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Insiders say U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele considering a run for governor
If the first-term congressman actually enters the race, it will stir up an already crowded Democratic primary. Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now.

Lawmakers consider transferring to OHA an estimated $638M of withheld public land trust revenues
Senate Bill 2021 proposes to help resolve the decades-old dispute over how much of the public land trust revenues should be directed toward the betterment of Native Hawaiians. Hawaii Public Radio.

Lawmakers propose more affordable rentals for middle-income families
Lawmakers in the House have introduced a bill that would put $150 million into the revolving fund for rental housing. But this time, the goal is to provide affordable rentals for middle-income families. KHON2.

Hawai‘i State Senate committees consider measure prohibiting underground fuel tanks near aquifer
The Senate Committees on Health and Agriculture and Environment held a hearing Wednesday afternoon to consider a bill that would prohibit the operation of and renewal of permits for underground fuel storage tanks within a half-mile of an aquifer. Star-Advertiser.

Bills aim to improve broadband accessibility
After Gov. David Ige on Monday announced his intention to invest $400 million to expand broadband access throughout the state, a host of broadband-related bills were introduced in the state Legislature. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaiian Electric to issue $2M in one-time bill credits to past-due customers
Hawaiian Electric will apply $2 million in bill credits for customers who have struggled to pay their electric bill during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Kōkua Fund Bill Credit Program will automatically provide a one-time credit of $90 to past-due balances for about 22,000 residential and business customers by Jan. 31.  Maui Now.

American Lung Association calls for more action against youth vaping and tobacco use
The American Lung Association is calling for more action from Hawaiʻi lawmakers this year, specifically in addressing flavored tobacco products and youth vaping. Hawaii Public Radio. Civil Beat.

Lawmakers propose thousands of affordable homes around a new Aloha Stadium
A state agency is close to narrowing a competition among developers to turn land around Aloha Stadium into a mixed-use community including around 3,000 homes, but state lawmakers are being asked to consider reserving the area for a tremendous amount of affordable housing instead. Star-Advertiser.

Community concerned Navy’s defueling of Red Hill isn’t happening fast enough
Some city and state lawmakers are not counting on the health department order to protect O‘ahu’s drinking water. The Navy, which has suspended operations at Red Hill, and the state health department did not respond to questions about the timeline for removing the fuel. Civil Beat.

ACLU sues city, HPD, DOE over arrest of 10-year-old girl for offensive drawing
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court against the city, the state Department of Education and the Honolulu Police Department over the January 2020 arrest of a then-10-year-old girl at Honowai Elementary School. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

City looks to fill thousands of vacancies amid ongoing worker shortage
In order to provide the level of daily services O‘ahu residents need, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said the city needs to employ about 10,000 people. But it only has about 8,000. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Spectators allowed to attend OIA sporting events again starting Monday
Monday is the four-week mark since the league announced it was closing events to the public due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Adaptive reuse means repurposing an existing building – for instance, turning a high-rise tower filled with offices into an apartment building. “Office-to-residential conversions were already being done pre-COVID, but the pandemic spurred more vacancies and led us to rethink the way we live… read more.

Maui photo animation app maker sues competitor
Plotagraph Inc. alleges the Israeli firm Lightricks has infringed on Plotagraph’s patents. The suit asserts that the Pixaloop app, which was later named “Motionleap,” used many of the features that Plotagraph uses, like “anchors” and “masks” that creators plot on their images to prevent those elements from becoming animated. Civil Beat.

That’s no typo. The price of a gallon of unleaded on Lana‘i hit $6.39 this week
Soaring gas prices have Neighbor Islands residents frustrated as they struggle to cover fuel costs. Economists said soaring gas prices are the result of rising tensions around the world, which pushes up oil prices. Hawaii News Now.