Some businesses are facing a new challenge: hiring workers back
Data from the UH Economic Research Organization shows that 67,000 people in Hawai‘i are still unemployed. Yet hiring remains a challenge, with restaurants in particular saying they’re struggling to find people. Hawaii News Now.

Automatic voter registration bill nears passage
Senate Bill 159 would make voter registration part of the application process for a driver’s license or identification card. West Hawaii Today.

Bans on high-capacity magazines for guns fail at Legislature
Bills that would have banned rifle magazines greater than 10 rounds and any gun that could fire 50-caliber rounds or more have stalled for this legislative session, along with bills to legalize recreational marijuana and collect more data on police use of force. Civil Beat.

Legislation proposes hefty fines for tour buses that continue illegal activity
Under Senate Bill 766, the Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission, which regulates motor carriers, would be able to significantly increase fines for tour buses that repeatedly flout Hawai‘i’s laws, such as dropping off beachgoers in illegal zones. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

State ordered to pay $370K in attorney fees in Hawaiian land trust case
The state is poised to pay the fees after losing a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 2,700 Native Hawaiians who spent years languishing on the waitlist for homestead land. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Hawai‘i Senate VP says Ige is “skirting” Board of Education nomination process
Sen. Michelle Kidani said the governor is trying to avoid public input on nominees so he could “name an interim Board member of his choosing.” The criticism came as the board prepares to replace the outgoing schools superintendent, Christina Kishimoto. Civil Beat.

Hawai‘i schools report 47 new cases of COVID-19
Reported infections among public school staff and students have been rising in recent weeks as more campuses have returned to in-person instruction. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Some say bribes to Planning and Permitting Department helped smooth approval process
The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged current and former building plan examiners, a data access and imaging employee, and a building inspector with soliciting thousands of dollars to move building permits through the city approval process. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Why one developer is banking on more digital nomads coming to Hawai‘i
With people flocking to Hawai‘i to work remotely, a local builder known for affordable green homes is creating a co-living space in an Ala Moana penthouse. Civil Beat.

Bikeshare Hawaii regroups to cut costs, starts removing some stations
The nonprofit organization that manages Biki said it will decommission many stations over the next few months as part of an urgent cost-saving plan to survive pandemic-related losses. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Permit challenges paint a grim picture for the future of a beloved O‘ahu art exhibit
Organizers of the “Art on the Zoo Fence,” a popular venue for local residents and tourists since 1953, said they may be forced to fold if the city doesn’t reissue permits for them to reopen. Hawaii News Now.

In October, Hui No‘eau sent art kits to the Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center. The deliveries continue today, with children in shelters using these kits as a way to support their mental health during a tough time…. read more.

Ka‘ū dam owner is fined $7,500 for unaddressed deficiencies
The Board of Land and Natural Resources fined the Edmund C. Olson Trust, owner of the Keaīwa Reservoir above Pāhala, for failure to comply with a notice of deficiency issued in February 2020. West Hawaii Today.

Thirty Meter Telescope still on hold as it deals with pandemic, funding issues
TMT officials said on Friday that construction near the summit remains on hold as the project continues to assess a number of factors affecting its schedule. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Rent at new housing project to start at $350
A nonprofit developer has started work on an affordable rental housing complex for families on Hawai‘i Island, where monthly rents are projected to be as low as $350. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

6,441 passengers are arriving daily to Kahului 
April numbers are currently exceeding pre-pandemic levels for the same period in 2018 and 2019, according to DBEDT data. Maui Now.

Maui County has the most California-variant cases in the state
The county has the largest number of the highly transmissible variant among specimens analyzed by the state Department of Health’s Laboratories Division. Maui News.

Waipouli residents protest against acquisition of land for path
Protesters cited coastal erosion, disruption of shearwater seabirds and high costs as reasons that the county should drop plans to acquire private land for the Ke Ala Hele Makalae bike and pedestrian path. Garden Island.

Kīkīaola Small Boat Harbor improvements begin
The project got underway Friday as workers secured fencing for areas of the facility that will be getting concrete applications. Garden Island.