Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2026
Turtle Bay Resort Plans Paused After Judge Ruling
The presence of recently listed endangered species means a new environmental review is required under state law.
Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026
Turtle Bay’s Tiniest Residents Could Thwart Luxury Resort Plans
Litigation could see new environmental conditions for construction and cultural interests on land parcels at Turtle Bay.
Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025
Honolulu Building Permits Moving Faster For Homes, Slower For Businesses
The city is planning to expand its use of AI software after it showed promise in prescreening applications.
Renovation Aloha/Warner Brothers/Courtesy photos
‘Renovation Aloha’ Hosts Fined For Illegal Airbnbs In Latest Misstep
Tens of thousands of dollars in fines for illegal vacation rentals are unpaid, the city says.
Failed $20 Bribe: 92-Year-Old Architect Sentenced In Honolulu Permitting Case
Kiyoshi Toi said he was giving the employee lunch money. The judge saw it as an attempt to influence him.
Department of Planning and Permitting/2025
A Fight During Work Hours Wasn’t Enough To Get This City Inspector Fired
Honolulu hired Bryan Porcello despite at least eight convictions, and only fired him after his arrest for allegedly bailing a woman out of jail for sex. Heavily blacked-out documents make it difficult to see what was the last straw for the city.
Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025
‘What’s That Smell?’ Mysterious Stench Stumps Nānākuli Residents
A West Side community has been plagued for several months by a deathly stink, but no one knows where it’s coming from.
Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025
Honolulu Permit Counter Closing Next Week To Catch Up With Backlog
More than 800 projects are waiting to clear the first hurdle in the permitting process.
Stewart Yerton/Civil Beat/2025
Unofficial Security Guard Arrested At ‘Hell Hole’ Honolulu Office Building
UPDATE: New details emerged on Saturday in a video provided to Civil Beat of the incident that led to the arrest. The squalid conditions and violent outbreaks led the state representative for downtown to call for changes to Hawaiʻi landlord-tenant law.
Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025
Elderly Honolulu Architect Convicted For Attempted $20 Bribe
An offer of supposed lunch money could land the nonagenarian in prison.