Omicron reaches Hawaii
The omicron variant of the novel coronavirus has been found in Hawaii, the state Department of Health confirmed Thursday.
‘The fire that’s here’: US is still battling delta variant
While all eyes are on the new and little-understood omicron variant that is popping up around the country, the delta form of the coronavirus isn’t finished wreaking havoc in the U.S., swamping hospitals with record numbers of patients in the Midwest and New England.
Alameda out at Na Leo
Na Leo TV is undertaking a management change following former CEO Stacy Higa’s guilty plea to federal embezzlement and bribery charges and the subsequent filing of a whistleblower hostile workplace complaint by an employee there.
Senate passes stopgap funding bill, avoiding shutdown
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill Thursday that avoids a short-term shutdown and funds the federal government through Feb. 18 after leaders defused a partisan standoff over federal vaccine mandates. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
Reviving Ojibwe spiritual traditions, one pet at a time
CASS LAKE, Minnesota — Animal neglect used to be such a problem on the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota, with basic services like sterilization out of reach for many due to poverty and remoteness, that packs of stray dogs would sometimes bring traffic to a halt on the main highway.
Holidays arrive: Christmas tree lit in Kailua Village
The holidays have arrived in Kailua Village.
County Democrats seek clarity on reapportionment
The Hawaii County Democratic Party is asking the state Reapportionment Commission to take another look at how nonresident military and students were extracted from population data in light of new figures showing there were almost twice as many military personnel as previously thought.
US reports 1st case of omicron variant in returning traveler
SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. recorded its first confirmed case of the omicron variant Wednesday — in a vaccinated traveler who returned to California after a trip to South Africa — as scientists around the world race to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus is more dangerous than previous ones.
Closer to normal: County confirms restaurants, bars can operate at full capacity
Hawaii County officials confirmed Wednesday that Mayor Mitch Roth’s most recent emergency rule permits restaurants, bars, gyms and spas to operate at full capacity, with COVID-19 mitigation measures in place.
Death of bullied Utah girl draws anger over suicides, racism
DRAPER, Utah — When her 10-year-old daughter tried spraying air freshener on herself before school one morning, Brittany Tichenor-Cox suspected something was wrong with the sweet little girl whose beaming smile had gone dormant after she started the fifth grade.
Heat, no food, deadly weather: Climate change kills seabirds
PORTLAND, Maine — The warming of the planet is taking a deadly toll on seabirds that are suffering population declines from starvation, inability to reproduce, heat waves and extreme weather.
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.
Whew! A mild year for hurricanes in the Central Pacific
For the second consecutive year, Hawaii experienced a milder-than-average hurricane season.
First snow: Big Island summits dusted
The summits of Maunakea and Mauna Loa received a blanketing of snow overnight Monday into Tuesday.
State corrects vaccination rates after booster report error
HONOLULU — Health officials had to revise the state’s coronavirus vaccination rate after providers counted booster shots as first doses.
Brazil and Japan report first cases of the omicron variant
Brazil and Japan joined the rapidly widening circle of countries to report cases of the omicron variant Tuesday, while new findings indicate the mutant coronavirus was already in Europe close to a week before South Africa sounded the alarm.
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.
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.
Connecting roots: Books documenting Portuguese immigrants on display Saturday
The Hawaii Plantation Museum is hosting an event that could help residents learn about their ancestors.
Cost of Government Commission to convene
Mayor Mitch Roth has tapped residents with backgrounds in the island Fire Department, U.S. Marines and Army, as well as a forensic engineer, software engineer and meteorologist to serve on the Cost of Government Commission, and he’s looking for three more candidates.
