Civil Beat Categories

Honolulu

Fix It! These Park Lights Went Out Years Ago. Is It Safer Without Them? David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024

Fix It! These Park Lights Went Out Years Ago. Is It Safer Without Them?

Kauluwela Community Park in Honolulu has been without lights since March 2021. The city says local residents don’t want them back.

Women Inmates Can Work Out At New Prison Gym David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024

Women Inmates Can Work Out At New Prison Gym

Prison officials hope the exercise room will boost inmates’ sense of well-being, telling them it’s “a step towards reclaiming your own strength.”

Honolulu Restaurant Tip Theft Case Hardly The Only One In Town David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024

Honolulu Restaurant Tip Theft Case Hardly The Only One In Town

Restaurant workers, advocates and government officials say practice of restaurant owners scooping up tips meant for employees is far more common than it seems.

Honolulu Council Punts Empty Homes Tax Vote, Extends Sprinklers Deadline Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023

Honolulu Council Punts Empty Homes Tax Vote, Extends Sprinklers Deadline

Property owners worried about increasing costs got their way Wednesday when the City Council killed its empty homes tax and extended the deadline for condo fire safety measures.

New Oʻahu Landfill Site Is Above Island’s Water Supply

New Oʻahu Landfill Site Is Above Island’s Water Supply

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply opposes the decision, but the mayor and the director of the Department of Environmental Services think they can prevent leaks.

Luigi Mangione’s Hawaiʻi Friends Shocked By Arrest In UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting Surfbreak Hawaii

Luigi Mangione’s Hawaiʻi Friends Shocked By Arrest In UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting

Luigi Mangione lived at the Surfbreak co-living community near Ala Moana Park on Oʻahu. He was arrested Monday in Pennsylvania, five days after the shooting of an insurance executive.

State Worker Charged In Monk Seal Pup Death Repeatedly Let Dogs Off Leash David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024

State Worker Charged In Monk Seal Pup Death Repeatedly Let Dogs Off Leash

Lesley Macpherson, herself a longtime Hawaiian monk seal volunteer, remains on the job. Other seal advocates are calling for her removal.

Honolulu Yanks ‘Renovation Aloha’ Permit After Civil Beat Exposes Illegal Work

Honolulu Yanks ‘Renovation Aloha’ Permit After Civil Beat Exposes Illegal Work

HGTV hosts Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama are facing backlash because some of their speedy projects lacked proper permits.

Will Exemptions In Honolulu’s Empty Homes Tax Bill Water Down Its Effect? Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2019

Will Exemptions In Honolulu’s Empty Homes Tax Bill Water Down Its Effect?

As the long-discussed bill nears its final vote, some worry the 17 exemptions that helped it gain support also dilute the bill’s efficacy.

For ‘Renovation Aloha,’ Permit Violations Are The Cost Of Doing Business

For ‘Renovation Aloha,’ Permit Violations Are The Cost Of Doing Business

As the saying goes, it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. The Kalamas have turned that adage into profit.