Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District: Who Will Win the 2026 House Race

The FAA has denied a petition from Honolulu-based Trident Adventures seeking an exemption from passenger restraint rules to continue its "helocast" tours, in which participants jump from a hovering helicopter into the ocean. The agency concluded that Trident's safety measures, including passenger screening, trained crew and safety swimmers, do not provide an equivalent level of safety to the restraint requirements they would replace, and that they fail to guard against slips, turbulence, windblast or human error. Trident says it has run the activity for about seven years and roughly 3,500 participants without incident, and that its appeal is ongoing with no final decision yet.

Opposition came from U.S. Rep. Ed Case and a North Shore community group, which cited an unrelated $10,000 state fine against Trident for illegal snorkel drops in a protected marine area—fines Trident says were paid but disputes involvement in. U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell backed the exemption, citing veteran jobs. Jumps remain suspended pending appeal.

Most of the U.S. will turn clocks back an hour on Nov. 1, reverting to standard time, as the long-running debate over ending the twice-yearly time change remains unresolved at the federal level. South Carolina is among 19 states that have passed legislation to make daylight saving time permanent, but state law cannot take effect without congressional action, since federal rules currently bar states from unilaterally adopting year-round DST (states may only opt out to observe permanent standard time, as Arizona and Hawaii do).

The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, which would make DST permanent nationwide, passed the House in July but remains stalled in the Senate, with lawmakers away for a monthlong break starting Oct. 5. A separate South Carolina bill seeking a federal waiver has stalled in committee since 2025. Polling cited by the Post and Courier found South Carolinians split, with more residents preferring permanent standard time than permanent DST.

The Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA) is drawing criticism for how it handled a legislative directive to organize a "travel workshop" on transit-oriented development (TOD). Lawmakers, during this year's session, told HCDA to allocate up to $300,000 from one of its funds to plan the workshop, meant to educate agency staff, legislators, and state officials on best practices for TOD as part of the 2026-2027 state budget process.

Rather than organize the effort itself, HCDA delayed action and this month handed the task to the Department of Health, which has a lesser role in TOD compared to HCDA. No workshop itinerary or attendee list has been made public, though a late-October target date has surfaced. HCDA's board approved transferring the funds despite unanswered questions from its own members.

The episode matters because HCDA oversees major redevelopment areas including Kakaako, Heeia, Kalaeloa, and Halawa — site of the 98-acre New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District, central to Oahu's rail-linked TOD plans. State Sen. Chris Lee, who backed the funding, warned that planning missteps could cost far more later.

Maui-based Alpha Inc. has been selected as contractor for a major restoration of East Hawaii Veterans Cemetery No. 2 in Hilo. The project will raise and realign nearly 4,500 grave markers, add burial section markers and watering stations, and carry out grading and soil and turf rehabilitation across 5.5 acres on Laimana Street.

The work is funded by a federal grant of up to roughly $6.1 million awarded in late September by the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Cemetery Administration, with the state Department of Defense's Engineering Office overseeing construction. Work is slated to begin in early January and take about three and a half years to complete. The county Parks and Recreation Department, which handles day-to-day upkeep, welcomed the collaboration.

The restoration follows a 2021 VA Inspector General audit that found longstanding deficiencies at the cemetery, including improperly installed flat markers and grave sites left unmarked for years due to the county lacking funding and staffing to meet federal standards.

The Hawaii National Guard is managing overlapping recovery operations after a string of storms battered the islands since August, the fourth being Hurricane Nolo, which struck Sept. 26-27. During Nolo, high-water vehicle teams carried out five rescue missions and assisted 19 civilians. The Guard is drawing on roughly 5,500 personnel in a rotational structure to support county and state partners across multiple islands simultaneously.

On Hawaii Island, Task Force Hawaii continues cleanup after Hurricane Lala dumped an estimated 1.3 trillion gallons of water in mid-August, including 421 wellness checks in remote areas and sensitive debris removal and recovery work at a flood- and landslide-damaged cemetery. A partnership with Pacific Air Forces, dubbed Operation Trek 808, airlifted electrical restoration equipment from California. On Kauai, Task Force Kauai remains active following Hurricane Lowell's early September landfall, having helped reopen Lihue Airport, conducted aerial damage assessments, and distributed food and water with the Hawaii Foodbank amid supply shortages.