ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ

The state budget was the big talk this week as lawmakers finally got down to the business of assessing Hawaii’s fiscal health.

Despite all the news coming out of Washington, D.C., about federal budget cuts that will be felt throughout the country, Hawaii seems to be doing pretty well — at least well enough that the state Council on Revenues increased the state’s anticipated income by about $100 million through June 30.

Perhaps the biggest issue facing Hawaii is our so-called unfunded liabilities — the amount of money we need to come up with over the next 30 years to cover health care costs and pensions for retirees. Those are currently projected to add up to about $22 billion and Gov. Neil Abercrombie has made closing that shortfall a top priority. He’s asked the Legislature to start putting chunks of the budget into paying down those liabilities and lawmakers signaled this week they were likely to go along with that and perhaps go even further.

The $12 billion biennium operating budget has cleared the House and gets its first airing in the Senate next week.

Now that you’re all caught up (at least somewhat briefly) on the state’s money woes, here are 10 other stories you won’t want to have missed:

• HPU Students: Spring Class Cancellations Left Us Hanging

• FACT CHECK — Solomon: Hawaii ‘On The Verge Of Bankruptcy’

• Off The Beat: Don’t Call It ‘The Big Island’

• Should Suspended Cops Be Identified? Hawaii Records Office Says Yes

• Pesticide Contamination Of Drinking Water Worries State Health Officials

• Are Budget Cuts Affecting Tsunami Warning System?

• Hawaii Monitor: Business Group Presses For Sand Island Land Swap

• FOCUS: Meet Meghan Au, the Lomi Lomi Practitioner

• More Money: Council on Revenues Upgrades Hawaii Fiscal Forecast

• DC808: On the Wire — Live Long and Prosper