One week after historic rains swamped the north shore of Kauaʻi, communities at the end of the road remain isolated. While geographic isolation raises unique challenges in disaster recovery, it always strengthens this community’s self-reliance. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

A bill to create restricted pesticide-free buffer zones around Hawai’i schools is currently stalled at the legislature. HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports.

$1.4 trillion. That is how much Americans nationwide owe in student loan debt. All of that debt has some policy makers worried, including Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz. He sponsored the Debt Free College Act of 2018 - with the goal of making public higher education affordable without the need for student loans.

This week on Stargazer, we learn about local research relating to the far reaches of our Solar System, and about the potential smells there… as HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence speaks with Christopher Phillips.

City enforcement of zoning and building laws has been a chronic problem. After one local contractor, Brilliant Construction, continued building after receiving an order to stop. City Councilmember Ikaika Anderson is trying to get tough on violators.

On Helping Hand this week, HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence speaks with The Caregiver Foundation about their fundraiser Saturday April 28 at the Manoa Grand Ballroom at the Japanese Cultural Center 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Anne Chipchase, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Caregiver Foundation, talks about the event and their mission to provide care coordination for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Throughout the week, The Conversation looked at various volunteer opportunities across the state. To close out the series, The Conversation's Catherine Cruz looked into the Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled; which provides services for only a fraction of the thousands of people across the state who are either born blind, or have lost their vision later in life.

Maui business leaders say they face the same conditions as Oahu— only more so. We get an explanation of that from Pacific Business News editor in chief A. Kam Napier.

The Honolulu City Council is attempting to close loopholes in some of the city’s ordinances. And, they’re targeting sidewalk vendors and golfers. HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports.

Promises of additional flood relief are pouring in from the government as well as private donors. Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg pledged a million dollars and eBay Founder Pierre Omidyar already donated $200,000 in disaster relief. Residents of East Honolulu and Waimanalo may also be eligible for federal state and county assistance after those communities were declared disaster areas by Governor David Ige yesterday.

Long simmering tensions between the local taxi companies and transportation network companies, Uber and Lyft, erupted again. The spark was a public hearing to discuss a pilot program that allows the ride sharing companies to pick up and drop off passengers at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. The state quietly extended the program until September, and yesterday was the first time taxi and limousine drivers had a chance to vent before the Small Business Regulatory Review Board.

Think human beings are rational thinkers when it comes to money? Think again. An estimated two thirds of Americans have received or anticipate receiving a tax refund this year – and logic has little to do with how we will spend it. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

Local efforts to mandate more timely upgrades for the Navy’s Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility on O’ahu failed in the Legislature this session. HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports.

Following the weekend flooding, the Hanalei District - including Wainiha and Haʻena, faced heavy damage. The Hanalei River became swollen, and many neighborhoods and farmlands flooded. Emergency rescue crews evacuated 152 people by helicopter, 121 by bus and others by water. Currently, it is an active search and rescue effort.

The State Budget is in a joint conference committee this week to work out Senate and House differences.  One state agency has been on the short end of the appropriations stick for decades.  HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports.   

Contact Hawai’i is proving to be Honolulu’s most intellectually and visually stimulating annual art exhibition.  The 2018 show opened with multiple installations in Waikiki and continues at the Honolulu Museum of Art School.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports the jurors’ combined perspectives yielded a show with energy and insight.

The board of the legally beleaguered Thirty Meter Telescope deferred on a decision to relocate the project to the Canary Islands. The announcement came last week following the passage of a Mauna Kea construction ban by one house of the state legislature. Bute a move is not off the table.

A bill before the State Legislature may make it harder for new landowners in Hawaiʻi to clear title to their piece of paradise. Proponents of the bill say it would help native Hawaiians preserve ancestral lands. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

On Stargazer we hear about a family album of stars put together by a facility we recently discussed as HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence speaks with Christopher Phillips.

Freddy Cole is the brother of late music legend Nat King Cole, and uncle of the late Natalie Cole.

Haleakalā National Park is one of Maui's most popular visitor draws. But starting this year, park officials vastly reduced the number of tour companies allowed to operate in the park. One business that didn't get a contract had to shut down earlier this month. We get more from contributing reporter Colleen Uechi.

The launch of KTA Express grocery store in Kona includes another launch, a new concept from L & L called Mixed Plate. Pacific Business News editor in chief A. Kam Napier has more.

Vieux Farka Toure is in Hawaii with dates tonight at the MACC, tomorrow at the Kahilu Theatre, and Saturday and Sunday at the Blue Note touring behind his latest album Samba.

The board of directors for the Thirty Meter Telescope is meeting this week to decide whether to extend its April deadline. More time would allow legal proceedings to play out but none of that may matter after today’s floor vote in the state Senate. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

The House Health and Human Services Committee is trying to pass a bill to put illegal care homes out of business. HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports.

The generations-old tradition of seaweed cultivation in Hawaiʻi is making a comeback. Seaweed or limu is an important part of the traditional Hawaiian diet, but it’s abundance in recent years has been diminishing. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

Hundreds of bills at the State Legislature passed critical floor votes in the House and Senate today.  But the work is far from over as lawmakers head into the last 14 days of the 2018 session. HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports.

The Hawaii Agricultural Foundation’s mission is to support farming in Hawai’i and connect farmers with the community.  Recently they invited one if China’s top 50 innovative business leaders to Honolulu to discuss the connection between sustainability and our eating habits.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports.

This week on Stargazer, it’s a lone wanderer from beyond our Galaxy as HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence speaks with Christopher Phillips for our report.