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In 2015, we traveled farther, dug deeper and pushed harder to bring you stories that no one else in Hawaii is doing.

And while that often meant strong storytelling around deeply reported issues that are important in the islands, we also bolstered Civil Beat’s commitment to the community on a number of other levels, including providing more opportunities for readers to participate in the public discussion.

Here are some of the things that stand out to us as we reflect on the year behind and plan for the year ahead:

The Micronesians

Reporter Chad Blair and photographers Mark Edward Harris and Cory Lum traveled extensively throughout Micronesia, Hawaii, Guam and the mainland to tell the story of tens of thousands of Micronesians leaving their island homes for a better life in the United States. It is a unique story of American immigration, but one that is rooted in a terrible legacy of nuclear testing, military strategy, global warming and economic strife. Their reporting effort brought a much-needed lens to the predicament faced by islanders thousands of miles to the south and those who are now building new communities throughout the U.S.

The urgency for federal assistance in a number of areas — medical aid, climate change, sustainable economic programs — was apparent, and it’s something you’ll see us writing about more in the months and years to come.

The series also marked the debut of a new Civil Beat initiative, Hawaii Storytellers, a live-performance storytelling event that connects people we are writing about with people in the community. Three of the Micronesians featured in the series, along with Chad, who partly grew up in Micronesia, told their stories before a live audience in Honolulu with a discussion session afterward.

Clearly, a good way to foster understanding on sensitive issues — including race and economic diversity — is to bring people together in a room and let them talk to each other. To that end, you’ll see more Hawaii Storytellers events in the coming year. Suggestions are most welcome.

The Harbor

Reporter Jessica Terrell spent several months inside a unique homeless camp on the Waianae Coast. “The Harbor” takes its name from its proximity to the Waianae Boat Harbor. The multimedia series, including photographs and video by Cory Lum, introduced readers to people who they might otherwise not give a second thought to — the growing population of homeless in Hawaii.

The twist: Jessica herself grew up homeless and was able to provide insight that very few journalists could — the stares and unkind remarks, the trauma of kids throwing rocks at her family, the embarrassment of washing dishes or filling water jugs at a nearby hose.

But her reporting has made a real difference. State and local officials are finally paying attention to the Waianae homeless population and doing it in a much more thoughtful way than might have happened if they hadn’t gotten to know these people, at least a little bit, through Jessica’s stories.

As soon as the stories began running, donations started flowing in — new generators for the camp, clothes, blankets, toys, food. At least one organization collected so many Christmas gifts for the the kids in The Harbor, leaders of the camp were able to pass them along to other homeless camps in West Oahu.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so we’re flattered that other media outlets have now started reporting on The Harbor (no mention of Jessica or Civil Beat’s groundbreaking effort, however.) But the outcome is all good — a much-needed discussion of a serious issue that requires a meaningful solution, not just another sweep that puts the problem out of sight, out of mind.

Living Hawaii

Special projects editor Eric Pape continued his research into Hawaii’s high cost of living and what can be done to bring it down with more than 50 stories in 2015 alone on the things that affect all of us here in Hawaii — paying rent, buying a home, paying your electric bill — and options that could be considered to help us all out.  (We’re flattered that Hawaii News Now has finally taken up the topic and a few weeks ago began its own series called “Priced Out of Paradise.” There can never be too much discussion of this important issue, especially as the legislative session prepares to get underway in January.)

The overwhelming public reaction to Eric’s stories prompted us to create about the cost of living, a forum that has swelled to about 2,000 members in the past year. Here, people share stories about their success and struggles in trying to make it in Hawaii. It’s become an exceptionally lively group that policy makers would do well to pay attention to.

Connections

The deep interest in the cost of living led to the creation of our Connections section. That’s the space where people can write and share their own narrative stories and commentary on several hot-button issues. Think of it as a more thoughtful and dignified comments section.

People were eager to talk about the cost of living, but when the Thirty Meter Telescope controversy sparked protests and public debate over Mauna Kea and Native Hawaiian cultural practices, Connections became a forum for a broad discussion on science vs. culture, discovery vs. preservation and a number of related threads.

That led to a spinoff discussion on the highly charged issue of race and ethnic relationships in Hawaii, one of the most multi-ethnic communities on the planet.

One thing we’ve learned this year: People in Hawaii are definitely inclined to engage in issues of interest and importance to them if they have encouragement — and a place to do it.

Please check out the Connections section and click on the red pencil to add your voice to the conversations.

Public Policy Changes

Earlier this year, in conjunction with the Civil Beat Law Center for the Pubic Interest, we won the release of the financial disclosure reports of many members of state boards and commissions whose records had never been made public.

The Legislature required the members of 15 of the state’s most influential boards to reveal their financial information as a way for the public to check on potential conflicts and decisions that might personally benefit some board members.

But the Hawaii State Ethics Commission decided not to force disclosure until the next round of filings was due — sometime in 2016. Our lawsuit followed and was settled with the agreement to release the records now.

First, though, we thought the public’s ability to easily check up on potential conflicts and self-centered interests was important enough that we built and published a new searchable database of financial disclosure records. The documents are located on the Ethics Commission’s website, but in PDF format only which means they’re not searchable or sortable in any meaningful way. Since we posted our new database in April, it’s become a popular feature and we update it regularly with new filings.

Another initiative that Civil Beat fought for this year involved the inspection reports of adult care homes, records that the state was supposed to be posting online so people could check out the quality of care at facilities throughout the state. Reporter Nathan Eagle dogged the issue — through two legislative sessions and the campaign promises of a new governor. He discovered that despite the plain language of the law, stated intentions of legislators and Gov. David Ige, the state Department of Health had never implemented the law.

But Nathan didn’t let it drop and wrote a number of stories taking officials to task for failing to post the reports. And that finally prompted action. As of this week, the department has posted nearly 500 inspection reports, although there is still a backlog.

Meanwhile, Nathan took the time to look more closely at the adult care home industry and the state’s responsibilities for these important facilities. That led to reporting on the effectiveness of the state’s oversight of the industry, how inspections are carried out and the political influence care home operators wield at the Legislature.

Our reporting also led to more scrutiny of the finances and lax oversight of the $6.6 billion Honolulu rail project. Our Off Track investigative series demonstrated how little information the public — and public officials — actually can access on how the billions of dollars in public money is being spent. We examined the companies behind the contracts and the politics in play as the project chugs along in an effort to figure out who’s benefitting from the largest public construction project in the history of Hawaii.

We think we’re making a difference in the lives of people here in Hawaii. We hope you do, too.

And as 2015 winds down, we’d like to thank you for your support of Civil Beat and our approach to in-depth, solution-oriented journalism. We’re bolstered by your encouragement and involvement in our online community that has grown into the online civic square that we hope is helping to make Hawaii a better place.

Stay tuned: 2016 is upon us and we already have plans for major reporting projects and journalistic innovations we think will make public affairs even more engaging and relevant.