Las Vegas leaders offer expertise as Hawaii weighs gambling legalization. That topic was one of the many as leaders from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce hosted a business exchange summit in Waikiki. The goal – share insight about the “fun economy” – sports, tourism, entertainment and gamin g – with their counterparts here. KHON2.Looks Like OHA Has A New CEO. A vote finalizing Todd Apo’s appointment to head the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is expected Thursday. Todd Apo is the top pick to be the next chief executive for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs following a 5-to-4 vote by the office’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday afternoon. Civil Beat. KITV4.Alaska Air Group says Hawaii market remained a drag in 2026, but sees conditions improving in 2027. awaii has been a drag on Alaska Air Group’s performance so far this year, but executives told investors Wednesday they are increasingly optimistic about the market in 2027 as industry capacity growth slows and temporary headwinds begin to ease. Star-Advertiser.So What’s With All These Charter And Constitutional Amendments? Here’s what you need to know about charter amendments for Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Maui and Kauaʻi counties, plus state constitutional amendments. Civil Beat.Candy prices in Hawaii could see a spike as Halloween draws closer. Halloween is 10 days away, and candy is usually flying off the shelves, but candy is seeing a noticeable rise in price in Hawaii. KHON2.OahuHPD staffing reassignments come amid 453 officer vacancies. The Honolulu Police Department’s evolving reassignment of officers to patrol districts comes as the department is working to fill 453 uniformed and 182 civilian vacancies as of Oct. 1. Star-Advertiser.Public transit as billboards? Honolulu weighs new ad laws. The City’s transit system costs more than $475 million per year, but brings in only about $50 million. Bill 59 would let the City sell ad space on the outside of TheBus to help address the shortfall. KHON2.80+ Oahu farms still struggling after months of repeated storms. Dozens of Oʻahu farms and homes hit by three different storms are still struggling to recover. Hawaiʻi groups and a national network called Extreme Weather Survivors are coming together to help them rebuild. Hawaii News Now.Court restores $14M in McKinley sex abuse case. A mother whose daughter 15 years ago was repeatedly sexually abused by about a dozen male students at McKinley High School says the state Department of Education has never apologized or taken responsibility for its failure to protect her daughter, even after the Hawaii Supreme Court restored a $14.17 million judgment against the state. Star-Advertiser.Hawaii IslandBusy day for the County Council. Homelessness and housing funding, vacation rental regulations, and a proposed development in Waikoloa were all hot topics on the Hawaii County Council meeting agenda Wednesday. Tribune-Herald.Commission interviews 6 fire chief hopefuls; final decision expected today. The Hawaii County Fire Commission on Wednesday publicly interviewed all six candidates vying to become the island’s next fire chief. Three of the candidates are current members of the department: Daniel Volpe, and battalion chiefs Stacy Domingo and Melanie Keolanui. The other three are: Garrett Kim, a retired HFD captain; Michael Fine, a retired fire captain from the Ventura County Fire Department north of Los Angeles; and Cole Thompson, a former battalion chief in the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District in San Diego County. Tribune-Herald.Hurricane Lala prompts Hawai‘i County Council to explore ways to proactively manage vegetation. The County Council is urging the governor and mayor to prioritize and fund proactive vegetation management to mitigate trees falling over power lines and roadways during natural disasters. Big Island Now.Sadistic’ Cult: Hilo High Schooler Preyed On Girls Online. Kalana Limkin targeted vulnerable young girls, including a 12-year-old in Waiʻanae, amid a rise in what federal investigators call online nihilistic violent extremism.  Civil Beat.With Their Taps Dry For 9 Weeks And Counting, They Want To Take Over. There’s no projected timeline for repairs to a private water system in Punalu‘u that Hurricane Lala damaged in August, an attorney for Eva Liu, the absentee developer who owns the system, told state regulators this week. Civil Beat.Hawaiʻi County revitalization project met with hesitation. Some historic places and common public areas across Hawaiʻi Island could be getting a facelift through a measure introduced in the Hawaiʻi County Council. The new piece of legislation would appropriate up to $1 million annually to establish and fund a Town Revitalization Program. The money would go to commercial districts, downtowns, historic areas, and town centers. Hawaii Public Radio.MauiMeet the contenders in the unusual 3-party race for West Maui's House seat. There are three candidates on the ballot for West Maui's House District 14 State Representative seat. That's unusual because one candidate is running under the Green Party. There's only been one other Green candidate for the seat since 1992, which is when the State Elections Office's online available records end. Hawaii Public Radio.Council committee backs temporary sewer deal for new Central Maui school. A Maui County Council committee voted 9-0 on Monday to recommend passage of a bill that would let the county provide temporary wastewater service to the new Central Maui school in Waikapū if the school opens before the county’s planned Central Maui wastewater plant is completed. Maui Now.New program offers working Maui households up to $800 monthly.  Applications opened Monday for Maui United Way’s Kamaʻāina Credit for ALICE Households Pilot Program, which will provide monthly financial assistance to approximately 910 eligible households across Maui County for one year. Maui News.County homebuyer program issues 100th shopping letter. Eighteen households displaced by the 2023 Maui wildfires received shopping letters Tuesday through a county homebuyer assistance program, bringing the total number of letters issued to 100. The Ho'okumu Hou First-Time Homebuyer Opportunity Program offers qualified households up to $600,000 to bridge the gap between what they can finance through a mortgage and the cost of purchasing an eligible home within Maui County. Maui News. Maui Now. KauaiCircuit Court approves agreement with Hilario that imposes 20-year sentence in 16-year-old Kaua‘i murder case. The Fifth Circuit Court on Wednesday approved a stipulated agreement that imposes a 20-year sentence on Vincente Hilario for a murder that took place 16 years ago on Kauaʻi. Kauai Now.Organizations address ongoing housing, rebuilding needs for long term recovery. After distributing $364,000 in relief, Kauaʻi organizations prepare to transition to long-term recovery with emergency assistance applications closing on Oct. 24. Kauai Now. ...read more read less