Infante is an award-winning news reporter, editor, columnist and digital manager who has worked for The Honolulu Advertiser, USA Today and other local and national media outlets. Previous to joining the Star-Advertiser, she worked as newscaster and host on the highly rated “The Rise & Drive Morning Show with Devon & Esme” on 94.7 KUMU. Other prior positions include communications director for the late Congressman Mark Takai; promotions director for Islandwide Crafts & Food Expos; founder, chief executive and editor of Moms In Hawaii LLC; and founder of the broadcast journalism program at Mililani High School. She is a proud graduate of Mililani High School, and the University of Hawaii, where she graduated with distinction.
The education beat is close to Infante’s heart. She covered education in the 1990s for The Honolulu Advertiser. She is also a former classroom teacher from a family of educators, and the mother of one child in public school and another in the University of Hawaii system.
The UH Cancer Center, which has access to 85 clinical trials, is reorganizing, hiring more staff and implementing new strategies in hopes of bringing patient participation back at least to pre-pandemic levels. Read more
An ambitious first-phase framework for a new strategic plan for Hawaii’s statewide public school system that includes academic proficiency for every single student and qualified hires in every teaching position among its goals won unanimous approval Thursday from the state Board of Education. Read more
As the Punahou Carnival this weekend finally opens to the public for the first time since 2020, the popular event is still suffering a pandemic hangover: It will be minus some signature features usually provided by E.K. Fernandez Shows, including large “thrill rides” such as the Ferris wheel, Zipper and bumper cars, as well as its major games section. Read more
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Esther Kwon — a Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School educator whom some students fondly call “DJ Kwon” for her use of music to engage students in her class — was named Hawaii’s latest recipient of the prestigious Milken Educator Award at a surprise award ceremony Tuesday. Read more
Esther Kwon received an unrestricted $25,000 award at a surprise ceremony today. Read more
Hawaii’s Title I public schools, which serve a disproportionate number of students living in poverty, will get $73 million in added federal funding for the 2023-2024 school year — an increase of $15 million over 2022. Read more
Now “much of the road debris from the flooding has been cleared and school bus services will be operational,” a DOE spokesperson said. Read more
An unprecedented $35 million state initiative to provide free skills training and job-placement support for 3,000 Hawaii residents launches today, with leaders hoping to improve participants’ quality of life by increasing their earning potential, while easing labor shortages in some of the state’s high-demand industries. Read more
Officials will evaluate conditions today to decide if the schools can safely resume operations Tuesday, the news release said. Read more
A years-long struggle by University of Hawaii graduate assistants for the right to unionize and collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions has progressed further than ever before, with their case now being considered by the Hawaii Supreme Court. Read more
As the state embarks on its ambitious plan to offer universal access to preschool by creating 465 new classrooms by 2032, among the questions stakeholders are asking most is, How will so many additional preschool teachers be found in the midst of the state’s chronic teacher shortage? Read more
After decades of urgent calls for a statewide preschool system, a public- private plan finally is being launched to create 465 classrooms so that all Hawaii 3- and 4-year-olds can get access to preschool by 2032, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and community leaders are set to announce today. Read more
The University of Hawaii, already smarting from Gov. Josh Green’s changes to its requests to increase its biennial budgets, got no sympathy from state senators demanding more accountability on UH spending and leadership during a contentious meeting Thursday. Read more
Threats of harm or violence received by the islands’ public schools are rising dramatically, state schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi reported Tuesday in a school-safety briefing before state lawmakers. Read more
A University of Hawaii team vying in a prestigious international competition Saturday for the fastest autonomous vehicle streaked to third place among 18 teams from around the globe. Read more
At the new Hawai‘i Keiki Museum in Kailua-Kona, kids laugh and chatter in delight as they build towering rocket ships with oversize foam blocks, splash their hands in a tabletop model taro patch and run zigzags through swaying foam tubes simulating a limu forest. Read more
The Hawaii State Teachers Association confirmed that Green told the union he intends to propose the tax credit to the state Legislature, which opens Jan. 18. Read more
The Hawaii State Teachers Association confirmed today that Gov. Green said he would be proposing the tax credit to the state Legislature. Read more
Hawaii’s spending on public school education has earned C grades in a new national report, with per-pupil spending here reported at $14,662 — $784 less than the U.S. average. Read more
For Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has suffered at least three apparent head injuries this NFL season, how many concussions is too many — and at what point should he sit out the rest of the season or even consider retiring from the game? Read more
Vog from Hawaii’s volcanoes might be hurting students’ ability to think and reason, as indicated by lower test scores, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Hawaii and University College London. Read more
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