Waikoloa places among site’s rising stars
Area hoteliers might feel their properties have already arrived; nevertheless, online travel site TripAdvisor.com has named Waikoloa, on Hawaii island, the eighth-ranked "Destination on the Rise" in the U.S.
The overall winner was Wildwood, N.J., followed by Nags Head, N.C.; Prescott, Ariz.; Telluride, Colo.; Pompano Beach, Fla.; Traverse City, Mich.; Avalon, Calif.; Waikoloa; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Gulf Shores, Ala.
The top international winner was Da Nang, Vietnam.
TripAdvisor created its lists of Destinations on the Rise by measuring year-over-year increases in resort destinations’ popularity based on positive reviews of accommodations, restaurants and attractions.
Federal health exchange says rates rising
WASHINGTON » Many people covered under President Barack Obama’s health care law will face higher premiums next year, the administration acknowledged Thursday. While the average increases are modest, it’s more fodder for the nation’s political battles over health care.
Officials stressed that millions of current HealthCare.gov customers can ease the financial hit if they’re willing to shop around for another plan in a more competitive online marketplace. Subsidies will also help cushion the impact.
It’s currently taking an average of 30 minutes for returning customers to update their coverage.
Premiums for the most popular type of plan are going up an average of 5 percent in the 35 states where the federal government is running the health insurance exchanges, said a report from the Health and Human Services Department.
Troubled homeowners to get more aid
WASHINGTON » Homeowners whose mortgages were modified to stave off foreclosure could next year receive an additional $5,000 reduction in their loans from the government, the Treasury and Housing and Urban Development departments said Thursday.
The payments would affect roughly 1 million borrowers who received reduced mortgage rates through the Home Affordable Modification Program during the Great Recession. The discounted 2 percent mortgage rates are scheduled to rise by a percentage point for many of these borrowers entering the sixth year of the program. That would increase monthly payments for those who might still be struggling to find work or additional income.
The plan announced Thursday is designed to mute the shock from higher interest rates — and thus higher monthly payments — on HAMP borrowers.
L.L. Bean sees surge in demand for boots
LEWISTON, Maine » Whether it’s "lumberjack chic" or old-school utility, demand for L.L. Bean boots is surging — so much so that some customers will have to wait until February to get their holiday purchases.
A backlog of 60,000 boot orders could grow to 100,000 by month’s end, and the company is hiring 100 workers and purchasing additional equipment to catch up with demand. The rubber-bottomed, leather-topped "duck boot" has seen sales grow from fewer than 100,000 a decade ago to about 450,000 this year. Next year the number is expected to top 500,000.
That growth has outpaced even the company’s aggressive expectations, Armstrong said. But it’s difficult to say exactly what’s boosting demand — popularity on college campuses, new styles including bright colors or the plaid-and-boots style dubbed "lumberjack chic."
ON THE MOVE
The Queen’s Medical Center-West Oahu has announced:
>> Dr. Ronald Kuroda is its new medical director. He is board certified in emergency medicine and has served as an attending physician with the emergency group at the Queen’s since 2009. Kuroda also served as assistant department chief for the Queen’s Medical Center-Punchbowl emergency department.
>> Alison Matsuo has been promoted to director of quality and regulatory affairs. She has been with Queen’s for the past 18 years and was the oncology coordinator for quality performance improvement.
