My Turn: Replace Waiaka Bridge
What a wonderful way to start Thanksgiving with the front page of West Hawaii Today quoting U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz declaring that the federal government is making the biggest infrastructure investment in Hawaii in the past 30 years with at least $2.8 billion for roads, harbors, highways etc. Wow.
Obituaries: December 1, 2021
Editor’s note: Obituaries are published free of charge as a public service. Content is subject to editing for parity treatment and style continuity. Date of publication cannot be guaranteed. Any questions regarding obituaries should be directed to the mortuary or via email to obituaries@westhawaiitoday.com. Memorial advertisements may be purchased through the newspaper advertising department.
Island Life: Watch your step
A Jackson’s Chameleon walks along a line to a birdfeeder.
Lawmaker finds Oahu prison understaffed during visit
HONOLULU — Some guards are working 16-hour shifts because of a staffing shortage at a Hawaii prison, a state lawmaker said.
DLIR offices statewide reopen today
The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reopens offices statewide today.
Kapu‘e Stream Bridge lane closure in effect
There is an alternating single-lane road closure in effect on Kapu‘e Stream Bridge, according to the county Department of
First snow: Big Island summits dusted
The summits of Maunakea and Mauna Loa received a blanketing of snow overnight Monday into Tuesday.
DOH: Fuel odor in Navy water prompts over 100 complaints
HONOLULU — The state Department of Health said Tuesday tests of water samples from the Navy’s water system at Pearl Harbor have so far been inconclusive after it received more than 100 complaints about fuel-like odor coming from tap water in the area.
Honolulu’s first and only woman mayor dies at age 93
HONOLULU — The first and only woman to serve as mayor of Honolulu died earlier this month at age 93.
Whew! A mild year for hurricanes in the Central Pacific
For the second consecutive year, Hawaii experienced a milder-than-average hurricane season.
Roth relaxes restrictions: Gathering limits increased, capacity for restaurants, bars expanded
Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth on Tuesday relaxed some of the COVID restrictions in place on the Big Island.
US tracking of virus variants has improved after slow start
After a slow start, the United States has improved its surveillance system for tracking new coronavirus variants such as omicron, boosting its capacity by tens of thousands of samples per week since early this year.
Supreme Court set to take up all-or-nothing abortion fight
WASHINGTON — Both sides are telling the Supreme Court there’s no middle ground in Wednesday’s showdown over abortion. The justices can either reaffirm the constitutional right to an abortion or wipe it away altogether.
Putin warns West: Moscow has ‘red line’ about Ukraine, NATO
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday sternly warned NATO against deploying its troops and weapons to Ukraine, saying it represents a red line for Russia and would trigger a strong response.
Nation and world news at a glance
FDA panel endorses Merck’s COVID pill for high-risk adults
3 dead, 8 hurt in Michigan high school shooting; 15-year-old in custody
OXFORD, Mich. — A five-minute rampage left three students dead Tuesday and eight others wounded in an afternoon tragedy that made Oxford High School the latest site of a school shooting in America.
State representative’s DUI trial set for next week
HONOLULU — A judge on Tuesday set a trial date next week for an Oahu lawmaker arrested after police saw her driving the wrong way down a major Honolulu thoroughfare in February.
US panel backs first-of-a-kind COVID-19 pill from Merck
WASHINGTON — A panel of U.S. health advisers on Tuesday narrowly backed a closely watched COVID-19 pill from Merck, setting the stage for a likely authorization of the first drug that Americans could take at home to treat the coronavirus.
White House plans to tighten travel rules over omicron threat
The Biden administration plans to tighten travel rules to combat the omicron variant of the coronavirus, by requiring all air travelers to the U.S. to be tested within a day of their departure regardless of vaccination status, according to a person familiar with the matter.
CDC expands omicron testing to four airports as direct flights continue from South Africa
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded testing for the omicron variant of the coronavirus to four U.S. airports, including ones that continue to receive direct flights from South Africa, where the mutation was first identified.
