Electric rates, children in poverty, politics

LOCAL

» Oahu residential electric rates hit a record of 32.8 cents per kilowatt hour this month, as the typical household saw its bill rise to $205 in August, up from $199 in July, Hawaiian Electric Co. said Wednesday.

» The Abercrombie administration said its strategy on homelessness is working, noting Sunday that more than 445 homeless people moved into emergency shelters during the span of the governor’s 90-day homeless plan. The period ended Sunday.

» A brush fire destroyed two houses and damaged three others Wednesday in Koloa, Kauai, while a brush fire Thursday on Oahu led to the evacuation of Haleiwa Elementary School and destroyed several tents at a homeless encampment near Kaiaka State Recreational Area.

» An increasing number of children in Hawaii live below the poverty line, are in single-parent homes and are school dropouts, says the annual Kids Count report released Tuesday. On the bright side, infant mortality and teen births have declined.

» Republican Charles Djou announced he will run for the U.S. House seat he held for seven months in 2010. The 1st District seat (Hawaii Kai to Waipahu) is held by Democrat Colleen Hanabusa.

» Hawaii’s two largest health insurers each reported second-quarter profits, a reversal from losses for that period in 2010. Hawaii Medical Service Association reported a $5.8 million profit and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii had a $2.8 million gain.

» A series of "Forever" postage stamps featuring paintings of bonsai plants by Hilo artist John D. Dawson will appear in 2012, the U.S. Postal Service announced Monday.

» Want to try out an electric car? Enterprise Rent-a-Car said Tuesday it has seven Nissan Leafs for rent on Oahu and will have 30 by year’s end. It is the first rental company in Hawaii to offer all-electric vehicles.

MAINLAND

» The GOP presidential campaign took shape as Texas Gov. Rick Perry officially entered the race and prepared to battle ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, likely his chief rivals. President Barack Obama also stepped up his campaign, staging a bus tour of the Midwest.

» Three men convicted in the slayings of three Cub Scouts went free Friday in Jonesboro, Ark., nearly two decades after they were sent to prison in a case so gruesome it raised suspicions the children had been sacrificed in a Satanic ritual. The so-called West Memphis Three were permitted to plead guilty to murder in exchange for time served.

WORLD

» Exercising for 15 minutes a day adds three years to a person’s life expectancy, according to the first study to show there’s a health benefit from even low levels of physical activity.

» Retaliatory violence between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas exploded Friday in the aftermath of the deadliest attack against Israelis in three years. Egypt was drawn into the fray after some of its security forces were slain as Israel chased militants who killed eight Israelis in Thursday’s ambush.

» Libyan rebels battling to oust Moammar Gadhafi made several key gains last week, further weakening Gadhafi’s grip on power. In nearby Syria, security forces continued a brutal crackdown on protesters despite promises by President Bashar Assad that military operations against the uprising are over.