Pandemic eviction crisis leads to greater tenant protections
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — In a mostly empty conference room at a Virginia cultural arts center, Tara Simmons was looking for someone who might help her stave off eviction.
Breakwater study results expected to be released in fall
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed a study of whether potential alterations to the Hilo Bay breakwater would improve water quality in the bay.
Olympic volunteers strive to tell their earthquake stories
RIFU, Japan — Atsushi Muramatsu’s handmade flyers are the size of a business card, written in several languages. “Welcome to Miyagi Stadium,” one reads. “The gymnasium next door was the largest morgue for tsunami victims.”
Breakneck pace of crises keeps National Guard away from home
SHADDADI, Syria — In the searing 108-degree heat, far from his Louisiana health care business, Army Col. Scott Desormeaux and his soldiers are on a dusty base near Syria’s northern border, helping Syrian rebel forces battle Islamic State militants and keeping an eye on Russian troops in the region.
Your Views for August 2
Let’s pray
Senators produce $1T infrastructure bill
WASHINGTON — After much delay, senators unveiled a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package Sunday night, wrapping up days of painstaking work on the inches-thick bill and launching what is certain to be a lengthy debate over President Joe Biden’s big priority.
Tourists, villagers flee as wildfires ravage Turkish resorts
MAZIKOY, Turkey — Wildfires raged near Turkey’s holiday beach destinations of Antalya and Mugla and in the surrounding countryside for a fifth day Sunday as the discovery of more bodies raised the death toll to eight while villagers lost their homes and animals. Residents and tourists fled the danger in small boats while the coast guard and two navy ships waited out at sea in case a bigger evacuation was needed.
Masks are back in fashion
As effective as the COVID-19 vaccines have been, the pandemic has taken an unfortunate turn in recent weeks. New cases and hospitalizations are no longer in decline across the United States, they’re on the upswing; the highly contagious delta variant accounts for most. Doses of the vaccines are plentiful, but the arms willing to accept them are not; vaccine hesitancy has become a serious obstacle to conquering the disease. And to top it off, it’s become increasingly clear that those masks people were so delighted to take off just weeks ago are coming back into fashion. This week’s guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that vaccinated people ought to wear masks indoors in areas of significant transmission proved a milestone — raising the hackles of right-wing politicos and the usual conspiracy theorists while reminding average Americans that the fight against the virus isn’t over yet.
For US teen Buddhist lama, it’s faith, school, football
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. — In most ways, Jalue Dorje is a typical American teen — he grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis, loving football, Pokémon and rap music.
Rainy Side View: The Olympics belong to bygone days
The Tokyo Summer Olympic Games began over a week ago which, in my humble opinion, is pupule.
Cartoon for August 1
The Big Island as seen by Hawaii Tribune-Herald cartoonist Gary Hoff.
Connections’ permit request to build school back before planning commission
A previously rejected special permit application for a Hilo charter school to build a campus on state land in Kaumana is once again before the Windward Planning Commission — and a letter by the commission’s chairman to four attorneys involved in the case has drawn a testy response from one of the lawyers.
Little love for ‘Love Island’: Neighbors miffed over production of CBS reality television show
Since the beginning of July, a group of young people sequestered in a Ninole villa has competed for romantic favors from each other to the delight of millions of daily viewers.
Evacuations ordered as brush fire burns out of control
Strong winds have hampered efforts to contain a brush fire in South Kohala that by late Saturday afternoon had burned more than 12,000 acres — and counting.
Tenants prepare for unknown as eviction moratorium ends
BOSTON — Tenants saddled with months of back rent are facing the end of the federal eviction moratorium Saturday, a move that could lead to millions being forced from their homes just as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus is rapidly spreading.
Schumer: Senators will ‘get the job done’ on infrastructure
WASHINGTON — Unable to produce the final text of a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill, the Senate wrapped up a rare Saturday session making little visible progress on the legislative package, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed the work would get done.
Bus hubbub: New interim administrator, big changes in the works
Mayor Mitch Roth’s administration has officially ruled out land owned by a politically connected Pahoa resident as the site for a bus hub, overturning steps taken by the previous administration.
Obituaries for August 1
Henry Kelley Brown, 69, of Honolii, died July 19 in Hilo. Born in San Bernadino, Calif., he was a retired freelance tile layer and a member of the Hilo Semi-Pro Football League. Celebration of life 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, August 8, at the Waiakea Canoe Hale on the Hilo Bayfront. Online condolences: homelanimemorialpark.com. Survived by brothers, Anthony (Berna) Ho of Hawaiian Beaches and Hercules (Jackie) Freitas of Kurtistown; nieces, nephews, and cousins. Arrangements by Homelani Memorial Park.
Turkey evacuates panicked tourists by boat from wildfires
ISTANBUL — Panicked tourists in Turkey hurried to the seashore to wait for rescue boats Saturday after being told to evacuate some hotels in the Aegean Sea resort of Bodrum due to the dangers posed by nearby wildfires, Turkish media reported.
Ammunition shelves bare as U.S. gun sales continue to soar
SEATTLE — The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with record sales of firearms, has fueled a shortage of ammunition in the United States that’s impacting law enforcement agencies, people seeking personal protection, recreational shooters and hunters — and could deny new gun owners the practice they need to handle their weapons safely.
Your Views for August 1
Police welcomed
My experience with COVID-19
Like many, I didn’t think COVID-19 would happen to me. I’m vaccinated, been cautious for over a year, and met or exceeded the guidelines everywhere I have been.
Volcano Watch: Under the radar: Using weather stations to study Kilauea’s Dec. 20 plume
This week marks the second anniversary of the appearance of water in Kilauea’s Halema‘uma‘u crater, so it seems timely to discuss the water lake’s demise last Dec. 20, or rather, its transformation into a volcanic plume and how we use weather radar to investigate how that happened.
Bring on the crackdown. The unvaccinated must be held accountable
The delta variant is spreading rapidly in California and nationwide, but happily so are crackdowns by public and private employers aimed at limiting the ability of their unvaccinated workers to infect others with COVID-19.
Firefighters battling brush fire near Waimea
Firefighters are battling what a county statement called “a runaway wildland fire” on Mana Road near Parker Ranch land outside Waimea.
