Revenue may go up 11.5 percent HONOLULU (AP) — Gov. Neil Abercrombie says the Council on Revenues is forecasting state revenue to grow 11.5 percent during the fiscal year ending this June 30. ADVERTISING The forecast is lower than the
Revenue may go up 11.5 percent
HONOLULU (AP) — Gov. Neil Abercrombie says the Council on Revenues is forecasting state revenue to grow 11.5 percent during the fiscal year ending this June 30.
The forecast is lower than the 14.5 percent increase the council predicted earlier.
Abercrombie says the core of the administration’s supplemental budget remains solid due to strong management practices and $85 million in savings realized over the last year.
The governor says he will work with the Legislature to “move forward on a positive track.”
Homelessness official resigns
HONOLULU (AP) — Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s coordinator on homelessness has stepped down after just one year on the job.
The governor said in a statement Thursday that Marc Alexander has resigned to attend to personal matters. The governor didn’t provide further explanation.
Alexander was previously vicar general of the Catholic Church in Hawaii. He left the priesthood to join the administration last January.
Coral disease hits Oahu reefs
HONOLULU (AP) — Scientists have discovered a new outbreak of coral disease hitting reefs in Oahu.
A team at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology said Thursday nearly 200 colonies of coral in Kaneohe Bay are being threatened by a strain of the disease. A scientific rapid response team is documenting the outbreak.
The disease, known as Montipora White Syndrome, was first seen in reefs in the area nearly two years ago. The disease is believed to be caused by infectious bacteria and only affects rice coral.
Bankruptcy filings declined
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii bankruptcy cases in 2011 fell for the first time in five years.
Data from U.S. Bankruptcy Court show there were 3,325 cases filed during the year, down 15.9 percent from 2010.
The decline comes after double-digit increases in every year since 2007. Hawaii’s bankruptcy filings fell steadily throughout the year.
No patients left at 2 hospitals
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii Medical Center no longer has any patients and most of its nearly 1,000 employees will lose their jobs by the weekend.
Chief Executive Officer Maria Kostylo says the last few patients were transferred to area hospitals and long-term care facilities late Wednesday. Administrative departments of the Liliha and Ewa hospitals will remain open to oversee winding down of business operations.
Kostylo says a “significant majority” of the employees will be laid-off by this weekend.
In recent weeks, officials have been discharging or transferring about 100 patients.
The closures were announced after a deal to sell the bankrupt hospitals fell through.
