Obesity drugs would be covered by Medicare and Medicaid under Biden proposal
The Biden administration, in one of its last major policy directives, proposed Tuesday that Medicare and Medicaid cover obesity medications, a costly and probably popular move that the Trump administration would need to endorse to become official.
Americans will throw out 316 million pounds of food on Thanksgiving. Here’s how it fuels climate change
LOS ANGELES — Each day, an army of trucks delivers tens of thousands of pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables to Mexico City’s Central de Abasto, one of the world’s largest wholesale food markets.
Hawaii’s hurricane season is below average
As Hawaii’s hurricane season comes to a close, the Central Pacific saw only two tropical cyclones develop, including the more damaging one, which walloped Hawaii Island in August, along with damage to parts of Maui and Oahu.
Affordable housing project in Waimea gains support
A 43-lot affordable housing subdivision in Waimea got a thumbs-up from the Leeward Planning Commission last week.
Bail maintained for man who allegedly tried to kill wife
A 77-year-old Pahoa man accused of bludgeoning his 76-year-old wife with a shotgun butt Friday night remains in Hawaii Community Correctional Center, unable to post $1.65 million bail.
Jack Smith seeks dismissal of 2 federal cases against Trump
Special counsel Jack Smith asked two courts Monday to effectively shut down the federal criminal cases he brought against President-elect Donald Trump last year, bowing to a Justice Department policy that says it is unconstitutional to pursue prosecutions against sitting presidents.
They investigated pandemic fraud, then earned thousands
When J. Bryan Quesenberry first learned that the federal government was sending out hundreds of billions of dollars to help businesses survive during the COVID-19 pandemic, he thought: “There’s going to be fraud here. There just has to be.”
Lahaina ohana completes first home rebuild in fire zone
Longtime Hilo barber retiring after 60 years
Taking a step inside Sel’s Barber Shop in downtown Hilo is like taking a step back in time.
Trump is running his transition team on secret money
President-elect Donald Trump is keeping secret the names of donors who are funding his transition effort, a break from tradition that could make it impossible to see what interest groups, businesses or wealthy people are helping launch his second term.
General Plan process continues: Climate change garners attention at recent meetings
Proposed updates to the Hawaii County General Plan promise many months of public debate as a series of public meetings roll out into next year.
Potential threats to Big Island ranked during meeting
Invasive species and earthquakes topped Big Island residents’ concerns during a community discussion last Monday about a planned update to Hawaii County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Beware Wailuku River: Effort underway to post more ominous warning signs
Councilwoman Jenn Kagiwada is hosting a town hall meeting on Zoom to discuss enhanced signage intended to keep would-be swimmers out of the waters of the state parks along the Wailuku River in Hilo.
Trump taps investor Scott Bessent as Treasury secretary
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump picked Scott Bessent to serve as Treasury secretary Friday, tapping a billionaire hedge fund manager to lead an economic agenda that is expected to be built around raising tariffs and cutting taxes.
The ‘landslide’ that wasn’t: Trump and allies pump up his narrow victory
WASHINGTON — On the night he won a second term, President-elect Donald Trump rejoiced in the moment. “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” he boasted. In the two weeks since, his campaign has repeatedly heralded his “landslide,” even to market Trump merchandise like the “Official Trump Victory Glass.”
Weed for PTSD? Eager for better cannabis science, FDA clears study
In 2021, federal health officials declined to sign off on a clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of using marijuana to treat military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Blue states worry that blocking Trump will be tougher this time
SEATTLE — During the early days of Donald Trump’s first presidency, lawyers at the attorney general’s office in Washington state would gather to strategize about what they saw as troubling directives being handed down by the White House.
‘Extravaganza’ starts today: Christmas craft fair will feature more than 100 vendors
Now is the perfect time to get a running start on your holiday shopping at the 35th Annual Hilo Christmas Extravaganza Craft Fair.
Hilo man free on probation for death of Barbara Klein
The husband and a daughter of a 79-year-old aikido instructor killed more than a year ago in a Hilo traffic collision told the court Thursday the Judiciary has no satisfactory sentence to impose for her death.
Proposal regarding hospitals advances
In order to improve health care access across the Big Island, the Hawaii County Planning Department hopes to expand where hospitals and other medical facilities are allowed to be built.
