Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami announced a Democratic primary bid to unseat Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, bringing a neighbor‑island challenge as questions swirl around Luke’s campaign reporting.

Missing federal datasets are leaving Honolulu officials with fewer tools to track health, hunger and budgets. Local planners say the gap is making services harder to target.

Finalist lists for Hawaii’s chief justice and a Maui circuit judgeship landed on Gov. Josh Green’s desk, starting a roughly 30‑day clock for his pick.

A bill in the Hawaii Legislature would force agencies to define who counts as a "bona fide" farmer — and could curb property owners using token agriculture to get tax breaks. Lawmakers want a tiered matrix to sort subsistence growers from commercial operations.

Acting Chief Justice Sabrina McKenna named three judges to Hawaii’s district courts — one for the Big Island and two for Oʻahu — from Judicial Selection Commission lists; confirmations are pending.

A daylong convening Monday in Honolulu will bring military leaders, business groups and community organizations together to discuss the future of military‑leased lands.

The Hawaii House advanced a slate of campaign‑finance, disclosure and voter‑access reforms that now head to the state Senate. The package targets contractor donations, disclosure gaps and filing systems.

Two House bills would require a short multilingual tenant notice and new protections for residents displaced by 201H developments.

Senators led by Hirono, Murray and King warned HHS that Title X funding set to lapse March 31 could cut off contraception and preventive care for millions if not extended. They want an immediate one‑year continuation to protect clinics and patients.

The Hawaiʻi House approved a package of criminal-justice bills to limit pretrial detention, expand citations for low-level offenses and create a statewide crime lab; the measures now head to the Senate.

House Finance Committee advanced a reworked HB 1800 on March 11, trimming about $100 million while preserving major airport, road and housing investments.

Lawmakers advanced HB2047 to place the Aha Moku director under DLNR and require public meetings. Aha Moku leaders warn central oversight could undermine the system’s independence.

A WalletHub ranking and a KHON2 poll show Hawaiʻi residents name federal and state taxes, high sales levies and filing costs among the leading pressures on household budgets. The split between low property levies and steep consumption taxes helps explain the frustration.