Hawaii

Washington football extends offer to rising four-star Hawaii OT

Published

1 week ago

February 5, 2026

Washington football extends offer to rising four-star Hawaii OT

Even as the Washington Huskies make the short lists for some of their top offensive line targets in the 2027 class, Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff hasn’t stopped the nationwide search for more talent in the trenches.

On Monday, that search took Fisch and offensive line coach Michael Switzer to Hawaii, where Washington became the latest program to offer four-star offensive tackle Isaiah Bertola, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound product of Farrington High School in Honolulu.

Ranked as the No. 34 offensive tackle and No. 2 player in the state by the 247Sports Composite, Bertola has received significant interest from all over the country, with Arizona, Auburn, Nebraska, Penn State, and Utah among the 18 programs that have offered him a scholarship.

The Huskies have made some promising headway with some of their top targets at tackle in the 2027 class, including three-star DaJohn Yarborough, who added UW to his top ten on Tuesday, and legacy Tye Kennedy, while they’re still pushing for four-star Jake Hildebrand, three-star Ben Lowther, and several others, but that hasn’t stopped them from getting in the mix for Bertola.

On film, Bertola is a very agile mover in space who runs well and can get out in front as a lead blocker. He also plays with good strength and can mirror pass rushers effectively, and as he adds weight to his frame, he has the potential to develop into a strong tackle at the Power 4 level.

As Washington continues to explore its options up front in the 2027 class, Bertola could quickly turn into a priority target for Fisch’s coaching staff. Washington has traditionally found a lot of success recruiting in Hawaii, but the Huskies have signed just two players from the state since he took over: quarterback Treston Kini McMillan and linebacker Ramzak Fruean, who moved from Hawaii to Washington ahead of his junior season.

If the Huskies were to heavily pursue Bertola, he could help continue a pipeline that UW has been able to rely on for over 30 years.

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Hawaii

Public safety power shutoff watch: Hawaiian Electric monitoring wildfire risk conditions this week | Big Island Now

Published

7 hours ago

February 16, 2026

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Public safety power shutoff watch: Hawaiian Electric monitoring wildfire risk conditions this week | Big Island Now

February 15, 2026, 7:08 PM HST

Hawaiian Electric is monitoring developing weather conditions likely to lead to an increased risk of wildfires in parts of Maui County and Hawaiʻi Island later this week.

Photo File: Courtesy Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization website

Customers in these areas are urged to initiate their own emergency plans should a public safety power shutoff need to be initiated, including preparations for the possibility of extended power outages Monday through Thursday (Feb. 16-19).

The National Weather Service forecast office in Honolulu reported just after 3:30 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 15) in its fire weather planning forecast that strong high pressure far north of the islands will sink southward and weaken some during the next couple of days.

This will maintain breezy trades for much of the week.

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Showers riding in on the trades will be focused over windward and mauka areas. However with the breezy trades, some showers will reach leeward areas at times.

Proactive power shutoffs are one way Hawaiian Electric can help prevent wildfires when there is windy weather, low humidity and dry vegetation near Hawaiian Electric equipment, which is the case in areas such as West Maui and South Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island.

These conditions could lead to damaged powerlines or debris being blown into powerlines, which increases the risk of a fire starting.

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Hawaiian Electric will keep the public informed by deploying its message broadcast system to customers in high risk areas should weather conditions intensify.

News releases and regular social media postings will also be used to provide updates and information.

Call Hawaiian Electric’s Public Safety Power Shutoff Hotline toll-free at 1-844-483-8666 or visit the Hawaiian Electric website for additional information, maps of public safety power shutoff areas and more.

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Hawaii

Jaxson Hayes after Slam Dunk contest: I’d rather much be in Hawaii right now

Published

19 hours ago

February 15, 2026

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Following the end of the Slam Dunk Contest, Jaxson Hayes spoke about whether or not he would partake in the Slam Dunk Contest again. As the oldest player in this year’s event, he didn’t fully shut the door on another appearance, although it is highly unlikely. “This is my seventh year in the NBA, I’m gonna be in my eighth year next year. You see these young guys got way more legs. I went up for my first dunk, I felt it right in my knees,” Hayes said. “I don’t think so. It was fun to do and to say I did it, but I don’t know. I’m not gonna fully shut out the dunk contest, but most likely no. I’d rather much be in Hawaii right now.”

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Hawaii

Lawmakers explore controversial rule changes for primary elections

Published

1 day ago

February 15, 2026

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Lawmakers explore controversial rule changes for primary elections

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A bill to eliminate party-based voting for primary elections in Hawaii is making headway at the State Legislature.

Senate Bill 2480, according to its webpage description, “allows voters in a primary or special primary election to vote for any candidate for any office without regard to the voter or candidate’s political party preference. Advances the top two candidates in a primary or special primary election, regardless of political party, to the general election.”

Measure supporter Marlene Thom said, “To me this expands voter choice and allows the general election candidates to reflect a broader support among the electorate, thereby making our elections more inclusive.”

During a hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday, 41 people submitted testimony in support of the measure, while nine voiced opposition.

“This is a simple, yet far-reaching bill that would improve voter choices,” another testifier in favor of the bill said. “Let’s make general elections great again.”

While bill backers say the rule change would expand voter choice, those against it say it would do the opposite.

“I love that this eliminates the partisan part of primaries, right? So if we could just eliminate the partisanship part, excellent, but that we’re not just doing that, right? That would be an oversimplification,” said Jackie Keefe in opposition to the proposal.

“And so if we really think of it on a larger scale, this is helping protect the status quo, right? Which is what the grassroots folks are always trying to push back against,” she added.

Another opponent, Austin Martin, said, “There is no stability in the law right now, and there is a lot of mistrust in our public institutions.”

“Yanking the rug out from under people and changing the entire system in a way that, while it sounds nice on the surface, in fact, only benefits the establishment insiders, they’re setting Hawaii up for some very bad things to happen,” he added.

Lawmakers advanced the bill at Friday’s hearing,

The window is open for candidates to file for the primary election on Aug. 8.

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