Brittany Lyte

Brittany Lyte is a general assignment reporter for Civil Beat who specializes in watchdog reporting, narrative storytelling and coverage of neighbor island and social issues. Prior to joining the Honolulu newsroom in March 2018, Brittany lived on the north shore of Kaua’i, where she juggled a freelance writing career while learning to surf, scuba dive, hunt wild pigs, prepare delicious ulu pancakes and perfect the soursop cocktail. Her writing during this period appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and Hana Hou! magazine. Previously, she worked for Hearst Newspapers in Connecticut. An Upstate New York native, she has a degree in journalism from Boston University.

In a decade of reporting, Brittany has traveled to Russia, Poland and across the U.S., interviewing subjects ranging from the Dalai Lama to Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan. Her writing has explored a similarly vast range of topics, from the plight of an accused cannibal on the run from police to an investigation into undocumented toxic waste buried beneath suburban Connecticut homes. Her series on the latter subject earned national accolades and inspired the state legislature to adopt a new real estate disclosure law to better protect homebuyers.

In pursuit of a good story, Brittany has learned to fly an M-26 Air Wolf and chased down a suspected killer while wearing heels and a silk dress.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Kealohas’ Hawaii Kai House Gets $1.3 Million Cash Offer

By Brittany Lyte / February 15, 2019

With a buyer in hand, the lender wants a federal judge to approve the sale.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Honolulu Police Corruption: Drug Charges Filed Against Katherine Kealoha And Her Brother

By Brittany Lyte / February 12, 2019

A new indictment links Kealoha to a drug distribution ring centered at her brother’s Big Island pain clinic.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Rushing To Save Kauai’s Ohia Trees From A Deadly, Fast-Spreading Disease

By Brittany Lyte / February 4, 2019

Rapid ohia death, which has felled hundreds of thousands of the environmentally and culturally important trees on the Big Island, was first spotted on Kauai in May.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Proposal For New Dairy On Kauai Dropped After 5-Year Effort

By Brittany Lyte / January 31, 2019

Hawaii Dairy Farms was thwarted by regulatory obstacles, lawsuits and community opposition.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Police Commission Opts For Public Hearings In Former Chief’s Case

By Brittany Lyte / January 23, 2019

Louis Kealoha says he needs taxpayer help to pay for his criminal defense lawyers.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Massive Flood Risks Don’t Deter Kauai Homeowners From Rebuilding

By Brittany Lyte / January 22, 2019

Kauai has tightened requirements for shoreline development, but they don’t take into account more alarming recent predictions of the impact of climate change and rising seas.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Honolulu Police Corruption: Another Cop Pleads Guilty

By Brittany Lyte / January 11, 2019

HPD Sgt. Daniel Sellers is the latest veteran officer to admit wrongdoing in the nearly 5-year-old federal corruption case.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

He Fought For Hawaii’s Aid In Dying Law. Now He Wants To Use it.

By Brittany Lyte / January 2, 2019

Prominent Honolulu lobbyist John Radcliffe, whose colon cancer has spread, became the first state resident Wednesday to start the application process.

Brittany Lyte/Civil Beat

A Retired Judge Keeps Asking, Who Really Killed Dana Ireland?

By Brittany Lyte / December 27, 2018

The Big Island prosecutor and the Hawaii Innocence Project question his motives, but Mike Heavey presses on with a campaign to reopen the notorious 1991 murder case.