TopFeatured.com

HONOLULU — Nearly 2,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers in Hawaii plan to strike later this month over wages and staffing concerns. UNITE HERE Local 5 said the strike due to begin Nov. 22 would affect 20 facilities across Hawaii. Thousands of Kaiser health care workers in California have already said they will strike starting…

Drivers are advised to avoid Mohouli Street as it will be closed for much of today. According to an announcement by the County Department of Public Works, Mohouli Street will be closed 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and only local traffic will be permitted. In addition, delays are to be expected on Kilauea Avenue as…

Police say four runaways in East Hawaii have been found this week. On Monday, 17-year-old Makahiki Moala was located in Hilo and 17-year-old Koalii Kuhia was located in Puna. Both were reported in good health. On Tuesday, two runaways, 16-year-old Kaeia Fleming-White and 14-year-old Jaidon Wieland-Vierra, were located in Puna in good health. Top Featured…

HONOLULU— A 6-year-old Hawaii girl was killed a month before her adoptive parents reported her missing, Honolulu police said Wednesday as they announced the arrest of the parents on suspicion of second-degree murder. Isaac and Lehua Kalua reported Isabella Kalua missing on the morning of Sept. 13, telling police they last saw her when they…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday it has fined Hawaii County $28,500 for missing a deadline to submit a complete design of a wastewater treatment facility in Pahala under a 2017 consent order requiring the county to replace decades-old gang cesspools in Pahala and Naalehu. “County of Hawaii has failed to meet its legal…

A project by Big Island students, professors and county workers to model the effects of climate change on the island was showcased at a global climate conference earlier this week. The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also called COP26, began Oct. 31 in Glasgow, Scotland. Throughout the conference, delegates, panelists and elected officials gathered…

More than 30 volunteers spent Saturday morning cleaning up trash strewn along Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway in Kailua-Kona. Tina Cooper, founder of Trash Free Hawaii, organized the clean-up event between Hina Lani Street and Kaiminani Drive in response to the amount of litter on island roadways. “The area was so badly littered that we hauled off…

The pandemic could not stop Hawaii Island residents from donating to Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society’s mission to advance cancer research and innovation. Thanks to the generosity of supporters, Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union raised $17,018 — surpassing its goal during Relay For Life events in 2021. “Cancer is personal. Everyone knows…

KAHULUI, Maui — A police department is using Pidgin and some humor to get motorists to slow down, with signs like, “Eh slow down. No drive like one clown.” The Maui Police Department’s anti-speeding campaign hopes to crack down on a serious problem. So far this year, Maui police have pulled over nearly 5,000 people…

Connors approved as US attorney for Hawaii HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved President Joe Biden’s nomination of Clare Connors to be the next U.S. attorney for Hawaii. The nomination now goes to the full Senate. Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii spoke briefly in support of the appointment before the…

Supply chain problems and other unfavorable circumstances have led to the cancellation of one Big Island large solar project and the delay of another, according to documents filed with state regulators. But a Hawaiian Electric Co. spokeswoman remains optimistic more projects in the hopper will help keep the statewide utility on track toward its goal…

Visitors are gradually returning to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park as Kilauea’s latest eruption continues. The volcano began erupting again Sept. 29, only a few months after the previous eruption ended in May. And with the return of lava to Halema‘uma‘u crater has come the typical influx of park visitors. “We’ve had increased visitation for this…

October rainfall totals for the Big Island paint West Hawaii as sun-drenched and East Hawaii as simply drenched. According to the monthly summary by Kevin Kodama, senior service hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Honolulu, the majority of rain gauges on the windward side of the Big Island recorded normal to above-normal totals for…

The Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce is hosting a holiday-themed virtual cooking class from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Learn some new and traditional holiday recipes like Poke Won Tons, Holiday Guava Glazed Ham and Spinach Quiche from the team at Suisan Food Service, while Ryan Kadota of Kadota Liquor suggests inexpensive but tasty wine pairings…

Despite a strong recommendation that the federal government provide funding to the Thirty Meter Telescope, it likely will take at least “four or five years” before that project receives the money. The Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, also called Astro2020, was released Thursday and included a strong argument that the National Science Foundation award $800…

HONOLULU — The Hawaii Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of two government watchdog groups who sued to stop the Legislature’s use of “gut and replace” tactics on legislation. The court ruled that lawmakers violated the state constitution when they stripped a bill of its original content and substituted it with something entirely different…

Police arrested a 40-year-old Orchidland Estates man who allegedly assaulted two officers and tried to steal the service firearm from one of them. Robin Chun Nakapaahu is charged with three counts of first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, attempted first-degree theft, resisting arrest and second-degree trespassing. Early Friday afternoon, an Orchidland Drive woman called…

Proposed rule for tourism board members criticized HONOLULU (AP) — A proposed rule for Hawaii Tourism Authority board members would have them resign before publicly opposing a board action. The tourism authority’s new code of conduct is part of an effort to reorganize after facing legislative scrutiny and community pushback, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. Some…

Masako Fujii, 91, of Honokaa died Oct. 8 at home. Born in Haina, she was a retired postal clerk for Honokaa Post Office and member of Honokaa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple and Buddhist Women’s Association. Private services held. No flowers or koden (monetary gifts). Survived by son, Jason (Gemma) Fujii of Honokaa; daughter, Kay (Dean) Tanaka…

A long-awaited road reconstruction project on Waianuenue Avenue is expected to begin in February and last a full year. Hawaii County in September awarded a $10 million contract to Jas. W. Glover Ltd. for a rehabilitation project on Waianuenue Avenue that will extend from Kaiulani Street to the upper intersection of Rainbow Drive. Currently, utility…

The commission charged with overseeing land set aside for preservation has created a subcommittee to unravel problems in contracting with nonprofits to maintain the properties. “I really see a lot of room for improvement personally in the way the stewardship applications are being written up and also the progress reports,” Deborah Chang, a member of…

Police are seeking potential witnesses to an early morning single-vehicle traffic collision involving a taxpayer-subsidized police vehicle driven by an off-duty officer. Shortly after 1:40 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to a crash at the intersection of Kekuanaoa Street and Kilauea Avenue in Hilo. According to police, the off-duty officer lost control of a 2015 Dodge…