Hawaiʻi Island

Hawaiʻi County is updating its hazard mitigation plan for the first time since 2020, and the county is taking public feedback on the plan now.

We first reported the story of Eric-Preston Hamren. He was two months shy of permanent status at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — he got the bad news on Valentine's Day. HPR met him back in December at Beginner Bird School, which he runs as a volunteer.

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and Hawaiʻi Rep. Jill Tokuda speak before a crowd protesting cuts to DEI programs at an Allies in Resistance rally; Eric-Preston Hamren shares what the loss of his job means for conservation efforts on Hawaiʻi Island

Trump's bid to gut the U.S. Agency for International Development is impacting research into coffee. A $6 million USAID grant to develop coffee trees resistant to the fungal disease coffee leaf rust has been halted.

The Trump administration has fired thousands of probationary employees from federal agencies. HPR's Maddie Bender reports on the impact on a Hawai’i Island forest and a beloved birdwatching program.

Invasive species and introduced diseases have transformed farming in the famed Kona coffee region. Now the Trump administration is pulling federal support for research into solutions. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports from Hawaiʻi Island.

This winter, Manu Powers of Sea Quest Hawaii dealt with low staffing and high surf advisories.

HPR continues to track the local impact of federal funding freezes. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote speaks to a Hawaiʻi Island group that has had its funding for a wildfire prevention project pulled.

It’s Kimo Alameda's turn to drive the bus for the Hawaiʻi Island. The Conversation talked to him about his legislative priorities this session and his plans as the new mayor.

State lawmakers are moving along measures to curb crimes on farms, including those that would establish a “stand your ground” law to give farmers and ranchers more ability to defend themselves. HPR's Mark Ladao has more.