Kauai businesses struggle under coronavirus travel policies
HONOLULU — Kauai ended a tourism shutdown earlier this month by allowing interisland travelers to return to the island, but the impact of the coronavirus on the economy is having devastating consequences.
Judge drops virus-related case against US surgeon general
HONOLULU — A judge in Honolulu dismissed charges Wednesday against U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams after he was cited for allegedly violating local coronavirus restrictions while in Hawaii to help with COVID-19 surge testing efforts.
Maui home, condominium sales set price records in 2020
HONOLULU — Figures from a realtor organization show Maui’s housing market set price records in 2020 despite an economic downturn and reduced sale volume.
12 Guard members removed from Biden inauguration
WASHINGTON — Twelve U.S. Army National Guard members have been removed from the presidential inauguration security mission after they were found to have ties with right-wing militia groups or posted extremist views online, according to two U.S. officials. There was no threat to President-elect Joe Biden, they said.
Biden immigration plan opposed by GOP, conservative groups
WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers and conservative groups opposed President-elect Joe Biden’s forthcoming immigration plan Tuesday as massive amnesty for people in the U.S. illegally, underscoring that the measure faces an uphill fight in a Congress that Democrats control just narrowly.
Biden marks nation’s COVID grief on Inauguration Day eve
WASHINGTON — Hours from inauguration, President-elect Joe Biden paused on what might have been his triumphal entrance to Washington Tuesday evening to mark instead the national tragedy of the coronavirus pandemic with a moment of collective grief for Americans lost.
A new COVID-19 challenge: Mutations rise along with cases
The race against the virus that causes COVID-19 has taken a new turn: Mutations are rapidly popping up, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge.
2 men plead not guilty in 2014 Maui hate crime case
HONOLULU — Two Hawaii men each indicted with one federal count of a hate crime in the alleged beating of a white man on Maui in 2014 pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court on Tuesday.
McConnell says mob attack on Capitol was ‘provoked’ by Trump
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said the mob that stormed the Capitol Jan. 6 was “fed lies” and “provoked by the president” and others into violence.
State lawmakers face tough choices amid pandemic recession
HONOLULU — Cut spending, raise taxes or perhaps both. Hawaii lawmakers face tough choices as they convene a new legislative session this week amid a pandemic that has pummeled tourism, the state’s biggest industry, and depleted tax revenue.
EXPLAINER: Can Trump be impeached after leaving office?
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump might argue the calendar is his friend when it comes to a second impeachment trial.
US virus deaths top 400,000
As President Donald Trump entered the final year of his term last January, the U.S. recorded its first confirmed case of COVID-19. Not to worry, Trump insisted, his administration had the virus “totally under control.”
Panel: China, WHO should have acted quicker to stop pandemic
GENEVA — A panel of experts commissioned by the World Health Organization has criticized China and other countries for not moving to stem the initial outbreak of the coronavirus earlier and questioned whether the U.N. health agency should have labeled it a pandemic sooner.
State says vaccine distribution hampered by limited supply
HONOLULU — State leaders said Tuesday limited supply is the main thing constraining distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
American Samoa residents stranded by virus to stop in Hawaii
HONOLULU — Hawaii is assisting about 800 residents of American Samoa traveling through Oahu to their island home, which was cut off by the coronavirus.
Virus prompts subsistence, recreational Hawaii fishing boom
HONOLULU — An increase in the number of anglers plying Hawaii’s shores has provided much needed food and recreation while helping keep supply shops afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.
Late shipments from state force Maui virus vaccination delay
HONOLULU — More than 6,000 appointments for Maui residents waiting to receive doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been postponed by state delivery delays that will cause a temporary service disruption at the island’s sole community vaccine clinic.
Study links pulmonary condition to Hawaii snorkeling deaths
HONOLULU — A rise in drowning deaths or near drownings during Hawaii snorkeling excursions has been linked to a pulmonary condition that was not previously associated with snorkeling.
72 tennis players in lockdown after virus cases on flights
The number of players in hard quarantine swelled to 72 ahead of the Australian Open after a fifth positive coronavirus test was returned from the charter flights bringing players, coaches, officials and media to Melbourne for the season-opening tennis major.
Democrats build impeachment case, alleging ‘dangerous crime’
WASHINGTON — The lead prosecutor for President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment began building his case for conviction at trial, asserting on Sunday that Trump’s incitement of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol was “the most dangerous crime” ever committed by a president against the United States. A Senate trial could begin as soon as this week, just as Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president.
