Hawaii job market expected to rise 4%

The state’s job market is forecast to grow by 26,880 positions, or 4 percent, during a two-year period from early 2013 through early 2015, according to a report released Monday by the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

While the tourism industry sparked the job recovery following the 2008-2009 recession, the construction sector will lead the job market expansion with 16.7 percent growth during the two-year period covered by the forecast.

Among construction industry subcategories, the fastest-growing jobs are forecast to be elevator installers and repairers, reinforcing iron and rebar workers, cement masons and concrete finishers, carpenters, and drywall and ceiling tile installers, according to the report.

Big Island Carbon bankruptcy auction starts

The activated carbon processing facility and biomass power plant formerly owned by Big Island Carbon LLC and its affiliates in Kawai­hae are being auctioned off by order of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dela­ware.

The plant was built to crush, size and char locally grown macadamia nut shells and then activate the charred shells in a nonchemical manner. The biomass power plant was equipped to support the facility with energy derived from pyrolysis oil created by the process, according to Jeff Tanenbaum, president of Tiger Remarketing Services, which is assisting in the liquidation auction.

The Hawaii island facilities, 35 miles north of Kailua-Kona, are being marketed in a sealed-bid offering that closes at 2 p.m. Hawaii time April 4.

Bankruptcy trustee Charles A. Stanziale of McCarter & English LLP is directing the auction.

Apple updates iOS 7 for iPhone and iPad

Apple on Monday released its first major update for iOS 7, its latest operating system for iPhones and iPads. The upgrade improves reliability of the fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 5S and makes adjustments to Siri, among many other changes.

A few months after Apple released the iPhone 5S, some users complained that the phone’s signature feature, TouchID, occasionally failed to read a person’s fingerprint when unlocking the phone. Apple said that iOS 7.1 would improve the accuracy of TouchID.

Many users also had reported that with iOS 7, apps frequently crashed, causing the phone to restart sporadically. The latest software update will address this issue as well, according to the company.

Apple also made a major change in the way that Siri, voice assistant, works. Previously, a user would hold down the iPhone’s home button for a few seconds, let go, talk and then wait for it to react. Now a user can simply hold down the home button and start dictating the command, and Siri will react. Apple also added new languages for Siri, including Japa­nese, Mandarin Chinese, British English and Australian English.

The company modified its camera software for the iPhone 5S. The camera will detect when a feature called High-Dynamic Range will improve the look of a photo and automatically enable that feature so that the user does not have to bother switching it on before snapping the picture.

McDonald’s struggles worsened by snow

NEW YORK » McDonald’s is fighting to hold onto customers in the U.S. — and all that snow didn’t help.

The world’s biggest hamburger chain said Monday that sales fell 1.4 percent at established U.S. locations. It blamed the harsh winter weather but conceded that "challenging industry dynamics" also played a role.

After years of outperforming its rivals, McDonald’s has been struggling to boost sales as people flock to places like Chi­potle and Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Those chains have popped up quickly across the country by positioning themselves as a step up from traditional fast food in terms of quality, for a little extra money. They also offer greater customization, meaning diners can dictate exactly what toppings they want.

Bitcoin exchange files for U.S. bankruptcy

DALLAS » The Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange that recently collapsed in Japan has filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection to shield itself from a lawsuit seeking to repay thousands of people whose digital currency is now missing. The U.S. filing made in Dallas late Sunday supplements a bankruptcy petition that Mt. Gox submitted in Japan at the end of last month.

Mt. Gox was once the world’s largest exchange specializing in bitcoins, but now finds itself in a financial mess after losing about 850,000 bitcoins valued at $473 million, according to court documents.

Although it’s based in Tokyo, Mt. Gox is opening a bankruptcy case in the U.S. in an attempt to delay a recent federal lawsuit filed in Illinois on behalf of all U.S. residents burned by the exchange’s abrupt demise.

Nobu Corp. has announced two more members of its new executive team for the Nobu Wai­kiki restaurant: 

» Jennifer Sumpter as pastry chef. Prior to Nobu Wai­kiki, Sumpter worked at the Ritz-Carlton, Marriott and Hilton Waldorf-Astoria.

» Kenny Lum as lead bartender. Lum was part of the executive team that opened Nobu Wai­kiki in 2007.

Mobi PCS has announced that Melissa Carver has been named director of customer care and retention. Carver will work from the company’s Honolulu office, and her duties will oversight the Maui call center. She has more than 15 years of customer service experience, including as customer care and customer retention supervisor at T-Mobile, assistant call center manager for AT&T Wireless and team leader/customer retention at DIRECTV.

Hawaiian Electric has donated $45,000 to Aloha United Way partner agencies Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, Hawaiian Humane Society, Kua­loa-Heeia Ecumenical Youth Project and Learning Disabilities Association of Hawaii. 

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