HILO — Will Mayor Harry Kim run for re-election?

HILO — Garbage in, garbage out.

HILO — A ban on the county’s use of weedkillers in parks and along its highways advanced Wednesday on an 8-1 vote, although some members of the County Council asked for more clarification before its final vote later this month.

HILO — Major changes need to be made to the Hawaiian Homes Commission and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands before Native Hawaiians can be reconnected to their homelands, a series of speakers told a state Senate panel Monday in Honolulu.

HILO — A month after a key deadline for short-term vacation rentals, the Hawaii County Planning Department is plowing through almost 4,000 applications, including 1,150 seeking exemptions for nonconforming zoning.

HILO — A Captain Cook homeowner is appealing the county’s new short-term vacation rental law, saying it’s unconstitutional.

HILO — If you want something done right, as the saying goes, do it yourself.

HILO — It’s back to the drawing board for the embattled Hele-On bus service, after a bid protest stopped a contract from being awarded to the winning bidder, Roberts Tours and Transportation Inc.

HILO — Balancing energy conservation with building costs was top of mind Monday, as about 50 designers, builders and home owners quizzed county Building Division staff over proposed changes to the county energy code.

HILO — U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s announcement late Thursday that she won’t seek reelection to Congress so she can focus on her presidential bid turns what early challenger Kai Kahele saw as a likely mano-a-mano contest into a political free-for-all.

HILO — There are many hurdles to completing the master-planned Villages of Laiopua, but topping that list is water.

HILO — The Hawaiian Homes Commission took the first step Monday to hire an outside attorney to put a dollar figure on what the state owes Native Hawaiian beneficiaries for land, including the Maunakea Access Road, that was the subject of a 1995 state law.

HILO — Everything old is new again, at least when it comes to rules governing county hiring practices.

HILO — Hawaii Island is moving toward banning county-applied herbicides on parks and roadsides.

HILO — Cutbacks to the county’s recycling program have raised concerns throughout the island, and a County Council panel is set to hear about alternatives when it meets today.