Kauai News

Dangerously large breaking waves of 25 to 35 feet are expected along north shores, with dangerously large breakers of 15 to 26 feet expected along west shores as surf peaks this morning above warning levels while yet another large to extra large winter swell makes its way through the islands.

Before we get too far into 2025 and the headlines start rolling in about the people, research and work at the 10 campuses of the statewide University of Hawai‘i system, let’s review the top headlines from last year. University of Hawai‘i News posted nearly 1,500 stories in a very eventful 2024.

The new Kapa‘a office will provide motor vehicle transactions and the availability to make utility payments and purchase bus passes and tipping coupons.

The Hanapēpē skatepark may break ground this summer. The Nāwiliwili project will take more time.

People around the world greet the New Year with fireworks and other celebrations. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitors got to greet 2025 with displays of lava fountaining from the southwest part of Kaluapele, the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano.

U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda as well as U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz were sworn in Friday and will again represent Hawaiʻi for the next two years in the 119th Congress.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported lava fountaining and flow activity within Halemaʻumaʻu Crater ceased at about 8:40 p.m. Friday. Lava continued to slowly move, with crustal overturns expected in the hours following the pause in eruptive activity.

Staff from several state and federal agencies, with assistance from others, are working to tow the whale remains offhsore, as requested by Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners.

Phase 1 seed funding totaling $400,000 from the Hawaiʻi Film and Creative Industries Development Fund will be used to support local filmmakers, media makers and content creators with the goal of growing Hawai‘i-made media content to be licensed and distributed worldwide.

Firefighters responded to the conflagration at the Kai Olino affordable housing project shortly after midnight on Wednesday.

Aria Labrador entered the world on the night of Jan. 1.

The nurses at Wilcox Medical Center have been fighting for safer nurse-to-patient staffing to deliver good care for patients, said Rosalee Agas-Yuu, president of the Hawaiʻi Nurses Association.

Hawai‘i joins 12 other states leading the way with expanded continuous Medicaid coverage for children, alongside Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington.

In 2025, Mālama Kauaʻi plans to grow farm-to-school efforts, keep food distribution programs operating and develop programming to provide land access to beginning farmers.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation reported a 10% increase in traffic fatalities in 2024 with 51 from the City and County of Honolulu, 29 from Hawaiʻi Island, 14 from Maui County and 8 from Kauaʻi County.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will host 3 workshops to help Kauaʻi farmers and producers improve their operations, reduce production costs and conserve natural resources.

There were 770,940 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in November of this year, which is an increase of 5.3% compared to the same month in 2023.

Additional islands will likely be added to the advisory.

Gov. Josh Green signed an executive order protecting primary caregivers cultivating cannabis for patients within the bounds of the law that exists as of Dec. 31, 2024.

Short, intermittent full closures may be required to remove the larger pieces of debris.