The Latest Breaking News from Civil Beat

Takeout Boxes Are Filling Landfills. This Town Has A Plan To Phase Them Out

A Hawaii town is aiming to tackle plastic waste with a new program called Ho‘i, offering washable, reusable to-go containers

The Independent UK · Jul 15

Honolulu Homeless Services Program Too Disorganized To Assess, Auditor Says

An audit of Honolulu's homeless assistance program, CORE, has been halted due to frequent changes and unreliable data

The Independent UK · Jul 8

Honolulu Spent $450K On Plans For Flood-Prone Stream. Then It Did Nothing

Honolulu has spent more than $450,000 on plans and designs to dredge a stream called Kaukonahua and an estuary it flows into

The Independent UK · Jun 24

Arrest of Mexican Man in Hawaii Shows ICE is Using Remittance Data To Deport Migrants

Federal immigration agents used a money transfer database to locate and arrest a Mexican man in Hawaii, marking what analysts say may be the first known use of such data solely for an immigration enforcement operations

Latin Times · Aug 18, 2025

ICE Is Shipping Detainees to Hawaii as Bed Space on the U.S. Mainland Fills Up

Immigrant detainees transferred thousands of miles from where they were first arrested face unique challenges in immigration court.

Reason · Jul 18, 2025

Hawaii Law Mandating Sealing of All "Medical and Health Records" Unconstitutional

From last week's decision in Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest, Inc. v. Maile, decided by Judge Richard Paez, joined by Judges Milan Smith and Lucy Koh: Under the First Amendment, "the press and the public have a presumed right of access to court proceedings and documents." "By…

Reason · Sep 1, 2024

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green Backtracks on YIMBY Emergency Order

In the face of lawsuits and accusations of attempted "genocide," Green is restoring many homebuilding regulations he suspended in July.

Reason · Sep 18, 2023

To Tackle Highest Housing Costs in the Country, Hawaii's Governor Declares YIMBY Martial Law

An emergency proclamation by Gov. Josh Green offers developers the opportunity to route around almost all regulations on building homes.

Reason · Aug 23, 2023