Andrew Gomes
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Past articles by Andrew:
Kali Watson nominated to lead Hawaiian Home Lands
Gov. Josh Green has nominated Kali Watson, a former state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands director, to lead the agency after a failed bid to have nominee Ikaika Anderson confirmed for the job. → Read More
Not-so-regal parking eyed for removal at Iolani Palace
Iolani Palace is a special place as a symbol of Hawaiian independence, the only royal palace in the United States and a historic building with one-of-a-kind architecture. → Read More
Gov. Green stuffs state workers’ stockings with 2 days off
Hawaii’s new governor has given out some early holiday gifts — two days of extra paid time off work — to thousands of state employees. → Read More
City’s work to remove Haiku Stairs delayed
The fate of a long-closed metal staircase up a mountain ridge in Kaneohe that attracts trespassers to the spectacular, and at one time legally accessible, Stairway to Heaven hike remains uncertain more than a year after Mayor Rick Blangiardi and the Honolulu City Council committed to its removal. → Read More
Kauai Community College getting new leader
A new chancellor will soon lead Kauai Community College on an interim basis in place of Chancellor Joseph Daisy, who is retiring after almost three years in the position. → Read More
Federal grant with private match to bolster new Honolulu container terminal project
A new state-owned ocean cargo container terminal being built at Honolulu Harbor is slated to receive extra bells and whistles valued at $139 million thanks to a federal grant requiring private matching funds. → Read More
Oahu home sales drop-off continued in September
Sales of existing single-family homes on Oahu in September suffered their biggest drop so far this year as rising mortgage rates and near-record prices amid high inflation and recession concerns deterred buyers. → Read More
Harbor cargo capacity expansion slated for 2024 completion
A new ocean cargo container terminal at Honolulu Harbor long deemed a crucial state project supporting economic growth is on track for completion in early 2024 after nearly two decades of work that has included major delays. → Read More
Native Hawaiian groups hold ‘Walk to the Box’ voter drive
Several Native Hawaiian organizations took part Monday in a public promotion to increase voting among Hawaiians. → Read More
Makaha Valley Resort sold to South Korean company, KH Group at $20.7 million
A U.S. bankruptcy judge has approved a sale of 644 acres in Makaha Valley, positioning a South Korean company to develop the property previously slated for a resort featuring a golf course designed by Tiger Woods. → Read More
Housing help for Hawaii’s poor to middle class coming
Three new Hawaii laws were enacted Friday to expand housing assistance and production serving the homeless as well as sheltered households earning up to the median income. → Read More
Limits on renewable energy could become Hawaii law
Hawaii lawmakers are on the cusp of putting new parameters on renewable energy generation in the state that cap power produced from different technologies including wind and solar. → Read More
Hawaii to get up to $62 million for its small businesses
A state agency soon will sprinkle millions of dollars in seed capital around to Hawaii small businesses under a federally funded program aimed at job creation and economic recovery. → Read More
Korean firm bids to buy Makaha Valley resort site
A South Korean conglomerate branching into the resort business has made a bid to buy much of Makaha Valley where development plans linked with golf superstar Tiger Woods fizzled in recent years. → Read More
Hawaii government complaints office is dealt more work abuse amid pandemic
The state Office of the Ombudsman has welcomed complaints about state and county administrative agencies in Hawaii for over 50 years, but the past two have been extraordinary. → Read More
Hawaii tax rebates to be expedited if enacted July 1
Hawaii residents should receive up to $300 in state tax rebates by electronic transfer or check, and rather soon, if a bill passed earlier this month is enacted July 1 as envisioned. → Read More
Lawmakers award Hawaii nonprofits nearly $50M
Hawaii’s 2022 Legislature may long be mainly remembered for appropriating hundreds of millions of dollars for high-profile needs, but many smaller worthy causes also received extraordinary funding this year. → Read More
Hawaii’s ongoing economic recovery in precarious spot
Hawaii’s economy still has an upbeat outlook despite mushrooming global gloom, thanks to anticipated growth in international visitor arrivals, a new forecast suggests. → Read More
Hawaii remote workforce is double national average
Roughly 4 in 10 Hawaii private-sector employees were doing their jobs outside the traditional workplace in 2021, according to a state report assessing remote work amid the coronavirus pandemic. → Read More
Reflections on Hawaii’s ‘historic’ legislative session shine bright
It’s only 60 days long, but Hawaii’s legislative session this year was a monumental affair featuring some self-reform, historic spending and a return to in-person public participation, all largely in the wake of a bribery scandal, a budget deficit and peak coronavirus infections. → Read More