Hawaii

ALICE Report: 1 in 3 Hawaii families considering moving away

Published

1 year ago

January 9, 2025

ALICE Report: 1 in 3 Hawaii families considering moving away

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A new Aloha United Way report released today shows 1 in 3 Hawaii households considered moving away over the past year. Should the trend continue, it would have a devastating impact on our economy.

Hawaii’s high cost of living and lack of affordable housing mean more than half a million residents are barely scraping by.

That’s one of the findings from the 2024 State of ALICE in Hawaii report, which looks at the struggles of Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed households, known as ALICE.

First the good news: fewer Hawaii households are living in poverty — down to 12% versus 14% in 2022. ALICE households remained the same at 29%.

Advocates attribute the slight drop to government programs and increased minimum wages, but also more ALICE families are leaving the islands.

“180,000 people right now are considering leaving the state of Hawaii, from our workforce, from our younger families, our Hawaiian families, and that is something that we are deeply concerned about at Aloha United Way and of course, Bank of Hawaii and Hawaii Community Foundation.” said Suzanne Skjold, COO of Aloha United Way.

These working poor make too much to qualify for government aid and live paycheck to paycheck. Many are on the brink of financial crisis.

“This is absolutely critical, because affordability and just economic well being in our state is not where we need it to be,” said Peter Ho, Bank of Hawaii CEO.

So who is ALICE? They’re likely to be women or have children.

58% of native Hawaiians and 52% of Filipinos live under the ALICE threshold.

You’re more likely to be ALICE if you live on the neighbor islands. Maui is especially vulnerable, especially since the Lahaina fires.

“The people that are leaving hawaii are the people that can afford to leave their workforce and the people our engine. And if this continues, we’re going to have this hollow community where our engine is is just not there, right? And you’re gonna have very, very poor people, and we’re gonna have very, very wealthy,” said Micah Kane, President/CEO of Hawaii Community Foundation.

Advocates hope the report compels policymakers, businesses and community leaders to work together to reverse the trend.

“Employers will never be able to elevate wages and meet the cost of living requirements of this place,” Kane said. “Unless we come up with a host of very disruptive policies that drive down the cost of living, these people that are striking are going to leave.”

To fill gaps in services, Aloha United Way and other nonprofits are helping ALICE families access financial stability, affordable housing and higher paying jobs.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said he plans to lobby for ALICE-focused funding during this legislative session.

“We need to own this, all of us, and so from that standpoint this data becomes the argument you put on the table when you say we have to change,” Blangiardi said.

Some ways to ease the burden on ALICE families include tax credits, safety net programs, support for caregivers, mental health resources, debt reduction programs and financial incentives.

Read the full 2024 ALICE Report here.

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Related Topics:alice Bank of Hawaii Economy Featured inflation united way

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Hawaii

Doctor’s wife testifies he beat her with rock, tried to force her toward cliff edge during hike

Published

10 hours ago

March 25, 2026

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Doctor’s wife testifies he beat her with rock, tried to force her toward cliff edge during hike

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A Hawaii doctor’s wife testified Tuesday that he beat her with a rock and tried to push her over a cliff during a birthday hike, telling jurors she feared she would die.

”He’s trying to kill me,” Arielle Konig testified she screamed during the alleged attack, according to ABC News.

Konig testified against her husband, anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig, who is accused of attempting to kill her during the March 24, 2025, incident on Oahu’s Pali Puka Trail.

He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder.

SURGEON IN OHIO DENTIST DOUBLE MURDER ALLEGEDLY USED FAKE ADDRESSES TO DODGE LAWSUITS: ‘HE JUST DISAPPEARED’

A split image shows the Pali Puka hiking trail on Oahu, Hawaii, and Gerhardt Konig, who is accused of attacking his wife during a hike. (iStock; Honolulu Police Department)

Arielle Konig told jurors the couple had traveled from Maui to celebrate her birthday and work on their marriage after what she described as “flirty” messages with a colleague.

She said the hike turned violent when her husband suddenly grabbed her by the arms and began forcing her toward the cliff’s edge.

”I’m so f—ing sick of this s—,” Arielle Konig testified he said as he pushed her, per the outlet.

Arielle Konig testified she threw herself to the ground and held onto nearby vegetation as her husband tried to move her closer to the edge.

She said she then saw him holding a syringe and moving to use it.

”Hold still,” he allegedly told her, she testified, adding that she knocked it away.

She told jurors her husband then picked up a rock and began repeatedly striking her in the head.

”I just started screaming, because in my mind, he’s trying to knock me unconscious, to be able to drag me over the edge,” she told jurors.

Hawaii doctor Gerhardt Konig appears before a judge via video during an arraignment hearing in April 2025 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

She said she continued yelling for help, telling the court she believed she was fighting for her life.

Two hikers eventually came upon the scene and called 911.

”There’s a man trying to kill her,” a caller said, according to audio previously played in court.

Arielle Konig testified that her husband stopped when the hikers appeared, allowing her to crawl to safety before he fled the area.

Gerhardt Konig then fled the scene on foot, sparking a manhunt before police arrested him later that evening, according to the Honolulu Police Department.

HUSBAND CHARGED IN PREGNANT PHYSICAL THERAPIST WIFE’S MURDER AFTER GIVING POLICE A DIFFERENT STORY

She testified her husband struck her as many as 10 times with the rock and said she did not lose consciousness.

She was later hospitalized with severe scalp lacerations and showed jurors scarring on her head.

Defense attorneys pushed back on that account during cross-examination, with defense attorney Thomas Otake questioning Arielle Konig about what both sides described as an “emotional affair,” suggesting the incident stemmed from a confrontation between the couple, according to ABC News.

Gerhardt Konig is charged with attempted second-degree murder after he allegedly tried to kill his wife while hiking in Hawaii. (Gerhardt Konig/Facebook)

Otake argued the encounter was an ”unplanned, unanticipated scuffle,” not an attempted murder, and suggested Arielle Konig hit him with the rock first during an argument over what both sides described as an “emotional affair,” according to ABC News.

Arielle Konig disputed that characterization during her testimony.

”I would call it an attack versus a scuffle,” she told jurors, according to ABC News.

Arielle Konig moved to end the marriage in May 2025, filing for divorce and seeking sole custody of the couple’s two young children.

Her husband has remained in custody since his arrest, and a judge last month rejected his bid to have the indictment thrown out.

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Konig has been suspended from his work as an independent contractor at Maui Memorial Medical Center, according to a Maui Health representative.

Fox News’ Julia Bonavita and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.

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Hawaii

Hawaii launches emergency relief program for farmers, businesses | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Published

22 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Hawaii launches emergency relief program for farmers, businesses | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

JAMM AQUINO / MARCH 20

Sandy Ath Tab, co-owner of Koolau Range Farms, stands in floodwater outside their farmland on Friday, March 20, in Waialua. Ath Tab and her husband were trying to assess damage and find their farm cat.

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity today opened up applications for an emergency farm relief program for those impacted by the recent Kona low storms.

Farmers, ranchers, and businesses statewide that experienced losses and damage from the storm can apply for a one-time grant of $1,500 to address immediate needs. They must, however, provide a General Excise Tax license to qualify.

The state has authorized a total of $500,000 for the program from DAB-restricted funds.

“While the full impacts from the Kona Low 1 and Kona Low 2 storms are still being assessed, we know our agricultural producers have been severely impacted by these events,” said Sharon Hurd, chairperson of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture, in a news release. “The Emergency Farmer Relief funding aims to support our agriculture industry with grant money to start recovering from the disaster or providing brief financial stability during this time.”

Gov. Josh Green said in a statement that Hawaii’s farmers are a crucial lifeline for the state’s food security and sustainability efforts.

“As we work to increase our islands’ independence from offshore food imports, we must support the farmers and ranchers who supply healthy and nutritious produce and meats for our local people through grocery stores, schools and restaurants,” said Green in the statement. “This emergency funding for our agriculture communities emphasizes their essential role in our state’s food security and our commitment to aid in their recovery.”

Applicants who complete and submit applications by Friday will be prioritized for funding, the release said. Awards will be announced next week.

The application is available online on DAB’s website at dab.hawaii.gov/emergencyfarmerrelief/.

Applicants with limited internet access can call the Governor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency for help with the applications at 808-586-0034.

Questions? Email dab.efr@hawaii.gov.

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Hawaii

New downpours in Hawaii lead to more flooding on Oahu Island

Published

1 day ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

New downpours in Hawaii lead to more flooding on Oahu Island

TWICE reflect on a decade as a group: ‘There’s so much more we can do’ | AP interview

Speaking backstage at the Kia Forum during a stop on their ‘THIS IS FOR’ World Tour, TWICE sit down with Associated Press entertainment journalist Liam McEwan to reflect on a decade together — and the journey still unfolding. Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu open up about their anniversary release, “TEN: The Story Goes On,” featuring solo tracks from every member for the first time. The group also speaks about their evolving definitions of success, how comebacks come together through group chats and meetings, balancing solo ambitions and subunits, and pushing forward creatively without repeating themselves. They also discuss contributing “Takedown” to the Netflix hit “KPop Demon Hunters.”

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