Hawaiʻi County

A new lifeguard tower has been installed at Kohanaiki Beach Park thanks to community advocacy. Resident Rachel Able advocated for the tower after her daughter sustained injuries while surfing and died in November 2022.

Bill 47 is a partial revival of a set of measures that failed last year that would have overhauled zoning and operational laws on “transient vacation rentals” in the County of Hawaiʻi.

Hawaiʻi Island lawmakers passed a $950 million budget for the county, but denied a last-minute amendment to spend $2 million on food security programs. The administration says no plan was attached to that funding, leading the council to vote against the amendment five to three.

As Congress weighs a $300 billion cut to SNAP funding, local officials are trying to figure out how they might be able to secure funding for the program in their own communities.

County law currently only allows chickens to be raised on agricultural land, but Bill 52 would let residents have “household henneries” for non-commercial egg production.

The Hawaiʻi County Council advanced a resolution on Tuesday that called on the county Department of Water Supply to create an online system that shows the amount of available water islandwide.

Heads up to households on the east side of Hawaiʻi Island — state and county officials may come knocking on your door to survey you about emergency preparedness. HPR’s Savannah Harriman-Pote has the details.

Hawaiʻi County council members are questioning whether big investments in mass transit make sense on the state's largest island. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports.

The Big Island takes in roughly $937 million in revenue, the majority of which comes from property taxes. On top of routine expenses, the county is facing significant costs for repairs to its aging wastewater infrastructure.

Hawaiʻi County wants to move around some federal funds in order to pay for a Waikoloa evacuation study. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote has more.