Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we've been following today: 

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Today's Big Stories

1. Long road ahead for 5 fireworks burn victims discharged from acute care in Arizona

All five of the surviving New Year’s Eve fireworks burn victims, who were flown to the Arizona Burn Center for treatment while in critical condition, have been discharged.

Dr. Kevin Foster, the director of the Arizona Burn Center, announced the good news to reporters during a videoconference on Thursday.

“They're all doing very well physically, emotionally and psychologically,” said Foster. “Obviously, this was a lot to overcome.”  

Two of the patients are still in inpatient rehab, while the other three patients are in outpatient therapy at the Arizona Burn Center. All of the patients plan to return to Hawaii over the next several weeks and months, according to Foster. 

The Arizona Burn Center has treated scores of patients who were injured by fireworks, but Foster said “we don't often see the commercial heavy duty fireworks injuries, like we saw with these patients.”

A New Year’s fireworks explosion at a home in Aliamanu killed six people, including a 3-year-old boy, and injured about 20 others. The tragedy occurred when a lit bundle of about 50 aerial fireworks fell over, blasting into crates that contained unlit fireworks and causing them to also go off. Three days after the explosion, the U.S. military helped transfer six patients from Queen’s Medical Center and Straub Benioff Medical Center to the Arizona Burn Center for further treatment. 

2. Blaisdell Concert Hall will close in 2027 for more renovations

The Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall will close in January 2027 for 14 months in order to complete renovations to the building. 

The announcement was made Thursday while the City and County of Honolulu provided media with a tour of the renovations to the Blaisdell Concert Hall that have already been completed.  

The Neal S. Blaisdell Center campus, originally constructed in 1964, requires upgrades to address health, safety and deferred maintenance concerns. The renovations for the Concert Hall will cost about $10 million, part of the broader $44 million renovation project for the entire campus. 

In 2027, the Concert Hall will close for 14 months for front-of-house renovations, which will include remodeling and raising the bathrooms on either side of the entrance to lobby level, adding more toilets, and remaking the interior to more accurately reflect its original grandeur.

3. Congressional delegation condemns Trump ED order

President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education drew criticism from Hawaii’s Congressional delegation on Thursday.

U.S. Rep. Ed Case called the order “one of the broadest and deepest and outright shortsighted and heartless of many attacks on the foundations of our society to date.”

Dating back to his first run as president, Trump has criticized the department as being bloated and ineffective. His order directs the secretary of education to develop a plan for closing the department while retaining certain core functions, including Title 1 funding.

“Everything this administration does in the name of so-called efficiency and savings is about one thing: enriching the richest people to ever walk the planet,”  said Sen. Brian Schatz. “This time, it’s our children who will pay for it with their futures.”

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono said Trump’s order will have serious consequences for the most vulnerable students.

“These programs support low-income students and students with disabilities, help to prevent discrimination in the classroom, provide meals for kids in need and ensure access to quality education for every student in our nation,” Hirono said.

By law, the president cannot unilaterally shut down the department. However, shortly after Trump signed the order, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., announced that he would introduce legislation through which Congress could execute the president’s intent.

Rep. Jill Tokuda criticized the president for firing ED employees he couldn’t force into retirement and “starving” educators of resources and funding needed to maintain the public education system. She vowed to resist her Congressional Republicans’ efforts to eliminate the department altogether.

4. Hawaii men's basketball attendance dwindles as program stands at crossroads

As the University of Hawaii athletics administration considers the direction of its men’s basketball program, one marker — general fan interest, quantified by attendance figures — has been tough to miss.

Using tickets issued and turnstile figures as readily available metrics to cross-check with historic trends, it's apparent that the last three seasons have generated some of the lowest turnout for the Rainbow Warriors in non-COVID-19-impacted years since they moved from the Blaisdell Arena into the 10,300-seat Stan Sheriff Center in 1994.

"I think it's important to understand that attendance is influenced by a variety of factors across all sports,” acting UH athletic director Lois Manin told Spectrum News in a statement when asked for comment about the UH basketball attendance trend. “For men’s basketball in particular, changes in conference scheduling has affected non-conference opportunities. There are more competing events and less available weekends. That said, we are working on ways to improve men’s basketball attendance in this changing landscape.”

Head Coach Eran Ganot, who has championed character, community outreach and accountability during his decade with UH men's basketball, is set to enter the last year of his contract in 2025-26, leaving UH administration — possibly its to-be-named permanent AD in the coming months — with three apparent choices with what to do this offseason: offer a contract extension, allow a so-called lame-duck season or make a coaching change.

Some fans appear to have voted with their presence, or lack thereof. In 2024-25, there were six games with a turnstile count of fewer than 2,500, compared to only four games over 4,000. UH’s senior night turnstile crowd of 3,457 for a win over UC Davis was the smallest for a restriction-free home finale in many years.

Ganot rarely fails to praise the UH fan base for its passion and loyalty in his postgame press conferences, win or loss.

The coach, traveling since the season ended, messaged Spectrum News on Thursday in regard to the attendance trend: “Our fanbase is awesome — always been very appreciative of their support through the ups and downs. We have spoken on the challenges in scheduling in the current landscape and how it has impacted our attendance. This year, our inconsistencies on the floor certainly didn’t help.”

5. Two more school bus routes restored

The Hawaii Department of Education will restore two previously suspended school bus routes on Monday. The bus routes serve 31 student-riders at Kalama Intermediate and King Kekaulike High on Maui and Keaʻau High on Hawaii Island.

The latest restored routes will be serviced by contractor Ground Transport Inc.

Parents and guardians of student riders were notified directly of restored routes and any necessary route modifications. The following school bus routes will resume service on Monday:

MAUI

Baldwin-Kekaulike-Kūlanihākoʻi-Maui Complex: 1 route

• Kalama Intermediate, King Kekaulike High - UR20A/B

HAWAII ISLAND

Kaʻū-Keaʻau-Pāhoa Complex: 1 route

• Keaʻau High - SR31A

Efforts to restore the remaining 13 suspended bus routes are ongoing.

Your Notes for the Weekend

Saturday, March 22 

• Trump will be in PA for NCAA wrestling
• WWF's Earth Hour rolls across the globe /Lights turned off across every continent for Earth Hour
• NCAA Men's Basketball Second Round begins
• NCAA Women's March Madness First Round continues
• Birthday of James Tiberius Kirk, captain of the starship USS Enterprise in the TV show 'Star Trek'. The character was born March 22, 2233, at an unknown location, though residents of Riverside, IA, claim him as their own. Today is also the 94th birthday of William Shatner, who played the part of Kirk from 1966-1969 and in seven of the subsequent movies
• World Water Day, an international observance that highlights the importance of fresh water and advocates for the sustainable management of freshwater resources

Sunday, March 23 

• NCAA Women's Basketball Second Round
• National Puppy Day, celebrating puppies and encouraging adoption 
• Mark Twain Prize for American Humor presented to Conan O'Brien
• Opening night for 'Othello' on Broadway starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal
• Pakistani military marks Republic Day with an annual military parade, a display of nuclear-capable weapons, tanks, jets, drones and other weapons systems

Monday, March 24 

• U.S. Supreme Court hears Louisiana redistricting case
• Quarterly Financial Report - Retail Trade
• Kenyan man sentenced for planning 9/11-style attack
• Court hearing for Illinois deputy charged with murder for shooting woman in own home
• Trisha Yearwood honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame