Fewer holes of golf and more timeshare units could become the name of the game for Waikoloa Resort developers, following approvals Thursday by the Leeward Planning Commission.

Developers of West Hawaii Business Park want to build just a small portion of Kamanu Street, rather than the entire roadway, prior to developing a 31-acre parcel of the 95-acre park for an undisclosed buyer.

“How good are you at backing up?” Paul Ishikuro asks the driver trying to find a spot to park his SUV in an increasingly crowded lot overlooking scenic Pololu Valley.

New County Council districts proposed by the Redistricting Commission are now ready for prime time, and the commission has set hearings next week to see what the public thinks of its work.

Visitors to Hawaii Island hotels and vacation rentals will be digging a little deeper come Jan. 1, with the County Council on Wednesday unanimously passing a 3% local option lodging tax.

The County Council on Wednesday advanced on first reading a bill banning the use of glyphosate-based herbicides in county parks.

The countywide Hele-On bus system could become free of charge next year, interim Mass Transit Administrator John Andoh told County Council members Tuesday.

The Hawaii Supreme Court has sent a 2016 permit controversy over a North Kona rock-crushing operation back to the Leeward Planning Commission, saying the county erred when it didn’t allow an intervenor to participate in the process.

Increasing several fees and fines, limiting lifeguard liability and adding Juneteenth to the list of 13 state holidays are among eight priorities Hawaii’s four counties plan to present to the state Legislature.

Na Leo TV is undertaking a management change following former CEO Stacy Higa’s guilty plea to federal embezzlement and bribery charges and the subsequent filing of a whistleblower hostile workplace complaint by an employee there.

The Hawaii County Democratic Party is asking the state Reapportionment Commission to take another look at how nonresident military and students were extracted from population data in light of new figures showing there were almost twice as many military personnel as previously thought.

Mayor Mitch Roth has tapped residents with backgrounds in the island Fire Department, U.S. Marines and Army, as well as a forensic engineer, software engineer and meteorologist to serve on the Cost of Government Commission, and he’s looking for three more candidates.

New political boundaries for federal, state and county elective offices are almost complete, and today, Hawaii County residents have an opportunity to weigh in on all of them.

The county is set to prepare another environmental assessment and work closely with the community before constructing a wastewater system to replace gang cesspools in Naalehu and Pahala, Environmental Management Director Ramzi Mansour said Wednesday.

The Leeward Planning Commission had more questions than answers last week and held back approval of a timeshare and residential development for Waikoloa Resort that would consume half of one of the resort’s two golf courses.

Members of the island Water Board favored a 9.5% annual rate increase over options of 12% and 8% after a presentation Tuesday from consultants anticipating revenues and expenses over the next five years.

Ever try to share a too-small blanket on a chilly night?

Developer Stanford Carr has been selected to partner with Waikoloa Land Co. to build the workforce housing component of a residential and timeshare project coming before the Leeward Planning Commission next week.