Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we’ve been following today:
Your Weather Planner
Shower chances will continue over the windward and mauka areas from Oahu to the Big Island this morning with drier conditions later today and this weekend as more stable conditions arrive. The trades will gradually ease into the weekend.
High Surf Advisory in effect through Friday evening for east-facing shores.
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Today’s Big Stories
1. FAA flight restrictions will decrease to 3% Saturday
One week after the Federal Aviation Administration began implementing flight restrictions at 40 high-traffic airports around the country, the agency said Friday that the required reductions will decrease. Effective Saturday at 6 a.m. EST, mandatory flight restrictions will decrease from their current level of 6% to 3%.
In a statement, the FAA said it is following the recommendation of its safety and operations team, which has noticed improvements in air traffic controller staffing since the government shutdown ended Wednesday night.
About 13,000 air traffic controllers were required to work without pay during the 43-day shutdown, prompting many to call in sick or take second jobs.
In a post on X, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the controllers received 70% of their paychecks Friday.
“We’re working to process the rest of their back pay quickly,” he said.
The FAA said it has seen a rapid decline in staffing-triggered flight disruptions since its peak on Nov. 8, when there were 81. Staffing triggers fell to 11 Tuesday, following the Senate’s Monday night vote on a bill to reopen the government, and were at 13 Wednesday, as the House prepared to vote on the bill.
After President Donald Trump signed legislation to fund and reopen the government, staff triggers fell to four Thursday and to three Friday.
2. Good Jobs Hawaii offers free training classes in Spring 2026
Those looking to upskill or attain industry certifications in specific sectors can look to the UH Community Colleges’ Good Jobs Hawaii initiative to accomplish their goals.
Individuals can explore free training classes beginning in January 2026 in fields such as education, technology, creative industries, skilled trades and healthcare that could help open doors to good jobs, paid internships and apprenticeship pathways.
Trainings being offered starting in Jan. 2026 include:
Education – substitute teacher, early childhood teacher, special education teacher
Creative industries – foundational safety
Technology – network technician, security analyst
Skilled trades – electrician, commercial driver’s license
Healthcare – certified nurse aide, optometry assistant
City & County of Honolulu – early childhood education, landscaping
Visit the Good Jobs Hawaii website to view the training classes being offered and to register for online and in-person classes.
3. Urban Makahiki seeks to revitalize ʻAʻala Park as a community gathering space
ʻAʻala Park was once the central hub of community life, playing host to political rallies, cultural festivals, lei vendors, food stands and athletic events such as baseball, sumo and keiki hula. After years of neglect, the park has become less inviting and, many feel, has lost its sense of community.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, a free public event, the third Urban Makahiki, aims to help change that by welcoming the community to join a multicultural celebration featuring games, live performances and cultural demonstrations. Through this event, the hope is to reconnect people and place and restore a healthy relationship between ʻāina and people.
Brought to the public by Waiwai Collective, American Savings Bank, Hawaii Tourism Authority and Trust for Public Land, the event will focus on themes of moʻolelo (stories), wai (water) and “makahiki consciousness,” encouraging attendees to engage with the rich history of ʻAʻala Park and its connection to the ahupuaʻa of Kapālama and Nuʻuanu.
Although ʻAʻala Park has been underutilized for decades, Saturday’s event offerings will help highlight the creativity and collaboration of the neighborhood while continuing the event’s tradition of bringing people together and connecting them to the surrounding ahupuaʻa of Kapālama and Nuʻuanu.
More information on the history and background of ʻAʻala Park is available online at TPL’s Grassroots Community Engagement Report.
Urban Makahiki takes over ʻAʻala Park on Saturday for a community gathering of cultural activities, performances and more. (Photo by Kenneth Stringer)
4. Advisory council to help guide ongoing military lease negotiations
Gov. Josh Green has established an advisory committee charged with providing input on cultural, natural and economic strategies that can help avoid or mitigate federal condemnation of more than 160,000 acres of state land leased by the U.S. Army.
Leases for all the sites expire in 2029, but final environmental impact statements for the renewal of leases were each rejected by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources earlier this year.
The state has been advocating its position under the specter of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s public statement that the Army would consider taking control of the lands via condemnation. According to the state, Driscoll has been in contact with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the legality of such an action.
The newly formed committee will provide guidance to the governor on how to move forward, including strategies to secure immediate and long-term benefits should the Army pursue condemnation.
The committee includes:
William “Bill” Aila, Jr., member, Hui Malama O Makua
Scott Glenn, facilitator, Office of the Governor
Ryan Kanakaole, deputy director, Department of Land and Natural Resources
Kuhio Lewis, CEO, Hawaiian Council
Laurie McAllister Moore, executive director, Military and Community Relations Office
Mahina Paishon-Duarte, co-founder, Waiwai Collective
Ed Sniffen, director, Hawaii Department of Transportation
Summer Sylva, interim administrator, Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Kali Watson, director, Department of Hawaiian Homelands
Noe Noe Wong-Wilson, executive director, Lalakea Foundation
As unpaid volunteers, committee members do not require state Senate confirmation.
5. Young Hawaii women’s basketball lineup narrowly avoids upset to Division II St. Martin’s
Laura Beeman greeted her St. Martin’s counterpart Natalie Marlowe with a handshake and a look that summed up 45 minutes of tense basketball.
Phew.
The Hawaii women’s basketball team overcame poor shooting and worse ball control to eke out a 46-41 overtime win over the Division II team from Lacey, Wash., at the Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday night.
UH (2-0) had to rally from an eight-point hole at the start of the fourth quarter. It did so by holding the Saints (1-2) without a field goal for the 10-minute period, plus all five minutes of overtime.
Beeman lauded Marlowe, who like herself cut her coaching teeth in junior college, with having a strong game plan that included a stifling zone defense and extended ball pressure. It challenged UH’s young roster to take hurried shots from outside that did not pan out — the Rainbow Wahine were 1-for-26 from 3.
“I think (Marlowe) knew one got away from them tonight,” Beeman said. “And that’s good; they didn’t come in here to roll over. They came in here to challenge us, and man, they did. She’s going to have an incredibly, incredibly successful season.”
The Wahine coughed it up a whopping 30 times but somehow only gave up seven points off the giveaways. UH improved to 2-0 for the first time since the 2015-16 season, and just the third time in the 14-year Beeman era. She has typically taken her team on a challenging season-opening road trip, but this year UH plays its first seven games at home.
UH was down its three most experienced players Imani Perez, Jovi Lefotu and Ritorya Tamilo due to injuries.
Hawaii wing Kira-May Filemu dove for a loose ball against St. Martin’s forward Avery Oaster (32) and guard Jaylah Brown (11) at the Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday night. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Your Notes for the Weekend
Saturday, Nov. 15
U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP30) continues
National Gallery of Art reopens following government shutdown
3rd anniversary of Donald Trump launching third presidential campaign in a speech at Mar-a-Lago
Annual National Dog Show presented by Purina. Featuring over 1,800 of the top American Kennel Club-sanctioned dogs from across the country.
VetsAid concert in support of veterans. Lineup includes Joe Walsh with special guests Nathaniel Rateliff, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks; plus Vince Gill, Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen. VetsAid is a national nonprofit organization founded by Walsh to raise and disperse funds to veteran groups across the U.S.
Pope Leo meets Hollywood actors and directors
Steve Irwin Day, annual celebration of the Crocodile Hunter’s life at the zoo he co-owned and ran with his wife Terri
3rd anniversary of global population reaching eight billion
Sunday, Nov. 16
Dolphins vs. Commanders in NFL game in Spain
Tom Cruise and Dolly Parton honored at Governors Awards
‘The American Revolution’, six-part documentary series airing over six consecutive nights telling the story of America’s founding struggle and the eight-year War for Independence. The series is directed and produced by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt and written by Geoffrey C. Ward and marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the war, which began in the spring of 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch of NASA’s Sentinel-6B mission. The satellite will deliver continuous ocean topography measurements by using radar to bounce signals off of the ocean surface, while also collecting high-resolution vertical profiles of temperature to assess temperature changes in Earth’s atmosphere and improve weather prediction models
GOP New York gubernatorial candidate Rep. Elise Stefanik speaks at Jewish Leadership Conference. The event brings together ‘intellectual and civic leaders committed to the flourishing of Jewish, American, and Western civilization in the current age’. This year’s Herzl Prize honorees are Ben Shapiro, Dan Senor, and Bari Weiss, and Jewish Parents Forum Award honorees are Joe and Tayler Lonsdale
Monday, Nov. 17
Sentencing of former Alaska Airlines pilot who pleaded guilty to attempting to shut down plane engines mid-flight
Congress returns from Veteran’s Day State Work Period (aka District Work Period)
Leonid’s meteor shower peaks tonight, and can be seen through Nov. 30
Annual National Unfriend Day (NUD), holiday instigated by Jimmy Kimmel on his weeknight ABC chat show dedicated to giving Facebook users the opportunity to ‘unfriend’ people on the social networking site without guilt or reprisal
Paul Rudd’s All-Star Bowling Benefit in New York
Court hearing for Lil Nas X charged with assaulting police during arrest
World Cheese Awards trophy winner’s announcement for the largest cheese only competition in the world
In Case You Missed It
Event offers a taste of how value-added innovation can build a stronger agricultural and food economy. (Getty Images/Kjell Linder)
A partnership between Honolulu’s Office of Economic Revitalization, Leeward Community College’s Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center and Wahiawa Fresh (also known as Wahiawa Community Based Development Organization) presents a free community event, “Taste the Town Wahiawa,” scheduled for 1 to 6 p.m. Nov. 15.
Aligning with WVAPDC’s mission and building on its Wahiawa Market Day, the new event will highlight products made with locally grown or produced ingredients. Items from handcrafted snacks to island-inspired treats will illustrate how value-added innovation is helping to build a more sustainable agricultural and food economy.
Attendees will enjoy a wide variety of Wahiawa businesses, food producers, value-added entrepreneurs and artisans. There will also be live entertainment including the Royal Hawaiian Band, Ryugen Taiko and a special appearance by Chef Alan Wong renowned for championing cuisine rooted in local ingredients and cultural diversity.
Free parking will be available to the public at the Wahiawa Town Center and Wahiawa Hongwanji Mission.