#Big Island News

Students of the lab class worked with community stewards of Kaumaui, a loko iʻa in the community on the south side of Hilo Bay on the Big Island, to help with restoration and preservation efforts and collect water samples for DNA testing back on campus as part of their semester-long experiment.

Maunaloa’s Volcano Alert Level is at Normal and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory expects to see changes such as increased seismicity or gas emissions before any future eruption; keeping a close eye on the volcanoes even during quiet times can teach important lessons that will inform interpretations and decisions as conditions change.

Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources and its partners began monitoring the sperm whale carcass Feb. 6; waters from Makalawena to Honokōhau are of particular concern during the next few weeks.

Residents and business operators in the voluntary compliance area are asked not to transport coconut rhinoceros beetle host materials that include decomposing plant material, plant propagation material, other items comprised of decomposing organic plant material and several genera of live palm plants; order will remain in place through April 30.

The office — which is a part of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Land Division — will be closed to the public on Wednesdays. Staff will not accept meetings, phone calls or in-person visits and will not return emails.

Digital Navigators are available by appointment at all 50 public libraries throughout the state, offering free, personalized help with everyday technology needs to make it less stressful and more accessible.

New statewide rules set grade-level limits on student cell phone use; implementation begins next school year.

Episode 42 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended at  11:38 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2026, and the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption is currently paused.

Maia Kealoha of Kona, who made her acting and film debut in May 2025 as Lilo in Disney’s live action adaptation of ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ will play Alma in the new film to be released this coming holiday season, bringing Christmas joy back with the help of two bumbling North Pole elves undercover as humans.

The cold, wet and rainy day in Volcano didn’t stop any of those who participated in the nonprofit’s Aloka the Peace Dog Walk for Peace this past weekend from showing their support for compassion, love and peace.

AlohaCare members — or their family members — are eligible to apply; the application period is open through March 16.

More than 165 Hawai‘i public school students took part in the long-running civic leadership program, debating legislation, drafting testimony and meeting directly with state lawmakers about issues that affect their daily lives.

While text messages disappear, a Valentine’s card endures; a handwritten message also carries thought — and heart — spanning miles.

Like the “Did You Feel It?” earthquake reporting tool helps make maps of areas affected by shaking, the new tool helps scientists map areas affected by tephra fallout; observations will be used to assess the character and size of the eruption plumes from Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island, along with the dispersal pattern of tephra fall.

New $200 million, 660,000-square-foot facility brings training for multiple workgroups under one roof and strengthens the airline’s transformation into the country’s fourth global airline.

“These findings are significant because aquarium collecting has repeatedly been justified by claims of sustainability and rapid reef fish recovery once harvesting stops,” said For the Fishes Executive Director Rene Umberger. “Those claims are not supported by what actually happened on Hawaiʻi reefs.”

The package includes five measures to be considered by state lawmakers, targeting issues such as child care, health care and cost-of-living relief.

There are more than 300 registered actions and events set for today throughout the nation, calling on people, organizations and communities to “strike” and demand a stop to federal government-sponsored violence being inflicted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents against peaceful protestors in Minneapolis, Minn., and elsewhere.

The product was distributed nationwide, including by retailers such as Walmart, Target and Longs Drugs in Hawai‘i; recall was issued because the biscuits might have soft plastic and/or paper pieces inside that could cause injury or pose a choking hazard.

TSA ConfirmID enables travelers to verify their identity before arriving at the security checkpoint, for a $45 fee, with the process typically taking 10 to 15 minutes, though it could require 30 minutes or more in some cases.