Editor’s note: Civil Beat reporters and editors met Tuesday with leaders of the Hawaiʻi Hotel Alliance, whose members and partner sponsors own and operate more than 29,000 rooms across the state. On hand were Jerry Gibson, the alliance president and general manager of the Waikīkī Beach Marriott Resort and Spa; Kekoa McClellan, chief advocate for the alliance and a consultant for Outrigger and Host Hotels; Stephanie Donoho, executive director for the Kohala Coast Resort Association; and Troy Flanagan, executive vice president for state and local affairs for the American Hotel...

MAUI, Hawai'i (Island News) -- Hundreds protested President Donald Trump's actions across the islands on Tuesday, marking the second demonstration in recent weeks over his new policies. Dozens waved signs of resistance outside of Maui's state building in Wailuku, droves of demonstrators did the same at the State Capitol in Honolulu, and there were reportedly more than 100 Trump critics picketing in Waimea on Hawai'i Island. The organizers voiced their opposition to recent layoffs and tariffs. "It's cruel, it's not working, it's not saving money and no one elected Elon...

A Hawaii mother and her girlfriend are accused of killing her 3-year-old daughter and then blaming the child’s death on the victim's 5-year-old brother, authorities say. On Thursday, Feb. 27, Janae Perez, 25, and her partner, Ashleigh Utley, 33, of Honolulu, were arrested and charged with a host of crimes including second-degree murder, kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a minor in connection with the June 2024 death of Perez’s daughter, Sarai Perez, according to online court records. They are also accused of starving and abusing Perez’s three other children,...

In the wake of the new administration’s aggressive rollback of federal clean energy initiatives, Hawai‘i faces a pivotal moment in its pursuit of a sustainable energy future. The recent withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the declaration of a national energy emergency to boost fossil fuel production threaten to undermine years of progress toward renewable energy goals. These actions send a troubling signal that clean energy and efficiency may no longer be national priorities, placing an even greater burden on state and local leaders to drive progress forward. Despite...

A lack of locally grown animal feed has for years been a sore point for Hawaiʻi livestock producers, due to the cost of importing feed to the islands. The feed shortage is a key reason why most of Hawaiʻi’s cattle are shipped to the mainland at 10 months old, to be finished and absorbed into the national beef supply. That process, standard in the Hawaiʻian ​​industry for about 30 years, is cheaper than importing feed to the state, ranchers say.

On the morning of Jan. 13, 2018, James Sean Shields and Brenda Reichel were on their way to Sandy Beach when they, like thousands of other Hawaiʻi residents, got an emergency alert on their cell phones. “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” The , of course. But by the time state officials sent out the all clear — anywhere from about depending on whether it was on social media or your cell phone — Shields was in the throes of heart failure....

Seven people were injured, three of them critically, after an apparent gas grill explosion at a resort in Hawaii. The incident occurred at The Whaler resort on Kāʻanapali Beach on Thursday, Feb. 20, according to Hawaii News Now and CW affiliate KHON-TV . Police arrived at the scene on Kāʻanapali Parkway around 6:21 p.m. local time and were assisted by “bystanders with medical and first responder backgrounds” as they tended to the victims, the Maui Police Department said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. Seven people, ages 18 to 74,...

An explosion at a Hawaii beachside resort injured seven people, including three in critical condition, and left a pile of debris in a popular tourist area of west Maui, according to police and video footage. Preliminary investigations suggested liquefied petroleum gas, which supplies barbecue grills in the resort’s common area, was involved in the explosion, the Maui Police Department said. The explosion Thursday night left a pile of debris at The Whaler on Kaanapali Beach, a popular tourist area where a string of hotels, timeshares and rental properties line white...

A suspected gas explosion thought to be caused by a malfunctioning grill has injured seven, with three fighting for their lives. The incident happened at a luxury resort in Maui. The injured, who have not yet been named, range in age from 17 to 74. One had to be airlifted to Maui Memorial Medical Center for emergency treatment. The source of the explosion is understood to be have been a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) device that blew up at around 6.15pm. It sounded "like a bomb going off", according to...

A massive explosion rocked a grill area at a resort in Maui, Hawaii, leaving seven people injured and debris scattered across a beach. At least three people are in critical condition following the blast at The Whaler resort on Ka'anapali Beach on Thursday night, with victims ranging in age from 18 to 74, according to Hawaii News Now. "We were swimming down at the pool at the Sheraton and suddenly there was this huge, earth-shaking boom," witness David Flint told the station. A photo taken at the scene showed locals...