Wayne Yoshioka is an award-winning journalist who has worked in television, print and radio in Hawaiʻi. He also has been on both sides of politics as a state departmental appointee and political/government reporter. He covered Hurricane Iwa (1982) as a TV reporter; was the State Department of Defense/Civil Defense spokesperson for Hurricane Iniki (1992); and, commanded a public affairs detachment in Afghanistan (2006). He has a master's degree in Communication from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is a decorated combat veteran (Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and 22 other commendation/service medals). He resides in Honolulu.
The Justice Department is suing four states over climate action. The office argued in filings Wednesday that pending lawsuits out of Hawaiʻi and Michigan against fossil fuel companies for harms caused by climate change would infringe on the federal government's authority.
A bill that would have banned assault rifles in Hawaiʻi stalled on one of the last days of this legislative session. The bill sought to ban the sale and possession of semi-automatic assault rifles beginning in 2026.