Virus claims more young victims as deaths climb yet again
MIAMI — A young mother had just celebrated her first wedding anniversary and was one of six members of a Jacksonville church to die over a 10-day span.
Mounting frustration: Pretrial defendants freed on lowered bail later arrested for other offenses
CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION 8-16-21: A previous version of the story erroneously indicated Richard Ganigan’s TRO violations case was linked with domestic abuse, based on a conversion the Tribune-Herald had last week with County Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen. Waltjen said Monday, Ganigan’s multiple cases stem from a dispute with a neighbor. The Tribune-Herald regrets the error and apologizes to Mr. Ganigan and his family.
Eateries, other businesses adjust to new state COVID mandates
Local bars, restaurants and other businesses under Gov. David Ige’s emergency order to limit occupancy to 50% or less say they are in compliance with the emergency mandates, with one Hilo bar and restaurant owner going a step further in the wake of the state’s largest COVID-19 infection numbers since the pandemic began.
Israel condemns Poland restitution law, recalls top diplomat
WARSAW, Poland — Israel on Saturday condemned Poland’s approval of a law that restricts the rights of Holocaust survivors or their descendants to reclaim property seized by the country’s former communist regime and announced it was recalling its top diplomat in protest.
At least 304 dead, 1,800 hurt as powerful quake slams Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing at least 304 people and injuring at least 1,800 others as buildings tumbled into rubble. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients.
Turkish flood deaths hit 57; dozens still missing
ISTANBUL — The death toll from severe floods and mudslides along Turkey’s Black Sea coast has climbed to at least 57, the country’s emergency and disaster agency said Saturday, as authorities disputed reports that dozens more people were missing.
Police: School shooting victim went to aid boy being bullied
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s only a few days into the new school year, but New Mexico’s largest district is reeling from a shooting that left one student dead and another in custody after, according to police, the victim tried to protect another boy who was being bullied.
Obituaries for August 15
Elvis Abian Bartolome Sr., 48, of Pahoa died June 20 at Hilo Medical Center. Born in Hilo, he was a self-employed papaya farmer and a member of Pahoa Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Visitation 4-6 p.m. Friday (Aug. 20) at Dodo Mortuary Chapel. Wake service at 6 p.m. Mass at 10:30 a.m. Saturday (Aug. 21) at Pahoa Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Burial to follow at the Pahoa Catholic Cemetery. Seating limited; face masks and social distancing required. Casual attire; flowers welcome. Survived by wife, Cheryl Bartolome of Pahoa; sons, Christian (Angelica Santiago) Bartolome and Christopher Bartolome of Oahu, Elvis Bartolome Jr. of Hilo; brothers, Jose (Esther) Bartolome of Seattle and Gabriel (Aurea) Bartolome of Keaau; sisters, Dinah (Jerry) Battles and Helen (Dimas) Maulit of Pahoa, Rosario Engle of Oahu; cousins, nieces and nephews. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
Crews battle largest US wildfire, threats grow across West
QUINCY, Calif. — Johnnie Brookwood had never heard of a road named Dixie when a wildfire began a month ago in the forestlands of Northern California.
Biden orders 1,000 more troops to aid Afghanistan departure
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden authorized on Saturday an additional 1,000 U.S. troops for deployment to Afghanistan, raising to roughly 5,000 the number of U.S. troops to ensure what Biden called an “orderly and safe drawdown” of American and allied personnel.
Taliban capture key northern city, approach Afghan capital
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban on Saturday captured a large, heavily defended city in northern Afghanistan in a major setback for the government, and were approaching the capital of Kabul, less than three weeks before the U.S. hopes to complete its troop withdrawal.
Volcano Watch: 1790 was a bad year at Kilauea
More people were probably killed by the 1790 eruption of Kilauea than by any other eruption in what is now the United States. Several hundred men, women, and children perished during explosions at the summit of the volcano.
Your Views for August 15
No new lease
Leaning in to students’ hopes
Among the many books bemoaning a so-called crisis in higher education is one entitled “Academically Adrift” (Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa). When it first came out in 2011, it was discussed at just about every higher education conference. The authors argued that university students in general seem not to be learning as deeply nor as broadly as their predecessors. Everyone, it seems, was to blame: parents too focused on credentials; students too focused on social life; faculty too focused on research; and administrators too focused on rankings and budgets. No one, they claimed, is really focused on learning anymore. Students are left without a compass, it seems, academically adrift in a boat without a rudder. Even more so during COVID times, it may seem that institutions and students have lost their way.
The pandemic shows why counting global deaths is essential
The past 18 months have shown that accurately counting the dead is vital for protecting the living. At the outset of the pandemic, many countries lacked adequate registration systems, and others saw their processes break down under strain. This made it harder to track the spread of COVID-19 and deal with its consequences. Even in normal times, lack of data about deaths and their causes can seriously impede efforts to protect public health. Fixing this ought to be a global priority.
Police seek man described as ‘armed and dangerous’
Police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a 39-year-old suspect they say “should be considered armed and dangerous.”
Mountain View woman accused of assaulting cop
Police arrested and charged a 34-year-old Mountain View woman with first-degree assault, first-degree assault on a police officer and a quarantine violation for separate incidents on Aug. 12.
More US cities requiring proof of vaccination to go places
Hold on to that vaccination card. A rapidly growing number of places across the U.S. are requiring people to show proof they have been inoculated against COVID-19 to teach school, work at a hospital, see a concert or eat inside a restaurant.
Climate-fueled wildfires take toll on tropical Pacific isles
WAIMEA — A metal roof sits atop the burned remains of a homestead on the once-lush slopes of Hawaii’s Maunakea — a dormant volcano and the state’s tallest peak — charred cars and motorcycles strewn about as wind-whipped sand and ash blast the scorched landscape.
1 dies in New Mexico school shooting; student detained
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — One student was killed and another was taken into custody Friday after a shooting at a middle school near downtown Albuquerque during the lunch hour, police said.
Global sizzling: July was hottest month on record, NOAA says
Earth sizzled in July and became the hottest month in 142 years of recordkeeping, U.S. weather officials announced.
Man kills 5, himself in UK’s first mass shooting in decade
LONDON — A young man who killed five people, including his mother, and then took his own life in Britain’s first mass shooting in over a decade had complained online about difficulties meeting women and being “beaten down” by life.
Pelosi faces new threat from moderate Democrats over budget
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi faced a fresh hurdle Friday to passing President Joe Biden’s multitrillion-dollar domestic policy aspirations, as nine moderate Democrats threatened to derail a budget blueprint crucial to opening the door to much of that spending.
The best way to tax polluters, fight climate change and reduce the deficit? Raise the federal gas tax
Last week, Maryland’s Chris Van Hollen and a handful of fellow liberal Democrats in the U.S. Senate announced legislation to tax the oil industry on the basis of their greenhouse gas emissions.
Americans make use of their religious freedom
The Public Religion Research Institute has released its latest snapshot of the American religious landscape with data from 2020. It shows that America is still majority Christian, and that, despite shrill voices of the most aggrieved, Americans broadly enjoy healthy religious liberty.
