Chad Blair has been a writer, editor and teacher in Honolulu for more than 25 years. His job as reporter and editor is to cover Hawaii, especially how political decisions impact people and communities.
Chad has worked as a journalist for Pacific Business News, Hawaii Public Radio and Honolulu Weekly. He has taught at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu Community College, Hawaii Pacific University and Chaminade University of Honolulu.
A “military brat,” Chad was born on an Army base in Alabama and later lived with his family in Germany, Illinois, Nebraska and Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where he edited the school newspaper. He also minored in Spanish and studied for a semester in Mexico.
Chad worked for a year on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, where he tracked satellites for the U.S. Air Force/NORAD. He then earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in American studies from UH Manoa. His dissertation, “Democracy in Hawaii: Class, Race and Gender in Local Politics” (1996), was published as “Money, Color and Sex in Hawaii Politics” (Mutual Publishing; 1998).
You can reach him by email at cblair@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at @chadblairCB.
The Hawaii senator says the funding needs caused by the Lahaina wildfires remain "enormous."
Lawmakers also hope to put a question securing same-sex marriage on the ballot this fall.
Public forums are set to begin this month with finalists to be named by September and a new leader announced in October. But questions linger over whether the process will be transparent and independent.
Matthew Ornellas had scaled the community correctional center's outer perimeter fence.
Rep. Jeanne Kapela says her Hawaii House invocation led to threats endorsed by Rep. Elijah Pierick — something he vigorously denies.
They include the UH Board of Regents and authorities with jurisdiction over land use, public utilities, education, housing and community development.
Glenn Nitta was alleged to have violated the state ethics code while employed by Mililani High School.
A bill would make the president’s procurement power permanent, but only if Sen. Donna Kim and her colleagues agree.
The action comes following requests from Hawaii's congressional delegation.