KLEI TV

For Robert Ke‘ano Ka‘upu IV, the 63rd Annual Merrie Monarch Festival was a homecoming fit for a king.

State lawmakers are pushing hard this year to clamp a pipeline established three decades ago to house convicted Hawaii felons in out-of-state prisons.

After years of legislative skepticism and repeated restructuring, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority appeared poised this session for a partial restoration of its dedicated funding — until the effort stalled in the state Senate.

University of Hawaii at Hilo students are being encouraged to direct their questions and concerns to a smiling red flower named Lehua.

State investigators have conducted 18 interviews and reviewed “thousands” of pages of documents as they continue to look into $35,000 in campaign contributions an influential state legislator allegedly accepted during a dinner with another lawmaker working as an FBI informant and a controversial lobbyist.

A Hawaii County Council committee last week recommended a favorable vote by the full council on a controversial resolution authorizing the Office of Housing and Community Development to lease homes it purchased with federal funds for “long-term permanent housing for underserved populations who face significant barriers to secure, safe and affordable housing.”

The grassy fields surrounding Pauahi Street in Hilo bustled with activity Saturday morning as a winding procession of floats waited their turn to join the 63rd Annual Merrie Monarch Royal Parade.

An Oahu halau whose kumu hula is a Keaukaha native made a clean sweep of the kane and overall categories at the 53rd Annual Merrie Monarch Festival hula competition.

Police are investigating the apparent drowning of a 26-year-old man Saturday afternoon in Keauhou.

A 21-year-old Dartmouth College junior from Maui is Miss Aloha Hula 2026.