Civil Beat Staff

Joel Lau

Joel Lau is a Civil Beat reporting intern. He was born and raised on Oahu, spent his teenage years at Hawaii Baptist Academy and graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science from Boston University in January 2022.

Joel first came to Honolulu Civil Beat as its 2019 summer intern before spending stints at several East Coast publications, exploring issues such as COVID-19 travel restrictions at The Boston Globe and AAPI political representation at Washington D.C. based POLITICO.

Getting his first taste of journalism at the HBA Eagle Eye, Joel is a proud alumni of The Daily Free Press, Boston University’s award winning student newspaper, where he covered Boston city and Massachusetts state politics.

Outside of his work, Joel slogs his way through self-imposed Japanese lessons (working toward JLPT N3) and fills his free time with good food and better people.

Share tips, ideas and bad jokes at jlau@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter @JoelLau808.

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Report: Pacific Islanders Face Increased Risk Of TB Infection Centers for Disease Control

Report: Pacific Islanders Face Increased Risk Of TB Infection

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The CDC said the problem was exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which made eradication efforts even harder.
Lawmakers Fail To Expand Access To Assisted Suicide In Hawaii Flickr.com

Lawmakers Fail To Expand Access To Assisted Suicide In Hawaii

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The House and the Senate could not agree on allowing APRNs and physician assistants to prescribe the lethal drug.
Ige Seeks To Persuade Japan That Hawaii Is Safe For Travel Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2017

Ige Seeks To Persuade Japan That Hawaii Is Safe For Travel

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The governor will travel to Japan next week to promote a return of visitors from Hawaii's third-largest tourist market.
Lawmakers Pass Ban On Flavored E-Cigarettes Despite Intense Opposition Flickr/vaping360.com

Lawmakers Pass Ban On Flavored E-Cigarettes Despite Intense Opposition

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Touted as an antidote to the youth vaping epidemic, the bill lost the support of advocates worried about a loophole in the ban.
Hawaii Has Entered A New Phase Of Pandemic Response, Ige Says Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Hawaii Has Entered A New Phase Of Pandemic Response, Ige Says

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The state is transitioning away from emergency response mode, the governor said, despite a recent increase in Covid cases.
Hawaii Supreme Court: State Must Release ‘Explosive’ 2016 Report On State Auditor Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2021

Hawaii Supreme Court: State Must Release ‘Explosive’ 2016 Report On State Auditor

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The Attorney General's investigative report details wrongdoing by then-State Auditor Jan Yamane and her top assistants.
Blangiardi Signs Bill Further Restricting Short-Term Rentals On Oahu Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Blangiardi Signs Bill Further Restricting Short-Term Rentals On Oahu

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Bill 41 limits short-term rentals to resort zones and certain nearby areas, while requiring other rentals be booked for a minimum of 90 days.
How The Decline In Lab Testing Is Complicating Efforts To Track Covid Ronen Zilberman/Civil Beat/2020

How The Decline In Lab Testing Is Complicating Efforts To Track Covid

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As the pandemic enters its third year, more people are taking at-home tests or none at all. But coronavirus cases are still rising.
Hawaii Airports, Airlines And Public Transportation Drop Mask Mandates Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Hawaii Airports, Airlines And Public Transportation Drop Mask Mandates

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The announcements came quickly after a federal judge overturned the CDC's decision to require masks on public transportation through May.