Hawaii brands offering tasting event
In what the companies call a partnership created by a family friendship, Ka Lei Eggs will host a Tropilicious Ice Cream & Sorbet tasting event from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at Ka Lei Marketplace in Kaimuki.
Tropilicious will introduce its new "dreamsicle" flavors that include a mix of ice cream and sorbet, which are not yet available at retail. Tropilicious will give a free cup of ice cream and sorbet to the first 50 customers, and will offer 25 percent off its products during the event at 3585 Waialae Ave.
"We are always testing out new flavors in our factory that can’t be bought in any of the grocery stores, so we wanted to give our loyal customers a chance to be the first and get their feedback on what they think," Ascia Zecha Wallingford, Tropilicious president, said in a statement.
Ka Lei President Lois Shimabukuro is hosting the event not only because Tropilicious products are sold at the egg company’s two outlets, but because "my family has always believed in the importance of buying local, and I’m glad that Ascia and her family feel the same way," she said.
Mililani man Civilian Engineer of the Year
Mililani native Cey Murakami was named Civilian Engineer of the Year by the Navy on Wednesday.
Murakami and Lt. Steven Ferrara of Seekonk, Mass., were identified as the best in their field for 2015 by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii at a gathering held at Hickam Theater, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
In 2014, Murakami managed and led his team to complete more than 200 projects, exceeding an estimated $40 million.
Murakami graduated from the University of Hawaii with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering and is a registered professional engineer in Hawaii.
Japan’s lower house dissolved for election
TOKYO >> Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the lower house of Japan’s parliament Friday, forcing a snap election in an apparent bid to shore up support for his scandal-plagued government so that he can pursue his policy goals.
His ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has been in power for most of the post-World War II era, might lose some seats but is likely to retain a solid majority with its coalition partner in the 480-seat lower house.
The election, expected Dec. 14, follows Abe’s decision this week to postpone a planned increase in the sales tax after figures released Monday showed the economy slipped into recession. He is portraying the election as a referendum on his economic revitalization policies and the postponement of the tax hike — from the current 8 percent to 10 percent — that had been planned for next October.
U.S. jobless aid applications fall to 291,000
WASHINGTON >> The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits declined slightly last week, suggesting that job gains should remain solid.
Weekly applications for jobless aid fell 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 291,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose 1,750 to 287,500. Employers are laying off fewer workers and have stepped up hiring. The weekly applications are a proxy for layoffs and have fallen 16 percent in the past 12 months.
Home sales in U.S. rose in October
WASHINGTON >> Americans bought homes in October at the briskest pace this year, a sign that the sluggish housing market is turning around.
Sales of existing homes rose 1.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.26 million last month, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That’s up from a revised pace of 5.18 million in September. October marked the first month in 2014 when sales increased compared with a year ago, registering a 2.5 percent gain.
ON THE MOVE
Porter McGuire Kiakona & Chow has hired Christopher P. St. Sure as an associate attorney practicing in the areas of construction, community association and commercial litigation. He was previously serving as a law clerk for Judge Edwin C. Nacino.
RIM Architects has announced Nicole Marie Ho Kimoto as a project designer. She has 12 years of experience working with local architects on health care, transportation, military, education and commercial projects.
Kiewit Building Group has appointed Michael Brumley as operations manager. He was previously a district project executive from the company’s Denver office.
