The pandemic slammed a lot of doors shut, but they’re creaking back open, gradually. The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR), hit by the tsunami of joblessness in 2020, finally will resume face-to-face service Dec. 1 to deal with the remaining backlog of disputed claims,Wednesdays through Fridays.

Monday-Tuesday phone appointments can be booked online (labor.hawaii.gov/ui/appointments). For building access, proof of vaccination or testing is required. This isn’t over yet.

Welcome back, sports fans, 100%

At long last, it’s time to go out and support the home teams with sell-out capacity crowds.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, Wednesday night saw the lifting of capacity restrictions at seated-entertainment events on Oahu, allowing 100% attendence for fully vaccinated and masked spectators. Those venues include the Stan Sheriff Arena, which hosted a women’s basketball exhbition game between the University of Hawaii and Hawaii Pacfic Unversity.

All eyes now turn to Saturday’s UH football game at the new Ching Complex at UH-Manoa. Let’s hope fans will fill all 9,000 seats in this milestone occasion.