Dan Nakaso

A year-long emphasis on his Health Beyond Healthcare initiative will define Gov. Josh Green’s tenure as chair of the Western Governors’ Association.

Like the rest of the nation, Hawaii marks the 250th anniversary of the America’s birth today with fireworks, parades and hot dogs.

More than 200 senior citizens mingled with 32 veteran and first-time political candidates Wednesday to bring door-to-door canvassing into one location at the Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center.

The Pu‘uhonoua o Wai‘anae homeless community at the Wai‘anae Small Boat Harbor has shrunk from a peak of 250 people to just 30 who are waiting for new, permanent homes to arrive so they can join their friends and family who already have moved to a new 20-acre site on the mauka side of Farrington Highway.

Fifteen homeless people at the Waianae Small Boat Harbor who do not plan to move to the permanent Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae community mauka of Farrington Highway can be swept at any time after being served with trespass warnings while the state plans to remove their nine structures and encampments this summer.

The Democratic primary race to represent urban Honolulu in Congress comes down to whether U.S. Rep. Ed Case’s experience — and overall voting record — will be enough to sway Democrats angry over President Donald Trump and his policies.

Hawaii’s next lieutenant governor, 65 state legislative seats, Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees and local races in four Hawaii counties will likely be decided by a small share of registered voters — in a midterm election that’s unlikely to spark a surge in voter turnout.

The race to represent urban Honolulu in Congress has attracted national attention from the New York Times and the Washington Post as an example of younger, left-leaning Democrats like state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole challenging older, more moderate incumbents like U.S. Rep. Ed Case.

What appeared to be a clear path to the lieutenant governor’s office for Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami suddenly became competitive in May when state Rep. Della Au Belatti dropped out of a long-shot run for Congress to take on Kawakami instead.

All 51 state House seats and 14 of the 25 state Senate seats are up for election this year, but 16 Democratic and Republican legislators face no challenge and will automatically return to office in the Aug. 8 party primary elections.