Territorial Savings acquisition is pending
HONOLULU — A Los Angeles-based super-regional Korean American bank is poised to become the owner of Hawai‘i’s fifth-biggest financial institution.
Battle over evidence in Ireland case heads to state’s top court
HILO, Hawaii — Hilo Circuit Judge Peter Kubota has told the Hawaii Supreme Court that his decision to release new information about the Christmas Eve 1991 abduction, rape and murder of Dana Ireland to lawyers representing two men wrongly convicted two decades ago trumps the desire of the Hawaii Police Department to keep the evidence confidential.
Hilo zoo urges visitors to not throw food, objects into animal enclosures
The staff at the Hilo zoo is urging visitors to keep their objects and hands away from the animals at all times after a rising number of foreign items have been found in some enclosures.
Hawaii telescopes spot ‘wicked fast’ star blazing across galaxy
HILO, Hawaii — A telescope atop Maunakea and a host of backyard astronomers have detected a rare star racing toward the edge of the galaxy at nearly unprecedented speeds.
Hawaiian-Alaska airlines proposed merger clears main regulatory hurdle
HONOLULU —A proposed $1.9 billion merger between competitors Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines cleared its most significant regulatory hurdle Monday after federal antitrust enforcers ended their review period without blocking the deal.
Hooser: Legislative reform — a tipping point
Kim Coco Iwamoto’s win against 30-year incumbent, representative and Speaker of the House for the past six years, Scott Saiki, is a truly historic achievement.
Revenue ramps up at Hawai‘i Convention Center
HONOLULU — The Hawai‘i Convention Center achieved its best revenue performance since the center’s opening in 1998, which along with strong net income saved $8.9 million in state subsidy this fiscal year.
Council seeks to revitalize downtown Honolulu malls
HONOLULU — Downtown Honolulu is being readied for an economic revival.
Hawaiian homestead spending plans still in flux
HONOLULU — Two years into a three-year plan for the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to use $600 million primarily for developing homestead lots for beneficiaries, the agency’s plan is still very much in flux.
Home sales on O‘ahu spiked in July
HONOLULU — O‘ahu’s sluggish real estate market is finally starting to pick up steam.
Insurers object to order preventing lawsuits
Attorneys for more than 160 insurance companies claim that a Maui judge’s decision barring them from suing any party thought to be responsible for last year’s Maui wildfires has no precedent around the country.
Hawai‘i man gets 20 years for sextortion
A 33-year-old Hawaii man was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison by a federal judge in Missouri for the sextortion of a 14-year-old Missouri girl and sharing explicit images of other young girls in Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado.
North Kohala farmers applaud DLNR’s $5.7M project to restore well
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources in September will start a yearlong $5.7 million project to improve a well in North Kohala so it can be used for agricultural purposes once again.
Pilot project cuts fire break for Waianae school
WAINAE, Hawai‘i — Leihoku Elementary School in West Oahu now has a firebreak — a 1,000-foot strip of cleared land — along the school’s fence line to help protect against wildfires.
Senior housing project on Maui breaks ground after delays
A private development partnership backed by state financing kicked off construction Tuesday, Aug. 13, on a 117-unit rental apartment complex in Kihei reserved for seniors with low incomes.
Sheraton Kaua‘i workers vote to authorize strike
Unite Here Local 5 workers at the Sheraton Kauai Resort have authorized a petition giving the union’s negotiating committee the power to call a strike.
Japan market sluggish, despite little boosts
HONOLULU — Japan returned more than a year ago to its position as Hawai‘i’s top source of international tourists, but the market isn’t expected to attain its pre-COVID-19 level of more than 1.5 million visitor arrivals until 2026 or 2027.
Lane closures scheduled on Kaua‘i
LIHU‘E — A number of road-related projects are on tap in the coming week with work stretching from the West Shore to the North Shore, the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation said in an update on Friday.
Polynesians lead 3 top tourism agencies
HONOLULU — Come September, all three of Hawai‘i’s top state-funded tourism management and destination branding organizations, which together control more than $128 million in state funds, will have a Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander at the helm.
Man faces sex assault trial involving 2 teenage girls
HONOLULU — A 28-year-old Kapalama man is headed for trial on two somewhat similar sexual assault cases involving two girls, ages 13 and 14, he met online.