Honolulu among the top places to retire
Springfield, Mo., is the best U.S. city in which to retire, according to a new analysis by Livability.com that ranks Honolulu at No. 6.
Using data from geographic information system company Esri, county health rankings and various federal government data, Livability analysts found that Honolulu offers what it calls access to affordable and quality health care, practical cost of living, retiree-friendly businesses and services, as well as several amenities to keep residents active.
Rounding out the top five are No. 2 Knoxville, Tenn.; Bellevue, Wash.; Largo, Fla.; and fifth-ranked Wheat Ridge, Colo.
Following Honolulu are Albuquerque, N.M.; Tucson, Ariz.; Missoula, Mont.; and, at No. 10, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Honolulu was not listed among the 2013 Best Places to Retire, but a Livability.com spokesman said due to differences in methodology, a year-over-year, apples-to-apples comparison is not possible.
Nonprofits to get Visitor Walk proceeds
Nearly half a million dollars in proceeds from the annual Oahu Visitor Industry Charity Walk, sponsored by the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association, will be distributed Friday to more than 60 nonprofit charities and organizations.
A check presentation will be held at 10 a.m. at the Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort. An HLTA committee on every island decides on the charities, nonprofits and organizations that will receive walk funding. On Oahu, committee selections included the American Diabetes Association — Hawaii, American Red Cross (Hawaii State Chapter), Big Brothers Big Sisters, Easter Seals Hawaii, Girl Scouts of Hawaii, Hale Kipa Inc., Hawaii Meals on Wheels Inc., Make-a-Wish Foundation — Hawaii, Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii and more.
Earlier this year some 7,000 participants raised $484,800 during Oahu’s 36th annual event. The event raised $1.8 million statewide.
Pizza Hut’s revamp includes curry crusts
NEW YORK » Pizza Hut is letting customers play mad scientist, giving them the freedom to make pies with honey Sriracha sauce or add curry flavor to the crusts.
The reworked menu is one of several major moves at old-standby restaurant chains, including Red Lobster and Olive Garden, as they try to adjust to changing tastes. Many customers, especially millennials, have turned their backs on chain restaurants and are demanding more variety, exotic flavors and higher-quality food.
Pizza Hut’s atypical flavors and new ingredients are part of a menu overhaul announced Monday set to hit stores Nov. 19. Executives are hoping the revamp — which includes an updated logo and more relaxed uniforms for workers — will be the trick that finally jump-starts sales.
GM delayed switches recall, emails show
DETROIT » Emails released in a court case show that General Motors Co. ordered a half-million replacement ignition switches nearly two months before telling the government that its small cars should be recalled because the switches were defective.
The emails, released Monday by Texas personal injury attorney Robert Hilliard, once again raise questions about what GM knew about the defective switches and when, and how forthcoming the company was both in congressional testimony and in a GM-funded investigation into its conduct by former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas.
They also are fodder for federal prosecutors who are investigating whether GM misled government safety regulators in the ignition switch case.
Energy tycoon to pay ex-wife nearly $1B
OKLAHOMA CITY » The chairman and CEO of energy giant Continental Resources Inc. must pay his ex-wife nearly $1 billion as part of a divorce settlement, an Oklahoma judge ruled Monday.
Oklahoma County District Judge Howard Haralson’s order directs Harold Hamm to pay his ex-wife, Sue Ann Hamm, $995.4 million for "property division alimony."
Harold Hamm was directed to pay $322 million to Sue Ann Hamm by the end of the year, with minimum payments of $7 million each month starting in January to pay off the remaining balance.
A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma City-based company said the couple’s divorce is a private matter that will not have any effect on Continental Resources’ business operations.
The judge’s order states that marital assets awarded to Harold Hamm totaled more than $2 billion. The judge also ordered most of the transcripts and court filings in the divorce case to remain sealed.
The couple has been married since 1988. Sue Ann Hamm filed for divorce in 2012.
Sue Ann Hamm was awarded the couple’s $4.6 million marital home in Nichols Hills, Okla.; an $800,000 home in Enid, Okla.; and a $17.4 million home in Carmel Valley, Calif.
Harold Hamm was awarded a $750,000 home in Branson, Mo., along with a log cabin and 154 acres in Major County, Okla., valued at about $300,000.
ON THE MOVE
The Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific has announced that Wendy K. Manuel has a new title of vice president as well as chief financial officer. Previously, Manuel was senior manager at Ernst & Young for more than 20 years.
Honolulu HomeLoans has announced Stefan Kant as a loan officer specializing in residential mortgage loan origination. He worked in the finance industry in New York for eight years.
Hawaii Community Foundation has hired four members to its executive team:
» Joseph Martyak as vice president of communications. He was previously a chief counsel to commissioner Ann Marie Buerkle and chief of staff for acting chairwoman Nancy Nord at U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
» Thomas Kelly Jr., vice president for knowledge, evaluation and learning. He was previously serving at the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore for 13 years.
» Curtis Saiki, general counsel and vice president of philanthropy. He was previously at First Hawaiian Bank’s Wealth Planning Department, where he oversaw the development of comprehensive wealth plans for the private banking customers.
» Tammi Chun as vice president of programs. She previously advised Gov. Neil Abercrombie on education policy and was the first permanent executive director of Hawaii P-20 Partnership for Education.
