KLEI TV

The devastating Maui wildfires of August 2023 motivated legislators to fund improvements in firefighting equipment and personnel preparedness, officials said Wednesday at a press conference in Lihue, Kauai.

A 60-year-old Ocean View man is in critical condition following a single motor vehicle/pedestrian collision that occurred Wednesday near the area of Kinoole Street and Ponahawai Street in Hilo.

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK — It was all but silent on a recent morning at Uekahuna, the newly restored viewing area overlooking the summit of Kilauea volcano. A few visitors trickled onto the lookout, sitting on benches and gazing at the steam rising from Kaluapele, the summit caldera.

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke on Tuesday announced plans for the next two years of the Ready Keiki program, a statewide initiative to provide universal access to pre-kindergarten learning by 2032.

Family members of a Holualoa woman who died two years ago are suing the woman’s estranged husband and Hawaii County police, saying they are responsible for her death from a drug-and-alcohol overdose.

In Disney’s latest live-action remake, “Lilo &Stitch,” David Hekili Kenui Bell has a short but memorable role in which he is so bewildered to see aliens that he lets his shaved ice plop to the ground. The appearance was his first in a feature film.

Theodore “Kahui” Casuga, 50, of Waikoloa, died June 6. Born in Kealakekua, he was a self-employed landscaper. Funeral service 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Kona Stake Canter, 75-230 Kalani St. in Kailua-Kona. Dinner to follow at 7:30 p.m. Surivied by father, Bernaldo Ben (Darlene Tripp) Casuga Of Milolii; mother, Ardis Lizalynn Kukua Of Captain Cook; brothers, Ben Kamana‘o Casuga of Captain Cook, Nephi (Lorie) Casuga and Isiah (Jancee) Casuga of Utah, Nicko (Jessica) Casuga of California; stepbrother, Obed Casuga-Davis of Pittsburgh; nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. Arrangements by, Cremation Services Of West Hawaii.

BJ Penn’s misdemeanor criminal charges will be heard in Hilo Circuit Court, where he can receive a jury trial if he chooses — an option unavailable in family court.

Starting July 1, the fee for a Hawaii vehicle safety inspection will increase by 75 cents to $25.75 for automobiles and trucks and to $17.75 for motorcycles and trailers, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Police say they arrested a 34-year-old Pahoa man suspected of second-degree robbery Sunday after the he entered Hilo Bay in an attempt to evade apprehension.