A  track consultant pressed HART officials for two years for the rail agency to make key changes that would make the system safer and more operable. They dismissed him in February.

It’s not clear why HART is moving ahead before confirming which environmental approvals are needed and how long they might take.

The rail agency hasn’t said who was responsible, but it assured they’re no longer working on the project.

The new hybrid craft, which is still in the testing phase, has been described as not quite a boat but not quite a plane either.

The National Transportation Safety Board analysts are raising concerns about small plane and helicopter pilots taking greater risks when they encounter bad weather.

The move would protect a swathe of ocean larger than Papahanaumokuakea but could face resistance from commercial fishing interests.

Ua hoʻolohi nā luna pekelala i nā noiʻi hōʻike akeakamai e pili ana i ka lawaiʻa lehulehu a me nā lālākea, wahi a nā mea mālama ʻāina. 

The box jellyfish population off Waikiki has exploded in recent decades, leading to thousands of annual stings.

Nearly 50 local threatened species have not been designated with the habitat needed to help their numbers recover, according a prominent nonprofit conservation group.