Big Island

The doctor shortage on the Big Island has grown nearly 40 percent since 2007. That’s according to research on Hawaiʻi Island’s health workforce over the years.  Big Island doctors say the high cost of living, heavy tax burden, and low reimbursements have created a bad situation that’s likely to only get worse amid a global pandemic.

Harvest season is just around the corner for Hawaiʻi’s coffee farmers, but the COVID-19 pandemic has wiped out much of the market to sell what local coffee growers are producing. The plight has been particularly hard for Kaʻū coffee farmers, who have spent the last 15 years making a name for themselves in the local coffee growing industry.

Over on the west side of the Big Island, a growing number of Marshallese citizens are mobilizing to keep their community safe from COVID-19.

As businesses reopen on Hawaiʻi Island, unemployed hotel workers are waiting for their chance to get back to work. Several hotels are already taking reservations beginning July 1, and that has some in the industry cautiously optimistic.

Hawai’i County has started to use a new strategy to respond faster to a particular kind of medical emergency. It’s a way to get qualified people to help with cases of sudden cardiac arrest. 

Nearly five years ago, Hawaii Public Radio reported a series of stories about the state of garbage around the islands. This week and next, we’re going back for another look in a series we’re calling “Trashing the Islands.”

Updated: Dec. 11, 6:55 p.m.

Mitch Roth, currently Hawaiʻi County prosecutor, announced plans Tuesday to run for Big Island mayor.

Governments in every county across the state are cutting back on plastic. On Hawaii Island, the county is no longer recycling plastic, and that’s where one woman has turned a problem into a business.

Hundreds of owners on the Big Island are seeking exemptions to operate short-term vacation rentals legally in residential neighborhoods but their neighbors have flooded officials with letters of objections.

There are several Native Hawaiian Chambers of Commerce in the State.  The island with the largest population of Native Hawaiians — the Big Island — is now joining by forming its own Native Hawaiian Chamber.  

Opposition to the Thirty Meter Telescope may be at the forefront of Mauna Kea protests, but some native Hawaiian practitioners are questioning the cumulative effects of development on the mountain.  Is the construction of 13 telescopes on the summit an appropriate use of conservation lands? The state Land Use Commission takes up that issue beginning today at its hearing in Hilo. 

Hawaii Island has a new courthouse in Kona. It’s been a long wait — and the state’s chief justice was on hand for the opening.

According to federal figures, most businesses in the country are small businesses. On Hawaii Island, about four out of five businesses have fewer than 20 employees. But small businesses often need some assistance to succeed. And that's where an entrepreneur from Kona is helping. 

A helicopter pilot flying over Kilauea recently found something unusual. There was water in the main crater, and that discovery has sparked a lot of questions.

Hawaii Island has more public charter schools than any other island in the state. Most charter schools do not get funding from the state for physical facilities. But as the new school year gets underway, students and faculty at one Big Island charter school are looking forward to getting brand new facilities. And in this case, those are paid for by the state.