Hawaii News

Money was awarded through the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Rural Health Transformation Program as part of a $50 billion national investment to strengthen rural healthcare in all 50 states.

The state department has commissioned the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Engineering and Blyncsy to distribute free dash cameras to collect information on the condition of 982 miles of state-managed road and 744 bridges.

Tiny, sun-powered organisms found in freshwater pools could soon fuel Hawaiʻi’s sustainable future.

Nālani Kanakaʻole, a fifth-generation loea hula whose life work preserved and perpetuated the ancient traditions of Hawaiian chant and hula kahiko, died peacefully on Jan. 3, 2026, in Hilo.

Nine Native Hawaiian activists landed on Kahoʻolawe on Jan. 4, 1976, bringing attention to the Navy’s use of the island as a practice bombing range that had devastated the island and desecrated sacred lands.

Bill that will improve on the Hawai‘i Democrat’s NATIVE Act passes U.S. Senate unanimously

Hawaiʻi State LGBTQ+ Commission Vice Chairman and Legislative Lead Michael Golojuch Jr. says the enactment of Act 298 as of Jan. 1 “brings Hawaiʻi’s parentage laws into the present and centers the best interests of the keiki, regardless of their parents’ gender, sexual orientation or marital status.”

The rankings were released by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy; the annual Global Ranking of Academic Subjects released by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy is considered one of the most comprehensive and objective assessments of university performance by discipline.

This honor highlights the property’s architectural value as well as its contribution to Lahaina’s history and serves as a symbol of the strength and resilience of the people of Maui.

The Reuniting Families Act would reduce visa backlogs, boost efficiency throughout the immigration process and ensure a fairer, more humane process for immigrant families.

Senate President Ronald D. Kouchi, who represents Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, said the body realigned chairpersons and committee assignments for the upcoming 2026 session because of the retirement of O‘ahu Sen. Henry Aquino.

During the past year, the Democratic U.S. senator from Hawai‘i worked to protect federal funding for the islands amid national cuts, secured more than $1 billion to support Maui’s recovery, improve infrastructure, expand high-speed internet throughout the state.

Kaua‘i numbers followed the same statewide trend in November 2025, with the total number of visitors to the Garden Isle down 1% compared with the year before and visitor spending up by 13.1% compared with November 2024.

A team of astronomers using a variety of telescopes — including W. M. Keck Observatory atop Mauna Kea on the Big Island — seem to have discovered a possible “Superkilonova,” or a kilonova spurred by a supernova that forms a pair of dense, dead stars called neutron stars than then smash together.

Since Dec. 23, 2024, the north and south vents within Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, inside Kaluapele, the summit caldera, have erupted in 39 lava fountaining episodes.

2026 honorees join the ranks of those who have enriched Hawai‘i’s cultural, artistic and humanitarian landscape. Find out more about the 2026 honorees by following the link below.

‘Shop Local’ by Katelyn Chong was selected as the winning short film script during the first year the annual intensive workshop was paired with ‘Ohina’s inaugural Producers Lab.

Hawai’i Permanente Medical Group said moving forward it plans to expand access to primary and specialty care, strengthen telehealth services, and invest in programs that address social and cultural determinants of health.

Talia Jimenez, 21, of Kōloa, was identified as the victim in the first traffic fatality of 2026, following a single-vehicle crash on Kūhiō Highway.

At 3:59 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Hawaii’s first baby of 2026 made his debut at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center.