Politics

Hawaii’s ambitious energy goals are aimed at cutting the emission of carbon fuels into the environment, but solar and onshore wind will not get the job done alone.

Although Congress extended jobless benefits in late December, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ out-of-date computer system has created delays in processing certain claims.

Oahu households would each have to pay an additional $30,000 in taxes to fully cover the City and County’s future obligations.

In his state of the state address on Monday, Governor David Ige is expected to outline a plan for solving Hawaii’s nearly $2 billion budget shortfall. That spending plan will have to be passed by the state legislature, which has several options to plug the hole.

The main task facing state lawmakers this session will be to plug the $1.8 billion hole in Hawaii’s budget. Leadership signaled a reluctance to accomplish that through raising taxes.

Wednesday marks the start of the 2021 session of the Hawaii State Legislature. Lawmakers are back in the capitol under increased measures for public health and physical security.

While much of focus for the 2021 legislative session will be on responding to the health and economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, some state lawmakers are still pushing for policies to  address climate change.

Much of the state legislature’s business during the upcoming five month session will be conducted remotely, which is already creating technical challenges.

2020 was a tumultuous year for the local economy in Hawaii and the outlook for 2021 remains mixed and uncertain.

The federal pandemic relief bill signed into law by President Trump provides extra financial benefits for Hawaii residents filing for unemployment insurance.

The future of a bill to deliver a second round of pandemic assistance spending remains unclear after President Trump expressed dissatisfaction with a measure passed by Congress this week.

Hawaii likely has just a few remaining days to make use of emergency pandemic relief funds awarded to Hawaii by the federal government in March when Congress passed the $2 trillion CARES Act.

While the Democratic Party retained dominance in state politics, the results show that opportunities still exist for conservative candidates.

As youth vaping rates surged, a powerful state lawmaker repeatedly held up anti-vaping laws while accepting nearly $20,000 in campaign contributions from tobacco companies and lobbyists.

As the number of Hawaii residents behind on rent climbs, a much-touted state program to help out-of-work residents cover their rent appears to be failing.

Both Keith Amemiya and Rick Blangiardi say their top priority would be guiding Hawaii’s most populous island out of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have different approaches for doing so.

The deadline to distribute $1.25 billion in coronavirus relief funds given to Hawaii by the federal government is roughly three months away, but most of that money has not yet been spent.

Autonomous vehicles may soon be coming to Hawaii’s streets, but will still need a human operator for now.

While negotiations over additional federal assistance to cities and states remain deadlocked, Hawaii’s chief executive says the state may be forced to furlough workers in the coming months if Congress fails to act.

On both Oahu and Hawaii Island, voters opted for outsiders of experience in contests to narrow down the field of candidates for county mayor.

The federal government’s $600 per week supplement to unemployment benefits officially expired last week. The benefit injected more than $100 million per week into the local economy.

Hawaii voters are casting mail ballots in primary elections for county, state, and federal offices. Oahu voters will be making their pick for the mayor of the City and County of Honolulu.

The former television executive argues that his three decades overseeing large broadcasters in Hawaii give him the experience needed to steer Oahu through the twin challenges of a pandemic and deep recession.

State lawmakers concluded their regular business for 2020 on Friday with a much different set of priorities than when it began.

Friday is the final scheduled day for the Hawaii Legislature’s 2020 session. It was hallmarked by social distancing measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Choon James has spent a lot of time in Honolulu Hale over the past 20 years, but never as a public official. The Singapore-born real estate broker has been a long-time advocate before the City Council on issues like land use. This year, she decided that was no longer enough.

Voters on Oahu will elect a new mayor in 2020. HPR will be sitting down with mayoral hopefuls to discuss their top concerns and why they want the job.