Hawai‘i ex-teacher sentenced in child sex assault case

HONOLULU —A former O‘ahu schoolteacher — initially discovered by FBI agents to be exchanging messages containing child pornography with a Philadelphia teacher — was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old former student and promoting child abuse.

Power failures darken entire island of Kaua‘i

LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) said an island-wide outage took place on Wednesday evening at about 7:40 p.m. and “impacted all of KIUC’s roughly 34,000 members.”

Hanapepe Bridge closing for construction

HANAPEPE — The county’s Department of Public Works and Kiewit West Infrastructure Co., the general contractor for the construction work, announced on Wednesday that the Hanapepe Bridge on Hanapepe Road will be under an extended closure from July 22 through April 22, 2025, for construction.

Hawai‘i County mayoral candidates spar at forum

Housing, trust in government, community safety, improving department morale, and issues involving the Thirty Meter Telescope were among the priorities that the four leading candidates for Hawai‘i County mayor shared Wednesday evening in the Hawai‘i County Mayoral Forum hosted by AARP Hawaii.

New laws signed for gun control, child protection

HONOLULU — On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Green signed bills addressing public safety and crime response, including implementing stricter regulations on the sale and ownership of ammunition, and extending the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse.

O‘ahu nurses picket over staff-patient ratios

HONOLULU — Hundreds of unionized nurses held signs in front of three hospitals across O‘ahu, eliciting honks from passing cars, as they called for safer staffing levels on Tuesday morning.

Green balks at acting to replace state senator

HONOLULU — Gov. Josh Green is refusing to appoint an interim member of the state Senate by a deadline set by Hawai‘i law to fill a seat vacated in May by then-Sen. Maile Shimabukuro representing parts of West O‘ahu.