Kauai

Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami is urging the state to postpone its planned reopening of Kūhiō Highway this Wednesday. The flood-damaged road has been closed for nearly a year, and Kawakami says there is still much to be done first. 

On May 1st, a stretch of Kuhio Highway on Kauai’s North Shore will reopen to the general public for the first time in more than a year. State and County officials are rolling out a new permit system that aims to limit the human impact on one of Hawaii’s most popular attractions: the Na Pali Coast.

In the wake of a closely watched kuleana land auction on Kauaʻi last week, one faction of the family caught up in the property dispute is calling for change. A core group of Rapozo family members is demanding new policies and protections for kuleana landowners. 

Remember when Mark Zuckerberg caused public outcry on Kauaʻi after seeking land titles from kuleana property owners? Yeah, Hawaiʻi lawmakers haven’t forgotten either. A bill before the State Legislature aims to change the way these property disputes are resolved. 

Kauaʻi’s electrical utility has a different history from the rest of the islands and different opportunities. Pacific Business News editor in chief A. Kam Napier has more on what that has meant for its customer-owners.

This past April, Kūhiō Highway on Kaua‘i’s North Shore was devastated by heavy flooding. Road repairs are now nearing completion. The state Department of Transportation plans to reopen the highway to the public by the end of January or early February. But HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports local residents are concerned the coast isn’t ready for the increased traffic.

Hawai‘i’s Menehune are not very much like Christmas elves, but children in the islands all knew stories about them, growing up.  Menehune were said to be about 3 feet tall.  They lived in the mountains and when they felt like it, they helped Hawaiians of old to build temples, roads, walls and fishponds.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports, the island of Kaua‘i is rich with Menehune stories, and evidence of their industriousness.

The last several miles of road along Kauaʻi’s North Shore remain closed to the public since the April flood. Local residents are limited to commute along one lane of the highway and only during scheduled convoy times. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi hopped on a recent convoy up the coast and filed this report.

A new community-driven initiative on Kaua’i’s North Shore aims to ensure residents have a say in rebuilding their coast after the massive flooding earlier this year. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi recently visited the Garden Isle and filed this report.

  This morning we heard from farmers on Kauai and Maui in advance of an upcoming Hemp Conference this weekend. What is the way forward? What are the barriers in the way of success? What other states have pulled out in front of Hawaii in the search for an alternative crop here in the islands now that the sun has set on sugar? What are the downsides of growing hemp? How much water does it use? Some states are wrestling with the noxious smell, or regulations that are slow to materialize.

Our guests today were:  

On Monday, power was temporarily knocked out across the island of Kaua‘i. The Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative is still investigating. But meanwhile the cooperative is also continuing to push for the use of more renewable energy. And there’s a new program to make clean energy more accessible to individuals and groups who have faced challenges in getting access to it in the past.

Taylor Camp was the name given to a commune built Kauai’s hippie community in the 1960’s. A documentary about it called "The Edge of Paradise" has now been updated and renamed. It debuted on the Garden Isle and now heads to the Big Island.

As Kauaʻi residents continue to deal with the impacts of heavy rain and flooding, we want to turn your attention to another water issue on the Garden Isle....one that residents have been dealing with for more than a century. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

A plucky little gallery on the Hanalei River is mighty glad not to have seen flooding over the weekend.  Still, it’s a surprise to area regulars that Ola’s Hanalei, known for its array of fine art and crafts, will be closing at the end of October.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa spoke with the owner of Ola’s yesterday, as intermittent downpours fed a rising Hanalei River.

Renewable sources are a growing part of the state’s energy consumption. That’s especially true on Kauaʻi, where solar remains a key ingredient—but not the only one.

The effects of the April flooding continue to be felt on Kaua‘i and will be for the foreseeable future. Engineers and road crews are still at work repairing the single, badly damaged road leading to the affected north shore community. And a caravan system is still in operation – with officials slowly leading locals in and out of the area a few times a day. 

The recent volcanic activity on the Big Island of Hawai‘i has captured the attention of the world. But elsewhere in the islands there’s another dramatic story that has not been a focus for many. It’s been nearly six weeks since Kaua‘i was hit by record flooding. And the recovery continues to be a slow process. We get more from HPR Contributing Reporter Scott Giarman on Kaua‘i.

State and federal officials are investigating and responding to the deaths of several ʻōhiʻa trees on Kauaʻi.

Homeless Safe Zones Funding; Kauai Recovery Update; Maunalua Heritage Festival; Power of Positive Thinking

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.

Kauai Flooding Recovery; Blue Line Project; Debt Free College; Poetry Out Loud

Flood Rebuilding Costs; Cabs Push Back Against Ridesharing; Volunteer Week; SHOCKA on Stage

Following the weekend flooding, the Hanalei District - including Wainiha and Haʻena, faced heavy damage. The Hanalei River became swollen, and many neighborhoods and farmlands flooded. Emergency rescue crews evacuated 152 people by helicopter, 121 by bus and others by water. Currently, it is an active search and rescue effort.

Kauai Flooding Update; 2018 National Health Security Preparedness Index; Volunteer Week; Electric Buses

Paʻulaʻula o Hipo, the site of Fort Elizabeth, the fort built by Russian trading interests in the early 19th century, is best remembered as the setting for the brief alliance between the Russian-American Company and Kauai's High Chief Kaumualiʻi. But there's more than one story behind what is now a National Historic Landmark.

Chinese Labor in Saipan; Kauai’s Russian Fort; Kaka’ako Walking Tour; Waikiki the Movie

Kauai Pesticide Report; Dangers of Downsizing Marine Preserves; Art and Science of Creating Lava

Micro Unit Affordable Rental Project; Salvinia Invasion on Kauai; Pilot André Borschberg; Antonio Carlos Jobim Tribute Concert

When it comes to converting to renewable energy, the biggest success story in the islands is on Kaua‘i. Less than a decade ago, about five percent of the Garden Island’s energy came from renewable sources. Now it’s more than eight times that figure. But the island is also making progress on another important issue: how to make use of solar energy when the sun isn’t shining. HPR contributing reporter Scott Giarman has more from Kaua‘i.