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Hannemann Resigns As Chair Of Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority Amid Freebie Inquiry

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Hannemann Resigns As Chair Of Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority Amid Freebie Inquiry


The HTA board questioned Mufi Hannemann earlier this week about gatherings at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center that involved two of his organizations.

Tourism executive and former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann resigned as chair of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority Thursday after questions were raised over possible inappropriate use of HTA resources by two nonprofits he leads.

Hannemann told the board shortly before noon that “the best thing for me to do is to step down as chair, and then I will have to think whether I want to stay on the board, because the reputations of those incredible, important organizations have been put into question.”

The HTA board then elected boad member Todd Apo as its new chair.

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HTA board members on Tuesday questioned Hannemann at length about the Hawaiʻi Lodging and Tourism Association’s public safety conference at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center on Dec. 6, 2023, and a meeting of the Pacific Century Fellows at the convention center on May 15 of last year.

Mufi Hannemann has stepped down as chair of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority after questions were raised about inappropriate spending on behalf of two nonprofits he runs. (Civil Beat/Hawaii News Now/ 2020)

Hannemann is president and CEO of the Hawaiʻi Lodging and Tourism Association, which advocates for the hotel and tourism industries. He is also founder of the Pacific Century Fellows program, a nonprofit leadership training organization.

Jimmy Tokioka, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, has said the ethics commission has begun interviewing people as part of an inquiry into more than $14,000 in food and beverages provided for the two events. Tokioka is also an HTA board member.

Tokioka said in an interview that HTA documents show HLTA and Pacific Century were supposed to pay for breakfasts served at those events that cost more than $14,000, but there was no record of payment.

Hannemann announced his resignation after the board discussed those gatherings for the second time this week. He suggested the HTA board should instead be focusing on Hawaiʻi’s visitor industry.

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“People watching from everywhere will say, ‘Can’t those guys get on with the business of tourism?’” Hannemann said. “‘Can’t they get on with the business of making sure there’s funding? Can’t they get on with the business of making sure that the staff that works there is appreciated?’”

It’s the second major shakeup in HTA leadership in a week.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported March 20 that HTA had appointed Caroline Anderson its new interim president and CEO following the resignation of interim top leader Daniel Naho’opi’i, who had been in the role for a year and a half.

“Naho’opi’i, who ends his tenure Friday at HTA, had been the agency’s 11th top leader since the state Legislature created the HTA in 1998,” according to the article.



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Hawaii County Surf Forecast for March 04, 2026 | Big Island Now

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Hawaii County Surf Forecast for March 04, 2026 | Big Island Now


Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast


Shores Tonight Wednesday
Surf Surf
PM AM AM PM
North Facing 2-4 2-4 2-4 2-4
East Facing 3-5 4-6 4-6 5-7
South Facing 1-3 1-3 1-3 1-3
TONIGHT
Weather Mostly cloudy. Numerous showers.
Low Temperature In the upper 60s.
Winds East winds 5 to 10 mph.
Tides
Hilo Bay High 1.9 feet 03:26 PM HST.
Low -0.1 feet 09:20 PM HST.
High 2.4 feet 03:40 AM HST.
WEDNESDAY
Weather Partly sunny. Numerous showers.
High Temperature In the upper 70s.
Winds East winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tides
Hilo Bay Low -0.1 feet 10:00 AM HST.
High 2.0 feet 04:04 PM HST.
Sunrise 6:37 AM HST.
Sunset 6:27 PM HST.

Forecast for Big Island Leeward


Shores Tonight Wednesday
Surf Surf
PM AM AM PM
West Facing 2-4 2-4 2-4 1-3
South Facing 1-3 1-3 1-3 1-3
TONIGHT
Weather Mostly sunny until 6 PM, then mostly
cloudy. Hazy.
Low Temperature In the upper 60s.
Winds West winds around 5 mph early in the
afternoon, becoming light and variable.
Tides
Kona High 1.5 feet 04:04 PM HST.
Low -0.1 feet 09:57 PM HST.
High 1.9 feet 04:18 AM HST.
Kawaihae High 1.4 feet 04:36 PM HST.
Low -0.1 feet 10:20 PM HST.
High 1.9 feet 04:38 AM HST.
WEDNESDAY
Weather Partly sunny. Hazy.
High Temperature In the mid 80s.
Winds Light and variable winds, becoming west
around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tides
Kona Low -0.1 feet 10:37 AM HST.
High 1.6 feet 04:42 PM HST.
Kawaihae Low -0.2 feet 11:01 AM HST.
High 1.6 feet 05:13 PM HST.
Sunrise 6:41 AM HST.
Sunset 6:31 PM HST.

The current moderate northwest swell will continue a gradual decline through Thursday. A small west-northwest swell will arrive on Friday and hold through the weekend, followed by a small north-northwest swell early next week. Choppy east shore surf will build to near seasonal average by Wednesday as trade winds strengthen over and east of the islands. Little change is expected along east facing shores through the weekend, followed by a possible decline early next week if winds veer southerly. Surf along south facing shores will remain small to tiny through the weekend, and some islands may an increase in choppy surf if southerly winds develop early next week.

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NORTH EAST

am        pm  

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Semi choppy with ESE winds 5-10mph in the morning increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon.

NORTH WEST

am        pm  

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

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ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Conditions: Clean in the early morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions move in during the morning hours with the winds shifting W 5-10mph.

WEST

am        pm  

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Semi glassy in the morning with N winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting WNW 5-10mph.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

SOUTH EAST

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am        pm  

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Light sideshore texture in the morning with NE winds 10-15mph. This becomes Sideshore texture/chop for the afternoon.

Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com



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Hawaii delegation continues to blast U.S. attack on Iran | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Hawaii delegation continues to blast U.S. attack on Iran | Honolulu Star-Advertiser




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Blood moon to dazzle Hawaii skies tonight

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Blood moon to dazzle Hawaii skies tonight

























Blood moon to dazzle Hawaii skies tonight | Local | kitv.com

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