Ben Angarone

6 days ago | civilbeat.org | Ben Angarone

The city announced that nearly $10 million for seven programs, including a Waiʻanae Coast bus rapid transit project, has been eliminated. Its official name is the Route C Country Express!, the bus that shuttles riders down the Waiʻanae Coast every morning.

1 week ago | civilbeat.org | Ben Angarone

City officials defended the trip, saying it was necessary to inform a decision on planned new license and ID card designs for Hawaiʻi. A Honolulu department head’s trip to Poland next month will be funded by a private company that has signed a no-bid contract with that department after City Council members voted Wednesday to approve the gift.

2 weeks ago | civilbeat.org | Jeremy Hay |Ben Angarone

After two years, a long-damaged bridge is suddenly fixed and a past Fix It! column gets results along Date Street on Oʻahu. It was a long way down for a long time. The bridge on South King Street passes under the Kapiʻolani Boulevard on-ramp to the H-1 and crosses over the Mānoa Pālolo Stream more than 30 feet below.

2 weeks ago | civilbeat.org | Ben Angarone

This comes five years after the Covid-19 pandemic invigorated outdoor dining programs around the country. Oʻahu eateries are now on solid legal ground if they want to set up tables outside on city sidewalks, thanks to a measure signed by Mayor Rick Blangiardi on Friday. The bill, introduced in January by council member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, follows years of temporary measures allowing the practice in Honolulu.

2 weeks ago | civilbeat.org | Ben Angarone

An army of supporters, including the governor, rallied to help Jim Ireland advance after opponents blamed him for a toxic workplace and slow response times. Jim Ireland appears poised to keep his job as director of Honolulu’s Department of Emergency Services despite loud opposition from some current and former employees who have blamed his management for poor morale, staffing problems and slow response times.