This week workers at Marriott hotels are on strike. Here in Hawaii that includes the Sheraton Waikiki, The Royal Hawaiian, Moana Surfrider, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, and the Sheraton Maui. Among demands regarding compensation, the strikers are seeking guarantees about job security as the hospitality industry begins to embrace automation.
A heated debate is taking place around the state over whether or not we should amend the state constitution. One proposal would give the state legislature the power to tax investment property to fund public education. That measure will be decided directly by voters through a ballot referendum.
In one month Hawaii voters will decide whether or not to amend the state constitution. The specific amendment under consideration would create a property tax surcharge to fund public education. It would be a significant change in how residents are taxed in this state. Currently only county governments can levy property taxes.
The Honolulu City Council voted to pass two controversial bills that would give the City additional authority to remove persons and property from public spaces like sidewalks and parks. The measures are seen by many as targeting Oahu’s urban homeless population, though, it may also help curb the vendors operating on waikiki’s sidewalks.
2018 is already one of the deadliest years for Hawaii’s pedestrians in the last decade. There have been more than 30 fatalities statewide this year, compared to 15 last year and 32 in 2016. Last weekend alone there were 3 pedestrian fatalities – two on Oahu and one on Kauai. A fourth person was hospitalized in serious condition after a separate incident in Honolulu.
UPDATE: Bills 51 and 52 passed the Honolulu City Council on a 6-3 vote. The additional requirements added by the City Council were not removed from the bills.
The Honolulu City Council is meeting to for a final on vote on two bills submitted by Mayor Kirk Caldwell that could have a significant impact on Honolulu’s homeless policy. Bill 51 would make it illegal to obstruct a public sidewalk. Bill 52 would make it illegal to establish lodging in public spaces like parks.
It may feel like the era where robots can truly replace humans is far off, but it may be closer than you think. At the Global Tourism Summit in Honolulu this week attendees got to listen to a conversation between a human and a highly advanced artificially intelligent robot.
All young men between the ages of 18 and 26 living in the United States are required to register with the Selective Service. That databse is maintained should Congress ever reauthorizes a military draft. There are serious and often irreversible consequences for men who fail to sign up before they turn 26.
The screening had been arranged by the law school's Associate Deans. During breaks in the hearing, Professor Linda Krieger led an ad hoc discussion of what students were watching.
After 68 years of uncertainty, a father has been reunited with his sons. Army Master Sergeant Charles McDaniel Sr. went to war for the second time when his eldest son was only three years old. He never came back. But that changed last week.
This summer marked the 100th Anniversary of the first time American and Australian troops fought together on the battlefield. What began as an alliance of necessity in the trenches of Europe has evolved into a strategic partnership that spans the Indo-Pacific.
The Honolulu Planning Commission unanimously voted down a sweeping proposal on short term rentals that covered everything from property taxes to parking. The wide-ranging bill would significantly change the way owners can rent out their property to vacationers and had generated opposition on all sides.
At 10 am Thursday morning the Honolulu Board of Water Supply began notifying Oahu residents that one of its reservoirs was reaching dangerous levels. The reservoir in question is held in place by a 103-year old earthen dam that sits uphill of thousands of homes.
Nu’uanu Reservoir #1 sits just off the Ewa side of Pali Highway behind the Oahu Country Club. It’s not one of the larger reservoirs in the area, but it still holds millions of gallons of water above dense residential neighborhoods.
On Wednesday the Honolulu City Council voted unanimously to advance two bills that could have a major impact on the city’s homelessness policy. One would make it illegal to obstruct public sidewalks. The other would ban camping in any public space. But a court case on the mainland may spell trouble for one of the bills.
A Hawaii judge has ruled in the legal dispute surrounding control of a sugar plantation fortune. The details of the case read like a novel. Abigail Kawananakoa is the heir to the James Campbell trust, a collection of real estate, properties, and cash assets valued at $215 million. She is also a descendant of Hawaii's former monarchy and is considered by many to be the last Hawaiian princess.
Despite receiving approval from the state in 2009, a community hospital development project in West Maui has struggled to obtain funding for the past 9 years. That is a big deal for a community where it can take as long as two hours to reach the nearest hospital.
Voters will get the chance to decide whether or not property taxes should be used to fund Hawaii's public schools. A judge ruled on Friday that a referendum question to amend the state constitution could remain on the November ballot.
The Honolulu Planning Commission held a public hearing yesterday on several proposals that would change the way Temporary Vacation Units, or TVU’s, operate on Oahu. Dozens of Oahu residents appeared in person to testify.
Hurricane Lane only recently departed the Hawaiian Islands but other storms, Hurricanes Norman and Oliva, are moving our way.
The Conversation producer Ryan Finnerty takes a closer look at how storms disrupt the all-important ocean shipping industry here in Hawaii. Brad Dechter is the President of the freight company Dependable Hawaiian Express as Hurricane Lane moved through.
Adaptive Surfers from around the world are expressing displeasure with a new scoring policy.
The sport of adaptive surfing uses modified boards and equipment to allow people with physical limitations to ride ocean waves. The sport has been gaining popularity worldwide after the Hawaii-based organization Access Surf started the first ever adaptive surfing contest 11 years ago.
How do sick and injured people get help during a storm? It’s a matter of life and death for some patients riding out the storm in hospitals, long-term care facilities or at home.
Hawaii is known around the world as the birthplace of surfing. In the Territorial Days, Duke Kahanamoku introduced the Western world to the sport of wave riding at Queen's surf break in Waikiki. Now, under the watchful gaze of the Duke statue, Queens is once again the site of a milestone event in the world of surfing.
The 11th annual Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships wrap up today in Waikiki. There are plenty of surf competitions across Hawaii – but this one is unique among them. The big difference? Many of the competitors arrive at the beach in a wheelchair.
It’s being hailed as a solution to save Sunset Beach thanks to a private-public partnership. Work began yesterday to take down damaged portion of a bike lane eaten away by beach erosion during high waves. The North Shore Community Land Trust has partnered with the City to complete the Sunset restoration project.
If you’ve ever ordered anything online, you know that shipping to Hawaii can take a while. That is because the vast majority of goods in Hawaii came here on a ship. But the share delivered by air has been growing steadily for almost 30 years.
In fact, Hawaiian Airlines is the nation’s oldest air cargo carrier. It was issued the first-ever certificate for air freight back during World War Two. This week the company debuted a new fleet of inter-island cargo planes.
Overfishing is a concern around the world and here in Hawaii. A new conservation law just signed by President Trump stands to significantly change the way commercial fisherman in Hawaii and U.S. Pacific Territories bring their catch to market.
Earlier in the week, a young woman who was severely injured by a lava bomb spoke to the media for the first time. 20-year-old Jessica Tilton and her family were visiting Hawaii from Illinois. The Tilton’s booked a lava viewing boat tour out of Hilo on July 16th.
The roar of two F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets signaled the start of an assault on Kaneohe’s Pyramid Rock Beach. A multinational coalition was about to launch an amphibious landing in the fictional nation of Griffon. Their objective was to retake an airfield that had been captured by hostile forces in the wake of a natural disaster.
