Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we've been following today:
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Trade winds remain breezy through this weekend with showers favoring windward areas. Enhanced moisture will keep rain chances elevated Friday into the weekend, followed by a more typical trade pattern with drier conditions by Saturday night into early next week.
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Today's Big Stories
1. 2,207 Hawaii residents hold concealed carry licenses
As of the end of 2024, some 2,207 Hawaii residents held an active license to carry a concealed handgun in public, according to a new report released Wednesday by the state Department of the Attorney General.
Data for Licenses to Carry Handguns in Hawaii, 2024, was compiled from each of the four counties, in accordance with state law. The report was prepared by Paul Perrone, chief of research and statistics.
As expected, Honolulu tallied the highest overall number of LTCs with 1,356 total active licenses. Hawaii County (425 licenses) was second, followed by Kauai County (243) and Maui County (183).
Out of 2,697 total LTC applications, 2,456 licenses were granted and 119 denied. Some licensees hold multiple LTCs. Six LTCs were revoked during the year.
Honolulu accounts for 69% of the state’s total population of residents age 20 and older but just 0.18% of that total hold LTCs. In contrast, Kauai has 5.1% of the state’s population of residents aged 20 and older, but 0.43% of that population hold LTCs.
Due to the state’s previously highly restrictive gun laws, there had never been a compelling reason to compile a statewide LTC report. However, U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc., v. Bruen effectively compelled Hawaii and other states to do away with “proper cause” requirements for concealed carry licenses., leading to a sharp increase in LTC application and issuances.
2. Job searchers invited to 2-day state hiring event
The Hawaii Department of Human Resources Development hosts the Operation Hire Hawaii Recruitment Event over two days — 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. April 11 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 12 — at the Hawaii Convention Center in Rooms 311 and 313.
Aligning with Gov. Josh Green’s Executive Order 25-02, Operation Hire Hawaii aims to recruit highly skilled professionals to address critical needs in the workforce across the state’s public sector in areas such as environmental protection, public health, infrastructure development, cybersecurity and economic policy.
Twenty-five state agencies and departments, along with 16 City and County agencies will be at the event looking to hire qualified individuals to fill vacancies. In addition, state executive branch agencies will make career presentations in various fields to highlight what working in state government entails.
For more information on the event and presentation schedule, visit the Operation Hire Hawaii website.
3. Hawaii men's volleyball achieves back-to-back sellouts for 1st time in 29 seasons
Top-ranked Long Beach State will bring a considerable challenge to bear for the No. 4 Hawaii men’s volleyball team at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center this weekend.
The Beach is also drawing the crowds.
UH announced Wednesday afternoon that Friday’s matchup between the Big West co-leaders at the 10,300-seat arena has sold out; Saturday’s rematch sold out last month.
“I think everybody knows they're important matches,” coach Charlie Wade said. “Two of the best teams playing each other; seems like, whenever we play, there's something at stake. So, (it) just kind of goes with the territory. And think everybody's been looking forward to it for a long time and excited to get out and compete.”
It is senior week for the Rainbow Warriors. Libero ‘Eleu Choy, middles Kurt Nusterer and Zachary Johnson, and hitters Clay Wieter and Kawai Hong will be traditionally honored following Saturday’s match.
Per the school, they are UH’s first back-to-back sellouts in men’s volleyball since 1996, the sport’s second year in what was then called the Special Events Arena, when Yuval Katz mania took hold under then-coach Mike Wilton.
They are the first back-to-back sellouts for any UH arena sport since men’s basketball’s Dynamic Duo era of Anthony Carter and Alika Smith in 1998.
Related: Traffic expected around UH with two sold-out volleyball games
4. City hosts virtual meetings to streamline South Shore surf event application process
The City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation is hosting two virtual meetings to gather public input on improving the application process for the second year of specific permitting for South Shore surf events. These meetings aim to simplify the application process for event organizers and ensure greater accessibility for all participants.
The meetings will focus on proposed changes to make the application process clearer, more user-friendly, and easier to navigate for those organizing surf events on the South Shore, specifically in the waters off City beaches.
The virtual meetings will be held on Monday, April 14, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. To access the Zoom meetings, click here.
A draft version of the application is available for review here. DPR will post the final application online later this month after the meetings.
5. Stocks dive as euphoria on Wall Street reverts to fear about U.S.-China trade war
U.S. stocks dove Thursday and surrendered a chunk of their historic gains from the day before as President Donald Trump’s trade war continues to threaten the economy.
The S&P 500 tumbled 3.5%, slicing into Wednesday’s surge of 9.5% following Trump’s decision to pause many of his tariffs worldwide. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,014 points, or 2.5%, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 4.3%.
“Trump blinks,” UBS strategist Bhanu Baweja wrote in a report about the president’s decision on tariffs, “but the damage isn’t all undone.”
Trump has focused more on China, raising tariffs on its products to well above 100%. Even if that were to get negotiated down to something like 50%, and even if only 10% tariffs remained on other countries, Baweja said the hit to the U.S. economy could still be large enough to hurt expected growth for upcoming U.S. corporate profits.
The losses for U.S. stocks accelerated Thursday after the White House clarified that the United States will tax Chinese imports at 145%, not the 125% rate that Trump had written about in his posting on Truth Social Wednesday, once other previously announced tariffs were included. The drop for the S&P 500 exceeded 6% at one point.
“Everything is still very volatile, because with Donald Trump, you don’t know what to expect,” said Francis Lun, chief executive of Geo Securities. “This is really big uncertainty in the market. The threat of recession has not faded.”
Your Notes for Tomorrow
Friday, April 11
- 5th anniversary of U.S. COVID-19 death toll reaching highest in world
- The Masters golf at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia - the first major of the year - continues with round two, as players look to avoid the cut
- NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge Awards Ceremony
- NATO Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, chaired by the UK and Germany
- 80th anniversary of Buchenwald concentration camp liberated in WWII
- 4th anniversary of the death of Daunte Wright, who was shot by Minnesota police officer Kim Potter
In Case You Missed It
Mary Kawena Pukui was one of six Native Hawaiian women named in a U.S. Senate Resolution honoring distinguished American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian women. (Hawaii Council for the Humanities)
Museum After Hours event honors Native Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui
Bishop Museum partners with the Mary Kawena Pukui Cultural Preservation Society to celebrate the life, work and legacy of Native Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui during the museum’s After Hours event dedicated to the woman who worked tirelessly to preserve Native Hawaiian culture, its traditions and practices.
The public is invited to “Nānā i ke Kumu: Celebrating the Legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui,” 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, at Bishop Museum’s Great Lawn.
The event also celebrates the 2025 release of Mary Kawena Pukui’s $1 coin as part of the United States Mint’s Native American $1 Coin Program that recognizes and honors the important contributions of Indian tribes and individual Native Americans, according to the U.S. Mint.
The event is $10 presale or $15 at the door.
