Government & Politics
News
State awards $63 million contract to upgrade financial data system
Hawai‘i's 55-year-old financial system will get a much-needed overhaul
Michael BrestovanskyMay 06, 2026
Community Voices: Deciphering the budget
Tom Yamachika, president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi, breaks down one of the budget bill entries and provides a resource that further explains the budgeting processes and appropriations.
Tom YamachikaMay 05, 2026
Acting lieutenant governor position just 'part of the job,' Regan says
Comptroller-turned-state-second-in-command tells Aloha State Daily his priorities are simply to keep his offices running as smoothly as possible.
Michael BrestovanskyMay 05, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: State broke, keeps spending
Thirty-two bills have a combined total of nearly $214 million in new spending. They will be voted on this Wednesday. ASD editor A. Kam Napier pulled together this digestible overview, with commentary, so you know where your money might be going.
A. Kam NapierMay 05, 2026
Khowaja’s not-so-deep fake
Aloha State Daily columnist Sterling Higa shares lessons learned from Iqbal Khowaja, who had allegedly been presenting himself as the “CTO of the State of Hawaiʻi,” when he wasn't.
Sterling HigaMay 05, 2026
Renovation of old Hilo Memorial Hospital underway
The Hawai‘i County Office of Housing and Community Development has been working on the renovation of the former hospital since 2022.
Stephanie SalmonsMay 02, 2026
Gravel shipment to Moloka‘i OK'd despite anti-beetle restrictions
A barge carrying supplies to Kalaupapa will be permitted in the summer, despite a rule preventing the transport of potential coconut rhinoceros beetle host material.
Michael BrestovanskyMay 02, 2026
Senate confirms Devens for chief justice
Vladimir Devens was confirmed Thursday to chief justice of the Hawai‘i Supreme Court, despite controversy.
Michael BrestovanskyMay 01, 2026
City launches program to reduce residential sewer bills
The Customer Assistance Residential Environmental Services, or CARES, program can drop users' sewer bills to zero for a few months.
Michael BrestovanskyMay 01, 2026
Honolulu to host second 'Rebuild O‘ahu' event
The event, which aims to offer support to residents and businesses affected by recent severe storms, will be held in Lā‘ie on May 2.
Stephanie SalmonsApril 30, 2026
Tax cuts still on the table
A series of historic tax cuts Gov. Josh Green passed in 2024 were set to pause after this year. A bill that would preserve some of them is on the verge of passage.
Michael BrestovanskyApril 30, 2026
"Fraud can't happen here"
ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa sees a pattern on Maui, where Mayor Bissen's former chief of staff has filed a whistleblower lawsuit over how he was allegedly treated after reporting what he considered fraud in county government and where a recent fraud risk assessment commissioned by the county found that controls were inadequate to prevent fraud.
Sterling HigaApril 30, 2026
Community Voices: The unintended consequences of transfer taxes
Studies on the effect of real estate transfer taxes in general have found they are associated with reductions in investment, income, jobs and economic activity. It's also likely to make the state’s housing crisis worse, per Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i.
Keliʻi AkinaApril 29, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: The bill that won't name its target
UPDATED 5/2: The joint conference committee has passed a revised SB 2471 on to the full Legislature, seeking to nullify for the Islands the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. As ASD Editor A. Kam Napier observes, lawmakers are offering more argument than evidence for the bill while being vague about whose speech they really mean to curtail — or protect.
A. Kam NapierApril 29, 2026
Praying for Hawai‘i's leaders
Last Friday, some 1,200 people gathered for the 47th Annual Hawai‘i Prayer Breakfast, including such leaders as Governor Josh Green, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen, Senate President Ron Kouchi and Representative Elijah Pierick. Attendees may have represented different faiths, different governing philosophies, they may even at times be opponents, but they came together seeking grace. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa talks about why that matters.
Sterling HigaApril 28, 2026
Community Voices: What’s dead — for now
Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi takes a look at "bills that had enough support to pass from one chamber to the other; the fact that most of these are House bills simply means that the Senate, this year, was less inclined to move ideas forward for further discussion."
Tom YamachikaApril 28, 2026
Who is Hawai‘i's Acting Lieutenant Governor?
The state comptroller will take over the duties of the lieutenant governor for an indefinite period.
Michael BrestovanskyApril 28, 2026
Former Maui chief of staff sues county over alleged corruption
Leo Caires, Mayor Richard Bissen's former chief of staff, has accused the county of firing him unjustly after investigating multiple fraud cases within the county government.
Michael BrestovanskyApril 25, 2026
Senate committee narrowly approves Chief Justice nominee
Vladimir Devens' nomination to Supreme Court's highest seat passed a confirmation hearing with a 3-2 vote.
Michael BrestovanskyApril 24, 2026
State comptroller to be acting Lt. Governor
Keith Regan will fill in for Sylvia Luke after the Lt. Gov. announced she will take an indefinite leave of absence.
Michael BrestovanskyApril 24, 2026
Supreme Court nominee questioned over Carpenters Union ties
A Senate confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee Vladimir Devens drilled into his previously undisclosed affiliation with a political action committee.
Michael BrestovanskyApril 23, 2026
Who still wants the job?
As Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke suspended her reelection run, she cited the stress on her family as she has come under scrutiny. As ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa observes, there is a lot of stress to being in politics. Here are the four kinds of people he sees pursuing that life in spite of the pressures.
Sterling HigaApril 23, 2026
Makaiwa Hills only option for landfill site, says city
The Department of Environmental Services is beginning the process to develop a parcel west of Makakilo for a new landfill.
Michael BrestovanskyApril 22, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: DMV déjà vu
Have you heard about the long waits to renew your Hawai‘i drivers license? Does this all feel strangely familiar? Yes, it's been eight years since the Great Renewal Logjam and all those licenses are expiring at the same time. Editor A. Kam Napier has thoughts on all that plus an update on the promised online renewals.
A. Kam NapierApril 21, 2026