INSIGHTS ON PBS HAWAIʻI presses its coverage of COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi, this time seeking answers from key State lawmakers. At the start of the year, lawmakers had high hopes of addressing Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing crisis, increasing the minimum wage and creating tax breaks for the working class.

COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi continues to dominate discussions on INSIGHTS ON PBS HAWAIʻI. Economic fallout from the government-ordered lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus reverberates throughout the Islands. There’s a pressing demand for services by nonprofits serving people who are going hungry, experiencing domestic abuse or suffering in other ways.

Jeannette Paulson Hereniko has always known the power of storytelling. During a troubled childhood, stories functioned as a source of comfort. In adulthood, she founded the Hawai‘i International Film Festival. Throughout her multifaceted life, Jeannette has blazed her own trail, working with unwavering vision and passion.

Examine the life and work of the poet laureate, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and environmental activist who has dedicated himself to preserving and regenerating native plants at his home on Maui.

INSIGHTS ON PBS HAWAIʻI continued coverage on COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi with a special 90-minute edition with Hawaiʻi’s four County Mayors. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Kauaʻi County Mayor Derek Kawakami, Hawaiʻi County Mayor Harry Kim and Maui County Mayor Mike Victorino answered questions about the battle against COVID-19.

INSIGHTS ON PBS HAWAIʻI continued its coverage of COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi, this time assembling guests in the areas of unemployment, education and health to help viewers understand the effects of the coronavirus. Guests included: Scott Murakami, State Labor Department Director; Dr. Christina Kishimoto, State Schools Superintendent; Dr.

Learn how one local girl’s love of storytelling and social justice inspired her to share her gift with the world. Documentary filmmaker Ciara Lacy speaks to her journey and how moving home inspired her documentary, Out of State, which premiered nationally on PBS stations, including PBS Hawaiʻi, on the film series Independent Lens.

How prepared is Hawaiʻi’s health-care system for the rising number of cases in the Islands? Are there enough hospital beds, ventilators and protective equipment? How do we cope with the stress this crisis has created? Where do thousands of unemployed workers find resources to pay rent, utilities and other bills that are due?    

TOP STORY   “John Rao” Students from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School on the island of Kauaʻi tell the story of a man who slowly turned his life around as the result of a spiritual awakening.

Meet Heather Haunani Giugni, a longtime filmmaker whose passion for preserving Hawaiʻi’s stories culminated in the establishment of ʻUluʻulu, the Henry Kuʻualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive at the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oahu. The archive is named after her father, a longtime aide to the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye.