COVID-19 surge tapers off: Hospitalizations, number of new cases in decline

Hawaii appears to be “out of the red zone” for COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. The state Department of Health on Monday reported an average of 484 new cases daily Sept. 12-18. The state averaged 567 new cases daily Sept. 5-11. An average of 706 cases were reported daily Aug. 30-Sept. 5. Lt. Gov. Josh Green…

Alternating single-lane traffic on Kolekole Bridge as repairs under way

The Hilo-bound lane of Kolekole Bridge on Hawaii Belt Road (Route 19) is closed between now and 3:30 p.m. for emergency repairs, according to the state Department of Transportation. During work hours Hilo-bound traffic will be allowed over Kolekole Bridge by contraflow in the Honokaa-bound lane. Flaggers will direct traffic and electronic signs have been…

DOH: 431 new COVID-19 cases statewide, 59 on Big Island

The state Department of Health today reported 431 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases statewide, including 59 on the Big Island. An average of 484 new cases have been reported daily Sept. 12-18. Hawaii County has a 6.3% test positivity rate, compared to a 5.7% positivity rate statewide. The county’s positivity rate is 1% lower…

Kolekole Bridge disruption: Emergency weight limit impacts emergency responders, truckers, mass transit

State Sen. Lorraine Inouye on Friday said the state Department of Transportation is declaring the area of Hawaii Belt Road near Kolekole Bridge a “traffic emergency zone.” “What that means is, they can do the work in a shorter period of time,” said Inouye, vice chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee, who represents the district…

Public meeting on Hoku Kea set for Wednesday

Members of the public are invited to attend a virtual public meeting this week to discuss the University of Hawaii’s plans to decommission the Hoku Kea telescope on Maunakea. A draft environmental assessment for the removal of the teaching telescope was released earlier this month. UH will host an online presentation and question-and-answer period about…

Big Island schools provide COVID testing under DOH program

Nearly two dozen Big Island schools have signed up to provide COVID-19 tests to students and faculty as part of a program offered through the state Department of Health. “To keep our schools safe for students and staff, we are leveraging all available resources to help schools quickly identify and respond to cases impacting our…

Peeved in Puna: Residents frustrated by county’s decision regarding lava-damaged infrastructure

Current and former Puna residents were dismayed to learn Hawaii County will not use federal funds to restore certain infrastructure destroyed by the 2018 Kilauea eruption. The county last week announced that it will not use funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to restore Hinalo and Lauone streets in Leilani Estates, which were both…

581 new cases and 15 Covid related deaths reported Friday

The Big Island reported 89 new COVID-19 cases Friday, pushing the island’s tally to 9,296 since late February 2020. Hawaii health officials reported a total of 581 new cases of COVID-19 bringing the state’s case total to 74,437. Fifteen death were also reported statewide, the highest single day total since the start of the pandemic…

Red flag warning posted for leeward areas

A red flag warning has been posted for leeward areas of the Big Island due to the threat of extreme fire conditions. Gusty winds in combination with dry fuels and low relative humidity levels will cause elevated fire danger through this afternoon. Any fires that develop will spread rapidly and be difficult to control, the…

Three-truck collision sends four to hospital

A collision late Friday morning on Highway 11 in Puna between three trucks — an empty 3,000 gallon propane tanker, full-size pickup truck and box truck, sent four patients to Hilo Medical Center, according to the Hawaii Fire Department. Eight units responded to the 11:04 alarm of the collision near the 16-mile marker of Volcano…

Highway 11 closed after accident in Mountain View

Both lanes of Highway 11 are closed at Mountain View after a car accident. According to Hawaii County Civil Defense, a vehicle accident occurred on Highway 11 near the 16 mile marker. Both lanes are closed, and there are no detours. Drivers are advised to avoid the area. Top Featured Tags: – Hawaii News Press…

DOH: 581 new COVID-19 cases statewide, 89 on Big Island

The state Department of Health today reported 581 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, including 89 new infections on the Big Island. An average of 563 new cases have been reported daily Sept. 9-15. Hawaii County now has a 6.7% test positivity rate compared to a 6.5% positivity rate statewide. In the past…

Young adults build tiny home, donate it to Habitat for Humanity

Instead of spending time with friends or working over the summer, three Hawaii Island young adults volunteered for months and built a tiny home from scratch for a family in need. After learning about the number of homeless on the island, Caleb Jernigan, Nikki Littlefield and J.C. Littlefield decided to come together to build a…

St. Joseph fifth-grader’s painting to be shwon in virtual exhibitions

A painting by a St. Joseph Elementary School fifth-grader will be on display in Japan and Honolulu for a year. Alyana Acierto won the 2021 Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award for a painting submitted to the MOA Museum of Art Japan-USA Cultural Exchange Children’s Painting Exhibition. The award was created for the Honolulu-Nagaoka Sister City Art…

DOH: 588 new COVID-19 cases statewide, 96 on Big Island

The state Department of Health today reported 588 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, including 96 new infections on the Big Island. An average of 589 new cases have been reported daily Sept. 8-14. Hawaii County now has a 6.9% test positivity rate compared to a 6.6% positivity rate statewide. In the past…

Crash & learn: Big Island-boosted satellite project will get second launch

A satellite built with the assistance of Big Island students was destroyed earlier this month during a rocket launch, but the project will get a second chance soon. In 2019, the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Institute for Astronomy teamed up with the Hilo-based Hawaii Science and Technology Museum to develop a miniature satellite, called…

DOH: 493 new COVID-19 cases statewide, 89 on Big Island

The state Department of Health today reported 493 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, including 89 new infections on the Big Island. An average of 566 new cases have been reported daily Sept. 7-13. Hawaii County now has a 7% test positivity rate compared to a 6.7% positivity rate statewide. In the past…

State senator: Plan to designate Maunakea occupiers as ‘homeless individuals’ is unacceptable

Two Oahu legislators have asked the state Department of Hawaiian Homelands to halt any plans to forcefully remove protesters who remain on Maunakea. DHHL Chairman William Aila Jr., however, says plans for any immediate removals have been “paused.” In a statement provided to the Tribune-Herald on Tuesday, Aila said the DHHL regularly addresses unauthorized campers…

Charter school project back before land panel

The Windward Planning Commission is set to decide whether to grant a special permit for Connections New Century Public Charter School to build a new campus on about 70 acres of state land in Hilo. The campus would be built on agricultural-zoned land near the corner of Edita Street and Kaumana Drive. The project has…

DOH: 423 new COVID-19 cases statewide, 41 on Big Island

The state Department of Health today reported 423 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, including 41 new infections on the Big Island. An average of 557 new cases have been reported daily Sept. 6-12. Hawaii County now has a 7.4% test positivity rate compared to a 6.8% positivity rate statewide. In the past…

State ponders Roth’s request to publicize list of those in quarantine; Ige says ‘it’s a balancing act’

The state is evaluating a proposal from Mayor Mitch Roth to publicly identify individuals who opt to quarantine after arriving on the island, Gov. David Ige said. During a livestream Friday, Roth discussed additional measures Hawaii County could take to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus the Big Island. One of those potential measures,…

Ethics board clears council members

The Board of Ethics unanimously cleared five County Council members of wrongdoing Monday following two complaints on unrelated issues. Four council members — North Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba, Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas, South Kona/Ka‘u Councilwoman Maile David and Puna Councilman Matt Kanealii-Kleinfelder —were found not to have violated any ethics policies when they voted not…

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