Opponents of NextEra Energy’s $4.3 billion bid to buy Hawaiian Electric have publicly blasted the merger. But that posturing has sparked negotiations that over the next few months should lead to more benefits and cost-savings for consumers.

Hawaii is making a big-money gamble as it shifts from oil-powered electric generation to renewable energy sources, infusing the industry with its own new energy.

By any measure, the state capital is one America’s priciest cities, but it is particularly bad for people who are solo.

Could economic disruption reach some of Hawaii’s most prominent companies and lower our cost of living in the islands?

Housing costs — the greatest expense in most people’s lives — are poised to continue their rise in the coming years. What’s true on the mainland may be even more true in the islands.

A simple but innovative housing concept could help respond to a key component of Hawaii’s high cost of living.

Like the state, the capital’s population is increasing, but that doesn’t mean the high cost of living isn’t driving lots of people out.

Is it time to use tax penalties to go after the “people who are squandering the housing stock” by allowing homes to sit empty?

The cost of housing, as well as salaries that don’t keep up, drag Hawaii down in a national ranking.

Connecting the islands better could boost salaries and lower the cost of living.