...severe birth defects related to infection with the Zika virus occurred in Hawaii much earlier than in 2016....

...limiting voting on certain constitutional amendments to a "person who is a citizen or national of the United States and who is of at least one-quarter Northern Marianas Chamorro or Northern Marianas Carolinian blood...."

...a case to watch being argued next week in the Hawaii Supreme Court....

The deadline to apply as a candidate is February 17, 2017....

...explore ways to help about 216,000 private sector employees in the state who do not have a retirement savings plan at work. And to help family caregivers, AARP will fight for respite care and improved access to long-term care resources....

The Act 221 High-Tech Tax Credit Scam, abolished in 2010, still cost Hawaii $38.4M four years later....

This digest summarizes the Hawaii tax laws enacted during the 2016 Regular Session and the federal tax laws enacted during calendar year 2015....

...33,362 consumers signed up for AshleyMadison in Hawaii....

Earlier this year, our lawmakers passed Act 25. It bans smoking on the premises of our state-owned hospitals....

The deadline to apply as a candidate is February 17, 2017....

A graveside service open to the public for Rep. Moses is scheduled for Tuesday, December 27 at 1:00 PM at the Veterans' Cemetery in Kaneohe.....

The deadline to submit grant applications is 4:30 p.m. Friday, January 20, 2017....

Post-tensioning, final set and finishing work on the guideway will follow the initial set, and will continue through January....

...Renewable? 100% Does not Really Mean 100%....

...the last project to be approved was in 2013....

With the high mainland out-migration tallies, Hawaii's population grew by an anemic 0.2 percent from 2015 to 2016....

$4.8 million of unrestricted funds to 216 Hawai‘i-based nonprofit organizations that can be used at their discretion....

Minority Caucus Committee and Leadership Assignments....

...But-but-but What about the separation of church and state?....

...$50 million in federal funds to provide housing for 3,700 families....

...all the Fed Wreckers show up to testify against audit....

Attorney General Doug Chin said, “The jury verdict exonerates Warden Wagatsuma...."

Board approves timeline for Investigative Committee into the search for a new superintendent....

Members can also run for the cooperative’s board by submitting a petition with the names of at least 35 members by the close of business on Tuesday, January 3, 2017....

...Ige Budget Leaves Tax Hikes to Legislature--includes no funding for raises....

...data set ranges from “percentage of sheltered homeless persons” to “number of volunteering hours per capita” to “percentage of income donated to charity”....

...201,600 gallons of untreated sewage....

...rules adopted as far back as June 3, 2016, are still within this review period....

"This decision advances a commitment President-elect Trump made last spring to not forget the territories once elected.”

...OHA did not file statutorily required reports for non-general funds and for administratively created funds....

Updated December 14, 2016 ....

Mulvaney, a South Carolina Republican, is a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, the most conservative group in Congress....

...no one in the Hawaiian Civic Club membership was consulted ahead of time....

People get viscerally upset when you tell them they need to follow a rule they didn't know and couldn't have known....

...a landmark report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, released earlier this month....

...the end of 145 years of harvesting and processing sugar cane on Maui....

This means the electorate cannot be blamed for the government....

...no mention of the massive rate hikes....

Company cites spending $900M in grid upgrades for reliability, renewable energy....

On Thursday, the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs held its second meeting since its reorganization....

...China (is not) as large a risk as the possibility of policy errors by the incoming Trump administration....

...based on 10 key indicators of elder-abuse protection....

...Papahanuamokueakea MNM may account for a potential loss of about 2.5 million pounds per year of tuna and other pelagic species and affect more than 100 jobs....

Instead of spending money on enforcement, it would be better to use resources to expedite the permitting process....

“Disasters are a fact of life,” said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee....

Hawaii had the second largest military spending as a percent of its GDP at 9.8 percent....

...Years of Positive Health Gains in the United States Threatened by Rise in Cardiovascular and Drug Deaths....

EPA is seeking civil penalties of over $4.8 million....

Stealing money, forging documents, conducting improper surveillance and lying to investigators....