Neighbor Island News

A bill to define licensure laws for traditional birth attendants died in the state House of Representatives last week, but some members of the public haven’t given up hope.

Current Hawaiʻi laws differentiate between a midwife and a traditionally trained birth attendant. For the latter, if a law doesn’t get past this legislative session, some of these practices will be illegal come July. HPR's Sabrina Bodon delved deeper into the discussion.

State lawmakers are considering several measures dealing with guns in public and on private property. Those include bills recognizing "sensitive places" — creating a statewide law on where firearms are or are not allowed. HPR’s Sabrina Bodon reports on the efforts.

When the state Legislature opens Wednesday, there will be 16 new members in the House and two new lawmakers in the Senate. It's the largest class of first-term lawmakers in nearly 30 years. HPR’s Sabrina Bodon spoke with four of them.

About 14,000 of the most hazardous cesspools should be converted by 2030, a state task force recommended. Cesspools, which are commonly used across Hawaiʻi, pose large environmental health concerns for streams and the ocean, and have long been accused of contaminating groundwater.

Prompted by the temporary suspension of Hawaii Life Flight transports, Gov. Josh Green has signed an emergency proclamation extending the use of the Hawaiʻi National Guard for interisland medical transport.

Sen. Brian Schatz announced Wednesday that he secured upwards of $500 million for nonprofits and government projects in Hawaiʻi.

Two neighbor island high schools, Konawaena and Waimea on Kauaʻi, won state titles in division I and division II football, respectively. The Conversation sat down with Harold Tanaka, the football coordinator for the Hawaiʻi High School Athletic Association, to talk about the talent pool across the state.

Each county had between three and 15 charter amendment questions on their general election ballot. Only two proposals across all four counties did not pass — one on Oʻahu and one on Kauaʻi. HPR’s Sabrina Bodon reviews the outcomes.

The state has received more than 285,000 ballots as of Monday morning. Voting in the 2022 general election ends at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8. HPR's Sabrina Bodon visited the Hawaiʻi State Capitol to learn more.