General News

Relocation has begun for some Puna residents forced from their homes by the Kilauea Eruption. Lava has been flowing on the Big Island for more than six weeks now, covering nearly 6,000 acres and destroying more than 500 homes. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

Hawaiʻi has all the ingredients for a thiving clean energy economy – high energy prices and an abundance of renewable energy sources. But persuading local youth to stay in the islands and help build this economy will be one of the state’s biggest challenges. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

Kilauea Volcano has been erupting for more than a month now. Thousands of Big Island residents have been displaced and hundreds of homes have been destroyed. But natural disasters leave behind more than just physical damage. HPR Reporter Ku’uwehi Hiraishi has more.

A 25-year battle for water on Molokaʻi continues today before the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

It’s been nearly a month since Kilauea Volcano uprooted the lives of thousands of Hawaiʻi Island residents. Lava has destroyed 82 homes and covered 15,000 acres of land. County officials say evacuees are now seeking more permanent plans to wait out the ongoing eruption. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

Kilauea Volcano has been erupting for three weeks now, destroying 29 homes and covering more than 150 acres of land. But lava isn’t the only force that continues to threaten island residents. HPR Reporter Ku’uwehi Hiraishi has this story.

Since May 3, Hawaiʻi’s Kīlauea volcano destroyed more than 35 structures, 26 of which were homes, and displaced an estimated 2,000 residents.  HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has been on the ground in Puna talking to local residents about their experience.

What began with a crack in the road has now become a four mile stretch of volcanic fissures cutting through residential communities on Hawai’i Island.  HPR Reporter Ku‘uwehi Hiraishi is on the ground in Puna and filed this report.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is set to release a report tomorrow on the health of Native Hawaiian women. The launch of the report coincides with Women’s Health Month, which is May. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

Oxybenzone may soon become a thing of the past. Yesterday, Hawaiʻi lawmakers approved a state-wide ban on the sale of sunscreen containing the chemical. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

Surfing isn’t the only sport with a history in Hawai’i. Polo has been in the islands since Hawaiʻi was a kingdom. This Sunday, professional players from around the world honor that history at the Hawaiʻi Spring Invitational of Polo. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

A major hurricane that hit Hawaiʻi in the nineteenth century is changing our understanding of hurricane risk in the islands. While minimal reference exists in English language sources, the event was well-documented in Hawaiian newspapers of the time. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

Governor David Ige proclaimed today, April 25, ʻŌhiʻa Lehua Day in Hawaiʻi. Over the past eight years, millions of ʻōhiʻa lehua trees on Hawaiʻi Island died from a fungal disease known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death. Not much was known about the disease until now. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this stoy.

One week after historic rains swamped the north shore of Kauaʻi, communities at the end of the road remain isolated. While geographic isolation raises unique challenges in disaster recovery, it always strengthens this community’s self-reliance. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

Think human beings are rational thinkers when it comes to money? Think again. An estimated two thirds of Americans have received or anticipate receiving a tax refund this year – and logic has little to do with how we will spend it. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

A bill before the State Legislature may make it harder for new landowners in Hawaiʻi to clear title to their piece of paradise. Proponents of the bill say it would help native Hawaiians preserve ancestral lands. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

The board of directors for the Thirty Meter Telescope is meeting this week to decide whether to extend its April deadline. More time would allow legal proceedings to play out but none of that may matter after today’s floor vote in the state Senate. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

The generations-old tradition of seaweed cultivation in Hawaiʻi is making a comeback. Seaweed or limu is an important part of the traditional Hawaiian diet, but it’s abundance in recent years has been diminishing. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

New Zealand’s highest ranking Maori judge is visiting Hawai’i. Justice Joseph Williams is the first fluent Maori speaker to be appointed to the New Zealand Court of Appeals. His visit comes as Hawaiʻi grapples with its own issue of native language in the courtrooms. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

First it was Maui County then Hawaiʻi County, and now the State is considering a ban on polystyrene food containers. Similar bans have been passed in cities and counties across the country, but this could make Hawaiʻi the first state to do so. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

There are now more payday loan stores in Hawaiʻi than there are 7-11s. The state’s growing demand for payday loans is no surprise given the high cost of living in the islands. But with interest rates as high as 459 percent, lawmakers are demanding greater regulation. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

Starting today, the popular Lanikai Pillbox Trail will be closed for the next two months for repairs to the two pillbox structures. This pause in foot traffic comes as the state develops a long-term management plan for the highly-used trail. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi hit the trail before it closed and has this story.

Today Hawaiʻi celebrates Prince Kūhiō Day. For some island residents this may just be another day off. But for the hundreds who celebrated this weekend across the island chain, Prince Kūhiō is more than just a holiday. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

For most people, a hot shower is simply part of the daily routine. But for more than 7,000 Hawaiʻi residents experiencing homelessness, that hot shower has been a luxury...until now. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

For a few hours this week, inmates at Waiʻawa Correctional Facility stepped away from prison life. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi was there and has this story.

Micronesians are Hawaiʻi’s newest and fastest growing immigrant population. For more than 30 years, citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, moved to Hawaiʻi to seek greater opportunities for employment and education. And now, the voice of the next generation of this immigrant population is emerging. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Opponents of the Thirty Meter Telescope are back in court today. Hawaiʻi Supreme Court justices will hear arguments about whether anti-TMT forces are entitled to another contested case hearing – this time, on the telescope’s sublease. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Math geeks rejoice! Today is March 14 – that’s 3/14, also known as Pi Day. And this Pi Day, Hawaiʻi math lovers have something special to celebrate. Hawaiʻi has become the first in the world to offer an academic program in the area of ethnomathematics – a growing global trend in math education. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

A first-of-its-kind study of Hawaiʻi’s underwater cultural heritage has been completed. The vast inventory of shipwrecks and submerged aircrafts in Hawaiian waters serve as an underwater history museum waiting to be discovered. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

A new car share program is gearing up for launch this summer in Honolulu. The Hui Car Share Program boasts all the benefits of owning a car without the cost or hassle. The program is still undergoing pilot testing, but as HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports, this could be a game changer for transportation in urban Honolulu.