1st case of COVID in American Samoa arrives on Hawaii flight
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — American Samoa, a U.S. territory in the Pacific, reported its first case of coronavirus on Friday.
Protest for jailed Capitol rioters: Police ready this time
WASHINGTON — Burned before, Capitol Police say they are taking no chances as they prepare for a Saturday rally at the U.S. Capitol in support of rioters imprisoned after the violent Jan. 6 insurrection.
Gen. Milley did the wrong thing for honorable reasons. We need new rules for starting nuclear war
Anew book by journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa contains a singularly startling allegation. In the waning weeks of the Trump administration, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, twice called his counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng, of the People’s Liberation Army, offering assurances that the United States was not about to launch an attack against China.
As infections spike, Europeans are set to block US travelers again
Added to the growing list of damage the anti-vaccination/anti-mask crowd is doing to America is the recommendation of renewed travel bans in the European Union against U.S. visitors, due to spiking coronavirus cases here. Congratulations to all those anti-science “patriots” out there for turning America into a global leper.
Tropical Gardening: Mood enhancing drugs nothing new
Coca, opium, marijuana and hundreds of other plants used to alter our perceived reality are nothing new to earlier cultures and civilizations. We often think of mood altering drugs with trepidation but they have been part of the human condition for thousands of years. Marijuana, opium poppies and coca leaf have been used as were certain mushrooms and even the sap of the angel trumpet tree. As in the case of the angel trumpet, it can be also very poisonous so only the shamans of South and Central America might be trusted with its use. Many of the substances derived from these plants are now illegal in some countries due to the possibility of dangerous misuse. In the case of angel trumpet sap, it can easily kill you if ingested. Others are so much a part of our culture that we hardly give them second thought. These include coffee, tea and chocolate.
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:
Football the unknown as BIIF practices set to return Sept. 27
The BIIF fall sports seasons are beginning to take shape and the fields of play are being cleared for practice. It’s those football fields where the pictures will take a little longer to become clear.
Highway 11 closed after accident in Mountain View
Both lanes of Highway 11 are closed at Mountain View after a car accident.
Highway 11 closed at Hakalau after accident
Highway 11 is closed north of Hakalau after a car accident.
DOH: 581 new COVID-19 cases statewide, 89 on Big Island
The state Department of Health today reported 581 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, including 89 new infections on the Big Island.
UHH men, women win soccer matches at Chaminade
Daeleen Tokunaga’s “passion” propelled UH-Hilo’s women in the morning, then David Mayser “belief” boosted the men in the afternoon.
Let’s get it started: Vuls open PacWest play with key match at Chaminade
The UH-Hilo volleyball team hits the road playing its first PacWest opponents, a really good one in Chaminade and a not so good one in Hawaii Pacific.
Young adults build tiny home, donate it to Habitat for Humanity
Instead of spending time with friends or working over the summer, three Hawaii Island young adults volunteered for months and built a tiny home from scratch for a family in need.
Bodycam: Gabby Petito argued with boyfriend before vanishing
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Police video shows a Florida woman who disappeared during a cross-country journey in a converted camper van had an emotional fight with her boyfriend in a Utah tourist town before she vanished.
‘Coffee with a cop’ on Zoom today
East Hawaii residents are invited to attend a virtual “Coffee with a Cop” with the Hawaii Police Department’s Hilo community policing officers from 9-10 a.m. today via Zoom.
Outbreaks strand some students at home with minimal learning
RALEIGH, N.C. — Within his first week back at school after a year and a half, 7-year-old Ben Medlin was exposed to a classmate with COVID-19, and he was sent home, along with 7,000 other students in the district, for 14 days of quarantine.
Puna murder case now in the hands of prosecutors
Police have concluded their investigation of a murder that took place last year in upper Puna and forwarded the results to prosecutors for review.
Report: Combining outbreak racial data could obscure disparities
A new report authored by Hawaii researchers highlights the value of separating public health data in order to identify and address racial disparities.
Trial set for ex-cop accused of stealing cocaine from evidence locker
A retired police officer is scheduled to face trial for allegedly stealing cocaine from an evidence locker in the Hilo Police Station and intimidating a witness.
Unpermitted gym gets more time to prove it’s safe
A gym that’s been operating without permits in an agricultural shed for almost two years got a reprieve Thursday on an after-the-fact permit after the Leeward Planning Commission asked for inspections.
California wildfires threaten famous giant sequoia trees
THREE RIVERS, Calif. — Firefighters wrapped the base of the world’s largest tree in a fire-resistant blanket as they tried to save a famous grove of gigantic old-growth sequoias from wildfires burning Thursday in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada.
State briefs for September 17
Parents withdrew missing girl from school
COVID-19 surge forces health care rationing in parts of West
BOISE, Idaho — In another ominous sign about the spread of the delta variant, Idaho public health leaders on Thursday expanded health care rationing statewide and individual hospital systems in Alaska and Montana have enacted similar crisis standards amid a spike in the number of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization.
Biden angers France, EU with new Australia, UK initiative
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s decision to form a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain to counter China is angering France and the European Union. They’re feeling left out and seeing it as a return to the Trump era.
Australian PM rejects Chinese criticism of nuclear sub deal
CANBERRA, Australia — Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday rejected Chinese criticism of Australia’s new nuclear submarine alliance with the United States and said he doesn’t mind that President Joe Biden might have forgotten his name.
