U.S. Representative from Hawai’i, K. Mark Takai, passed away today in Honolulu following a 9-month battle with pancreatic cancer. HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports.
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.
Gov. Josh Green returned from a trip to Italy, where he met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. Green spoke to The Conversation about his visit and the military leases that are set to expire across Hawaiʻi.
Starting in 2024, the program allowed for the state-initiated “expungement” of some marijuana-related offenses on Hawaiʻi Island, and this year state lawmakers expanded that to include excessive purchases of drugs with the lowest risk of dependency.