My Job: Cleaning Up After Disasters and Tragedies
Adam Ah Sue had been working as a hotel concierge, but says he got tired of the mundane work he did every day.
Community & Economy
The Resilient City Emerging
The pandemic is leaving its mark on cities, impacting urban design, transportation and governance. Five experts reflect on developing trends and future possibilities for resilience in Honolulu.
Fires Consume More Hawaiʻi Forest in Recent Years
Fires burned more than 30,000 acres of forest and brushland in both 2018 and 2019 – far more than any other year in more than a decade.
Hawai‘i Economics and Economists in the Spotlight
Local public debates often include economic information and analysis, but the pandemic and resulting economic crisis have intensified the demand for real-time data and understanding.
2 Local Surveys Ask About Today and Tomorrow
You already know the big picture.These two surveys fill in some of the details about what happened to businesses and people during the first eight months of the pandemic, and what the new normal looks like to them.
State of the Unions
Hawai‘i’s workforce is more unionized than any in the country and it’s facing challenges as the pandemic disrupts tourism, government, shipping and other unionized sectors.
Food Trucks a Lifeline for Some Hawai‘i Chefs During Pandemic
A surge in food trucks began in 2008 during the Great Recession and the current economic crisis seems to have spurred further interest among entrepreneurs and chefs.
"Talent Roadmap" Declares: Now is the Time to Reinvent Hawaiʻi's Economy
The coronavirus has put tens of thousands of local people out of work. Enhancing workforce development is the starting point, according to a report from the Hawaiʻi Executive Collaborative, which is based on input from almost 200 people. The economic impact…
Building Hawaiʻi's Technology Sector
TRUE stands for Technology Readiness User Evaluation. The initiative started with a hypothesis: Technology-enabled, higher-wage jobs will be created if Hawai‘i can get more companies to adopt more technology. Paul Yonamine, CHANGE Economy Committee co-chair and member of the TRUE…
Pandemic May Be Cloaking Sex Trafficking Cases in Hawaiʻi
A report called “Sex Trafficking in Hawai‘i” examines the scope and complexity of a problem for which data is hard to collect.
Pandemic Changes Hawai‘i’s Energy Consumption: Who, When and How Much
The pandemic and resulting recession has transformed the way Hawai‘i uses energy: who consumes it, when and how much, says Scott Glenn, the state’s chief energy officer.
Why Condos Need to Plan Ahead for Major Repair Projects
Aging condo buildings need large, complex projects to keep them safe and functional. But many condo associations have not budgeted for these expensive, time-consuming repairs, says Dana Bergeman, CEO of local construction management company Bergeman Group.
Parting Shot: TheBus Combats COVID
A worker with H2O Process Systems, a contracted company, applies ammonium disinfectant inside a Honolulu city bus to kill germs.
Residential Real Estate Largely Unscathed by COVID, Expert Says
The pandemic so far has not had a major impact nationally on the residential real estate market but there are interesting trends worth watching, says real estate expert Stefan Swanepoel.
Real Estate Reboot
How the market for Hawaiʻi homes has been transformed by the pandemic, tech, customer preferences and other changes.
Reopening Hawai‘i Tourism Part II: Should We Change the Visitor Industry?
Many people inside and outside the tourism sector want a reinvention of Hawai‘i’s No. 1 industry so that it welcomes tourists while enhancing sustainability of nature and culture here.
Kona Coffee Farmers Favor 100% Labeling Rule
These farmers want the Kona name to be reserved only for 100% Kona coffee.
West Oʻahu Magazine 2020
Aloha Mai Kākou The University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu is an anchor institution that supports the health and well-being of our communities in partnership with an ever-expanding network of community and business partners as well as state and local…
East Oʻahu Magazine: 2019
C O N T E N T S Welcome Smart Investment in our Future Going Beyond Retail East Oʻahu Fishponds A Kailua Landmark Community Faith Excellence in Health Care Company Profiles A L O H A Kailua Chamber of…
How to Increase Visitor Spending
Millions of tourists come to Hawai‘i and venture beyond the resort areas – crowding our parks, beaches, hiking trails, roads and more. But in 2019, total inflation-adjusted visitor spending actually declined, which means there was no extra money to fix this worn infrastructure. Here are three ways to turn that problem around.
Jones Act: Pro and Con
Advocates say it ensures reliable, on-time delivery of everything Hawai‘i needs, while providing a strong U.S. Merchant Marine in time of war or other crises. Opponents say the Jones Act raises prices for everyone in Hawai‘i and puts those who want to export overseas at a disadvantage.
20 for the Next 20 Community Project: Helping to Rebuild a Devastated Farm
Members of the 2018 cohort of 20 for the Next 20 volunteered to prepare a Hanalei farm for new kalo seedlings Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama knows floods. When she was 17, a wave of brown floodwater swept her away as she tried to…
Editor's Note: When Working Hard is Hardly Enough
If you, like me, are lucky enough to belong to the middle or upper classes, you may need to read our report to really understand the dire situation of these working people. But you don’t have to look far to find them.