Ryan Finnerty

Friday is the final scheduled day for the Hawaii Legislature’s 2020 session. It was hallmarked by social distancing measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Hawaii recorded its largest single-day increase in new cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. 

Choon James has spent a lot of time in Honolulu Hale over the past 20 years, but never as a public official. The Singapore-born real estate broker has been a long-time advocate before the City Council on issues like land use. This year, she decided that was no longer enough.

At recent protests around the country, a striking sight is becoming increasingly common: heavily armed men wearing brightly colored, tropical-themed aloha shirts.

Voters on Oahu will elect a new mayor in 2020. HPR will be sitting down with mayoral hopefuls to discuss their top concerns and why they want the job.

As of August 1st, travelers coming to Hawaii will be exempt from the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine if they first get tested for COVID-19 and are negative for the virus. 

The ACLU of Hawaii sent a letter to state officials on Monday saying the group has serious privacy and civil rights concerns over the planned use of facial recognition in state airports.

State lawmakers back in session to address budget shortfall; Punahou School's plan to bring students back on campus; Teens who'd never met organized Hawaii's Black Lives Matter protest; Kaiser High No. 1 in the nation in math and reading proficiency

State lawmakers return to the Capitol today for what is expected to be the final three weeks of this year’s legislative session. Their main focus will be allocation $618 million in federal pandemic assistance.

A team from the University of Hawaii is hoping to find better ways to treat COVID-19 by analyzing the experiences of other patients.

Women in Hawaii are more likely to have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 recession than male residents, despite equal representation in the workforce.

Sales of farm products currently represent just 0.6% of Hawaii gross domestic product. Experts say there are opportunities for it to grow, but substantial challenges as well.

Voters on Oahu will elect a new mayor this year. There’s a crowded field, with 15 candidates officially in the race.

Voters on Oahu will elect a new mayor in 2020. HPR is sitting down with mayoral hopefuls to discuss their top concerns and why they want the job.

Despite decades of effort, state and local government in Hawaii have had little success in fostering diversification of the islands' tourism-centric economy. The COVID-19 pandemic recession has once again generated calls for standing up new industries and expanding existing ones that do not include tourism.

This series explores what some of those industries of the future might be and what local leaders can do to bringa about their growth.

Hawaii’s main industry, tourism and hospitality, has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers have been calling for economic diversification for decades, but single-single industry dominance has been the norm for centuries.

The daily stream of COVID-19 news is unending. In its rigid grip, we can easily miss the Hawaii stories of struggle and quiet heroism that are playing out in our backyard. Here is a compilation of voices we've heard. And we look forward to hearing yours. Call our talkback line at 808-792-8217 or e-mail us at talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org. 

The recession stemming from the global COVID-19 pandemic may accelerate Hawaii’s ongoing population decline, according to local economic forecasts.

Economists say the state’s economic situation will remain dire without tourism, but residents are fed up with overcrowding by visitors. Experts say now is the time to reorient Hawaii’s visitor industry to a more sustainable path.

As Hawaii continues to reopen the local economy, some leaders are calling for a plan to restart the state’s $18 billion tourism economy. One lawmaker wants COVID-19 testing to be at the center of such a plan.

This story originally aired and was posted in 2019. It was awarded a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Feature story in 2020.

First Lieutenant Jonathan Brostrom was killed in action during a 2008 Taliban attack in Eastern Afghnaistan. Every year the University of Hawaii Army ROTC program looks back at the battle to study what happened.

The City and County of Honolulu is not able to effectively enforce the mandatory 14-day quarantine on visitors staying in vacation rentals, according to one senior official.

Hawaii Island’s 12 observatories have been cleared to resume operations by state officials. With travel largely on hold, many observations will now be made from home.

With about 1 in 3 Hawaii workers now unemployed, many have also lost their health insurance. Some options for getting replacement coverage come with a deadline.

Hawaii National Guard Major General Kenneth Hara said he is concerned about the possibility of civil unrest if a plan is not finalized to move toward easing Hawaii’s ongoing lockdown.

The U.S. military is using inexpensive, simple procedures to check troops in South Korea for COVID-19 symptoms. Similar tools could help schools and hospitals at home.