Hawaii Reporter

Why Care About the Dam Special Fund

2026-07-20T19:52:13Z

About a year ago, we wrote about a special fund that we called the Dam Special Fund, and that we were suing the State over it. Our state constitution has a number of provisions in it that are designed to control how our government spends our money. (Not “their” money, hmph.) Most of these provisions […]

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Where did you go in your LOWA Renegades?

2026-07-20T07:34:06Z

I haven’t made it lately to Mauna Loa, as depicted in the photo above, but there’s no question the hiking boots I’m reviewing could handle the trek. Instead, I’ve remained on Oahu, hiking the Mauʻumae Ridge Trail (also known as the Lanipō Trail) atop Wilhelmina Rise. Before scrutinizing LOWA’s newest footwear, it’s worth revisiting the […]

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Empty Homes Tax Won’t Go Away

2026-07-13T18:29:08Z

The idea behind an empty homes tax is to impose an outrageously high cost on residential property that is unoccupied, to force owners to either live in the property or rent it out. The theory is that this would alleviate the housing shortage here in Honolulu. We have written about such a tax on several […]

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Two Brothers, One Legendary Beach: Meet Waikīkī’s Rising WSL Stars Johnny “The Ripper” and Michael “Monkey” Van Hohenstein

2026-07-07T10:34:30Z

If you’ve scrolled past a surf clip lately captioned “Monkey” or “Johnny the Ripper” and wondered whether you were looking at the same surfer twice, you’re not alone. Michael Van Hohenstein 23, and John Michael Van Hohenstein 22, are brothers that are often mistaken as twins or even the same person. And both are quietly […]

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SNAP Disaster Imminent

2026-07-06T06:52:24Z

About a year ago, we wrote about one part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that could really hurt our State economically. It’s about the federal SNAP program to help needy families with food costs. It used to be fully funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. So, Hawaii citizens benefited from this federal […]

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How Krave Marketing and 808 Viral’s Community Events Have Become Some of Oʻahu’s Favorite Gatherings

2026-07-14T20:03:54Z

From Kailua Fall Fest to the Kāneʻohe Night Markets, Ben Marumoto and Daniela Stolfi continue to bring together local businesses, live entertainment and thousands of residents through events built around community. What started as a vision to create memorable community experiences has grown into one of Oʻahu’s most recognizable event brands. Founded and led by […]

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Blue Note Hawaii Announces July 2026 Lineup Featuring UMI, Hunter Hayes, Nate Jackson, Dave Koz, Jason Momoa & More

2026-07-03T03:28:44Z

From comedy and jazz to Hawaiian music, hip-hop and family-friendly events, Blue Note Hawaii’s July lineup brings a diverse month of live entertainment to Waikīk Blue Note Hawaii has announced its July 2026 entertainment lineup, featuring a mix of internationally acclaimed musicians, comedians, tribute performances, and local favorites throughout the month. Located inside the OUTRIGGER […]

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Q&A (Part 2) with Jake Takaya Morrow–Candidate for House District 21

2026-07-02T23:07:02Z

Editor’s Note: Hawaii Reporter recently sat down with Jake Takaya Morrow, a candidate for the State House representing District 21 (Pālolo Valley, St. Louis Heights, Kaimukī, Maunalani Heights, and Wilhelmina Rise). Morrow brings an unconventional background to the race, having worked as an organic farmer, legislative policy advisor, university instructor, and legal professional. His campaign focuses […]

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Q&A (Part 1) with Jake Takaya Morrow–Candidate for House District 21

2026-06-27T00:02:41Z

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The Art of the Tax Deal

2026-06-22T07:42:17Z

One of the basic freedoms we have in this country, enshrined in our Constitution, is the freedom to contract. Two or more parties with differing interests can agree to just about anything, as long as it isn’t illegal, and our country’s court system will enforce that agreement. The rules work a little differently when the […]

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Medicaid Fraud Control

2026-06-15T04:37:44Z

Medicaid is a joint federal and state government health insurance program that helps provide medical coverage for people with low incomes and limited resources. Medicaid is basically a federal program that states can opt into by setting up a program that complies with federal rules. In return, the federal government provides significant funding for the […]

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Navigating the NILe

2026-06-05T20:07:18Z

Back in 2020, an Arizona State swimmer named Grant House sued the NCAA in a landmark class action case alleging that the NCAA’s rules forbidding compensation for college athletes were illegal under antitrust laws. The settlement of that lawsuit in 2025 cleared the way for college athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and […]

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Our Big Tax Bill Act

2026-06-01T19:48:01Z

Our legislative session has ended but the journey of legislative bills has not. Bills that have passed the Legislature now trek to the Capitol’s fifth floor, where Gov. Green and his staff considers them. The Governor has until June 30 to send the Legislature a list of those bills he might veto; anything not on […]

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Between Silk and Shadow

2026-05-31T08:37:58Z

Few Americans shed one life and slipped into another as completely—or as mysteriously—as James Harrison Wilson Thompson. Architect by training, spy by wartime necessity, silk impresario by instinct, and ultimately a man who stepped off a garden terrace into the Cameron Highlands and never came back, Thompson remains as much a legend for how he […]

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Changes to the Solar Credit

2026-05-25T06:48:43Z

The legislative bill that we have received the most questions about is Senate Bill 3125, the bill that modifies individual tax rates. But the part that has drawn the most questions hasn’t been the tax rates, whether they be pauses, stops, hikes, or whatever else. Rather, everyone is asking about what is going to happen […]

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A Memorial Day Tribute to Henri (aka Hank) Carbonell

2026-05-22T01:05:39Z

Editor’s Note: Immigrants, as we are reminded of late, have not always been perceived favorably. The debate over immigration is as old as the country itself. What is less often acknowledged is how many of the men and women at the center of that debate have answered America’s call to arms — and what that […]

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Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Part 2

2026-05-18T07:55:19Z

This week, we continue our coverage of significant Hawaii tax bills that have cleared our Hawaii legislative session and are on their way to Gov. Green’s desk. House Bill 2329, which conforms our state tax law to provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is our first topic this week. Our legislature normally adopts […]

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Iran Trumps US on Breast Cancer Front

2026-05-18T13:02:53Z

May 18, 2026 In the war on breast cancer, the US has poured billions of dollars into biomedical research with very little impact on the number of women developing breast cancer. Lifestyle is known to play a large part in the cause of breast cancer. But one lifestyle factor is ignored, which is the harmful […]

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Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2026-05-11T20:01:36Z

In our Hawaii legislative session, conference committee work is now done and bills are being readied for final floor votes and trips to the Governor’s office. Some bills look pretty much the same as they did when they began the conference negotiations. Others look radically different. Here are some of the more significant ones. Senate […]

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Register Now: Final Briefing for the 2026 Legislative Session

2026-05-18T07:55:32Z

The Tax Foundation’s final briefing for the 2026 Legislative Session will have both an in-person option and Zoom option. Tuesday, May 12, 20267:30am to 8:30amThe Pacific Club1451 Queen Emma StreetHonolulu, Hawaii 96813 Continental Breakfast will be served. Cost for TFH Members: $40Cost for non-TFH Members: $55 Zoom only option: $25 Click HERE to register and […]

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Deciphering the Budget

2026-05-04T08:05:23Z

One of the most important and consequential bills considered in any legislative session, including this one, is the budget bill. This year’s budget bill is House Bill 1800. Reading the bill, however, is not for the faint of heart. There is a kind of code used in the budget bills, making it (we suppose) efficient […]

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What’s Dead – For Now

2026-04-27T06:38:21Z

We are at the point in our legislative session where House-Senate conference committees are hashing out the final versions of bills that, if passed by both chambers, would be sent up to the Governor’s office for possible signing into law. The conference committee process is opaque. Public testimony is not allowed, and the conferees meet […]

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Staying Healthy with the new Vitamix Ascent X5

2026-05-13T08:03:01Z

I like to eat healthy. I admit, I’m hardcore. My friends consider me on the edge of the food spectrum but it works for me. My Vitamix Ascent X5 aides and abets this practice. Case in point. I don’t eat meat and rely on nuts and beans for much of my protein. Hummus, for example, […]

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Where’s Your Second Tax Return, Part 2

2026-04-20T08:28:57Z

A couple of weeks ago, we spotlighted a bill, House Bill 2429, that essentially would have forced taxpayers to file a second, publicly available, tax return upon pain of losing the benefit of most income tax credits and all general excise tax and use tax exemptions and deductions. This bill, if passed in that form, […]

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Conveyance Tax Fright

2026-04-13T08:21:03Z

Hawaii conveyance tax is imposed any time real estate in Hawaii is bought, sold, or leased for a term of five years or more. Goings-on at our legislature give us some conveyance tax fright. The tax dates back to 1967, in the first decade after statehood. (Act 10, Hawaii Session Laws 1966.) At the time […]

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Ending Hawaii’s housing crisis depends on homebuilding feasibility

2026-04-13T18:27:09Z

By Keli‘i Akina A new report from economists at the University of Hawai‘i makes a point that many of us have known all along: If we want to end the housing crisis, we need to build more homes. That’s because each new unit creates a chain of housing openings. A family that moves into a […]

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‘The government should not spend more than it will bring in’

2026-04-08T18:42:19Z

By Keli‘i Akina I have some good news to share with you: All of Hawaii’s county mayors have released their proposed budgets for the next fiscal year, and most appear to be fiscally responsible. Could the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s spending principles finally be taking root with elected officials? Let’s start with Honolulu, which has […]

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Additional Car Tax Dead for Now

2026-04-01T23:23:52Z

In our current legislative session, there had been a couple of bills that would have created brand new taxes for us. One of them, House Bill 2604, would have slapped a new $1 per ticket tax on concert tickets on top of the general excise tax that ticket sellers already pay. The incremental revenue from […]

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Where’s Your Second Tax Return?

2026-04-01T23:24:22Z

Tax season is here. Most of us dread the prospect of filling out and filing our tax returns. We have to bare our souls to the government every year at about this time, telling them intimate details of what we made and what we lost — but at least that information is kept private so […]

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Legislature seems to choose spending over promised tax relief

2026-03-30T15:10:25Z

By Keli‘i Akina The state’s behemoth budget bill is making its way through the Legislature, and I can’t help but notice that taxpayers seem to be the only ones expected to make a sacrifice for the sake of government spending. Gov. Josh Green kicked off this year’s session claiming the state’s budget crunch is so […]

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Could President Trump’s latest waiver lead to Jones Act reform?

2026-03-24T15:45:21Z

By Keli‘i Akina Something has gone very wrong if it becomes necessary during a time of war to waive a law that was intended to strengthen national security. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act for the transport of certain energy products and fertilizer. As you might already know, the […]

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Halftime Report

2026-03-20T20:21:37Z

We’ve just passed the halfway point in our legislative session, where bills in the House need to go to the Senate for consideration, and vice versa. Any bill that hasn’t crossed over is dead for this session, although it is certainly possible for all or part of a dead bill to be resurrected by inserting […]

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Critical housing reform bills come to unfortunate abrupt end at Legislature

2026-03-17T20:43:01Z

By Keli‘i Akina Two important housing reform measures were unexpectedly killed this week as the state House and Senate prepared for “crossover” at the Legislature, during which the chambers exchange all the bills they have so far approved. This is regrettable not just because of what it means for Hawaii’s ongoing housing crisis, but also […]

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FILMFREUDE – 3rd EDITION! April 3-5 @ Doris Duke Theater

2026-03-17T22:00:00Z

FilmFreude is bringing a stunning slice of German cinema to the islands this April 3-5. This year, we’ve selected 4 powerful, moving, and entertaining films from Germany and Switzerland — edgy, daring, mesmerizing, and thought-provoking stories. We think these 2024/25 productions are the best of the year. Venue for the 3rd German Film Festival in Hawai’i, FilmFreude […]

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A Taxing Debate

2026-03-12T07:57:26Z

We have written earlier this year about the Administration’s bill to “pause” (actually, stop) the planned tax cuts that were to happen in years 2027 and beyond. The House and Senate money committees heard that bill independently. Both committees opted to make substantial modifications to it before moving it forward. What will likely follow will […]

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Residents voice their concerns on proposed pause of historic tax cuts

2026-03-10T15:55:22Z

By Keli‘i Akina I wish more of our lawmakers would realize that no government program could do as much to help struggling families in the islands as significant tax cuts. But maybe public reaction to the governor’s effort to “pause” the phase-in of the state’s historic 2024 income tax cuts will help them come to […]

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The Rental Car Loophole

2026-03-05T00:20:44Z

There are a number of bills in this year’s Legislature that seek to raise revenue by closing a “loophole” in our General Excise Tax Law. But is it really a loophole? When a wholesaler sells tangible personal property to a retailer and that retailer resells it, the wholesaler is taxed at 0.5% and the retailer […]

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Pilgrimage to Anzio

2026-05-14T07:42:22Z

This is the first in a series of articles by Rob Kay, the author of a soon to be released memoir, “Hans & Henri go to War—Exile, Friendship, and the War that Brought Them Home”. He recently spent several months in Europe, researching his father’s service during the Italian Campaign. In the course of his […]

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Legislature needs to rein in governor’s emergency powers

2026-03-03T00:37:34Z

By Keli‘i Akina Hawaii’s emergency management law has some critical flaws. Namely, what constitutes an emergency is up to just one person — the governor — who also has wide latitude to address those declared emergencies by indefinitely suspending whatever laws he or she thinks are getting in the state’s way of responding to them. […]

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The Cruise Fee Quandary

2026-03-12T07:57:40Z

Litigation is still raging over the extension of our Transient Accommodations Tax to cruise ships in what has been called the “Green Fee” bill. And the Legislature is getting involved as well. In last year’s legislative session, as you may recall, the TAT was increased and broadened to include cruise ships. The cruise ship industry […]

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