Stories by West Hawaii Today

Marine debris is everybody’s problem

Marine pollution is a very significant threat to marine life in the ocean. Abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing nets can ruin essential habitat like coral reefs, as well as entangle marine life such as turtles and humpback whales. The Protected Species Program with the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) would like to remind everyone to utilize its statewide marine debris hotline and reporting website.

KCH breaks ground for pharmacy extension

Kona Community Hospital joined community leaders and legislatures Tim Richards, Nicole Lowen, Kristin Kahaloa and Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth in a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at the Kealakekua facility for the hospital’s drug compounding facility expansion.

Family fun day held by Child and Family services last weekend

Child &Family Service (CFS), Hawaii’s family-centered, full-service nonprofit on Saturday hosted a Child and Family Fun Day for Kona families at Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i at Kahalu‘u Ma Kai. The free family-focused event offered giveaways, crafts, food, informational fun booths, entertainment, and more. CFS staff were on hand to share and enroll families in their programs and services.

Kalei Lee takes home 4 medals

A Special Olympics athlete from West Hawaii took home one silver and three bronze medals in powerlifting at the Summer World Games in Berlin, Germany.

Four Kona men charged in underage sex sting

Hawaii Island police have charged four Kona men for child sex solicitation as part of a multi-agency undercover operation designed to identify and arrest individuals using the internet to facilitate sexual crimes against children.

169 Whales seen during Great Whale Count

Over 300 volunteers gathered data from the shores of Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii islands during the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count and from Maui during the Great Whale Count by Pacific Whale Foundation, the last of three coordinated whale counts between the two organizations in 2023. This is the first year since March 2020 that both programs will be resumed normal operations.

Kona woman involved in officer-involved shooting incident indicted

The Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney Office announced Tuesday that a Kona woman, 26 year-old Jacqueline Keanaaina, was indicted by a Kona grand jury last week. Keanaaina was charged in relation to two incidents. On March 10, 2023 Keanaaina was apprehended as a passenger in a stolen vehicle that was involved in an officer-involved shooting on Palani Road in Kona and she was arrested in relation to a February 26, 2023 attempted burglary incident at a residence on Tiki Lane in Ocean View.