Lite Cylinder propane tanks recalled
All Lite Cylinder-branded propane tanks in Hawaii are being recalled by Hawai‘i Gas under an order by the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
A federal investigation of the Lite Cylinder Co. Inc. revealed likely violations as well as unsafe conditions and practices at its manufacturing facility.
Hawai‘i Gas has removed all cylinders manufactured by the company from its propane exchange locations and replaced them with products manufactured by another company.
Customers who bought the cylinders on or before Tuesday should return them immediately, making sure the valve is fully closed, the cylinder is in a well-ventilated area and that it remains upright during transport, according to a Hawai‘i Gas statement.
Buffalo Wild Wings lands in Pearl Highlands
Buffalo Wild Wings will open a second Hawaii location Wednesday when it debuts at Pearl Highlands Center, next to Regal Cinemas.
The grand opening will be at 11 a.m. and every guest who arrives before 2 p.m. can enter to win free chicken wings for a year, with 20 winners.
Store hours will be Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
The other Buffalo Wild Wings is at 1778 Ala Moana Blvd. in Discovery Bay Center in Waikiki.
Residences at Kapalua Bay changes owner
The Residences at Kapalua Bay, currently managed by KB Employees LLC, will be sold and transferred to a new owner, Montage Hotels & Resorts, on or about Aug. 1.
Most of the approximately 91 employees at the Lahaina, Maui, resort are expected to be retained by the new owner, except select managers, according to a notice received by the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
24 Hawaii schools to get rooftop solar
Under a new agreement, 15 schools on Kauai and nine on Oahu will receive rooftop photovoltaic power systems that will generate 4 megawatts of power to help the schools operate.
New Jersey-based National Energy Partners LLC will provide the construction financing for the projects. Construction is expected to begin shortly and should be completed by the fourth quarter of 2013.
The deal between NEP and Blue Earth Inc. subsidiary Xnergy Inc. is an expansion of a previously announced $4.5 million deal covering the 15 Kauai schools, which constitute the majority of the Garden Island’s school system.
Hawaii foreclosures among lowest in U.S.
Hawaii is among the five states with the lowest number of completed foreclosures, according to a new report by analytics firm CoreLogic.
For the 12 months ending in April, South Dakota had the fewest completed foreclosures at 81, followed by 100 in the District of Columbia, 461 in North Dakota, 466 in Hawaii and 527 in West Virginia.
The five states with the most completed foreclosures for the period made up nearly half the national total.
Florida had 102,000, California had 79,000, Michigan had 68,000, Texas had 53,000 and Georgia had 47,000 in the 12-month period. For the month of April alone, there were 52,000 completed foreclosures in the U.S., down from 62,000 in April 2012. Completed foreclosures from March to April were flat at roughly 52,000.
Unemployment in eurozone sets record
LONDON » The unemployment rate across the 17 European countries that use the euro hit a record 12.2 percent in April, and the number of unemployed is on track to reach 20 million by year’s end.
The worsening jobs crisis points to the recession that has gripped the euro alliance. Many countries are struggling to stimulate growth while grappling with a debt crisis that has led governments to slash spending and raise taxes.
Unemployment in the eurozone rose in April from the previous record of 12.1 percent set in March, Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics office, said Friday. In 2008, before the worst of the financial crisis, the rate was far less — around 7.5 percent.
Starbucks to ban smoking within 25 feet
NEW YORK >> Starbucks customers will soon have to stamp out their cigarettes before approaching the cafes.
The Seattle-based chain says it will start banning smoking within 25 feet of its stores, beginning today, where permitted by its leases. Starbucks spokeswoman Jaime Lynn Riley says the intent is to expand the indoor no-smoking policy to the outdoor seating areas. “If there were any concerns, we would hope to resolve it amicably,” Riley said.
The rule will apply to the 7,000 cafes owned and operated by Starbucks Corp., regardless of whether they have outdoor seating areas.
On the Move
Graham Builders has announced that Jen Christensen has rejoined the firm as a design coordinator. She first joined the company in 2005 as a project coordinator. Before rejoining Graham Builders, Christensen served as an administrative assistant at Chinen & Arinaga Financial Group.
The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau announced that Karen Hughes has joined the bureau as vice president of Meet Hawaii and Travel Industry Partnerships. She previously served in executive sales and marketing positions with Starwood Hotels & Resorts for 15 years.
Hawaiian Airlines has promoted Jan Gouveia to managing director of training and development. She had been project manager of strategy and transformation since April 2012.
