Just in time for holiday shopping, the extension of Kanalani Street providing access to the Kaloko Light Industrial Area could be opened as early as next week, thanks to action Wednesday by the Hawaii County Council.

The Department of Water Supply has successfully addressed three issues identified in a 2020 audit that found the department lacked sufficient contingency plans to ensure the public had dependable access to water when equipment breaks down, the county auditor told the County Council Finance Committee on Tuesday.

Changes to special management area permit exemptions, county control over tobacco products and a younger retirement age for police are among nine priorities Hawaii’s four counties plan to present to the state Legislature.

An apparent attempt to tamper with Hawaii’s election was foiled last week when a machine in the state’s Hilo counting center rejected 11 ballots bearing the same bar code, indicating they had probably been photocopied.

The Big Island was the best island for Gov.-elect Josh Green, delivering the largest percentage of its votes and helping propel the former Kona Democrat to the state’s highest office with a solid victory over his Republican opponent, James “Duke” Aiona.

Hawaii Island earned an eighth seat in the state House of Representatives this election year, and the first candidate to fill it is Democrat Kirstin A.K. Kahaloa, who vanquished her Republican opponent, Jonathan P. Kennealy, with 66.6% of the votes, based on mail ballots representing 41.3% of registered voters.

It’s Election Day! For those still mulling over their candidate choices, today is the last day to get your ballot to the polls.

Job stability. Competitive pay. Good benefits and retirement package. Strong union protection. It wasn’t that long ago that county jobs were considered plum positions, subject to intense competition and even political favoritism.

An affordable housing project in Waikoloa got nine thumbs up Tuesday, signaling an easy approval when the County Council meets later this month to take a final vote on the plan.

A measure that would have provided property tax relief for properties not currently under assessment caps was soundly defeated Wednesday by a County Council majority.

Hawaii County has declared itself a victim of an employee who pleaded guilty to stealing affordable housing credits, and its attorneys are asking the court to return property currently under forfeiture by the federal government.

Developers of the proposed Hoomalu at Waikoloa affordable housing project are asking the county to exempt them from three development requirements as a way to help keep the units affordable.

Hawaii County’s new tax on hotels and short-term rentals helped sweeten county coffers to an extent unseen in previous years.

Hawaii County is hoping to secure part of a $275 million federal recycling grant to pull the island out of its solid waste slump.

Streamlining the building permit process, cracking down on unpermitted structures, renegotiating the county’s composting contract, exploring public-private partnerships for wastewater processing and beefing up the Information Technology Department are the top recommendations of the Cost of Government Commission.

Erroneous text messages Thursday afternoon confused and alarmed some Big Island voters who were told their ballot had been “received, validated and accepted for counting,” even though many had not even received their mailed ballot when the notice went out.

The Leeward Planning Commission on Thursday agreed with a bill requiring County Council authorization of time extensions to zoning ordinances, a measure that would replace the current practice of administrative time extensions approved by the Planning Department.

A bill updating the county fire code was temporarily set aside Wednesday to allow officials time to figure out a way to make an important component of the code compatible with the county’s online EPIC building permit system.

Hawaii County this week is kicking off a 19-month process to update zoning and subdivision codes with community engagement sessions in Kona and Hilo.