Betty White, iconic TV actress and comedian, dies at 99
LOS ANGELES — Betty White, whose saucy, up-for-anything charm made her a television mainstay for more than 60 years, whether as a man-crazy TV hostess on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” or the loopy housemate on “The Golden Girls,” has died. She was 99.
Omicron offers a tiny bit of hope for 2022
The terrible year of 2020 ended with a glimmer of hope.
Navy needs more time to flush Pearl Harbor drinking water
HONOLULU — Military officials say they need more time to flush jet fuel from their Pearl Harbor water system, but some of the 4,000 military families who were displaced because of contaminated drinking water could begin returning by the end of next week.
CDC warns against cruises, regardless of vaccinations
MIAMI — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned people on Thursday not to go on cruises, regardless of their vaccination status, because of onboard outbreaks fueled by the omicron variant.
By MARTHA BELLISLE and TERRY TANG Associated Press
SEATTLE — The omicron-fueled surge that is sending COVID-19 cases rocketing in the U.S. is putting children in the hospital in record numbers, and experts lament that most of the youngsters are not vaccinated.
BIIF boys soccer: Hilo beats Kealakehe 2-0 to start season
Win or lose, coach George Ichimaru was going to make sure his Hilo boys soccer team appreciated the moment. In their first match in almost 23 months, the Vikings also were able to savor the taste of victory again.
Your Views for December 31
‘Instilling fear’
Ige suspends law regarding public testimony
A new law setting stricter rules for governmental bodies holding remote meetings, including a requirement to provide a physical location for the public to testify, is supposed to go into effect Saturday, but Gov. David Ige has delayed that part of the new law in an emergency proclamation effective through Feb. 28.
Hawaii reports explosion of COVID cases
Both Hawaii County and the state set records Thursday for the most new COVID-19 cases in a single day.
Goodbye, 2021: A look back to the year that was
As we bid a perhaps not-so-fond farewell to 2021, the novel coronavirus pandemic continued to be the most important story of the year, as it had been in 2020 — locally, statewide, nationally and worldwide.
More than 3,000 new cases statewide; 242 on Big Island
The Department of Health today reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day both statewide and on the Big Island.
End solitary confinement in all forms
As I woke up for my daily job as a prisoner at the Washington State Reformatory, I drank a cup of freeze-dried coffee and watched the local news. One story instantly caught my attention: The reporter said the Washington Department of Corrections, had decided to stop using segregation as punishment. Could this even be possible? I convinced myself that I must have misheard something.
Asia keeps omicron at bay, but surge may be inevitable
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Much of Asia has largely managed to keep omicron at bay even as the variant rages in other parts of the world, but the region that is home to most of the globe’s population is bracing for what may be an inevitable surge.
New COVID-19 cases in US soar to highest levels on record
CHICAGO — More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to their highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average, a surge driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant.
Mongoose caught on Kauai where invasive pest not established
HONOLULU — Hawaii agriculture officials are concerned after a live mongoose was caught on Kauai, an island that doesn’t have an established population of the invasive pest that threatens native birds.
Police investigate fire at Pepe‘ekeo apartment building
Hawaii Island police are investigating a structure fire that occurred at the Kauhale Olu Apartments on Kumula Street in Pepe‘ekeo at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
BIIF girls basketball: Meyer sisters help Hilo surge by Pahoa
Ayana Meyer and her sister Alexa fit right in with the Hilo High girls basketball team, scoring 16 and 12 points, respectively, to lead the Vikings to a 72-7 BIIF win over Pahoa on Wednesday at their gym.
Taking cautious approach, UH-Hilo calls off Oahu trip
UH-Hilo athletic director Pat Guillen reads the newspaper and knows the COVID-19 numbers, especially the rise of the omicron counts.
BIIF boys basketball: Hilo finds hero to beat Konawaena
Kiandray Rideout came off the bench and scored 13 points, including nine points in the fourth quarter, to rescue Hilo in a 47-40 BIIF win over Konawaena on Wednesday night at the Vikings Gym.
Better late than never? 23 years later, property owners seek sewer fee refund
After paying their two sewer bills for more than two decades, owners of two contiguous lots on Alii Drive are arguing they should have had to pay only one sewer bill because the structure on one of the lots is an outbuilding, not an unoccupied unit as defined by the county.
High court ruling in Maui case could be good news for Maunakea protestors
A Hawaii Supreme Court verdict regarding a Maui telescope protester could have implications for Maunakea protesters.
Your Views for December 30
Praise for officers
Char ‘very concerned’ about New Year’s celebrations
The state’s health director said Wednesday she’s “very concerned about New Year’s” celebrations and hopes people will act accordingly to minimize the risk of spreading novel coronavirus infections.
Obituaries for December 30
Paul Francis Rodrick, 69, of Kurtistown died Dec. 17 at home. Born in Brockton, Mass., he was a retired maintenance worker for Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole, St. Francis Medical Center on Oahu and Princess Kaiulani Hotel. Private services. Survived by sons, Jacob (Loveland) Rodrick of Kona and David Rodrick of Hilo; siblings, Marie O’Leary of Idaho, Danny Rodrick of Virginia and Dotty Dodge of Arizona; nieces and nephews. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
Tourism continues rebound: But uncertainty remains due to omicron concerns
Despite stronger than expected visitor numbers in 2021, state officials on Wednesday said 2022’s tourism outlook is hazy.
