Omicron variant found in Hawaii
The state Department of Health confirmed this afternoon that the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529, also known as the omicron variant, has been detected in the islands.
Waiakea, Parker School seek coaches
Waiakea seeks coaches
Konawaena rolls into BIIF D-II girls volleyball final to face HPA
KEALAKEKUA – Good luck stopping the Konawaena volleyball team once they get rolling.
Petroleum detected in Oahu tap water
HONOLULU — The Hawaii State Department of Health said Wednesday a laboratory has detected petroleum product in a water sample from an elementary school near Pearl Harbor amid heightened concerns that fuel from a massive Navy storage facility could contaminate Oahu’s water supply.
Heat, no food, bad weather: Climate change kills seabirds
PORTLAND, Maine — The warming of the planet is taking a deadly toll on seabirds that are suffering population declines from starvation, inability to reproduce, heat waves and extreme weather.
US reports 1st case of omicron variant in returning traveler
SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. recorded its first confirmed case of the omicron variant Wednesday — in a vaccinated traveler who returned to California after a trip to South Africa — as scientists around the world race to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus is more dangerous than previous ones.
Guns and protests a toxic mix
Unsurprisingly, the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict has exposed some fierce divisions among Americans. On one matter, though, there ought to be renewed consensus: It doesn’t help to have guns displayed at political rallies and protests.
Your Views for December 2
Cautionary tale
On alert for omicron: Mysteries of variant could take weeks to untangle
A pandemic-weary world faces weeks of confusing uncertainty as countries restrict travel and take other steps to halt the newest potentially risky coronavirus mutant before anyone knows just how dangerous omicron really is.
Obituaries for December 2
Naomi K. Alcosiba, 88, of Hilo died Oct. 30 at home. Born in Hilo, she was a retired bar manager for 33 years at the former Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel and member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church. Visitation 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, at Dodo Mortuary Chapel. Prayer service at 6 p.m. Visitation again 8:30-9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 10, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hilo. Funeral Mass at 9 a.m.. Burial to follow at Hawaii Veterans Cemetery No. 2. Casual attire; face masks and social distancing required. Online streaming of Thursday’s services available. Contact a family member for information. Survived by son, Tony Alcosiba of Honolulu; hanai sons, Kenneth Lance Alcosiba of California, Patpong Chittkusol of Bangkok, Thailand, and Lawrence Nakano of Honolulu; daughters, Gale (James) Camacho of Keaau and Alissa L. (Keith) Kashiwada of Puuloa; hanai daughters, Lydia Martins of Hilo and Tanya Dudoit of Oahu; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
County Democrats seek clarity on reapportionment
The Hawaii County Democratic Party is asking the state Reapportionment Commission to take another look at how nonresident military and students were extracted from population data in light of new figures showing there were almost twice as many military personnel as previously thought.
Feds fund Waianuenue bridge repairs
A small but significant bridge in Hilo will receive $1.5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to kick-start a modernization and disaster mitigation project.
Puainako pick-up lanes help, ‘but I don’t think this is the solution’ for school traffic
New pick-up lanes at two Hilo schools are helping to ease traffic, but it still may be best to avoid Puainako Street from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on school days.
Frances Chang Sherrard, educator and EHCC founder, dies at 98
Frances Chang Sherrard, an educator and matriarch of the East Hawaii arts community, died Nov. 20 at her Hilo home. She was 98.
Warriors repeat: Honma’s legacy-building performance leads Kamehameha to BIIF D-I girls volleyball crown
KEAAU — Maela Honma picked up her first gold medal after Kamehameha swept Hilo in the BIIF Division I volleyball championship on Wednesday night at Koia’a Gym, where the legacy chasing has started for the sophomore outside hitter.
First US case of omicron variant confirmed in California
WASHINGTON — A person in California who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 became the first in the U.S. to have an identified case of the omicron variant, the White House announced Wednesday as scientists continue to study the risks posed by the new virus strain.
State briefs: Honolulu’s only woman mayor dies at 93
HONOLULU — The first and only woman to serve as mayor of Honolulu died earlier this month at age 93.
Fuel odor in Navy water on Oahu prompts more than 100 complaints
HONOLULU — The state Department of Health said Tuesday tests of water samples from the Navy’s water system at Pearl Harbor have so far been inconclusive after it received more than 100 complaints about fuel-like odor coming from tap water in the area.
US panel backs first-of-a-kind COVID-19 pill from Merck
WASHINGTON — A panel of U.S. health advisers on Tuesday narrowly backed a closely watched COVID-19 pill from Merck, setting the stage for a likely authorization of the first drug that Americans could take at home to treat the coronavirus.
Brazil, Japan report 1st cases of omicron variant
Brazil and Japan joined the rapidly widening circle of countries to report cases of the omicron variant Tuesday, while new findings indicate the mutant coronavirus was already in Europe close to a week before South Africa sounded the alarm.
US moves to toughen testing requirement for travelers
Washington — The Biden administration is moving to toughen testing requirements for international travelers to the U.S., including both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, amid the spread of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Georgia jury hit gun issue on the mark
The multiple guilty verdicts last Wednesday against three white Georgia men who cornered and murdered a Black jogger marked a refreshing turn of justice. A jury drew a much-needed line between stand-your-ground laws and gun-carrying vigilantes who have been emboldened to go on human hunting sprees. The nearly all-white jury decided that spurious assertions of self-defense and false allegations of hostile intent by the victim, Ahmaud Arbery, were no excuse for the reckless actions of defendants Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor, William Bryan.
Your Views for December 1
Service with aloha
Hilo earns spot opposite Kamehameha in BIIF D-I volleyball championship
KAILUA-KONA – From the very beginning, the Vikings were in total control.
