Roth addresses West Hawaii Forum
It’s all still a waiting game as Mayor Mitch Roth works on his proposed budget, with the county awaiting word from the state and the state awaiting word from the federal government before anticipated revenues become more solid.
Big Island unemployment at 8.3% in February
The Big Island’s unemployment rate decreased slightly during February, according to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
Hawaiian Airlines CEO: State should loosen interisland travel restrictions
A Hawaiian Airlines executive said Friday that people should be allowed to travel freely from island to island now that new COVID-19 cases are low.
Reopening hurdles linger for schools, despite rescue funding
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The latest federal coronavirus relief package includes $81 billion that began flowing to states this week with the goal of helping schools reopen quickly — with one obstacle being that many of the districts’ problems can’t be solved by money.
Aid groups call on Biden to develop plans to share vaccines
WASHINGTON — A coalition of nongovernmental organizations is calling on President Joe Biden to immediately begin developing plans to share an expected surplus of hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses with the world, once U.S. demand for shots is met.
In Brief: March 27, 2021
NASA gives all clear: Earth safe from asteroid for 100 years
Democrats assail Georgia law, make case for voting overhaul
Democrats have seized on new voting restrictions in Georgia to focus attention on the fight to overhaul federal election laws, setting up a slow-building standoff that carries echoes of the civil rights battles of a half-century ago.
Island Life: Volcano trek
Hikers trek through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kahuku Unit. (Ewa Gonsko/Community contributor)
Social media fact check: March 27, 2021
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:
FWS proposes downlisting Hawaiian stilt from endangered to threatened
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to downlist the ae‘o, or Hawaiian stilt, from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Shots in little arms: COVID-19 vaccine testing turns to kids
The 9-year-old twins didn’t flinch as each received test doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine — and then a sparkly bandage to cover the spot.
Harden, Griffin help Nets beat Pistons 113-111
DETROIT — James Harden scored 44 points and Blake Griffin added 17 in his return to Detroit, lifting the Brooklyn Nets to a 113-111 victory over the Pistons on Friday night.
University of Hawaii football team takes another step toward normal as spring ball begins
The coaches wore masks, sideline meetings were socially distanced, and the locker room remained unoccupied.
Garcia comes up aces on a frenetic Friday at Match Play
AUSTIN, Texas — Needing to win the final hole to advance, Bob MacIntrye drilled a driver to 3 feet of the cup on he 371-yard 18th hole. Moments later, Sergio Garcia ended one of the record eight sudden-death playoffs with a hole-in-one.
Emmert says poor communication led to inequity
SAN ANTONIO — Mark Emmert acknowledged the glaring failures to give the coaches and players in the women’s tournament the same attention the NCAA gave the men was a result of a lack of communication between the two basketball staffs along with focusing on trying to tip off both events safely during a pandemic.
49ers trade up to acquire No. 3 pick from Dolphins
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have made a big move to grab their quarterback of the future by trading up with Miami to acquire the No. 3 pick in next month’s draft.
Commentary: Was the Capitol attack sedition? Pay attention to what the statute says
Seditious conspiracy. The term — with its overtones of violent overthrow of government — connotes extreme gravity. It is one of the least employed charges in the United States criminal code. The Department of Justice has brought a seditious conspiracy case just twice in recent history. It won one of the cases, but the most recent ended in a humiliating dismissal.
Editorial: House Democrats shouldn’t overrule an Iowa Republican’s victory
A Democratic congressional candidate from Iowa who lost a close election last year is hoping that the House will overturn the state-certified result. Tempted as they may be by the prospect of padding their slim majority, House Democrats should reject her request.
Editorial: Trump’s organ donation policy fix would save lives
The U.S. has a deadly shortage of donor kidneys, livers and other organs for transplant. The wait list is about 110,000 patients long, and every day 20 people die before their names come up. So it came as good news late last year, when the Trump administration set a new policy to demand more efficient service from the regional agencies that obtain and deliver deceased-donor organs for transplant.