Wild weather, Limbaugh gaffe, GOP fight

Local

>> Rain, lightning, hail and even a tornado socked Oahu and Kauai throughout the week, dumping as much as 30 inches of rain on some spots in a 72-hour period. Landslides and swollen streams closed roads, while three lightning strikes on Oahu on Monday night damaged a Kunia house, destroyed a Makakilo rock wall and sank a catamaran in Keehi Lagoon. Just when residents thought they’d seen it all, baseball-size hail and a tornado hit Lanikai and Enchanted Lake.

>> Hilo radio station KPUA-AM said it will no longer air Rush Limbaugh’s talk show after the conservative commentator called a Georgetown University law student a “slut” and a “prostitute” for her support of a federal mandate that all employers include birth control in health insurance.

>> The state Council on Revenues upgraded its forecast for economic growth Wednesday, projecting 12 percent revenue growth for the fiscal year ending June 30. The added $21.6 million in expected money may prompt lawmakers to restore cuts to social service programs.

>> The University of Hawaii fired women’s basketball coach Dana Takahara-Dias on Wednesday, shortly after the Wahine’s 11-19 season ended with a first-round loss in the WAC tournament. Takahara-Dias was 32-58 in three seasons.

>> Oahu home prices for single-family houses rose 9.6 percent in February, to $625,000 compared with $570,000 a year earlier.

>> After a five-week delay, candidates for state Senate and House seats were allowed to file nomination papers Friday after the state Reapportionment Commission approved new political boundary maps Thursday.

>> State Sen. Will Espero decried the fact that nine of the 64 security cameras at the state Capitol don’t work and that monitor screens aren’t functioning properly.

Mainland

>> Mitt Romney pulled off a narrow victory in Ohio on Super Tuesday but lost three states to Rick Santorum, a split verdict that overshadowed Romney’s claim of collecting the most delegates and all but ensured another round of intense infighting on the road to the Republican presidential nomination.

>> President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to offer a united front against Iran’s growing nuclear program but appeared to differ on whether a diplomatic solution remains possible or if military action is needed to prevent Tehran from gaining a nuclear bomb.

World

>> In a video statement denouncing what he called the “brutal” government of President Bashar Assad, a senior official in Syria’s Oil Ministry announced that he was switching to the opposition, marking what appeared to be the highest-level defection of a government official since the start of the Syrian uprising nearly a year ago.

>> The U.S. military and the Afghan government sealed an agreement on the gradual transfer of control of the main U.S. prison in the country, a last-minute breakthrough that brings the first progress in months in contentious negotiations over a long-term partnership.

THIS WEEK

Local

>> Tuesday: The Waikiki Neighborhood Board gives an update on the Waikiki Beach sand replenishment project, 7 p.m., 310 Paoakalani Ave.

>> Wednesday: The Honolulu Ethics Commission will vote on prohibiting Council members from deciding matters in which they have a conflict of interest, and allowing the commission to fine any city employee who violates ethics laws, 12:15 p.m., 715 S. King St., suite 211.

>> Thursday: The state Land Use Commission will continue hearings on land-use approvals for the Ho‘opili subdivision in Ewa and the Koa Ridge subdivision in Waipio, 9:30 a.m., 235 S. Beretania St., room 204. Hearings continue Friday at 9 a.m.

>> Friday: Kauai County Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. gives his state of the county address, 1:30 p.m., Lihue Civic Center.

Mainland

>> Tuesday: A big day in the GOP race with primaries in Mississippi and Alabama.