General News

One of Hawaiʻi’s oldest stories is making a new appearance on a local stage. It’s a legend that has been passed down through hula for generations, and it is now being performed in Hawaiian. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi talks with Hawaiian playwright and director Kauʻi Kaina.

The fate of Hāʻiku Stairs could soon be returning to another agency of the City and County of Honolulu. Supporters of reopening the stairs say the move is more symbolic than it is significant. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Hawaiʻi’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened for business on Maui yesterday. The dispensary is one of two licensed to serve patients in Maui County. But what about patients living on Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi? HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

Back to School. Today is the first day of the 2017 school year for tens of thousands of Hawaiʻi public school students. For many families, getting ready for going back to school has not only been a time-consuming process – but an expensive one. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Roads leading to the summit of Haleakalā are once again open to the public today. Park officials say the construction convoy delivering equipment for the new Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope was successful. This follows the latest round of protests against the solar telescope under construction. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Hawaiʻi will be making quite a debut this weekend at the Pacific Ink and Art Expo. Among more than 100 tattoo artists from around the world will be Hawaiian tattoo artist Keliʻi Makua. Makua has consistently represented Hawaiʻi at the expo since its inception six years ago, but this year is different. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more of his story.

Black people have a long history in Hawai’i dating back to the 19th century. The state’s more than 21,000 blacks make up a little over 3 percent of the population. That compares to a national average of 13 percent and ranks Hawai’i 39th among all state in the percentage of its population that is black. These numbers are just one reason for such a unique experience for black cultures here in Hawai’i. HPR’s Ku’uwehi Hiraishi has this story.

More than 20 years have passed since the first charter school was authorized here in Hawai’i. Since then, public charter schools have fueled educational innovation to offer students and parents school choice. Next month, two more charter schools will open their doors. As HPR’s Ku’uwehi Hiraishi reports, getting these schools up and running is quite a task.

Hawaiian sunsets are heaven for any photographer…if you can capture it. Learning how to photograph Hawaiʻiʻs natural beauty doesn’t have to take place in a classroom either.

Social photography events are a popular way for amateur photographers to polish their skills and socialize at the same time. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi met up with local photographers for a Sunset Photo Walk.

‘Ulupalakua Ranch on Maui is best known for its winery and cowboy culture, but not its Hawaiian dry forest. A 20-year forest restoration project on Ranch lands is changing that. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

In the world of hula, Hilo has the Merrie Monarch Festival and Honolulu has the Keiki Hula Competition. For the past 42 years, Keiki Hula has cultivated the next generation of hula dancers – some as young as five years old. The group competition kicks off tonight with traditional hula. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

An experiment in community-based fishery management is underway on Kauaʻi’s north shore. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story from Hāʻena, Kauaʻi.

A community of traditional salt makers on Kauaʻi is navigating the impacts of climate change on the generations-old practice. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

A Kailua-man spent two years converting his gas-guzzling Porsche to an all-electric vehicle. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

For the first time in more than a century, land titles held by Hawaiʻi’s former sugar companies are being opened to challenge. At their peak in the 1930s, sugar plantations cultivated approximately 250,000 acres across the island chain. As plantations have sold off much of those holdings, attempts by new landowners to clear title are proving more challenging than imagined. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Fourth of July festivities are set for tomorrow across the island chain to celebrate America’s 242nd birthday. On the grounds of the ‘Iolani Palace in Honolulu, one group is commemorating another July Fourth with a dramatic re-enactment of an event in Hawaiian history that took place a little more than a century ago. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

Some of the best – and often restricted – hiking trails in Hawaiʻi can only be accessed by members of Hawaiʻi's oldest hiking club. The Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club has been around since 1910 and has developed quite a system for preserving access to island trails. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi hit the trail with the club.

This Saturday, bicycles are ruling the roads in Kalihi Valley. The First Annual Kalihi Ahupuaʻa Bike Ride will give riders a chance to experience the valley like never before. HPR reporter Ku’uwehi Hiraishi went for a spin.

The Kāneʻohe Neighborhood Board is considering a resolution about the future of the popular yet illegal Haʻikū Stairs. The U.S. Coast Guard closed the trail also known as Stairway to Heaven in 1987, but the hikers keep coming. 

The impact of illegal hiking activity on the trailhead community in Haʻikū is coming to a head, and one group believes reopening the trail is the answer. HPR News' Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Managing Hawaiʻi's hiking trails is becoming an increasingly complex challenge. Recent news reports of stranded hikers and fatal hiking incidents on our trails have some questioning the effectiveness of unmanaged trail access.

Supplying enough recreation for its residents and the revolving door of tourists is an official task of the state Nā Ala Hele program. The trail and access program manages the state's hiking inventory and maintains all state-sanctioned trails across the island chain. HPR reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

Libraries are popping up across the country, but they’re not lending books. They’re lending tools. The HNL Tool Library is part of a nationwide movement prioritizing access to tools over ownership. Tool library director and local entrepreneur Elia Bruno is on a mission to connect often underused tools with the people who need them. HPR Reporter Ku’uwehi Hiraishi spoke with Bruno and takes us on a tour of the tool library. 

A recent national poetry competition was set against the backdrop of political debates. President Trump’s proposed budget calls for cuts to agencies that fund the arts. Hawai’i high school student Nicholas Amador represented the state and reflects on poetry and politics in the nation’s capital. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this report.

A school name change on Oʻahu is raising awareness in that community about the origin of place names in Hawaiʻi. The Governing Board for Lanikai Elementary Public Charter School has decided to revive the traditional place name for the land beneath the school. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

Maui County Parks are going organic. A pilot project to create pesticide-free county parks is underway on the Valley Isle. Over the next year, the county will learn what it takes to implement an organic land management program. And they will do so at no cost to Maui taxpayers. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Scientists studying sea level rise at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa need your help. Impacts of some of our highest tides of the year are predicted to be seen this week. And the general public is being summoned to document those impacts along the thousand or more miles of coastline across the island chain. HPR reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi explains how anyone with a smartphone and coastline access can contribute to science.  

Natives are recolonizing urban Honolulu. Native birds, that is. The white tern or Manu O Kū is thriving in Hawaiʻi’s most populous city, and so is its fan base – the Hui Manu O Kū. HPR reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi joined a group of white tern enthusiasts on a bird expedition in downtown Honolulu.

A local non-profit is bringing families together with technology. For the tech education organization Purple Maiʻa, you’re never too young or too old to learn to code. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.