#Kyle Yamashita

The recent drenching rains took a respite Saturday evening as 260 attendees gathered at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center to honor state Sen. Troy Hashimoto at Maui Economic Opportunity’s 7th Annual Gala, the nonprofit’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Mayor Richard Bissen will join the state’s other three mayors in making presentations Monday afternoon before members of the Senate Ways and Means and House Finance committees at the State Capitol. Aside from Bissen, the other mayors scheduled to appear are Honolulu City and County Mayor Rick Blangiardi, Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda and Kaua‘i […]

Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura will hold her Talk Story with Yuki Lei outreach program this Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Upcountry Farmers Market from 7 to 10 a.m.

The 33rd Hawaiʻi State Legislature convened Wednesday with calls for humility and urgent action as lawmakers face a tightened federal budget, a high-profile ethics investigation and the ongoing recovery from the Maui wildfires.

The Hawaiʻi Legislature’s House Committee on Finance is scheduled to begin its first series of informational briefings for 2026 starting Monday to discuss state department budget proposals. During the briefings, various state department representatives will provide updates and present requests regarding their upcoming budgets to the committee. The meetings are chaired by Hawaii Island Rep. […]

The State of Hawaiʻi continues to work on a 10-year management plan for a 3,434-acre parcel of watershed conservation land in Upper Kula that was acquired five years ago from a private trust.

More than 450 Maui seniors gathered Saturday for the 53rd Kupuna Aloha Luncheon to meet old friends, partake of a hotel-style lunch buffet, take home some prize drawings and honor Kupuna Advocates of the Year Kathy Collins and Hedy Udarbe.

Without explanation, Upcountry Rep. Kyle Yamashita has been stripped of his powerful position as House Finance Committee chairman.

The Hawaiʻi State Senate and House of Representatives today announced the passage of House Bill 427, aimed at strengthening the state’s biosecurity system to combat invasive species and protect the islands’ environment and agriculture.

The budget measure, finalized in a conference committee after both chambers passed different versions, now moves to a final reading before heading to the Governor’s desk for approval.

More than 270 supporters and staff of Maui Economic Opportunity, including state House Speaker Nadine Nakamura, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and Mayor Richard Bissen, helped the nonprofit celebrate 60 years of Helping People, Changing Lives, and retired Hale Mahaolu Executive Director Grant Chun at a fundraising Gala on March 22 at the King Kamehameha Golf […]

Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura will hold her Talk Story with Yuki Lei outreach program this Saturday, March 15, at the Upcountry Farmers Market from 7 to 11 a.m. Sugimura invites the public to come and share their thoughts on County issues that matter to them. State Rep. Kyle Yamashita will also be available to […]

The House Committee on Water & Land recommended favorable action Thursday on a bill to give the state Department of Land and Natural Resources more flexibility in responding to repairs and maintenance in state small boat harbors and parks.

State Rep. Justin H. Woodson (District 9, Kahului, Puʻunēnē, portion of Wailuku) announced that the House draft of the State Budget (HB300 HD1) includes a proposed $100 million appropriation to cover the remaining funds needed for the construction of Central Maui Elementary and Middle School. 

Maui County highlights in the House Finance Committee draft budgets for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 include $1.6 million in both fiscal years for Kamehameha III temporary school in Lahaina and $12 million in fiscal 2026 and $6 million in fiscal 2027 for Maui Health System.

State Sen. Angus L.K. McKelvey on Wednesday announced $3.2 million in Capital Improvement Project funds to design and construct axis deer fencing in South Maui.

An Oʻahu representative in the state House has introduced a bill to increase penalties for owners of dangerous dogs, but the measure has not gained traction in two House committee referrals.

Council member Yuki Lei Sugimura will hold her Talk Story with Yuki Lei outreach program tomorrow, Feb. 8, at the Upcountry Farmers Market from 7 to 11 a.m.

Bills have been referred to committees in both chambers of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to limit the amount landlords can raise rents for tenants at a time of desperate housing shortages and renters having few, if any, options if they can’t afford demands for higher monthly rent payments.

A bill introduced by 13 representatives in the state House calls for establishing a permanent “Return-to-Home program” with an as yet undetermined amount of funding to return homeless people in Hawaiʻi to their home states.