Former U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a trailblazing Hawaii lawmaker and the first woman to lead the state Senate, has died at 74. Hanabusa died after a five-month fight with cancer, according to her friend and former chief of staff Mike Formby. Gov. Josh Green is ordering U.S. and Hawaii flags at half-staff until sunrise Monday. Hanabusa grew up in Waianae, where her family ran an auto service station. She served in the state Senate from 1999 to 2010. She later represented Hawaii’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019.
