Hawaii news

• Eligible Charges

  12-11-2025 10:23 via hawaiireporter.com
  Our issue of the week has been brought to us by an alert reader. He noted that some health insurance programs don’t cover general excise tax that we in Hawaii impose on health care charges.  So, sometimes a patient gets a bill for the GET on a medical charge.  As one health insurer’s website states:  […]
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• Strange DPP case emphasizes need to keep pushing for permitting reform

  10-11-2025 23:41 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina Is Honolulu’s building permit process so broken that fast-moving approvals are automatically suspicious? A recent Honolulu Civil Beat article tells the strange story of Kim Kehrwieder, who was fired last year from her job as a building plans examiner for the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting. The problem? She expedited permits in violation […]
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• In Alaska and Hawaii, Higher Food Prices Intensified SNAP Anxiety

  10-11-2025 02:13 via nytimes.com
  Some residents are receiving benefits, but the uncertainty over the past weeks has burdened many in the two states, where the cost of food is the highest in the nation.
  
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• My All-Star Gear Update: Seven products that continue to perform flawlessly

  10-11-2025 02:10 via hawaiireporter.com
  Over the past couple of years I’ve reviewed a wide range of consumer products for HawaiiReporter.com—from speakers to safes to tools—and what stands out is how consistently these particular items keep performing long after the review cycle ends. These are the “all-stars,” devices I continue to use because they work exactly as advertised. Here’s a […]
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• In Alaska and Hawaii, Higher Food Prices Intensify SNAP Anxiety

  10-11-2025 00:58 via nytimes.com
  Some residents are receiving benefits, but the uncertainty over what will happen over the coming weeks has many worried.
  
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• 36 Hours Kauai, Hawaii: Things to Do and See

  06-11-2025 11:03 via nytimes.com
  With its pristine jungles and small towns, this Hawaiian island retains the unmanicured charm of Old Polynesia with few modern intrusions.
  
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• UPS Plane Crash Near Louisville Airport Kills at Least 9, Officials Say

  05-11-2025 15:12 via nytimes.com
  The plane crashed and exploded shortly after taking off from a Kentucky airport, disrupting operations at the delivery company’s main air cargo hub.
  
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• UPS Plane Crash Near Louisville Airport Kills at Least 7, Officials Say

  05-11-2025 04:22 via nytimes.com
  The plane crashed near an airport shortly after takeoff, and two businesses were struck.
  
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• UPS Plane Crash Near Louisville Airport Kills at Least 4, Officials Say

  05-11-2025 04:06 via nytimes.com
  At least 11 people were injured, the Kentucky governor said, and two businesses were struck.
  
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• UPS Plane Crash Near Louisville Airport Kills at Least 3, Kentucky Governor Says

  05-11-2025 02:42 via nytimes.com
  At least 11 people were injured, the Kentucky governor said, and two businesses were struck. Data from Flightradar24 showed that a cargo plane bound for Honolulu reached an altitude of just 175 feet before swiftly descending.
  
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• 3 People Dead After UPS Plane Crashes in Louisville, Police Say

  05-11-2025 02:21 via nytimes.com
  At least 11 people were injured, officials said, and two businesses were struck. Data from Flightradar24 showed that a cargo plane bound for Honolulu reached an altitude of just 175 feet before swiftly descending.
  
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• UPS Plane Crash Near Louisville Airport Leaves Multiple Injured, Police Say

  05-11-2025 00:55 via nytimes.com
  Data from Flightradar24 showed that a cargo plane bound for Honolulu reached an altitude of just 175 feet before swiftly descending.
  
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• Injuries Reported After UPS Plane Crashes in Louisville, Police Say

  05-11-2025 00:21 via nytimes.com
  Data from Flightradar24 showed that a cargo plane bound for Honolulu reached an altitude of just 175 feet before swiftly descending.
  
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• Injuries Reported After Plane Crashes in Louisville, Police Say

  04-11-2025 23:58 via nytimes.com
  Data from Flightradar24 showed that a UPS plane bound for Honolulu reached an altitude of just 175 feet before swiftly descending.
  
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• Jones Act, taxes and rail among ‘spooky creatures’ haunting Hawaii

  03-11-2025 23:54 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina Halloween was yesterday, but we still have a lot of spooky creatures in Hawaii to worry about. I’m thinking of the Jones Act goblin, the budget banshee and the grasping rail, among many others. The Jones Act goblin’s purpose is to frighten people away from reforming or repealing the Jones Act, which […]
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• TATmas Tree

  03-11-2025 17:00 via hawaiireporter.com
  We wrote last week about how our Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is facing the outright cancellation of a 2026 Native Hawaiian Block Grant because of our good friends in the federal government. DHHL proposes to make up for it by hiking our Transient Accommodations Tax.  Again.  We just hoisted it as a result of […]
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• Recorridos turísticos para turistas que no quieren serlo

  01-11-2025 08:01 via nytimes.com
  Puesto que algunos visitantes se interesan cada vez más por las realidades sociales y políticas de los lugares turísticos más importantes del mundo, algunos guías locales están adaptando sus ofertas.
  
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• ‘Anti-Tourism’ Tours Show Visitors a Different Side of Vacation Hot Spots

  29-10-2025 21:53 via nytimes.com
  With visitors increasingly interested in the social and political realities of global tourist hot spots, some local guides are adapting their offerings.
  
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• Small victories keep Lahaina rebuild inching onward

  28-10-2025 00:41 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina The rebuilding of Lahaina in the wake of the 2023 wildfires might not be happening fast, but there are signs that it is inching forward. The complex web of state and county regulations has significantly hampered that effort — including rules about building in the state’s Special Management Areas, especially along shorelines; […]
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• Spend That Money, Vought Is Watching

  27-10-2025 17:00 via hawaiireporter.com
  For many years now, the federal government has provided Native Hawaiian Block Grants, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to help with housing issues surrounding our kanaka maoli.  One of our biggest problems with that money is that we haven’t been using it.  We have written about that issue before, […]
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• This School Has Taught Native Hawaiians Since 1887. Is That Discrimination?

  23-10-2025 04:25 via nytimes.com
  The admissions policy of Kamehameha Schools gives preference to Native Hawaiians. A new lawsuit calls it “blood-based discrimination.”
  
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• Presenters find common ground at event about Hawaii’s housing crisis

  21-10-2025 03:36 via hawaiireporter.com
  Photo by Sofia Luczak By Keli‘i Akina I often tell my colleagues at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii that we owe it to our principles to know how to win. For example, if we want to make sure we all have places to live in Hawaii, we have to find common ground with others to […]
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• Even More TANF Hoarding

  20-10-2025 18:00 via hawaiireporter.com
  This week we revisit Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF.  Under TANF, the federal government provides a block grant to the states, which then use these funds to run their own programs for relief of the poor.  To receive federal funds, states must also spend some of their own dollars on those programs, known […]
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• Let Oahu voters vote on major decisions regarding runaway rail?

  13-10-2025 22:05 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina When it comes to the future of the Honolulu rail, it feels like we’re on a runaway train — pun intended. The Skyline project has blown way past its construction deadlines and cost estimates, and there’s little evidence that anyone is fully in control. It is becoming increasingly apparent that at some […]
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• Rebelling Against the Culture of Silence

  13-10-2025 18:00 via hawaiireporter.com
  For a very long time, there has been a culture of silence within Hawaii state government. This culture has manifested in various ways.  In our Legislature, for example, Civil Beat recently reported that legislators just vote yes to move things along, 98% of the time.  UH Professor Colin Moore found this to be just one […]
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• What Hawaii’s Tiny Homes Reveal About the Housing Crisis

  09-10-2025 19:04 via nytimes.com
  They show the promise of modular construction in response to housing shortfalls.
  
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• Resist resolution to reverse recent gains in Hawaii housing reform

  09-10-2025 04:08 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina If we want to solve Hawaii’s housing shortage, we need to embrace change. My prime example at the moment is the importance of defending Act 39. State lawmakers enacted this landmark housing reform measure last year with the intent of expanding the use of accessory dwelling units as a way to help ease Hawaii’s housing […]
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• Brown Bag Speaker Series #17 – Breaking Bottlenecks: The Future of Meat Processing in Hawaiʻi

  08-10-2025 22:58 via hawaiireporter.com
  This free, one-hour Zoom webinar will take place on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM HST, and continues the Center’s deep dive into the vital role of local food infrastructure in Hawaiʻi’s agri-food economy. About the Series The Brown Bag Speaker Series is a monthly webinar featuring 15-minute presentations followed by […]
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• Kapō Ma’i Lele (Kapō and her Flying Lady Parts)

  07-10-2025 06:35 via hawaiireporter.com
  After 5 years in production, Kapō Maʻi Lele, (Kapō And Her Flying Lady Parts) will premiere at the Hawai’i International Film Festival where it is a Made In Hawai’i Award Nominee. Composed of over 7000 hand painted images as well as original oil painted backgrounds along with original music by I’okepa Seaward, the short film […]
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• Nonresident Withholding, Six Years Later

  06-10-2025 18:00 via hawaiireporter.com
  If you have, or know of, a partnership, estate, or trust that does business in Hawaii and has investors, owners, or beneficiaries that reside outside of Hawaii, then you might want to read this. About a month ago, the Department of Taxation issued Tax Information Release 2025-03 to provide guidance on a legal requirement that […]
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• Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Hawaii Law Limiting Guns on Private Property

  03-10-2025 17:52 via nytimes.com
  The Second Amendment case involves a Hawaii law that generally prohibits firearms on private property that is accessible to the public.
  
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• Senator Schatz on How Democrats Should Talk About Climate Change

  02-10-2025 11:02 via nytimes.com
  At a Climate Forward live event, Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, said his party needed to change the way it talked about climate issues.
  
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• ‘Too much agreement can sometimes cover up serious problems’

  29-09-2025 23:32 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina I’m a big fan of cooperation. My colleagues and I at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii are always looking for opportunities to work with people from across the political spectrum toward a common goal. But this does not mean that we ignore our differences. In fact, too much agreement can sometimes cover […]
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• The Deduction for State and Local Tax

  29-09-2025 18:00 via hawaiireporter.com
  This week, we look at the push and pull that the federal tax system inflicts on state and local tax systems. Before Trump’s first term, people who had to pay state-specific taxes, such as state income tax or real property tax, could write off those taxes as an itemized deduction. The Tax Cuts and Jobs […]
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• Hawaiian Village Rebuilds With Modular Tiny Homes After Maui Wildfire Destruction

  27-09-2025 17:16 via nytimes.com
  After Lahaina burned in August 2023, the state invested in a modular home development, hoping to nurture community and leave behind permanent infrastructure.
  
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• Freedom of speech ‘essential to the pursuit of truth’

  23-09-2025 09:10 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina In the wake of the recent murder of national political activist Charlie Kirk, there has been an outpouring of confusion, speculation and misinformation about why he was targeted. So much so that I chose to wait before speaking publicly. But regardless of what is ultimately revealed about the killer’s motives, one truth […]
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• Need a new printer for your home office? Consider the Epson EcoTank ET-4950

  23-09-2025 02:42 via hawaiireporter.com
  Yes, the dream of the “paperless office” has been floating around for decades, but let’s face it: paper isn’t going anywhere. Sooner or later, you’re going to need a new printer. Whether it’s for contracts, school assignments, medical records, or, in my case, cartons of World War II era documents, there’s still a need for […]
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• Your Money Stays in Vegas — Then the IRS Wants Some

  22-09-2025 18:00 via hawaiireporter.com
  We continue our coverage of the Trump tax act by looking at the new rules on gambling losses. Under prior law, gambling losses are fully deductible, but only against gambling winnings.  So if you went to Vegas and spent all day at a blackjack table and you lost the $500 you decided would be the […]
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• Western States Issue Their Own Vaccine Recommendations to Counter Kennedy

  17-09-2025 23:55 via nytimes.com
  The guidelines, from California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii, mirror those of major medical organizations. They were issued a day before an advisory panel was set to meet to review potential changes to federal recommendations.
  
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• 7 Places to Take a Beach Getaway During Hurricane Season

  16-09-2025 11:00 via nytimes.com
  Fall brings lower prices and fewer crowds, but more risk of hurricanes. Here are some spots to enjoy late-season sand and surf without so much uncertainty.
  
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• Kudos to League of Women Voters for tackling blankety-blank bills head-on

  16-09-2025 04:58 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina I’m pleased that the League of Women Voters of Hawaii has filed a lawsuit intended to stop so-called blankety-blank bills from being introduced at the Hawaii State Legislature. Blankety-blank bills, which I’ve criticized before, have broad and vague titles such as “Relating to government” or “Relating to taxation,” and they contain no actual content […]
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• Charitable Giving Under OBBBA

  15-09-2025 18:00 via hawaiireporter.com
  We continue our coverage the Trump tax act by focusing on one provision that is very important to charities — like us. In President Trump’s first term, the tax code was changed to give taxpayers a significant boost to the standard deduction, which is what every individual taxpayer can claim just for being alive even […]
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• Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals

  10-09-2025 00:32 via nytimes.com
  If the results are promising, veterinarians hope to give the shots to wild Hawaiian monk seals, which are endangered.
  
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• Progress toward housing reform at the county level worthy of praise

  08-09-2025 22:34 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina You’ve heard much from me lately about how the state Legislature seems to have gotten serious about addressing Hawaii’s extreme lack of affordable housing — and there is recent progress at the county level to highlight as well. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: There is no silver-bullet solution to […]
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• No Tax on Tips — Not!

  08-09-2025 18:00 via hawaiireporter.com
  Last week our column focused on the “No Tax on Tips” provision in the Trump tax act. This week we look at some news that Hawaii recently dropped.  It’s at the very end of Tax Information Release 2025-01.  It says that Hawaii General Excise Tax applies to tips. Now, there is an exemption in the […]
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• Seven of the Best State Parks in the U.S., According to New York Times Readers

  02-09-2025 21:19 via nytimes.com
  Last spring, when we recommended five state parks to visit, readers told us we had missed some of their favorites. So here are a few you wanted us to share.
  
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• Case introduces federal Jones Act bill worth considering

  02-09-2025 16:46 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina The most revolutionary Jones Act reform proposed in recent memory seems to be flying under everyone’s radar. On Aug. 1, U.S. Rep. Ed Case of Hawaii introduced HR4839, which would establish the Merchant Marine Allies Partnership Act. This bill proposes exempting Jones Act carriers from the federal 50% tax on major vessel modifications […]
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• Los Angeles Wildfires Left the City With a Toxic Mess

  01-09-2025 18:51 via nytimes.com
  Urban wildfires are becoming public health emergencies.
  
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• No Tax on Tips

  01-09-2025 18:00 via hawaiireporter.com
  When we last discussed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we focused on the provision providing no tax on overtime.  This week we focus on no tax on tips. The provision itself is reasonably straightforward. An individual who receives tips can exclude up to $25,000 of those tips from his or her gross income. But, […]
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• Will the new Aloha Stadium project wind up being another boondoggle?

  25-08-2025 23:06 via hawaiireporter.com
  By Keli‘i Akina The work of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii cartoonist Dave Swann — pictured here — was recently featured in a report issued by Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. It’s always nice to have the work of my colleagues at Grassroot acknowledged, especially on the national stage. What’s not so nice is that the […]
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