawaii legislators, leadership hold fate of legal recreational marijuana

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

State legislators expect to take another run at legalizing adult recreational marijuana use and impose new, unspecified fees on tourists — all while figuring out how to pay for historic tax cuts passed earlier this year.

Hawaii state House reorganizes with new faces, leadership

Dan Nakaso — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The Democrat-dominated state House will see a mix of veteran and new committee chairs when the next legislative session begins in January, along with new House leadership.

Hawaii’s hurricane season is below average

Dan Nakaso — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

As Hawaii’s hurricane season comes to a close, the Central Pacific saw only two tropical cyclones develop, including the more damaging one, which walloped Hawaii island in August, along with damage to parts of Maui and Oahu.

Trump support grows in blue state Hawaii

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Since his first run for president in 2016, support for President-elect Donald Trump has steadily increased among Hawaii voters, just like it did this year in other politically deep-blue states from California to New York.

Recount confirms Republican’s 20-vote victory in West Oahu

Dan Nakaso — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 20:00:00 +0000

State Rep. Elijah Pierick eked out a 20-vote reelection victory today over Democratic high school teacher Corey Rosenlee to represent a region of West Oahu that continues to elect Republicans in an otherwise deep blue state dominated by Democrats.

Final Hawaii ballots trigger state House recount

Dan Nakaso — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The latest tally of the last 18,000 votes cast Tuesday on Election Day flipped the results of a contentious West Oahu seat and now has incumbent Republican Rep. Elijah Pierick winning instead of losing, but that could change again depending on a recount of the nearly 10,000 votes.

Latest vote tally flips outcome of West Oahu House seat

Dan Nakaso — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 19:20:00 +0000

The latest count of the last 18,000 votes cast Tuesday on Election Day flipped the results of a contentious West Oahu seat and now has incumbent Republican Rep. Elijah Pierick winning instead of losing, but that could change back depending on a recount of the nearly 9,000 votes to be conducted by tonight.

Lines of mostly Republicans delay vote tally

Dan Nakaso — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 10:06:00 +0000

Long lines of people — overwhelmingly Republicans — who exercised their right to vote in person and even register to vote all day and night Tuesday delayed the release of election votes past midnight Wednesday, the longest delay in Hawaii voting history, said Hawaii Elections Chief Scott Nago.

Hawaii Republicans lose House seat; new faces joining Legislature

Dan Nakaso — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:35:00 +0000

Hawaii Republicans lost one state representative in the 76-member state Legislature early Wednesday morning when the first Election Day tallies were finally released, while also seeing several Democratic freshmen representatives win election who will vote on laws affecting the entire state when the next session convenes in January.

Hawaii votes lag 2020 election; long lines expected tonight

Dan Nakaso — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:06:00 +0000

Only 375,000 Hawaii ballots had been returned by Monday — a day ahead of today’s election — suggesting that the total number of votes cast by tonight will trail the previous presidential race in 2020.

Hawaii voters can expect Election Day lines, delayed results

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

State and city elections officials expect long lines of people exercising their right to vote in person — and even register to vote — on Election Day, Tuesday, reminiscent of the 2020 presidential race when voting sites across every island county could not close at 7 p.m., delaying results for the public and political candidates.

Halloween Eve flash flood at UH-Manoa left ruin in its wake 20 years ago

Dan Nakaso — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 10:06:00 +0000

Wednesday marks the 20th anniversary of a Halloween Eve flash flood that sent a tsunami of mud, water and debris up to 8 feet high roaring through the University of Hawaii Manoa campus, damaging 30 buildings and tossing dumpsters and vehicles in its path.

Green ranks sixth nationally in governor approval ratings

Dan Nakaso — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Gov. Josh Green ranks in the top 10 in approval ratings compared with the rest of America’s governors, according to separate surveys reported this month.

Honolulu’s CORE team vows to keep addressing North Shore homelessness

Dan Nakaso — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 10:06:00 +0000

A city team of emergency medical technicians and homeless outreach workers returned to Wahiawa and the North Shore last week, encountered a dozen homeless people and promised to keep coming back to provide first aid, wound care, social services, shelter beds and, ultimately, stable if not permanent housing.

Volunteers work days, nights to ensure secure Hawaii election

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The first batch of mail-in ballots arrived Tuesday at the state Capitol and were fed into sorting machines on the floor of the state Senate as volunteer “official observers” monitored every step of the process, beginning with riding in vans with the ballots from the U.S. post office next to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to the Capitol, and ending their duties only after the Nov. 5 general election, when hand counts will be conducted to verify machine tabulations.

Feedback conflicting on how to rebuild Lahaina

Dan Nakaso — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 10:06:00 +0000

Survivors of the Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfire expressed both clear and often conflicting opinions on how to rebuild the historic fishing village, with many participants in community engagement sessions on long-term recovery calling for better communications and other technological upgrades to respond to future emergencies, climate change and sea-level rise.

Next University of Hawaii President Wendy Hensel vows to lead with a ‘heart open wide’

Dan Nakaso — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Wendy Hensel, executive vice chancellor and university provost for The City University of New York, will take over the University of Hawaii system in January — earning an annual salary of $675,000 — after UH regents unanimously selected her Thursday.

Wendy Hensel selected as next University of Hawaii president

Dan Nakaso — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 21:56:00 +0000

Wendy Hensel, 54, executive vice chancellor and university provost for The City University of New York, was unanimously selected today by University of Hawaii regents to become the next UH president, with an annual salary of $675,000.

Regents meet privately with 2 finalists for University of Hawaii president

Dan Nakaso — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

University of Hawaii regents met privately and separately for about six hours with the two finalists to become UH’s 16th president and ended Wednesday’s regents’ meeting with no announcement, but with plans to resume their special meeting this morning.

UH regents criticized over search, process for next president

Dan Nakaso — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:45:00 +0000

University of Hawaii regents today received criticism for their search for the next UH president, including concerns over their closed-door discussions about the two finalists and the absence of any local candidates.

Finalists for University of Hawaii president to meet regents, pick likely coming soon

Dan Nakaso — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The two finalists to become the next president of the University of Hawaii — both mainland administrators with island ties — are scheduled for the first time to meet the full UH Board of Regents on Wednesday ahead of the regents’ decision that’s expected in the days that follow.