If enough petition signatures can be gathered, the public has direct access to the ballot in many states. In the islands, initiative backers face long odds.

House committee defers action indefinitely on bill that would have created buffer zones around five schools.

Lawmakers advance bills to fast track relocation of the Oahu Community Correctional Center but decide environmental studies are a must.

So does a third measure that would create a database of law enforcement officers terminated due to misconduct.

Sen. Roz Baker’s legislation now awaits a critical hearing in Senate Ways and Means.

UPDATED: The governor has chosen Kaiali’i Kahele to represent the Big Island district.

The Wisconsin governor is keynoting the Lincoln Day Dinner Tuesday for the Hawaii Republican Party.

The nearly two dozen bills introduced by Rep. Isaac Choy may be indicative of a larger sense of frustration with the university.

Under a Senate bill, the new approach would be phased in starting with Kauai. It would go statewide by 2022.

A bill set for a hearing at the Hawaii Legislature would help restore continuous beach and infrastructure for public access.