HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – More than 1,900 nurses of Queen’s Medical Center at Punchbowl and West Oahu are set to begin a three-day strike on Monday at 11 a.m.

This comes after failed contract talks between hospital administrators and the Hawaii Nurses’ Association.

Nurses have been working without a contract since June 30.

Nurses and their supporters said they are striking over unfair labor practices.

The hospital said its latest offer would make Queen’s nurses the highest-paid in the state and among the highest in the nation.

The strike is scheduled to end on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 a.m.

Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Thousands of homes have been lost to the inferno around Los Angeles and many thousands have been displaced.

Hawaii’s governor is floating an idea that could bring some of those fire victims here to ease the pressure on resources in California.

Gov. Josh Green said Hawaii has around 25,000 hotel rooms statewide. But he said thousands of those rooms are empty and could be used to house displaced fire survivors.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority issued a report last November that said hotel occupancy is around 70%. meaning 30% of the available rooms aren’t being used.

“We have 25,000 hotel rooms in Hawaii so 20 percent would be 5,000. If they are vacant, and we can take the pressure off of California, it would not affect our housing inventory or long-term housing,” explained Green.

“If those vacancies can be used at an affordable price maybe we can help people get through this crisis.”

Green says California has sent help when Hawaii has encountered natural disasters. He believes Hawaii can help in its own way.

“They have all the firefighters in the world and sent us fire fighters, and its particularly good to take the weight off the small projects,” said Green.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority confirms it has been in talks with the governor about this proposal, but the governor himself said so far, it’s just a possibility.

Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

HONOLULU (KHON2) — It’s no secret that living on an island can bring heavy rains, but what is being done to manage the excess stormwater?

State officials are offering Oahu residents a chance to help save the environment completely free of charge.

Excess water can flow into systems such as storm drains, ditches and streams but if there is runoff, homeowners can face flood risk and the environment can face pollutants from impervious surfaces.

The City partnered with Mālama Maunalua to launch the Pilot Rainwater Capture Incentive, a program designed to provide Oahu residents with free rainwater capture solutions whether they rent or own.

Rainwater capture solutions include bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels or cisterns and permeable pavement to create a low-cost, yet effective management system.

Addressing stormwater runoff is one of the great challenges to protecting our environment and communities. Only by the public proactively participating can we hope to adequately address the issue. I’m excited about this opportunity and look forward to demonstrating how we as a community can protect our island and ourselves.

Doug Harper, from Mālama Maunalua

Contributor 3Rwater created the “Follow the Drop” app for Apple Store and Google Play “to help property managers and citizens assess how much rainwater a property to capture, size solutions eligible for the program and submit an application for consideration.

“Stormwater is, and always will be, a shared responsibility requiring the collective, vigilant, and continued involvement by all stakeholders,” added Randall Wakumoto, Program Administrator for DFM’s Storm Water Quality Division.

Officials said priority will be given to applicants from underserved communities, including economically disadvantaged, multi-generational and kūpuna-led households.

Applications can be found on Rainwater Hawaii’s website. The application period is open until the end of March.