Flu is making a comeback in US after an unusual year off
The U.S. flu season has arrived on schedule after taking a year off, with flu hospitalizations rising and two child deaths reported.
Hawaii official agrees Navy must remove fuel from tanks
HONOLULU — A Hawaii state official on Monday agreed that the Navy should be required to remove fuel from massive fuel tanks it owns near Pearl Harbor, saying they pose “a metaphorical ticking time bomb” threatening the water supply of the state’s most populous island.
Fauci: US should consider vaccine mandate for US air travel
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said Monday the nation should consider a vaccination mandate for domestic air travel, signaling a potential embrace of an idea the Biden administration has previously eschewed, as COVID-19 cases spike.
US officials recommend shorter COVID isolation, quarantine
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.
Gathering limits to tighten: Mayor tests positive for COVID-19; state sees record surge of cases
Indoor gathering restrictions will tighten yet again on the Big Island after Mayor Mitch Roth, along with several thousand other Hawaii residents, contracted COVID over the weekend.
LA police video shows officer shooting that killed bystander
LOS ANGELES — Video released Monday showed Los Angeles police firing at a man suspected of assaulting customers last week at a clothing store, a shooting that also killed a 14-year-old girl hiding in a dressing room who was struck by a bullet that went through a wall.
Omicron spreads global gloom over New Year’s celebrations
BRUSSELS — As omicron spreads ever more gloom around the globe ahead of New Year’s Eve, governments are moving at different speeds to contain the scourge, with some reimposing restrictions immediately and others hesitating to spoil the party again.
Omicron, storms disrupt air travel for 4th consecutive day
NEW YORK — Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel, stretched into Monday as airlines called off more than 1,000 U.S. flights because crews were sick with COVID-19 during one of the year’s busiest travel periods, and storm fronts added to the havoc.
Zuckerberg buys more Hawaii land, including deadly dam site
HONOLULU (AP) — Billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has purchased more property in Hawaii, including most of a reservoir that unleashed a deadly flood 15 years ago.
Again, crews find apparent time capsule at Lee statue site
RICHMOND, Va. — Crews wrapping up the removal of a giant pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond found what appeared to be a second and long-sought-after time capsule, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday.
Wonking Out: What would a hard landing look like?
This month, the Federal Reserve announced that it plans to make monetary policy a bit less easy out of concerns over inflation. Some of the media coverage made it seem like a road-to-Damascus moment, a sudden repudiation of everything Jerome Powell and associates have been saying. But if you read the Fed’s statement carefully, not so much: The Fed is still of the view that a lot of recent inflation is tr-tr-transit- … OK, we can’t use the T-word anymore, so maybe say that it’s fugacious?
Let’s Talk Food: Getting ready for the New Year
It’s hard to believe that the year is coming to a close and it certainly has been an interesting year. Just when we thought things were going to get back to normal, omicron has changed things for us.
The US needs to wake up and mandate vaccines for domestic flights, not just international
Over the coming days, millions of Americans are expected to board an airplane heading for someplace to spend the holidays — very possibly in the company of the newest and wiliest strain of the coronavirus, omicron.
Roth tests positive for COVID-19
Mayor Mitch Roth tested positive for COVID-19 over the Christmas weekend, his office said today in a statement.
Police investigate Christmas Day drowning in Puna
Police are investigating a possible Christmas Day drowning in Puna.
Nearly 1,400 new COVID cases after record breaking weekend
Nearly 1,400 new COVID cases have been reported statewide today after a record breaking number of new cases over the holiday weekend.
Map is pau: New County Council boundaries completed by Redistricting Commission
After seemingly endless meetings where tiny population clusters were moved block by tedious block, spirited public input and a dozen drafts later, a final map of County Council districts has been approved that will stand for the next 10 years.
HPD updates community on animal control program, services offered
Jan. 1 will mark six months of the Hawaii Police Department’s hands-on management of animal control services on the Big Island — the same date a new law goes into effect requiring dog and cat owners to microchip their animals.
COVID-19 variant disrupts holiday travel but not shopping
NEWARK, N.J. — The latest COVID-19 variant is upending holiday plans for tens of thousands of travelers — but it didn’t do much damage to holiday shopping.
Federal program offers cash to cover COVID-19 funeral costs
BOSTON — When Wanda Olson’s son-in-law died in March after contracting COVID-19, she and her daughter had to grapple with more than just their sudden grief. They had to come up with money for a cremation.
Sarah Weddington, lawyer who argued Roe v. Wade, dies at 76
DALLAS — Sarah Weddington, a Texas lawyer who as a 26-year-old successfully argued the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade before the U.S. Supreme Court, died Sunday. She was 76.
Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s moral conscience, dies at 90
JOHANNESBURG — Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning icon, an uncompromising foe of apartheid and a modern-day activist for racial justice and LGBT rights, died Sunday at 90. South Africans, world leaders and people around the globe mourned the death of the man viewed as the country’s moral conscience.
Major storm dumps snow, closes mountain routes in California
COLFAX, Calif. (AP) — A major Christmas weekend storm caused whiteout conditions and closed key highways amid blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days.
Photos of aftermath of massacre in Myanmar fuel outrage
BANGKOK — Photos of the aftermath of a Christmas Eve massacre in eastern Myanmar that reportedly left more than 30 people, including women and children, dead and burned in their vehicles, have spread on social media in the country, fueling outrage against the military that took power in February.
