Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we've been following today:
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Light to moderate east to southeasterly winds will stick around throughout this week. Clouds and showers will favor windward areas overnight and leeward and interior areas in the afternoon. We could see an increase in shower activity around midweek for the western end of the state.
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Today's Big Stories
1. Hirono reintroduces bill to fund volcanic monitoring, warning program
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono joined three Senate colleagues in reintroducing a bipartisan measure that would reauthorize a U.S. Geological Survey program focused on detecting and warning about volcanic threats.
Hirono reintroduced the measure with Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.
The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Systems Act funds USGS’s efforts to “organize, modernize, standardize and stabilize” systems operated by U.S. volcano observatories, including that of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Hawaii Island.
The act expired at the end of Fiscal Year 2023.
If reauthorized, the measure would:
Appropriate a total of $75 million over 10 years;
Add the U.S. Forest Service to the interagency coordination list;
Require five-year management plans on a regular basis, and include coordination with new or existing cooperative partners;
Establish an implementation committee to help provide recommended requirements, implementation steps and performance standards for the system;
Establish public communication and messaging responsibilities for coordination between partners to avoid confusion or duplication;
Expand the list of emerging technologies for advanced monitoring networks to support modernization of data collection and networks; and update technical language.
2. DPP to purge idle permit applications
The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting is purging inactive permit applications older than one year to clear an existing backlog as it moves to a new software system.
DPP announced on Monday that applications that have been in the DPP review system for longer than 365 days without activity from the applicant will be deemed expired and removed from the system. This includes permits that have been approved but have not been picked up. DPP said these applications may no longer meet codes that have since been updated, and therefore may require reapplication, redesign and re-review.
Applicants who wish to request that an idle application not be expired should send an email to dppcancelpermits@honolulu.gov and provide the applicant’s name, phone number, TMK of the project, permit application number and reason the application should not be expired.
3. Waikiki Shell reopens after 6-month renovation
The Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell has completed a six-month renovation and will host its first performance in half a year on March 26.
The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Enterprise Services made the announcement on Monday morning via news release, sharing details of the upgrades to the iconic venue.
The $585,000 renovation project, which began on Oct. 1, 2024, focused on enhancing the Shell’s functionality and improving the overall audio experience, according to the City and County of Honolulu. Key upgrades include a complete electrical service overhaul and modifications to the former orchestra pit. The city improved drainage systems and added new premium seating options near the stage.
The reopening of the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell ushers in a new era for the venue, starting with Kehlani on March 26 and Boyz II Men on April 26.
However, the free Kilohana Hula Show, which moved from the Waikiki Shell to the Kuhio Beach Hula Mound last September to allow for the renovations, will not be returning to the Shell, according to City and County of Honolulu spokesperson Scott Humber.
4. Hawaii acting AD Manin issues statement of support for hoops coach Ganot for 2025-26
Eran Ganot is keeping the keys to the Hawaii men’s basketball program for its final season in the Big West Conference.
UH acting athletic director Lois Manin issued a statement on Monday indicating that Ganot will coach out the final year of his contract in the coming 2025-26 season, which will be his 11th with the program.
“Coach Ganot and I met last week, and we are committed to supporting the men’s basketball program, staff and student-athletes as we work towards a successful 2025-26 season,” Manin said.
Speculation had abounded on Ganot’s future with the program after the Rainbow Warriors lost 10 of their last 13 games and missed the eight-team Big West tournament by finishing in ninth place at 15-16 overall and 7-13 in BWC play.
UH is scheduled to play its final season in the Big West in 2025-26 before joining a stronger basketball conference, the Mountain West, in 2026-27.
5. Police ask for help finding man who allegedly tried to kill his wife while hiking near the Pali
The Honolulu Police Department asked the public for help in looking for Gerhardt Konig after he allegedly tried to kill his wife near the Pali Lookout.
Police said the 46-year-old man was hiking with his wife on Monday morning when he allegedly tried to push her off the trail and struck her in the head with a rock.
The woman was transported to a hospital in critical condition, according to HPD.
Police described Konig as 5'9” and 160 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. The Maui resident was last seen near the Pali Lookout wearing a light gray shirt and blue shorts and carrying a black bag. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or contact Crime Stoppers Honolulu.
Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other senior national security and White House officials earlier this month planned bombings on Houthi rebels in Yemen in a text message group chat on the app Signal that accidentally included The Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg, according to the longtime foreign policy reporter.
In a lengthy column Monday, Goldberg revealed the existence of the group chat — which he said included 17 senior Trump administration officials total, including people whose accounts on Signal identified them as White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, national security adviser Mike Waltz, senior diplomatic adviser Steve Witkoff and another account labeled “MAR,” which Goldberg suspected was Secretary of State “Marco Antonio Rubio." The article detailed Vance’s questioning of President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb the Houthis, debate over the merits of the strikes and specifics on the United States’ targets, weapons and methods, including the exact timing the bombs would be detonating in Yemen.
On Monday afternoon, hours after The Atlantic published Goldberg’s report, Trump was asked about the breach at an economic event at the White House, standing alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other officials. He claimed to know nothing about the report or the conversations. The president later appeared to joke about the breach on social media.
“This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a floor speech Monday afternoon.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wants to learn more about what happened.
“Obviously, we got to to run it to the ground, figure out what went on there,” said Thune, a South Dakota Republican.
Your Notes for Tomorrow
Tuesday, March 25
- U.S. Supreme Court hears EPA Clean Air Act jurisdiction cases
- Equal Pay Day, symbolizing how far into each year a woman must work to earn as much as a man earned in the previous year on average
- Amanda Knox publishes book on time in prison
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publishes new book
- New Residential sales/Month House Price Index
- New German parliament meets for the first time
In Case You Missed It
Kamehameha comes back to beat Iolani in debut week of ILH girls flag football
A few times on Saturday, play was stopped for a reason that had never drawn a penalty in a football game at Eddie Hamada Field.
Impeding the runner.
That was one of many new twists as girls flag football completed its debut week in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, part of an overall rollout of the sport across the state. Kamehameha, playing its second official league game, came back to beat Iolani 13-12.
Click the link above to read the full story.
