Roads remain closed as fire continues
KAILUA-KONA — Roads remained closed near Waikoloa Village Thursday evening, prompting Hawaii County Civil Defense to advise motorists to avoid the area and round the island’s south as an alternate route.
Roots to revitalization: Volunteers work to restore dry land forest
KAILUA-KONA — Leaning against her car late last year in the parking lot of Hawaii Community College – Palamanui, Juanita Thompson looked south across the fountain grass that spread over the lava field.
Make way for Gray: Kealakehe’s new principal prepares for first year
KAILUA-KONA — For Kealakehe High School principal Glenn Gray, building better opportunities for students of the island’s largest campus isn’t a one-man job.
Castles for a cause
KALAOA — For Zach Laird and Jonathan Reagan, students at Jesuit Dallas, a school located in Texas, taking an active role in an environment thousands of miles from home is, they hope, something that can inspire others to contribute as well.
Fishing hooks kids in a ‘fun’ fight: Holoholo Derby in Milolii connects police, community
MILOLII — The secret to fishing, said Tirahlyn Samoa, is “to stay really still.”
Dino day off
Youngsters got a dino treat Thursday when the Hawaii Red Cross, partnering with Kona Commons, Roberts Hawaii and Jurassic Tours, coordinated a free excursion for about 90 lava evacuees.
Murder suspect back in police custody
KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii County prosecutors confirm the suspect from last month’s fatal shooting on Painted Church Road is now back in custody after he was “erroneously released” from Hawaii Community Correctional Center on Tuesday.
Board OKs double-hulled canoe tours at Kealakekua Bay
KAILUA-KONA — The Board of Land and Natural Resources earlier this month gave a green light to a local business allowing it to move forward with plans to use Napoopoo Landing for commercial tours at Kealakekua Bay.
Mangoes on parade
KAILUA-KONA — The 10th annual Mango Festival held Saturday at Hale Halawai was about more than just the mango or the dozens of varieties that grow throughout Hawaii.
Major components need to be added, attitudes shifted, as the fight against opioid misuse marches on
KAILUA-KONA — These days, Christian K. doesn’t let his past define him.
Opioid Effort: Tighter safeguards, increased awareness and expanding reach among upgrades in drug abuse battle
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a five-part series by West Hawaii Today focusing on opioid addiction on Hawaii Island. It begins with how a heroin overdose played a vital role in the shuttering of a well-known Kailua-Kona homeless camp and finishes on what more needs to be done to fight painkiller abuse. Eye-opening stats will be presented along the way: Hawaii County’s prescription rate doubles every other county in the state, while a vast majority of overdose calls are in homes and condos, not in homeless sites.
Figures at the front line of the opioid fight
Opioid crisis averted or inevitable?
Community members promote emergency planning at talkstory
KAILUA-KONA — More than 25 years ago, Valerie Delahaye-Ippolito stepped outside the Citadel in Cairo, Egypt, when an earthquake hit, toppling a building to the ground in front of her eyes.
New traffic signal on Queen Kaahumanu Highway to be activated Tuesday
KAILUA-KONA — The effort to widen a portion of Queen Kaahumanu Highway is still on track to be “substantially complete” in August, with the upcoming activation of a traffic signal to be the latest sign of progress on the nearly three-year-old project.
2 Hawaii Island students, Taggart Nakamoto and Hope Kudo, earn prestigious Gates Scholarship
KAILUA-KONA — On April 20, Taggart Nakamoto, a Konawaena High School senior at the time, was writing an essay in his advanced-placement English class when he got the notification.
Reaching for relief
KAILUA-KONA — When the vog gets heavy, the headaches and irritation can make going outside nearly unbearable, leading some to reach for something — anything — that can help ease their symptoms.
To the moon: Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce looks to next 50 years
KAUPULEHU — As West Hawaii moves into the future, local business leaders say it’s crucial the state and region use its resources and look for opportunities to grow, cultivate and launch the industries of tomorrow, including those that literally shoot for the moon.
Zilch on proposed Kahaluu surf school regulations so far
KAILUA-KONA — Three months after a deadline for surf school companies to bid for a spot in a pilot program intended to manage operations at Kahaluu Bay, the county department responsible for selecting the winning bidders has yet to make any announcement on the matter.
New Kealakehe High School principal named
KAILUA-KONA — Glenn Gray, principal of Holualoa Elementary School, will take over as principal of Kealakehe High School on July 2, the Department of Education confirmed Tuesday.
