Foundational Science: Aiden Colton, a NOAA technician at Mauna Loa Observatory, takes a moment to observe Mauna Kea at sunrise. He gathers samples of the clean air atop Mauna Loa for climate scientists to use throughout the world.

Council Rematch: Tommy Waters flashes shakas after narrowly winning his Honolulu City Council seat in a special election against incumbent Trevor Ozawa.

The Kealoha Conspiracy: Former Honolulu deputy prosecutor Katherine Kealoha awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to three felonies in two federal cases.

Save Our Sherwoods: Demonstrators gathered along Kalanianaole Highway after police arrested more than two dozen people protesting the development of a ball field in Waimanalo.

Peaceful Protests: State and county law enforcement officers have been working overtime during the TMT protest on Mauna Kea. In July, some arrests were made. By December, a temporary truce was reached.

Water Rights: Young adults dig and rebuild a taro patch, or lo’i, at Ed Wendt’s farm in Wailua. A court case enabled him to regain access to water from a stream that Alexander & Baldwin, one of the state’s largest land owners, had been diverting in East Maui to grow sugarcane.

Behind Bars: Overcrowding at Maui Community Correctional Center was one of the reasons that pretrial detainees started a riot last March. 

Samoa Shots: Viane Faletoese squirms as he is given the measles vaccination by a Maui pediatrician. Nearly everyone in Samoa is now vaccinated.

Mass Shooting: Security officers blocked traffic after a U.S. Navy sailor shot three people and then himself at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The gunman and two civilians died.

Netting Birds: Biologists set up nets in a remote Maui forest to capture the endangered kiwikiu so they could set up an “insurance population” on the other side of Haleakala. Sometimes, they caught other Hawaii forest birds, such as amakihi, which would be released unharmed.

Rising Seas: Piled rocks temporarily protect Kamehameha Highway along the northeast coast of Oahu. Residents are worried about the effects of climate change.

Rail Overruns: Work for the now $8.2 billion rail project has slowly moved from Kapolei to Daniel K. Inouye Airport. The 20-mile project has only grown more expensive.

2020 Election: Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has a lot of work to do if she hopes to win the Democratic nomination to take on President Donald Trump next fall.