Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff. Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at AskTheMayor@mauicounty.gov, (808)Read More…
Lawmakers try again to regulate growing vacation rental industry
Illegal Kailua vacation rentals (Image: Hawaii News Now) HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – State lawmakers are once again looking at ways to control Hawaii’s growing vacation rental industry while cracking down on illegal operators.Read More…
04Apr/19
Hawaii County holds final hearing on vacation rental rules
Hawaii County planning officials heard from residents on all sides of the short-term vacation rental issue during the final hearing before new rules are adopted. The testimony Tuesday evening in Hilo reflectedRead More…
30Mar/19
Hawaii’s rent supplement initiative funds expected to run out later this year
News Thomas Flores came to Hawaii two years ago with a sack of clothes and a simple dream, to find work and live on his own. "If the rent subsidy ends, aRead More…
03Jun/18
Hawaii evacuees leave newly lava-threatened homes on Big Island
PAHOA, Hawaii (Reuters) – National Guard troops, police and firefighters ushered the last group of evacuees from homes on the eastern tip of Hawaii’s Big Island early on Saturday, hours before creepingRead More…
29May/18
Hawaii Eruptions Have Disrupted Tourism, but Fears May Be Exaggerated
The eruption of Mount Kilauea has caused fears of a tourism shutdown for the Big Island. Over the past few weeks, Hawaii residents have witnessed one of their state’s top attractions turnRead More…
24May/18
Volcano’s toll on tourism prompts Hawaii governor to speak up
Lava flow from Kilauea. Photo Credit: U.S. Geologocal Survey Eye-popping images of the Kilauea volcano’s destruction on the Big Island have been shown across the world for weeks, and that has hadRead More…
19May/18
Nonprofit to offer rent subsidies to Big Island lava evacuees
The recent volcanic activity on the Big Island has forced many residents out of their homes, creating a need for housing help. (Image: Hawaii News Now) BIG ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) – Eruptions inRead More…
14May/18
County shuts down vacation rentals as residents are left to deal with more lava outbreaks
Lava overtook vegetation at fissure 16, which erupted Saturday morning between Highway 132 (Kapoho Road) and Pohoiki Road outside of Pahoa. Donna Walker, right, wept as she embraced Verna Schutz-Kahele at theRead More…
09May/18
Is Hawaii safe for travelers now?
Is it safe to travel to Hawaii? Despite the recent dramatic images of spouting lava and burning homes on the east side of the Big Island and floods on Kauai’s north shore,Read More…
04May/18
Kohala councilman discloses vacation rental income
Kohala Councilman Tim Richards said he will recuse himself from voting on a bill regulating vacation rentals until the Board of Ethics clears him of a potential conflict of interest. Richards saidRead More…
29Apr/18
Vacation rental bill on hold until May 8
Council chambers in Hilo was packed with testifiers as almost people sign up to testify islandwide on a bill that would limit vacation rentals. (Nancy Cook Lauer/West Hawaii Today) A standing roomRead More…