The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is leading the remediation effort, has been plagued by shoddy work and multiple regulatory disputes, according to an investigation by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and ProPublica. Read more
State lawmakers passed legislation to bolster a long-troubled homesteading program for Native Hawaiians. Distrustful of the state, Native leaders are now crafting their own visions for the money. Read more
Hawaii hired a developer to build homes to deliver on a century-old promise of reparations to Native Hawaiians. But the state didn’t inspect construction. Homeowners said they’ve had water damage, air conditioning breakdowns and other issues. Read more
Legislative leaders in Hawaii are calling for the appropriation of $600 million to help house Native Hawaiians through a chronically underfunded homesteading program that has fallen short of its promise to return Native people to their ancestral lands. Read more
We hope to talk to one person from each of the roughly 500 homes in the Kanehili and Kauluokahai subdivisions of Kapolei, Honolulu. Help us hold the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands accountable. Read more
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to head a Cabinet agency, struggled to contain her emotions Monday as she spoke about the imminent transfer of 80 acres of excess federal land to a trust for Native Hawaiians. Read more
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
A 1995 law sought to repay land debt to Native Hawaiians. But when excess plots became available, much of the desirable land went elsewhere through private sales. Here’s how the deals were authorized. Read more
In a 1995 law, the U.S. promised to pay its land debt to Hawaiians, thousands of whom are waiting for homes. But Congress, including the state’s own delegation, voted to give the land to other parties. Read more
A controversial proposal to develop a casino resort on lands set aside for Native Hawaiians in Kapolei survived a narrow vote Tuesday at the Hawaiian Homes Commission and now heads to Gov. David Ige for his consideration. Read more
If Ige approves it, the measure would be introduced as part of the governor’s package of bills submitted to the Legislature. Read more
Given the severe budget deficits expected by the state over the next several years, a plan to develop a West Oahu casino is key to avoiding the prospect of more Native Hawaiians waiting decades for homesteads and thousands dying without getting onto the land, according to an executive with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Read more
Unable to keep pace with the soaring demand for housing, the state agency that manages a homesteading program for Native Hawaiians is taking a radical step in a new direction. Read more
Native Hawaiians are still waiting for state and federal officials to fulfill the promises of land legislation that was signed into law 25 years ago. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” said one former governor. Read more
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands dropped a bombshell on its website late Tuesday, floating the idea of building a casino on trust land in Kapolei. Read more
ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind analysis showed that a Native Hawaiian housing program left behind much of the community it was supposed to help. Here’s how we did it. Read more
A 100-year-old program created to provide Native Hawaiians — especially poor ones — land to live on after the U.S. annexed the islands is failing. Thousands have died waiting in a decades-long line and even more can't afford the mortgages they'd need. Read more
The Hawaii Supreme Court issued a stinging rebuke Tuesday to the state for what the justices unanimously called wrongful conduct that has resulted in the state’s failure to reduce a growing wait list of Native Hawaiians seeking homesteads. Read more
The Hawaii Supreme Court today took the state to task for its mismanagement of the land trust for Native Hawaiians and allowed a class-action lawsuit to proceed to a phase for calculating damages in a major victory for some 2,700 plaintiffs in the case. Read more
With sightseers hoping to get a bird’s-eye view of flowing lava, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park in 2018 was the most popular site in the country for commercial air tours of national parks. Read more
In the wake of the Kauai helicopter crash, U.S. Rep. Ed Case on Friday voiced blistering criticism of the tour helicopter and small-aircraft industry, saying it is unsafe, completely incapable of self-regulation and locally has ignored sensible safety improvements. Read more
As illegal fireworks continue to rattle Oahu neighborhoods, many residents wonder how they are smuggled here and what can be done about it. Read more
