Plan To Bail Out HECO’s Credit Rating Would Cost Customers $48 A Year. A proposed wildfire settlement fund tops the utility’s legislative agenda for 2025. Hawaiian Electric Co. customers would have to pay $4 more per month under a proposal to create a settlement fund meant to bolster the power company’s battered credit rating in an era of catastrophic wildfires. Civil Beat.Green Moves To Protect Medical Cannabis Caregivers from ‘Undue’ Enforcement. The governor’s executive order addresses a state law that is set to expire Wednesday. Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green on Monday said caregivers should still be allowed to provide medical cannabis to qualified patients. Civil Beat. Big Island Video News. Hawaii News Now. The rise in mail voting comes with a price, as mismatched signatures lead to ballot rejections. As with many voters on Maui, Joshua Kamalo thought the race for president wasn’t the only big contest on the November ballot. He also was focused on a hotly contested seat for the local governing board. Associated Press.Water commission leader supports higher code violation fines, quicker emergency response. First Deputy Ciara Kahahane, who Gov. Josh Green appointed to the commission in August, recently informed commissioners of potential measures she wants to include in the governor’s legislative package for the upcoming session. Hawaii Public Radio.'I make nothing': Local fishers weigh leaving the industry as inflation drives up costs. There are some 140 Hawaiʻi-based longline fishing vessels that bring in more than 20 million pounds of tuna annually. Collectively, the state’s longline commercial fishing industry is one of the largest local food producers. Hawaii Public Radio.Proposal to expand mine warfare training around Hawaii sparks concerns. The Navy wants to renew its operating permit for training at sea around Hawaii and California with more mine warfare training around the islands. Hawaii News Now.Year in review: 2024 was a tumultuous one for Hawaii. 2024 will be remembered for the $1.9 billion merger of Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines, announcement of a $4 billion settlement for victims of the Maui wildfires, the selection of Wendy Hensel to replace retiring University of Hawaii President David Lassner, and labor unrest that led to hospital nurses and hotel workers walking picket lines, as well as increased gun violence on Oahu. Star-Advertiser.Hawaiʻi’s Top Stories Of 2024: How Civil Beat Covered A Year Of Upheaval. Let’s take a month-by-month look at stories that made the year memorable. Civil Beat.9 community stories we were excited to share with you in 2024. From Ice Cream Aunties to a student-led climate change lawsuit, here are nine news stories HPR was eager to share with you this past year. Hawaii Public Radio.Eventful year includes many newsmakers: Here are the University of Hawai‘i News top people stories for 2024. The University of Hawaiʻi News posted nearly 1,500 stories throughout an eventful 2024. Many of them involved people with connections to the university system making headlines. Big Island Now.Surfer, judge, Pearl Harbor survivors among notable deaths in 2024. Hawaii mourned the loss in 2024 of people who influenced island life in ways that changed the course of Hawaii history, shaped island culture and entertained through song, art and acting. They included a North Shore surfing legend and lifeguard who was killed by a shark, a federal judge who upheld Kamehameha Schools’ admissions policy in preference of Native Hawaiians, the last known Pearl Harbor survivor still living in Hawaii and a former insurance commissioner who fought to protect residents from unfair insurance practices. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. Hawaii residents donated over $10M on GoFundMe this year. Hawaii residents in 2024 gave more than $10 million to strangers, as well as friends and relatives in need, through the world’s leading online fundraising (and crowdfunding) platform. Star-Advertiser.OahuUnauthorized message appears on Moanalua Freeway sign. An unauthorized message was made on a sign on Moanalua Freeway to say “Gay Furry Pride uwu” on Sunday evening. OT crews disabled the sign as quickly as possible and reset the board for safety measures. An investigation is underway to find out the origins of the message and how someone got access. KITV4.Popular all-you-can-eat McCully restaurant to close after 25 years. McCully Buffet, which sits in Hana Market on McCully Street, announced on Monday, Dec. 30 that they will cease operations Sunday, Feb. 2. KHON2.Hawaii IslandMayor Alameda Appoints Hawaiʻi County Corporation Counsel. Mayor Kimo Alameda has appointed Renee Schoen as Corporation Counsel and J Yoshimoto as Assistant Corporation Counsel. The selections complete Alameda’s cabinet for the start of his first term in office. Big Island Video News.Aloha, 2024! A recap of the top 10 Big Island news stories of the year. Hospital expansion, homelessness, workforce housing and regulating short-term vacation rentals are top stories in 2024. Tribune-Herald. Hawaiian Knowledge And Western Science: A Recipe For Reef Recovery? Kahaluʻu Bay on the Big Island has become a focal point for blending science, tourist education and cultural know-how. So far, hopeful signs abound.  Civil Beat.Chief: Fireworks crackdown could provide some relief. The Big Island’s police chief hopes that the seizure of at least 75 tons of fireworks in Honolulu by the Illegal Fireworks Task Force over the past year will make for a somewhat quieter New Year’s Eve. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now.MauiRestrictions ease in Lahaina burn zone. Maui County is lifting access restrictions to much of a largely commercial area of Lahaina destroyed by wildfire more than a year ago. Star-Advertiser.Schatz secured $6 billion for Hawaiʻi in 2024, including funds to support Maui’s recovery. In 2024, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) helped secure more than $6 billion in federal funding for Hawai‘i as he led efforts to deliver resources to support Maui’s recovery from last year’s fires and advance a range of other priorities for the state.  Maui Now.A Model for Maui: Regenerative “Green Streets” blessed at Honoiki and Keoneʻōʻio. A blessing was held last week for the new “Green Streets” project in Mākena, a transformative milestone in sustainable, low-impact development on Maui, according to managers.  Maui Now.KauaiWilcox nurses hold vote on strike. The 159-member nursing staff at Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai began voting Sunday, and has until 8 p.m. Wednesday to cast a vote that could lead to a strike. Star-Advertiser. Kauai Now. Results are in for top 2024 story on Kaua‘i. With only days left until the start of 2025, Kaua‘i Now readers have determined the year’s top story, which is the latest in the decades-long soap opera surrounding the once-grand Coco Palms Resort. Kauai Now.