Report: Hawai‘i’s Population Has Been Rebounding Thanks To Locals Returning Home. The state’s yearslong population decline turned a corner in 2023, boosted by a net gain in Hawaiʻi-born residents returning home, a University of Hawaiʻi economist reported on Wednesday. The report based on cen sus data shows more people moved to Hawaiʻi from the U.S. mainland than moved away from the islands in 2023. It’s a marked reversal of a trend that began in 2018. Civil Beat.Travel-size shampoo and conditioner bottles might be checking out of Hawaiʻi hotels. House Bill 348 would ban small single-use plastic bottles in hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts — essentially any place with 50 or more lodging rooms — starting next year. Once 2028 rolls around, this ban will apply to any location that provides one or more rented rooms for lodging. Hawaii Public Radio.Registration tax could increase for Hawaiʻi vehicles over 4,000 pounds. State lawmakers are considering increasing the tax on registering large vehicles from 2 cents a pound to 3 cents to fund the Safe Routes to School Program. Hawaii Public Radio.Most bills aimed at child welfare protections moving forward in the legislature. Recent high-profile cases involving child abuse and neglect have prompted calls for stiffer penalties and more preventive measures that state lawmakers are tackling in the state legislature’s final month. Hawaii News Now.Hawai'i public libraries brace for possible federal funding cuts. The Trump administration has taken aim at the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which could affect federal funding that goes to the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System. Hawaii Public Radio.Hawaii businesses brace for fallout from Trump’s new tariffs. Mom-and-pop businesses across Hawaii could close their doors and consumers will soon face higher prices for everyday items after President Donald Trump announced an across-the-board minimum 10% tariff on most imports, which went into effect Wednesday night, local business and government officials say. Star-Advertiser. KITV4. OahuCity’s ‘monster homes’ enforcement improve, audit states.  The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting has improved the way it reviews, permits, inspects and thwarts large detached dwellings from being illegally built on Oahu, a city audit found. Star-Advertiser.New law limits street closures, festivals in Waikiki. A new law will limit the number of street festivals that can be held in Waikiki. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed Bill 50 into law Wednesday. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.  KITV4. Council suggests 4% sewer fee boost for Oʻahu instead of 10-year increase plan. The Honolulu City Council is considering a short-term boost in sewer fees instead of a substantial increase. Hawaii Public Radio.Honolulu Rail’s next segment to open by October. The second segment of Rail is less than six months away from opening to the public if all goes according to plan. Service will extend to Middle Street and open up access to a couple of important job centers. KHON2.School Sex Abuse Case From The ’70s Could Cost State $330K. In the 1970s, Highlands Intermediate School in Pearl City allowed a security officer to take boys on camping trips, meet with students in a private office and run after-school clubs. All the while, he was grooming and sexually abusing male students. Civil Beat.Discharge into storm drain leads to notice of violation for Oahu company. An incident involving the discharge of water into an East Honolulu storm drain is prompting a notice of violation to one Oahu company HTM Contractors. Hawaii News Now.Hawaii IslandDivided Big Island Council Signs Off 5-4 On Police MOUs with Feds. The council added language that the agreements don’t authorize local officers to enforce immigration laws. The Hawaiʻi County Council on Wednesday approved a controversial resolution allowing the mayor to sign agreements between the Big Island’s police department and federal law enforcement agencies. Civil Beat.Bill to clear Hawaii Island marijuana arrests is sent to governor’s office. If signed into law, House Bill 132 would make it easier for the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center under the Attorney General’s Office to continue a pilot program that clears the arrest records of small possessions of marijuana on Hawaii Island. Star-Advertiser.Kona Apartment Building To Serve Residents Experiencing Homelessness. HOPE Services Hawai‘i has officially acquired the Kani Leʻa apartment building, expanding its efforts to provide permanent, affordable housing in West Hawai‘i. Big Island Video News.Contract expires for nurses at Queen’s hospital on Big Isle. The contract for nurses at Queen’s North Hawai‘i Community Hospital in Waimea has expired but negotiations have entered a fourth month. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now. MauiYears after Maui led the way, surfing could become a statewide sanctioned sport in Hawaiʻi high schools under proposed bill. On Maui, state-sanctioned high school surfing meets have been happening since 2014. But that has not been the case elsewhere in Hawaiʻi, a place known worldwide for its great breaks and surfing champions. Maui Now.New tree hub at Kahului Airport helps wildfire survivors replant lost landscapes. One of 24 spaces like it on the island, the hub provides free trees to residents rebuilding their homes in Kula and Lahaina, allowing them to replant the species that once shaded their yards before the 2023 fires. Maui Now.KauaiCommunity input sought on Kaua‘i’s updated mitigation and resilience plan. The County of Kaua‘i is updating its Multi-hazard Mitigation and Resilience Plan to address impacts of natural hazards affecting the Garden Isle as well as the county’s capability to mitigate those risks. Kauai Now.Protecting Kaua‘i from invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle. Allowing the Coconut rhinoceros beetle to proliferate could be devastating to the island’s agricultural industry. Kauai Now. ...read more read less