Cartoon for December 4
The Big Island as seen by Hawaii Tribune-Herald cartoonist Gary Hoff.
BIIF winter sports underway
Big Island boys and girls soccer and basketball seasons are underway with games across the isle every week.
College roundup: No. 1 Georgia romps into playoff with 50-30 SEC win vs LSU
ATLANTA — Georgia swatted away the field goal attempt, the ball spinning to a stop at its 4-yard line. The LSU players trudged off the field, thinking the play was over.
Messi scores, Argentina reaches World Cup quarterfinals
AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Lionel Messi was pushed into the middle of a joyous post-match huddle as Argentina’s players jumped up and down to celebrate reaching the World Cup quarterfinals.
US knocked out of World Cup, loses to the Netherlands 3-1
AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Christian Pulisic covered his face as he walked off. Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Kellyn Acosta gathered for a group hug. Tim Weah, DeAndre Yedlin and Sean Johnson sat on the field in a small circle with their cleats off.
El Salvador sends 10,000 police, soldiers to seal off town
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The government of El Salvador sent 10,000 soldiers and police to seal off a town on the outskirts of the nation’s capital Saturday to search for gang members.
Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers and other Jan. 6 plotters must pay the price for their crimes
Here’s a stark way to restate why Donald Trump is unfit to lead the Republican Party, much less the nation: He promises “full pardons with an apology to many” of those who violently breached the Capitol to stop the peaceful transition of power to rightful victor Joe Biden. In stark contrast, the current administration’s Justice Department is holding the insurrectionists accountable.
GOP plans payback of Trump probes by investigating Biden over trivial matters
The incoming Republican House majority is salivating to begin investigations against the Biden administration, with some in the caucus even talking about impeachment. In contrast to the numerous Democratic investigations and two impeachments against Donald Trump — which were legitimate responses to a uniquely unfit president who routinely spurned the rule of law — the GOP’s current plans are little more than tit-for-tat politics. They should keep in mind how obvious that will be to a nation that just denied their party the “red wave” everyone was expecting.
Obituaries for December 4
Valintin Alnas Sr., 89, of Paauhau died Nov. 17 at home. Born in Paauhau, he was a retired baker for the Hilton Waikoloa Village, mill worker for the former Hamakua Sugar Co., and member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Hilo KATS softball team, ILWU fast-pitch softball team, assistant coach for the Honokaa High School girls softball team in 1976, and helped coordinate construction of the Honokaa swimming pool. Visitation 8:30-10 a.m. Saturday (Dec. 10) at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Honokaa. Memorial Mass at 10 a.m. Casual attire. Survived by wife, Shirley Alnas of Paauhau; son, Raymond O. (Candace) Alnas of Waikoloa; daughters, Cristina A. “Crissy” (Timothy) Smith of Kalopa and Dana P. (Timothy) Costa of Honolulu; sisters, Mary (John) Welch of Arizona and Emily (Roy) Oshiro of California; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
Beijing, Shenzhen scrap COVID-19 tests for public transport
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities on Saturday announced a further easing of COVID-19 curbs with major cities such as Shenzhen and Beijing no longer requiring negative tests to take public transport.
Volcano Watch: Mauna Loa reawakens
At 10:45 p.m. Sunday evening, Nov. 27, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists were alerted to an earthquake swarm beneath Mauna Loa. Before an hour had gone by, lava had broken the surface within Moku‘aweoweo, the summit caldera, for the first time in 38 years.
Rail workers say deal won’t resolve quality-of-life concerns
OMAHA, Neb. — When BNSF railroad conductor Justin Schaaf needed to take time off from work this summer, he had to make a choice: go to the dentist to get a cavity in his molar filled or attend a party for his son’s 7th birthday.
New LA sheriff vows accountability, integrity for department
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The new head of the nation’s largest sheriff’s department vowed Saturday to usher in an era of integrity and collaboration after his predecessor’s tenure was marked by clashes with other public officials and allegations that ganglike groups of deputies ran amok within the agency.
Russia rejects $60-a-barrel cap on its oil, warns of cutoffs
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian authorities rejected a price cap on the country’s oil set by Ukraine’s Western supporters and threatened Saturday to stop supplying the nations that endorsed it.
Pentagon chief: US faces pivotal years in countering China
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The U.S. is at a pivotal point with China and will need military strength to ensure that American values, not Beijing’s, set global norms in the 21st century, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday.
Both sides see high stakes in gay rights Supreme Court case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is being warned about the potentially dire consequences of a case next week involving a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for same-sex couples.
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:
Still ‘huge destructive potential’: State deploys team from Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to assist county
State and county agencies continue to prepare for the impacts of a possible closure of the Daniel K. Inouye Highway.
Biden sees economy avoiding recession, but risks remain
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden assured Americans on Friday that the U.S. economy is chugging along in the holiday season, but the very strength of a new jobs report showed that high inflation remains a recession threat.
For many Hawaiians, lava flows are a time to honor, reflect
HONOLULU — When Willette Kalaokahaku Akima-Akau looks out at the the lava flowing from Mauna Loa volcano and makes an offering of gin, tobacco and coins, she will be taking part in a tradition passed down from her grandfather and other Native Hawaiians as a way to honor both the natural and spiritual worlds.
After Hawaii crash, NTSB calls for inspection of helicopters
(AP) — U.S. safety officials are calling for immediate inspection of certain Bell helicopters based on findings from their investigation into a crash in Hawaii. The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that U.S. and Canadian regulators should require immediate inspections of hardware used to attach the tail booms to the fuselage on Bell 407 helicopters. The safety board says one of the hardware fittings used to attach the tail to the fuselage was missing and three others showed signs of cracking in the Hawaii crash, which injured the pilot and five passengers. The Bell 407 is a popular helicopter for sightseeing flights and for law enforcement and air ambulances.
Rodgers, Packers try to stop skid, extend streak over Bears
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Aaron Rodgers turned toward the crowd after scrambling for a dagger touchdown at Soldier Field last year and landed a verbal haymaker for good measure.
Feral hog control: 8 years, some progress, $2.5B damage/year
NEW ORLEANS — Eight years into a U.S. program to control damage from feral pigs, the invasive animals with big appetites and snouts that uproot anything that smells good are still a multibillion-dollar plague on farmers, wildlife and the environment.
China got COVID wrong, and now Xi Jinping is paying the price
Protest movements routinely bring symbols that help define their cause. Umbrellas serving as shields against pepper spray came to symbolize demonstrations in Hong Kong in 2014 and again in 2019 as citizens protested anti-democratic measures pushed by Beijing.
Endangered listing for Nevada toad in geothermal power fight
RENO, Nev. — A Nevada toad at the center of a legal battle over a geothermal power project has officially been declared an endangered species after U.S. wildlife officials temporarily listed it on a rarely-used emergency basis last spring.
