Kauai News

The new Training for Residential Energy Contractors program, going live in January 2026, will provide hands-on instruction and nationally recognized certifications for contractors, builders and tradespeople throughout Hawai‘i.

Permanent stops at Kīlauea Food Mart and across the street will reopen Monday.

Kīlauea’s HI-5 Redemption Center is closed today, due to severe weather, but alternative locations in Kapaʻa and Līhuʻe remain available with adjusted hours.

Road closures set for the smaller roads with cul-de-sacks in the Puhi subdivision in Līhuʻe will not prohibit access to properties from Dec. 22 to Jan. 30.

Any unused Hawaiʻi Emergency Food Assistance Program balance cannot be carried over or reissued in 2026 and will be expunged at the end of the year.

Radar shows that the heavy rain has diminished.

At 8:21 a.m., Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Kekaha, or 21 miles west of Līhu‘e, moving east at 15 mph.

The landfill is closed due to inclement weather.

Waterspouts, which can overturn boats and create hazardous seas, are anticipated.

Visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, where the volcano is located, see remarkable views during the episodic eruptions within the summit, but the latest episode — No. 38 — reminds us how quickly hazards associated with this dynamic activity can change.

Kauaʻi County has had difficult recruiting and retaining police officers and the resolution said returning to the state’s previous less restrictive retirement eligibility would help.

“The expansion of the travel ban is as a political distraction, diverting attention from real homeland security concerns like human trafficking, drug smuggling and organized crime,” said Oʻahu state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, chairman of the Hawaiʻi Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.

The lane closures are scheduled from Jan. 5-9, 2026, weather permitting and are necessary for geotechnical subsurface exploration and improvements to Haleko Road.

National Weather Service radar indicated at just before 9 p.m. that rain — falling at 1 inch per hour with some embedded heavier showers possible — moving ashore from the south and west.

According to the National Weather Service in Honolulu, showers and an isolated thunderstorm or two, remain possible today, however, flooding is no longer expected to pose a threat.

Waikōloa native and graduate of Kealakehe High School Eric Pōmaikaʻi Gee was one of two Villars Institute Fellows selected for the Ice Station Expedition, a 2-week mission that took place this month; he now will begin sharing lessons from the expedition through school visits, community presentations and public outreach.

The two organizations renewed a partnership that started 6 years ago aimed at working collaboratively to leverage their collective strengths in health care and education to create healthier communities throughout the state.

The U.S. congressman from the state’s 1st Congressional District, which encompasses all of Honolulu, says his bill responds directly to the goals of Pacific Islands in regard to economic advancement and stronger ties with the United States.

If trash has not been serviced by 3:30 today, leave the bin out and pick up will resume tomorrow.

Kaua‘i County remains under a flood watch until 6 p.m. today, but that could be extended, according to National Weather Service forecasters in Honolulu; high surf advisory for north, west shorelines of the island and Ni‘ihau also remains in effect, as well as a small craft advisory for waters around the Garden Isle, with seas of 10 to 12 feet forecast.