Judge extends prohibition on travel ban ADVERTISING Judge extends prohibition on travel ban HONOLULU (AP) — The federal judge in Hawaii who stopped President Donald Trump’s travel ban from taking effect this week extended the order. U.S. District Judge Derrick
Judge extends prohibition on travel ban
HONOLULU (AP) — The federal judge in Hawaii who stopped President Donald Trump’s travel ban from taking effect this week extended the order.
U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson on Friday converted the temporary restraining order to a preliminary injunction.
The ban was announced in September.
It applied to travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria and Yemen plus some Venezuelan government officials and their families.
Rulings in Hawaii and later in Maryland against the ban only apply to the six Muslim-majority countries.
They do not affect the restrictions against North Korea or Venezuela because the plaintiffs did not ask for that.
Watson said the proposed ban failed to show nationality alone makes a person a greater security risk to the U.S.
The federal government is expected to appeal.
Officials unsure
why pilot whales beached themselves
LIHUE, Kauai (AP) — Wildlife officials are still unsure what caused seven pilot whales to beach themselves along a Kauai beach.
The whales showed up Oct. 13 at Kalapaki Beach. Of the seven, two died before they could be pushed back into the ocean. The other five went back into the water, but three more whale bodies later washed ashore.
Personnel from the University of Hawaii, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, state Department of Land and Natural Resources and volunteers worked together to conduct a necropsy on the five dead whales.
Preliminary results showed no obvious cause of death. Samples were taken and sent to labs for further analysis.
One thing they’re checking is to see if any of the rat poison dropped last month on Lehua Island made it into their systems. Results from those tests are not expected to be in for a while.
The Navy confirmed that there was no mid-frequency active sonar in the area at the time of the stranding and there were no in-water explosives used in the area.
Officials ruled out the possibility of a ship spurring the whales to beach themselves. NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer was underway off Honolulu the day before the whales showed up. The ship’s seafloor imaging systems, however, including its multi-beam echosounder, were not in use during safety inspection exercises.
No other NOAA ships were underway off Hawaii at the time.
63 Waikiki hotel workers walk off
job for 1-day strike
HONOLULU (AP) — More than 60 workers at a Waikiki hotel went on a one-day strike, calling for better working conditions.
The 63 Ilikai Hotel &Luxury Suites union workers walked off the job Thursday.
Unite Here! Local Five spokeswoman Paola Rodelas said the workers on strike included housekeepers, guest service workers, engineers and valet drivers.
Union workers at the Ilikai say they are paid $3.51 an hour less than union members at the nearby Hilton Hawaiian Village, The Modern Honolulu and Ramada Plaza Waikiki.
The workers are doing jobs outside their skill set because of short staff and housekeepers are cleaning larger hotel rooms, Rodelas said.
“We’re here to fight for our rights and get up to par so we can live our lives for our children, our families,” said Richelle Rodero-Miyasato, who works at the front desk of the Ilikai and has been with the hotel for nearly 15 years.
Ilikai is a mixed-use building with hotel rooms and residential units.
