Hawaii inmate dies at Ariz. prison with outbreak
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii inmate has died at a privately owned prison in Arizona that has experienced an outbreak of the coronavirus, Hawaii officials said.
A 61-year-old man was found unresponsive in his bed at the Saguaro Correctional Center on Thursday morning and was pronounced dead shortly afterward, Hawaii Department of Public Safety officials said. The cause of death for the 61-year-old man has not yet been determined.
The man’s name was not immediately released.
The prison has had 65 Hawaii prisoners test positive for the coronavirus.
The state Department of Public Safety said a complete quarantine of the Hawaii population at the prison was not implemented until Thursday, when mass testing of the facility’s 1,082 inmates started. Test results are still pending for more than 1,011 prisoners, state public safety officials said.
Honolulu proposes bills to raise public transport fares
HONOLULU (AP) — The Honolulu City Council has introduced two bills that would increase fares for public transportation.
Bill 89, introduced Thursday, would set up a fare structure for the city bus and the rail system and increases fares almost across the board. Bill 87 was introduced the same day and would increase fares for the city’s paratransit services.
Both bills were introduced by City Council Chairwoman Ann Kobayashi after the Honolulu Rate Commission finished its deliberations for fare schedules. The commission sent its recommendation for a fare increase for paratransit services to Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Kobayashi and the Department of Transportation Services on Oct. 21.
Bill 89 would take effect in July 2021 and would increase adult single rides to $3, monthly passes to $80 and annual passes to $880. Currently for adults, single rides are $2.50, monthly passes are $70 and annual passes are $770.
Prices for those ages 6 to 17 and high school students who are 18- or 19-years-old would increase to $1.50 per single ride, $40 monthly and $440 annually. Current prices for those demographics are $1.25 for a single ride, $35 for a monthly pass and $385 for an annual pass.
Children 5-years-old and younger would continue to have free fares. All the new rates fall in line with the commission’s recommendations.