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Herbal cigarettes don’t contain tobacco or nicotine but can still be harmful to users, so the Honolulu City Council wanted to limit their accessibility to Oʻahu’s youth via Bill 1.
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The Maui Fire Department has released one of two major reports debuting this week about the deadly August wildfires. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports on how firefighters managed the emergency and how the department plans to prepare for the future.
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U.S. Army leases on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island are expiring in five years, and the Board of Land and Natural Resources is considering a land exchange as an alternative to new leases.
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The Maui Fire Department is expected to release a report Tuesday detailing how the agency responded to a series of wildfires that burned on the island during a windstorm last August.
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The Board of Land and Natural Resources’ ongoing practice of issuing temporary permits to divert water from East Maui streams was upheld in a decision by the Hawaiʻi appeals court. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.
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Lawmakers are considering a resolution that would address vegetation management to reduce risks of future wildfires. The group would focus on invasive, flammable grasses along utility lines and other vegetation growing on utility poles.
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Sen. Brian Schatz urged lawmakers to pass additional disaster relief funding for Maui and other disaster-impacted communities across the country.
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Honolulu officials have started the process of removing the Haʻikū Stairs from the Koʻolau Mountains. The popular illegal hike, also known as the "Stairway to Heaven," has about 4,000 stairs. Debate has surrounded the removal for decades, heightened by neighborhood complaints of trespassing and noise. HPR's Ashley Mizuo reports.
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Mayor Mitch Roth has submitted his proposed $888 million operating budget to the Hawaiʻi County Council for the next fiscal year. The mayor’s budget is up 6.6% from last year. It says $30.5 million of that bump would go to salary increases for employees.
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Two measures that would allow counties to begin phasing out non-conforming use permits for transient vacation rental units passed out of both of their chambers. It would give counties more control over short-term rentals. HPR's Ashley Mizuo has more.
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The operator of a lūʻau in a residential area of Honolulu said he plans to continue his business despite city officials ordering him to stop. At the end of February, the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting gave Karl Veto Baker until March 30 to correct the violation. Baker said he created the lūʻau to bring back representation of Hawaiian culture. HPR's Cassie Ordonio has more.
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The state Legislature is still working on measures addressing marijuana this session — not legalization, but increasing the amount covered by decriminalization. The attention to the regulation of the substance has raised questions about clearing criminal records for marijuana convictions under old laws. HPR's Ashley Mizuo reports.