AlohaCare awards $1.5M to health centers

Nonprofit health plan AlohaCare recently distributed $1.5 million in health care quality incentive awards to 14 community health centers and clinics statewide. The funding is part of AlohaCare’s Quality Improvement Incentive Program, an annual initiative to support projects that measurably improve clinical care, services and access to care, especially to Hawaii’s at-risk populations.

The following community health centers and clinics are program recipients for fiscal year 2011:

Oahu: Kalihi-Palama Health Center (childhood immunization and chlamydia screening programs); Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services (childhood immunization program); Ko’olauloa Community Health and Wellness Center (childhood immunization program); Queen Emma Clinics (chlamydia screening program); Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (childhood immunization and chlamydia screening programs); Waimanalo Health Center (diabetes care program); Waikiki Health Center (diabetes care program)

Hawaii island: Bay Clinic Inc. (diabetes care and chlamydia screening programs); Hamakua Health Center (access to care program); West Hawaii Community Health Center (access to care program)

Kauai: Ho’ola Lahui Hawaii/Kauai Community Health Center (emergency department utilization program)

Maui: Hana Community Health Center (diabetes care program); Malama i ke Ola Health Center (diabetes care and childhood immunization programs)

Molokai: Molokai Ohana Health Care (well-child visits program)

Evicting Wall Street protest cost L.A. $2.3M

Evicting protesters from their encampment around City Hall last month cost Los Angeles taxpayers $2.35 million, officials said Friday. The estimate was released by city Administrative Officer Miguel Santana. The two-month demonstration, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street protest that began in New York on Sept. 17, was intended to highlight income inequality in America.

Hundreds of tents were pitched in City Hall Park until police forced protesters out on Nov. 30. About 300 people were arrested. At least $1.7 million of the costs for police overtime, fencing and other expenses related to the protest will increase the current budget deficit of $72 million, according to the report. The nation’s second-largest city by population closed a $457 million spending gap earlier this year in part by asking employees to contribute to their retirement health-care costs and by cutting back on police overtime pay. The cost estimate doesn’t include restoration of the park, previously projected to be about $400,000.

Banks stash money with European Bank

FRANKFURT, Germany » Banks from the 17 countries that use the euro stashed euro 347 billion ($453 billion) overnight with the European Central Bank on Thursday, in another sign that Europe’s debt crisis is still putting pressure on the banking system. The figure announced Friday is the highest for 2011, topping euro 346.4 billion earlier this month.

Banks use the deposit facility every day in fluctuating amounts to offload excess cash. Heavy recent use suggests that even as the ECB makes more credit available to banks they are depositing some of it — temporarily at least — back with the central bank at low interest rates rather than lending. One reason to park money in the facility is that banks are unwilling to lend to other banks for fear they won’t be paid back.

GE Funding to pay $70M to settle complaint

WASHINGTON » Part of the finance arm of General Electric Co. will pay $70 million to resolve complaints about the company’s role in anticompetitive activity in the municipal bond investments market.

The Justice Department on Friday announced that GE Funding Capital Market Services Inc. also acknowledged illegal, anticompetitive conduct by its former traders.

The company acknowledged that from 1999 through 2004, certain former GE Funding traders manipulated the bidding process on municipal investment and related contracts. Those contracts were used to invest the proceeds of, or manage the risks associated with, bond issuances by municipalities and other public entities.

SunPower buys Total’s solar unit for $165M

SAN JOSE, Calif. » Solar cell maker SunPower Corp. said on Friday that it will buy the solar panel-making unit of Total SA for $165.4 million in cash. The Total unit, Tenesol SA, is based in La Tour de Salvagny, France, and has operations in 18 countries with solar panel manufacturing facilities in France and South Africa. Total will own 66 percent of SunPower after the deal closes, which is expected early next year.

ON THE MOVE

Castle Resorts & Hotels has announced that Robin Graf has been appointed vice president of operations. He has more than 20 years of extensive senior-level hospitality management experience and was previously a general manager of Kauai Beach Resort. Before the resort on Kauai, Graf held general manager and senior-level operations positions at Wyland Waikiki Hotel, Park Shore Waikiki, Waikiki Parc Hotel, Royal Waikoloan, Hilton Hawaiian Village and Hilton Waikoloa Village.

The Water Board, County of Hawaii, has announced Quirino Antonio as the next manager-chief engineer of the Department of Water Supply. He has worked for the department for 37 years, including having been the deputy of the department for 17 years and head of the Water Resources and Planning Branch in the department’s Engineering Division for 13 years.

Distinctive Homes Hawaii Real Estate has announced that Matthew Loo, a real estate professional, has joined the company. He was previously working for General Dynamics and several other software houses. Loo retired early and became interested in the real estate investments and property management.