Police departments in Hawaii are being asked to significantly boost the number of women in their ranks with the recent passage of House Bill 2231, which aims to increase diversity among law enforcement agencies in the state. The bill, which awaits the governor’s signature, sets a goal of having 30%...

Hawaii’s renewable energy sector is stepping up support for policies aimed at financially bolstering Hawaiian Electric Co., which has been battered by accusations that the utility started the fire that killed 101 people and burned down much of Lahaina in August. Two bills aimed at shoring up HECO remain...

Civil Beat’s Blaze Lovell landed a blockbuster piece of investigative journalism on the front page of The New York Times last Wednesday. He disclosed the attention-grabbing details about how late-night parties in a Honolulu office building were used by politicians to rake in campaign contributions from companies seeking state contracts.

House and Senate negotiators reached agreement Tuesday evening on a $19.21 billion state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 that includes raises for public school vice principals and extra money for small and rural public schools. The proposed budget also includes $6 million for new geothermal energy...

The Maui County Council received welcome news Monday that despite the destruction of 2,146 structures in the Aug. 8 wildfires, the certified taxable value of property for fiscal year 2025 increased by 4.2% to $73.3 billion. That translates to about $1.2 million more than was projected in March under Mayor...

The state frequently failed to meet legal requirements for licensing foster homes to care for children who may have been abused or neglected, a lapse that created new risks that those children could be placed in unsafe homes, according to a new audit of the foster care licensing system. The...

If you visit the Hawaii State Office of Elections website, there’s a how-to guide called “Become a Candidate” which explains that locals still have until June 4 to submit paperwork if they wish to run for office this year. There’s also a regularly updated “Candidate Report” on...

On the menu Thursday night was a choice of beef or chicken fajitas for the Aug. 8 wildfire survivors being housed at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Kaanapali. Dinner is now the only meal being provided to the approximately 1,254 displaced adults and children still living in hotel rooms in West Maui through the emergency housing program.

The state Correctional System Oversight Commission wants Hawaii jail and prison officials to suspend the use of potentially dangerous inmate restraint chairs after commission members discovered one in the Kauai jail. Restraint chairs “have caused serious harm to people in custody, resulted in death, and have been subjected to lawsuits...

As a local affordable housing developer, I am deeply concerned what Senate Bill 3202 is going to do to housing prices in our community. If you think the cost of housing in Hawaii is bad now, this bill will make it worse. With SB 3202 (and its companion, House Bill...