On October 20, 2021, plaintiffs Sonia Davis, Jessica Lau, Lauralee B. Riedell, and Adam M. Walton filed a legal action against Mayor Victorino and Maui County stemming from the recent sweeps of the houseless community at Kanahā Beach Park. The legal action filed in Circuit Court is an agency appeal that challenges the decision of Mayor Victorino and other county officials and agencies (collectively the “County”) to evict people and their... Read More

The owner of a Honolulu restaurant made earning a living difficult for its employees by allowing a manager to illegally keep a portion of workers’ tips and denying overtime pay to salaried cooks who worked an average of 55 hours a week, a recent federal investigation has found. The department’s Wage and Hour Division investigation cited R-International Inc., owner of Rinka Restaurant, a Japanese cuisine restaurant located in Ward Village in Kakaako... Read More

Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced today the manager and employee of the year for the City and County of Honolulu. Christine Ching, of the Department of Parks and Recreation, earned recognition as the 2021 manager of the year, and Rowena Santamaria, of the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services, was named this year’s employee of the year. “I have been most impressed with the men and women who work for the City... Read More

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) and Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau (MVCB) are postponing the Destination Management Action Plan (DMAP) Meetings for the island of Molokai. Originally planned for Friday, November 12, 2021, the virtual community meetings for Molokai residents will be rescheduled to a later date. The following community meetings for Maui and Lanai will continue as planned. Maui Island Community Meeting Tuesday, November 2, 2021 8:00-10:00 a.m. HST6:00-8:00 p.m.... Read More

The Hawai'i Department of Health (DOH) will offer free COVID-19 rapid testing at the Lanakila Health Center Saturday, October 30 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Testing will be done on a first-come, first-serve basis. Appointments are not required.  Wait times can vary, but please anticipate waiting 30 minutes or longer. Results will be available on-site within 15 minutes. Testing for those with symptoms may take longer. Please bring a government... Read More

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) informs motorists that there is a weight restriction of 12 tons for the Koolau Road detour. On Oct. 25, HDOT began directing northbound vehicles on Kuhio Highway (Route 56) in Kilauea between South Koolau Road and North Koolau Road to detour to Koolau Road. Due to a weight restriction on the detour route vehicles over 12-tons traveling northbound within the project limits will be directed... Read More

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) Harbors Division announces that Fitch Ratings has affirmed its harbor system revenue bond series 2020A and B at ‘AA-ʼ with a Stable rating outlook. Fitch’s announcement of the affirmation and reasoning for the rating can be found here. “High ratings on our bond offerings show a level of confidence in our commercial harbors system,” explained Hawaii Department of Transportation Director Jade Butay. “Bond ratings are... Read More

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) informs Kauai motorists of a single right lane closure on Kuhio Highway (Route 56) in the southbound (Lihue bound) direction between North Leho Drive and the Kauai Beach Resort. This closure for ditch cleaning is scheduled on Monday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To mitigate the effects of the closure, hours for the Kuhio Highway Southbound Contraflow between... Read More