Hawaiʻi health officials are sounding the alarm about what they see as a dangerous trend among local teenagers: Vaping – using Electronic Cigarettes. Studies show that 42% of high school students and 27% of middle school students statewide have tried e-cigarettes. The percentages are higher in Kauaʻi, Maui and Hawaiʻi counties.

You don’t often see these recognizable figures in the same place at the same time. And when you do, they’re generally attending a ceremonial event or a legislative hearing. This is different.

Plans to prevent massive flooding in Waikīkī have been in the works for years, as worries mount over the threat of a major storm causing the Ala Wai Canal to overflow. Drawn up by the U.S.

TOP STORY   “Piano Prodigy” Students from Island School on Kauaʻi feature 10-year-old piano prodigy Jannik Evanoff. A Kauaʻi resident and Island School 6th grader, Jannik started playing piano when he was six and by the age of eight had already won an international piano competition: the Stage 4 Kids competition in Hamburg, Germany.

Statistics show that a little more than half of Hawaiʻi’s workforce is employed by small business owners. But the state gets low marks as a place to do business because of regulations, taxes and start-up costs.

Kīlauea Volcano’s lava flow last year not only destroyed hundreds of homes and farms, it damaged and caused the shutdown of a geothermal plant that supplied 25 percent of the Big Island’s power needs. Puna Geothermal Venture intends to be back in the power business again by year-end.

State lawmakers went into this year’s legislative session with bills regarding prison reform, loosening marijuana laws, raising the minimum wage, plastic waste, disaster relief, more money for schools and resolving water rights issues across the state.

TOP STORY   “A Spark from Within” Students from Maui High School in Kahului introduce us to Maui High robotics captain John Fabella. John’s mother passed away when he was just seven years of age, and his father was deported.

Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage is $10.10 per hour, which is more than the minimum pay in more than 30 other states. The cost of living in our island state is the highest in the country, with housing leading the way.

Dogs in a yard. Dogs at the park. Dogs at the beach. Dogs in restaurants? It’s possible. State lawmakers are considering bills that would give restaurants the option of allowing dogs in dining areas, under certain conditions. It’s a move fully supported by the Hawaiian Humane Society. State health officials have concerns.